Leveling the Steep Learning Curve

[bcgames]

Many owners say there is a "steep learning curve" to play WEGOWW2: Stalingrad. If this was you, what How-to Videos would you suggest to get new players heads into the game?

[Rosseau]

I am a poor player of wargames to the extent I find most AIs actually challenging.

With that said, I don't think the learning curve is steep to get into the game, and I would hope players would not be put off by that. The big "however" is that to play even moderately well, there is certainly a learning curve.

For one thing, there is a lot of data put out by the game in different places that require serious study. I find that data exciting, even though I have yet to master anything about the game.

Best wishes to all!

[bcgames]

Thanks for the feedback.

Our original intent was to provide the player with all the information needed to understand the actual combat results--to reveal all the influencing factors behind each battle. The idea being--better info--better play. But...perhaps "paralysis through analysis" is what we achieved instead--too much information stifles any play at all.

[Rosseau]

No, the data is not stifling the game, imho.

One can certainly play and ignore the data as if it isn't there.

In about a month, I will be tasked with playing another WEGO wargame - Attack at Dawn on Steam.

I had played the demo a bit, but the RTS-style and what was happening had me thoroughly confused.

We'll see what happens (for me) the second time around with that game. But yours was not off-putting.

[bcgames]

Attack at Dawn is on my list of games to play.

[RocketMan]

An explanation on how to organize stacks and then how to take ground. It is obviously going to vary by situation, but what is the "best practice"?

For instance, should a player stack all his shock units together and follow with non-shock units (e.g. infantry/artillery)?

Should the player spread out his shock units into large (8+ stacking) with one shock unit (e.g. armor) with the rest being made up of other units? Or should units be placed in small (4-6 stacking) stacks?

Should a player stack artillery with infantry/armor units or keep them back from the front line?

Should Engineer units be in the front line or held back for assaults on towns/fortified positions?

What is the best way to advance? A large breakthrough stack with smaller follow on stacks? Leading with small stacks and recon and then following on with a large breakthrough stack?

All this can be learned through trial and error of course, but some basic guidance would help players get into the game quicker.

[Okayrun3254]

An explanation on how to organize stacks and then how to take ground. It is obviously going to vary by situation, but what is the "best practice"?

For instance, should a player stack all his shock units together and follow with non-shock units (e.g. infantry/artillery)?

Should the player spread out his shock units into large (8+ stacking) with one shock unit (e.g. armor) with the rest being made up of other units? Or should units be placed in small (4-6 stacking) stacks?

Should a player stack artillery with infantry/armor units or keep them back from the front line?

Should Engineer units be in the front line or held back for assaults on towns/fortified positions?

What is the best way to advance? A large breakthrough stack with smaller follow on stacks? Leading with small stacks and recon and then following on with a large breakthrough stack?

All this can be learned through trial and error of course, but some basic guidance would help players get into the game quicker.

Great ideas for tips.

[Okayrun3254]

One thing that has started to sink in is the time segments for each turn. I have been getting more tuned with my thinking about planning for attacks in one day, and how that attack will develop from the morning turns to the afternoon turns. Multiple turns in one day could mean some morning attacks to break open the enemy line, and having mobile reserve units to breakthrough in the afternoon.

[bcgames]

An explanation on how to organize stacks and then how to take ground. It is obviously going to vary by situation, but what is the "best practice"?

For instance, should a player stack all his shock units together and follow with non-shock units (e.g. infantry/artillery)?

Should the player spread out his shock units into large (8+ stacking) with one shock unit (e.g. armor) with the rest being made up of other units? Or should units be placed in small (4-6 stacking) stacks?

Should a player stack artillery with infantry/armor units or keep them back from the front line?

Should Engineer units be in the front line or held back for assaults on towns/fortified positions?

What is the best way to advance? A large breakthrough stack with smaller follow on stacks? Leading with small stacks and recon and then following on with a large breakthrough stack?

All this can be learned through trial and error of course, but some basic guidance would help players get into the game quicker.

Great ideas for tips.

Indeed! A great list of questions. Thanks for taking the time to think through and scribe this post. I'll address these questions one at a time so the whole is easier to digest. We are going through a scorching heat wave right now so outside work ends at noon. Sooo...What to do in the afternoon?

[RocketMan]

All the suggestions can be grouped under the same heading: How do you take ground from the enemy with your units.

A video of how to organize an attack that takes ground from the enemy using multiple divisions over multiple turns would be the most beneficial to new players.

This should teach:

1. Usage of units (Infantry, Mech Infantry, Engineers, Armor (including TDs), Anti-Tank, Artillery). How to stack them, how to locate them in relation to each other, how to move them to the point of contact, how to sync their movements and attacks.

2. How to attack a fixed position in order to achieve a breakthrough.

3. Exploitation of a breakthrough.

Having an explanation of these skills would eliminate the trial and error it takes to figure out the game mechanics.

[bcgames]

Sounds good. Anybody else want to weigh-in? What topic keeps you from play?

[bcgames]

A video of how to organize an attack that takes ground from the enemy using multiple divisions over multiple turns would be the most beneficial to new players.

I've thought about this requirement all day and conclude it sends me away from the game mechanics and into thoughts/discussions that concern the principles of war, the battlefield framework, and operational design...all of which would apply to any wargame.

Sooo...I will resist presenting a class that might be interesting but does nothing to "level the steep learning curve" of the specific game mechanics of the WEGOWW2 game engine. But I will try to address all the specifics outlined "in the mail".

First up will be a video on "How Should Shock Effects Affect Stacking?"

[RocketMan]

I've thought about this requirement all day and conclude it sends me away from the game mechanics and into thoughts/discussions that concern the principles of war, the battlefield framework, and operational design...all of which would apply to any wargame.

Sooo...I will resist presenting a class that might be interesting but does nothing to "level the steep learning curve" of the specific game mechanics of the WEGOWW2 game engine. But I will try to address all the specifics outlined "in the mail".

First up will be a video on "How Should Shock Effects Affect Stacking?"

Yes the basic principles of an attack applies to any game, but each game system has different mechanics that need to be used to be successful. A WEGO hex based wargame is a new experience for almost all players, so how to conduct an attack in the game, with different mechanics and a time factor that isn't present in most other games, is not something that many people are going to have experience with.

I recommended what I found most difficult when I first started playing the game (and which I am still struggling with). Without some kind of tutorial, it is going to be up to each person to learn the game system by trail and error, thus presenting a "steep learning curve". After all, "steep learning curve" is just a short way of saying that a game is not intuitive, either due to the game mechanics, the UI, or some other factor, and the player must play the game for a while using trial and error to learn the system.

Hopefully your choice of topics will help with the steep learning curve. I'll continue to use trial and error to figure out the game system.

[bcgames]

...I'll continue to use trial and error to figure out the game system.

I've been doing the same thing with the same system for years. Just shoot me when I stop trying new things.

[bcgames]

Working on the structure and script of the WEGO WW2 video series on Shock.

[bcgames]

Building, scripting, and animating...

[bcgames]

I'm using Speechelo for my tutorial Text-to-Speech requirements. It's a great program.



I find it helpful to have your text read back to you. They say, "The secret to good writing is re-writing." I would add...the secret to good writing is: listen to the shit you write; then re-write it--till your ear is happy.

Better.

Note. Before the pendants exclaim foul in my use of commas in the text above, that's the tool Speechelo provides to allow a pause in the narration of the text. So comma move along.

[bcgames]

I've been stymied the past two weeks in making any progress on tutorials because I made the mistake of upgrading from DaVinci Resolve version 17 to version 18. I couldn't get 18 to launch. So today, after too many hours trying to figure out what was wrong, I uninstalled v.18 from my computer and re-installed v.17. The world now turns again in greased grooves...

[Tom_]

One idea might be to have a 'commanders considerations'.
This could be a very quick snippet of your guide reminding a player of a rule in the game.

For example the premise of the video might be a 'how to attack'.
During the conclusion or a round-up you could add a comment on ''A commander must consider the effects of time of day during the attack"...ect

A format borrowed from the historical TV series called 'Battle Plan' (on Amazon). (Saint Ruth Season 1 Episode 2 outlines the key principles of 'assault from the air')

My suggested idea skirts the line between teaching the player (commander), without telling them what to do..

[bcgames]

I have three categories of YouTube videos in the cue...Tutorials, Warfighting, and Jabber-Play. I have the scripts nearly done for the first two tutorials (The Set-Up Phase and Shock). The rest of this category will work through the most important aspects of that dreaded thing--The Game Manual. Warfighting will address the principles of war, the battle operating systems, and OKOCA as they apply to the WEGO WW2 system. Finally, Jabber-Play is me playing the game and describing what I'm doing in American-English. Stay tuned.