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Unfortunataly the ingame footage doesn't work with my media player. So I tried to get a glimpse about COTA by reading the mini-guide and downloading demo of it's predecessor title, Airborne Assault. While the overall feeling seems ok, I found the demo, well, a bit too easy to jump in and win. Before digging deeper into this, and maybe spending money, I'd like to know, if this game provides enough depth.

To paraphrase it, I would appreciate some kind of realtime TOAW but am concerned that COTA is more on the 'light side'. And since this is supposed to be an operational level game, are there also larger scenarios with 100+ counters ?

Depending on scenario COTA can be very challenging. Imo, COTA/HTTR provide the most flexible engine to simulate operational warfare. The only limitation is CPU power. Even my dual core E6750 has bad time calculating very large battles in COTA on very high speed. IIRC, The largest scenarios are Corps level on 50x40km. It certainly can make you busy if you choose to go down to Bn or even Rgt level.

My verdict is - highly recommended/must buy! [8D]

BTW, here is the list of scenario from the manual. Largest has 188 Axis and 134 Allied units. (These table excludes Patch 3 additions and mods)

COTA is a great game, you can't go wrong with it.

Regards,

Grell

COTA? HTTR?

Conquest of the Aegean (COTA) and Highway to the Reich (HTTR)

2 fantastic games by Panther Games, published by Matrix Games.

Well, I don't know about HTTR, having not owned it, but it's from the same breed of COTA, so must be great. No hexes. No turn based. Real time pausible. Great maps. Fantastic AI. Great flowing battlefield.

Nuff said. [&o]

Absolutely great game.[&o]
No "light" at all. Just a great system and interface that makes easy to beging moving units around, eliminating boring micromanaging.
The only demo aroudn (Red Devils over Arhnhem) uses a little tutorial like scenario. Its good to get a feel of the system but of course its easy to win. Not a real scenario.
Besides the engine has evolved A LOT since then.
IMHO, Panther games offer the best operational wargame simulation.
Its deep, complex, very realistic but at the same time highly playable. Not having to manually move hundreds of counters every turn is so great that you will miss it a lot when you try to go back to more traditional hex wargames.
Besides, game AI and documentation (manuals, tutorials...) are the BEST around, bar none.
Regards

As has been said, not "light" at all. I'm surprised the thought even occured, to be honest, as you seem to have been doing some research. The best game Matrix publish, IMHO.

Thanks for the feedback, guys. Much appreciated

Since everybody thinks, this is a great game and COTA recieved good reviews, I'm going to buy it. Even my laserprinter will moan a lot, given the absence of a printed manual. Got to admit that I never considered HTTR because it reminded me somehow to '101 Airborne in Normandy', or whatever it was called. And I didn't like this one.

Your laserprinter knows what to moan about [;)]
We are talking about 400 manual pages between tutorials/getting started manuals and the full reference one. [X(]
And that just for the game. There are two other manuals for the map and scenario editors and some great tips by Markshot.[&o]
But i think that printing the two tutorials manuals is probably more than enough. Tutorials are deep, very helpful and even engaging! The second ones is a full lesson on WWII operational art of war. Not the usual "just the interface" explanation.
But you can even follow them by alt-tabbing if you want to.
The big reference full manual is great but probably best used with the search function to look for doubts and read on screen.
The tutorials are so comprehensive that you will understand much of the game workings when you finish them.
Hope you enjoy it!

Regards!

Oh well, better laserprinter moaning than spouse. I just got to purchase new paper tomorrow.

About 30 min. more till download is finished. Just for the record, dl speed from europe is like 200k/sec right now.

Lutzow

I never printed the manuals as there was no need to, and they add up to a rather large amount of ink and paper.

CotA can be minimized with a scenario open, so you can check the PDF books as you learn. If you use 2 monitors, you have really "got it made".

I'm a little late to this thread as you have already made the purchase, but I have to say that the CotA AI and system is by far the most realistic and intelligent of any wargame that I have played.

CotA is a somewhat complicated game, but with the excellent documentation (and game support via the forum), you will be playing in no time at all.
Congratulations on buying this great game.

Love COTA, I've even done some multiplayer games- very engaging.

Indeed, the documentation seems descriptive and makes it easy to jump in. Was working through first manual, but guess I'll call it a night soon, since it's late here. *sigh*

by the way: what means Coy ? Is that an abbrevation for company ?

Yes.

I’m just about sold on this. I’ve stayed away primarily due to ignorance of the campaign, outside of the Crete invasion. Been reading up and am now very interested. I had no idea that this operation probably pushed back Barbarossa by a month. Anyway, my big question is this. Does COTA in anyway model the naval and air aspects or is it strictly the land battle. No matter what, this system looks amazing; I’m getting the credit card warmed up.
Jim

No naval that I remember and air is abstracted by calling in air strikes which may or may not be availavle in a mission. They are put in by the designers. You will get a message in game saying Air Strike available and you get a limited time to use it...use it or lose it.

I wasn't interested in the slightest when I heard their next one was the Aegean as I knew very little about it. But the maps are top notch and the scenarios are excellent. They just need to get rid of those very boring, drab mission briefings and I'd be a very happy camper.
 
not only is it a great game, the implementation is awesome and AI is very good (I thought). Well worth the money.

Thanks Judge, Sold
Jim

Hi

No, there is no real naval things included on game. There are scenarios where units have to exit the map through a road leading to a port to get evacuated by ship, like in the real campaign. But all happens off map.
There is no naval units.
Regarding air, is in, but on a abstracted way.
In the scenarios each side canget air support missions in variable numbers (depending of historical data of air control and number of planes on the air) and variable times (you can't know when exactly).
When one of those close air support attacks (that represent one or two fighter bomber or light bomber flight) become availible, you can assign it to an objetive marrked by you anywhere on the map. Each plane only stay circling the batterfield for 10 minutes or so (game time) so if you don't use it (maybe by lack of a good objective at the moment) you will lose it.
Ther is no plane graphics, but you will sea some big explosions over the assigned objective. They are very bad for the enemy moral [;)]

Besides, there are quite a lot ariborne units on the german side (like in Crete, Malta and Khorintos Channel scenarios) that are dropped (appear) on map.
Again no planes graphics. Just teh units appearing slightly randomly on the landing zones in a quite dissorganized state which makes them vulnerable for a time to represent the chaos of the drop.

Regards!


EDIT: ops! Judge was faster! [:'(]

ORIGINAL: jimi3

I’m just about sold on this. I’ve stayed away primarily due to ignorance of the campaign, outside of the Crete invasion. Been reading up and am now very interested. I had no idea that this operation probably pushed back Barbarossa by a month. Anyway, my big question is this. Does COTA in anyway model the naval and air aspects or is it strictly the land battle. No matter what, this system looks amazing; I’m getting the credit card warmed up.
Jim

BTW, COTA is not only Greece and Malta. There is also North African scenarions with estabs. Also mods on Norway and several other what-ifs - http://cota.matrixgames.com/downloads/