Some noob questions

[avers246]

Hi guys, I just made an account and I want to get WITPAE, but I have some questions. 1st, I saw that the game costs $95, is this game really worth that price? 2nd, if I get this game are there any patches I should install? Finally, as a noob, can someone link me to a tutorial for noobs for WITPAE?

[dr.hal]

Welcome avers246 and you are about to enter the world of lost wargamers. This is the best game you can possibly get if you are looking for something that is both difficult and rewarding on a strategic level. It is also coupled with LOTS and LOTS of detail, which to many of us totally enriches the game. So most of us would say it is worth the money, many times over. However the game does go on sale occasionally, such as for the holidays, which you just missed! Sorry. As for patches, yes you can download the latest (which would be cumulative) official patch from Matrix from this forum, I believe in the technical topics. There is also a great set of Beta test patches that many (but certainly not all) players use. You will have to decide, but the Betas do seem to add a lot of detail and further update the game past the latest official patch. As for tutorials, there are some UTube videos I believe, but an easy way to start is to play the smaller scenarios and work up... you will make a LOT of mistakes and at times have a feeling of being overwhelmed but once you get the hang of it, your life will be SO much better (well maybe not your social life, as you will be forgoing that, but life in general). So yes, get this game and join this club of really great guys (and a gal or two if memory serves). Hal

[witpqs]

+1 to what Hal said. I am pretty sure that new downloads will include the 'latest official' patch, cumulative with all prior patches. Then, you can download and install the latest 'Beta' patch from the tech support sub-forum here. I believe I'm on firm ground when I say that most players use a Beta patch, but at the very least a great percentage do so. There are a number of Betas and the latest was released in August of 2014. They are all cumulative, so you only need the latest. They include an enormous number of bug fixes, plus interface improvements, and some other enhancements. There is a comprehensive change list posted in the Beta thread so you can see for yourself what I mean.

As for the price, if you like the genre and wind up liking this game at all, it will certainly be the least $ per hour played of any purchase you have ever made. Usually they have a sale around the holiday season at the end of the year, but that has just passed.

[wdolson]

Welcome,

Others have answered your first question. One of the things that never got done was an official tutorial. If you go to the after action reports, you will find some intended to get new players up to speed. I know the head of the dev team did an AAR for beginners right about the time the game was released. It's a little out of date because changes to improve the UI and some other things have been added, but there may be a newer one.

There have also been many new players asking questions as they come up. 98% of the time they get polite and good quality answers.

I may be a bit biased, but this game has kind of ruined me for other war games.

Bill

[Barb]

Hi, welcome on board sailor.
As the gents here had already said - this is the cheapest game many of us ever bought in terms of money/time - mostly because you would probably not buy any other game thereafter [:D]

There is official patch (data and code) and also beta patches (just code) - these betas are made by one of the original developers, so he certainly know what he is doing. I would say that most players are using the latest beta.

There are also some mods worth considering - most used is probably DaBabes, there are also some map mods available.

As to the game learning - there is no tutorial. But there are some videos on youtube, and it is generally advised to play short scenarios first against AI to get used to the game:
Coral Sea - some 15 turns of game, quick naval and carrier action
Thousand Miles - conducting amphibious ops and some land based air
Guadalcanal - 6 months of combined ground-sea-air operations

[crsutton]

Let's just say that everyone posting here had "already sipped the cool aid" so you are obviously dealing with the converted. This is a very complicated and time consuming game. In fact, if you get into it it will probably take a lot away from any other gaming life that you have. Not to mention the neglect that your wife, kids, extended family and dog are going to experience. But there is not any other simulation/game on this topic that comes close to this experience.

Don't fret about being new. Lots of help and advice to find here. Read the AARs, fool around with the AI a bit but best of all find a human opponent on or about the same skill level as you and play a game or two, or three. Personally, in my experience there is no better way to learn. As for the price. If you "fall" for the game you will never regret it. Let's face it, it is about what you would spend for a nice meal and movie for you and your significant other (and you now won't have time for that anyhow[;)]) However, there are many people who pick up the game and quickly lose interest. It happens with all games. If you have doubts read some of the longer after action reports. You will get a feel for what you are getting into by doing so.

[dr.hal]

What about cats cr??? Well I guess they don't care much if you are fully occupied by your computer or not, they'll sit on the warm keyboard regardless.

[Rising-Sun]

Yeah it is worth it, but hope you got what it take to play it. Not very many can handle very complex and very long strategy game, that mean you need a lot of time to play it. Believe playing Japan is more challenge and fun to play, Allied side seem to be the easiest, depending on which scenario you want to play.

Btw welcome to the club

[avers246]

Hey, I saw in the reports forum that some people were playing multiplayer. Is the AI in the game a challenge to fighting the campaign? or is it really easy to defeat the AI?

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: avers246

Hey, I saw in the reports forum that some people were playing multiplayer. Is the AI in the game a challenge to fighting the campaign? or is it really easy to defeat the AI?

The AI can and probably will really kick your butt until you learn the mechanics of the game well. When you do, you discover that at a higher level the AI cannot really compete with a practiced human player. Having said that, there are scenarios designed to maximize the challenge that the AI can present to players, especially when players know enough not to play to the AI's weaknesses or blnd spots.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: dr.hal

What about cats cr??? Well I guess they don't care much if you are fully occupied by your computer or not, they'll sit on the warm keyboard regardless.

Unfortunately, my cat does not give a "rat ass" what I do. If she gets hungry, she lets me know...

[Rising-Sun]

ORIGINAL: avers246

Hey, I saw in the reports forum that some people were playing multiplayer. Is the AI in the game a challenge to fighting the campaign? or is it really easy to defeat the AI?

The AIs can be tricky, need to learn the game first. If you want you can watch AIs play each others and learn from it while reading the manual, if you got the box version. Get a small note book and write down anything that come in handy, you gonna need it.

[RogerJNeilson]

My cats are in the pay of the Evil Empire, many of my moves are done whilst trying to see through a feline body to the monitor, type while being lain on top of, or using the mouse when they think its an actual mouse to chase and kill.

Roger

[Lecivius]

As others have said, this is one INTENSIVE strategic level game. In cost of per hours played it's cheap. I play the AI a lot, simply because my life schedule does not allow me enough time to be fair to my opponent. Even with these restrictions, this game is IMHO better than anything else out there. And don't worry about asking questions, or feeling the newb. I think I'm the only one who can say he lost the way as allies [X(] &^%$@ happens, it's all good [8D] The folks here are some of the more intelligent on any forum, and always willing to help (they helped me, and that takes effort!)

[Omnius]

avers246,
You missed the bus on the game being on sale for about $75. You can bite the bullet on the high price now or wait for the Christmas sale coming in late November. I upgraded the game to the latest public beta patch. The one nice thing is that AE is a finished product now and you won't have the headaches of buying a new game that is full of bugs. As with all games playing the AI isn't all that challenging. However with the WEGO system playing both sides solitaire becomes a blast as you can't really perfectly predict what happens during joint the resolution phase.

Omnius

[crsutton]

My cat knows no borders.

[Rising-Sun]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

My cat knows no borders.

I hate that game, rather play D2 over this.

[crsutton]

She seems to agree...[;)]

[Malagant]

As a new addict to WITP, I have to say that while I agree with all the above posts about the awesomeness of this game, it is most definitely not for everyone. The extreme level of detail and micro-management required, including hundreds of ships; thousands of planes and pilots including their training and day to day operation; hundreds of LCU (land units) that require micro-management to ensure the units you want to be at full strength have priority on the limited spare goodies; thousands of mouse-clicks every turn to handle just day-to-day operation; 100-hours spent setting up the first turn of a 'serious' grand campaign...

...and all that's if you're Allies. As Japan this is magnified by having to manage the movement of material to industrial centers and controlling every aspect of the production of all the materials of war.

If that sound something you'd enjoy doing (as I do!) then this game is a bargain at the price (though my wife might have a different opinion). This is not a game that will appeal to 'immediate gratification' folks; this is a game where a campaign game will potentially go on for a year, if not multiple years!

I hope I didn't paint too negative a picture, but this is a game with detail and micro-management requirement like none other. After playing this game, the volume on other games has gotten turned down to the point I have little interest in other games.

Good luck, hope you buy the game and join our addiction!

[rustysi]

ORIGINAL: Malagant

As a new addict to WITP, I have to say that while I agree with all the above posts about the awesomeness of this game, it is most definitely not for everyone. The extreme level of detail and micro-management required, including hundreds of ships; thousands of planes and pilots including their training and day to day operation; hundreds of LCU (land units) that require micro-management to ensure the units you want to be at full strength have priority on the limited spare goodies; thousands of mouse-clicks every turn to handle just day-to-day operation; 100-hours spent setting up the first turn of a 'serious' grand campaign...

...and all that's if you're Allies. As Japan this is magnified by having to manage the movement of material to industrial centers and controlling every aspect of the production of all the materials of war.

If that sound something you'd enjoy doing (as I do!) then this game is a bargain at the price (though my wife might have a different opinion). This is not a game that will appeal to 'immediate gratification' folks; this is a game where a campaign game will potentially go on for a year, if not multiple years!

I hope I didn't paint too negative a picture, but this is a game with detail and micro-management requirement like none other. After playing this game, the volume on other games has gotten turned down to the point I have little interest in other games.

Good luck, hope you buy the game and join our addiction!

Yeh, ain't it grand!!![:D]