A bit intimidated..WITW vs WITE

[strykerpsg]

All,

Seeing the glorious printed and bound manual, but also seeing some of the videos and a fear of being overwhelmed by the detail, is it safe to say WiTW and WiTE play the same and offer the same scope and level of detail, but the latter being half the cost currently. So, I guess what I'm asking, is if I bought the earlier game, enjoyed it, does it play the same as the newer version? I am not adverse to spending the money on the title and surely the printed manual offered defray the cost considerably, but when I bought CMANO, I didn't hesitate because I enjoy the genre. I am not certain I will enjoy the higher scale of combat offered in this series, though ironically enjoy it in the naval level.

Anyway, not bagging on the game, I really want it, but am fearful of overindulging and regretting the purchase later if it doesn't tickle my fancy. Thoughts from those who have owned both preferred, as well as those first timers finding it rather easy to move into and not as daunting as the manual appears to make it seem, in my opinion.

[zakblood]

WITE is hard, i gave up a long time ago trying to even get into it, so yes go for WITW first, then try WITE, once you have learnt to how do stuff. then like me you may find WITE more of challenge but only a smaller learning curve, as it is atm it's too hard to begin with

[loki100]

Hi

my feeling is the basics transfer, so unit movement, support units, the command system, admin points and so on are building blocks in both.

I'm only just getting into WiTW and have to say that the main systems now just work so much better. Even simple things like supply depots and priority linking to unit supply priority sort out real problems with WiTE.

With WiTE once you get the basics sorted out, the main issue is the sheer scale, especially from the Soviet side. I'm in a PBEM at the moment and must spend an hour or two for each turn in the command report checking and double checking stuff. In WiTW I think there are more key and long term decisions to make - invasions, supply, air war - but the actual moves are fairly quick as you just don't have that number of formations.

Equally with WiTW, I think you can ease yourself in slowly. The videos are excellent at the real fundamentals. The scenarios are well chosen, want to focus on the land campaign ... well the Bulge or Market Garden both work ... want a longer game but with limited scope ... the longer Italian campaigns work there.

So you don't need a good grasp of all the nuances in the manual to start to have fun.

[Major Bong]

Thing is that once you get used to WITW's far superior supply and air system you will find it hard to go back to WITE. WITW is certainly more user friendly than WITE and if you only want to play a limited campaign you can always just do Italy from 43-45. It also adds the possibility of "Hollywood-style" amphibious and airborne invasions, which add another strategic option often not viable in WITE.

WITE however is simply glorious on an incredibly epic scale, compared to the sheer vastness of the Eastern campaign, Western Europe looks like a small struggle in someone's backyard. In WITW you move divisions or maybe a corps, in WITE you move whole army groups and you experience the incredible scale of the conflict. It is, as a game, incredibly demanding on the player though, trying to keep a record of all your units is like trying to herd cats. And unfortunately there is no way to play as a single army group and leave the rest to the AI.

[marion61]

If you find it overwhelming, there are any number of people on here willing to tough it out with you and help if possible. Myself included [8D].

[micheljq]

Give it a try. It seeems worse than it is in reality. Once you know the mechanics, it is not so complicated. I own WitE.

Michel.

[strykerpsg]

Thanks guys, you convinced me, though my wallet now hates you all....

Now, if I can find the pdf file of the manual while I await the book to arrive.

(Found them. Thanks goodness for dual monitors and windowed mode)

[Missouri_Rebel]

ORIGINAL: strykerpsg

Thanks guys, you convinced me, though my wallet now hates you all....

Now, if I can find the pdf file of the manual while I await the book to arrive.

Its in the Manuals folder in whichever directory it installed to.