Matrix Games Forums

I recently tried pacific war and I was in wayyyyyyyyyy over my head. Can anyone give me an idea where to start?

Take a look at the manual. (There should be a "manual.pdf" file if you downloaded the game from Matrix.) On page 55 begins a tutorial, which walks you through the Allied orders phase for the first turn of the Guadalcanal scenario. I know we die-hard wargamers prefer to just jump in, but Pacific War has a steep learning curve--there's just so much involved.

In the end, Pacific War is just trial and error. Having played the game quite a bit a few years ago, it took me about a week to get anything half decent out of the game when I downloaded the matrix version. There is just so much data to absorb it ain't easy even for a veteran gamer. Even now I only superficially look at how the actual combat engine works (I had to figure out why a measly battalion would fight on isolated for weeks in jungle terrain;-)

Anyhow, to learn the game you would do best to have a week of vacation or otherwise a lot of free time. After that you can go about the actual playing rather slowly and enjoy it all.

Marc aka Caran...

PacWar is one of those games that will keep you busy for years figuring it out. Play, play, and play some more. Go to forums (like this one) where experienced players can pass along tips.

PacWar - it's not just a job, it's an adventure.