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Lately I was thinking a bit about TOAWIII and why many scenarios still don't have at least a converted TOAWIII version(sure every player can do that but a conversion need at least one serious playtest to make sure it works, some scenarios didn't even work despite being released withn TOAWIII) not to speak of a real rework to get out all benefits of TOAWIII with its latest patch.
Despite the overall decrease in players & designers because of other games, the main factor for me is the missing interaction between players & designers.
So this is why I would like to make a short list of "Duties"(of course not a real duty but if you pull out the fun you should also give a bit back) that players & designers should follow in the hope of getting more scenarios, better scenarios and with that also the reappearance of many players & designers who left.


PLAYERS:
-Giving feedback based on the experience while playing the scenario AND comparing that with the real events it depicts so any misstep from the history be it OOB, course of the scenario to a total ahistorical situation that isn't within the possibility of the history, incorrect map, over/under-modeled events, etc., can be pointed out and hopefully be corrected.
But also to point out functional errors that may have sneaked into the scenario from things like wrong placed supply/victory/trigger points to small ones like typos in the briefing, unit names or on map.

SCENARIO DESIGNERS:
-Releasing the latest version of their scenario here in the forum to get a single place for feedback and even more important get a discussion rolling where different viewpoints, ideas, sources, etc. are discussed to a point where the quintessence of those are incorporated into the scenario so it can evolve into an even better scenario.


If there are other things that should be mentioned in these "Duties" please post and I'll incorporate them.

Good points Duke. The real strength of TOAW has always been its designers producing new and interesting scenarios, and the passion with which players engage with them. What I think would be really interesting would be a bit of a roll call - so designers could call in what scenarios they're working on. I would love to know what TOAW has in store for us in the near future.

I'm really waiting until Ralph et al announce what their plans for TOAW 4. With the power of more modern machines, memory, graphics, and lessions learned from upgrading the current version, it promises good things.
 
I hope...

Re the "roll call". I think that most designers, or say those still active and not a Beta Tester, are busy updating their work to 3.4. (i hope) As have i. Piero Falotti has recently released a series of WW3 scenarios at Rugged Defence, beta test version only. Good to see he's still (again?) working on something. Steve "sPzAbt 653"'s projects can be looked at on his webspace (look in the Koblenz scenario thread for the link). Another promising project is polarenper's Berlin scenario. Ssnefens had a Leningrad scenario in work which really looked promising, don't know what happened to this project. McBride has a thread about his Drang nach Asien scenario over at Rugged Defence, but he's been silent for a long time now.. And there is Oberst Klink's 48.PzKorps, a small, but exciting scenario.

As for me. I soon will release an updated version of the 1km Anzio scenario which can be played with the new supply rules and has a bunch of other non-trivial changes. I made a mini scenario, Nijmegen 1944, and am still working on Salerno 1943 (2.5 km/battalion), slow but steady. AND i promise, no more 1km thingies..lol

And what of all the older, unconverted WW2 Pacific scenarios (my area of intense interest), not to mention Vietnam Combat Operations and other TOAW scenarios dealing with the Far East (other strong areas of interest)?

Sadly, I am fast coming to the conclusions: (a) TOAW is inevitably Europe-centered, mainly focused on WW2 Europe (witness the recent scenario creation activity), (b) doesn't handle well the combined arms, land-air-naval combat of WW2 Pacific, (c) has a dwindling scenario designer/player community (witness some recent "defections" to WITE) incapable going forward of supporting a wide range of conflicts and historical situations.

Maybe TOAW is no longer the game for me, maybe I really should finally just move on... [:(]

I anticipate the retort: "Don't whine, do something about it! Update and convert the older scenarios yourself!" But I have neither the time nor the expertise. (I do have the quasi expertise, if not really the time, to mod the HPS American Civil War series of games--the ACW being my other area of intense interest. I am working on that project in fact right now.) For TOAW, I am not a content provider, "merely" a game player and consumer.

Not really a rant, this. Just facing facts.

I must admit that some areas are much better covered by other games.
You want WW2 Pacific? Go for "War in the Pacific AE" Edition, TOAW can never reach this level of detail with its engine.
Centered on WW2 isn't really correct, I see a lot other scenarios covering WW1, Korea, Vietnam & Middle East but I guess it's right that WW2 Europe is at the top of it.
But that could maybe also change, the east front scenarios take a big part but now that WitE is out and is getting better and better as new patches arrive I wouldn't wonder if we see a decline in scenario & player interest in this area.

I own and love WITP:AE. In my estimation perhaps the finest PC war game ever, WITP:AE is one of my top two most played games now (the other being the HPS ACW series). But sometimes I want to play WW2 Pacific land combat in more detailed, less abstracted fashion. Hence TOAW.

I know about, and own, the tactical WW2 Pacific land combat alternatives: HPS Squad Battles (Pacific War, The Proud and the Few); Matrix John Tiller's Campaign Series (Rising Sun); SPWAW. But tactical combat doesn't especially appeal to me. Operational land warfare does. Hence again TOAW.

(Storm over the Pacific? Nope, don't do beer & pretzel games.)

ORIGINAL: BigDuke66

I must admit that some areas are much better covered by other games.
You want WW2 Pacific? Go for "War in the Pacific AE" Edition, TOAW can never reach this level of detail with its engine.
Centered on WW2 isn't really correct, I see a lot other scenarios covering WW1, Korea, Vietnam & Middle East but I guess it's right that WW2 Europe is at the top of it.
But that could maybe also change, the east front scenarios take a big part but now that WitE is out and is getting better and better as new patches arrive I wouldn't wonder if we see a decline in scenario & player interest in this area.

For $80? Tried that with WitE and regret having done so. Won't ever buy a game that expensive again without a demo. [8|]

ORIGINAL: Panama

ORIGINAL: BigDuke66

I must admit that some areas are much better covered by other games.
You want WW2 Pacific? Go for "War in the Pacific AE" Edition, TOAW can never reach this level of detail with its engine.
Centered on WW2 isn't really correct, I see a lot other scenarios covering WW1, Korea, Vietnam & Middle East but I guess it's right that WW2 Europe is at the top of it.
But that could maybe also change, the east front scenarios take a big part but now that WitE is out and is getting better and better as new patches arrive I wouldn't wonder if we see a decline in scenario & player interest in this area.

For $80? Tried that with WitE and regret having done so. Won't ever buy a game that expensive again without a demo. [8|]

One of the view rather negative voices about WitE. Would you care to share why exactly you regret having bought the game?

Before this ball starts rolling I would recommend to make a new thread, maybe something in the way of "TOAW players share your WitE experience" or so.
Personally I would also like to know if WitE is a really killer to the TOAW East Front scenarios.

Sorry, didn't want to hijack the thread. I was just curious about Panama's rather negative feedback.

No problem I'm too curious.
So Panama would you please share your views here:
tm.asp?m=2799531