WD like HoI2

[decaro]

I was interested in this game, but it both looks and sounds like HoI2 Doomsday, which I already own.

Any comparisons between the two, or significant differences?

[SGT Rice]

(I'm basing my comparison on HOI; I never took the plunge with HOI2, although I understand there are substantial differences).

They both cover WWII in its entirety, they both have area movement, and they both model technological change in military hardware. But those are just surface similarities. On a 1 to 10 complexity scale, I would say HOI is in the 9-10 range, while AWD is more like 4-5.

AWD is turn-based, IGOUGO, with 3 month turns. A single player turn can take 15-90 minutes, depending on what part of the war your in, and a 2-player PBEM game with once-a-day turns takes a month or less. The AWD map display is reminiscent of Axis & Allies, but it adds layers of detail with production, technology, intelligence & political status screens that draw the players into managing those dimensions of the war (each at a pretty abstract level).

Over the years I've mastered Advanced Squad Leader, World in Flames, and other grognards-only titles, but HOI was just too much work for me. Compared to HOI2 I think you might find AWD to be an easy, fun, very playable alternative.

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: SGT Rice

AWD is turn-based, IGOUGO, with 3 month turns. A single player turn can take 15-90 minutes, depending on what part of the war your in, and a 2-player PBEM game with once-a-day turns takes a month or less ...

Tnx; I take it that AWD's turns are so long because it's not real time.

Are the battles like HoI (abstracted)?

[panzers]

I can't reasonably compare anything that has two completely different gneres. I don't care how similar they are. They are played entirely differently. Take the old axis and allies game and compare it with the newer realtime version. No comparison whatsoever.
It's for this reason, I love HOI but hate it with a passion because Strategy First decided to make it a real time game in essence ruining a great game for me, personally.

[SGT Rice]

ORIGINAL: Joe D.

Tnx; I take it that AWD's turns are so long because it's not real time.

Are the battles like HoI (abstracted)?

That's correct; AWD is not real time. The turns are done like a board game ... the Axis move (resolving combat as they go), then have their production phase, then the Allies move/fight and have their production phase.

The battles are very high level; i.e., if all of the Axis units (roughly equivalent to corps) in Western Germany launch an attack into Eastern France, then all the of the attacking units are moved into the French region, all the Allied units in the region are the defenders, and the combat is resolved by the computer en masse. The moving player can launch multiple attacks; so he could for example soften up Eastern France by attacking with aircraft to wipe the defender's aircraft and take out his rail network.

Check out the AAR thread for some examples; some of them have pretty good screen captures that illustrate the action. Here's a sample:

tm.asp?m=1661280

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: panzers

I can't reasonably compare anything that has two completely different gneres. I don't care how similar they are. They are played entirely differently ...

Then don't compare them, but HoI and AWD are not two completely different genres: they're both grand strategy.

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: SGT Rice

ORIGINAL: Joe D.

Tnx; I take it that AWD's turns are so long because it's not real time.

Are the battles like HoI (abstracted)?

That's correct; AWD is not real time. The turns are done like a board game ... the Axis move (resolving combat as they go), then have their production phase, then the Allies move/fight and have their production phase ...

I checked-out your link and saw references to UV, which I also own.
Is AWD an IGOUGO like PG or CEaW, or a WEGO like UV/WitP?

[GKar]

Once again it probably doesn't hurt to bring up this thread. [:)]

[SGT Rice]

Don't quote me no Shelley & Keats; its' all been said before ... [;)]

Is AWD an IGOUGO like PG or CEaW, or a WEGO like UV/WitP?

IGOUGO.

[decaro]

Tnx to everyone.