Matrix Games Forums

Hello!

As you well know there are 2 series of computer HARPOON ... the CLASSIC one culminated in the last HUCE version and the H3(H2) one culminated in the last HUANW version (or the 3.6.3 version for the H3 fans what don't love ANW).

What do you use or like the most?

For me I prefer the CLASSIC series ... yes, I recognize that H3 has many advanced concepts over CLASSIC like zones, missions, etc ... but I have always found it difficult to play; not for the game itself, but for the interface (I have never liked it!), and the slowness at the command responses, at closing windows, at pointing mouse etc ...
Instead I have always found me at home with the CLASSIC series ... as many of you I played almost all the versions for PC and every new version was simple to learn.

Roberto

You don't have a choice anymore.  You have to buy Ultimate which includes everything.  It's a good deal.

I like them both, for years H3 was my favorite, but lately I play HCE.

I have always bought both.

Depends on what you want.  If you like a C2 point of view then H3 maybe for you.  Lots of things going on under the hood there too.  I love the CE interface however.

ORIGINAL: rich12545

You don't have a choice anymore.  You have to buy Ultimate which includes everything.  It's a good deal.

I have bought the ULTIMATE edition.
H3 (or H3ANW) has a dated interface ... I still prefer the CLASSIC one (I mean HUCE).

Roberto

Hi Roberto,

it´s a matter of taste, like so often in life. I have always bought both HC, and H2/H3/ANW versions when they came out. Today I´m happy about their integration in one large release = HUE and I think it´s really fun. I´m more focused on H3 because of its superior micromanagment posiibilities, but I often play HC, too. HC rocks! Or as they say: "Easy to learn, hard to master".

Have a nice Sunday,
Ralf

I used to like H2 the best. HC seemed simplistic and lacking in control; couldn't even zoom in close enough to see what was going on, couldn't figure out how to set up areas or drop sonobuoys, or control units independently of their groups.

Years later, I found that I liked HC better. It was easier to get into and play, and to focus on the big picture instead of the details. At that time, H2/3 was pretty confusing with the list of bugs and incompatible databases to figure out. But H3 does feel more immersive.

Mostly I decide based on which interface I feel like using at the time. H3 has a clear plot that's easy on the eyes, with bright colors on a black background and lots of options that make it much easier to see and control what's going on. But looking up information from the database or current status is not as straightforward. HC makes it easy to look up that information, but the main plot is hard to see and has limited options; there's a strange disconnect between groups and units and what you can do with each.

Both have their strengths and weaknesses. I have a slight preference for H3, but currently I'm playing HC more.

Seems kind of unusual to have two competing versions of a game (or any program) running for so long, with so many people using both. But I'm not complaining. At least we have an option.

You can see a comparison (done by playing the same scenario under the two systems) here. [:)]

ORIGINAL: Falkon

HC makes it easy to look up that information, but the main plot is hard to see and has limited options; there's a strange disconnect between groups and units and what you can do with each.

Hi Falkon,

Thank you for writing. What makes the main plot/group window hard to see for you? I know I normally play with the pretty land turned off (I use grey land and the lighter blue water) so that I don't lose information in the hills and valleys. I understand the display can also get pretty small on very high resolution monitors.

ORIGINAL: TonyE
Hi Falkon,

Thank you for writing. What makes the main plot/group window hard to see for you? I know I normally play with the pretty land turned off (I use grey land and the lighter blue water) so that I don't lose information in the hills and valleys. I understand the display can also get pretty small on very high resolution monitors.

With that combination, I have some trouble seeing the light green range circles on the light blue background, and the other lighter colors (white, yellow) are a bit indistinct especially when zoomed out. Switching to dark blue water and black land is easier on my eyes and makes the lighter colors much much clearer, but at the expense of the darker ones (the very important dark blue and the dark red). It's certainly not unplayable, but I find it more difficult than the H3 bright-colors-on-black. I pretty much look at a monitor all day, so my eyes are usually tired.

Another thing about the H3 plot that makes things feel like they're easier to see for me is the ability to use things like datablocks and courses, reference points and zones, and toggling between groups and units. Those things don't make the unit graphics themselves easier to see, but help me to see what's going on at a glance when I make use of them. Particularly with respect to plans re: sub-hunting, coordinated strikes, etc.

Thank you for replying Falkon.  My focus on map window reworking has admittedly been representing the entire earth, zooming, and scrolling improvements so things like colors haven't been high enough of a priority.  We'll keep your comments in mind, I would think any reworking would allow us to escape the static color palette we currently deal with in HC.