How good is this game ?

Gary Grigsby’s War in the East: The German-Soviet War 1941-1945 is a turn-based World War II strategy game stretching across the entire Eastern Front. Gamers can engage in an epic campaign, including division-sized battles with realistic and historical terrain, weather, orders of battle, logistics and combat results.

The critically and fan-acclaimed Eastern Front mega-game Gary Grigsby’s War in the East just got bigger and better with Gary Grigsby’s War in the East: Don to the Danube! This expansion to the award-winning War in the East comes with a wide array of later war scenarios ranging from short but intense 6 turn bouts like the Battle for Kharkov (1942) to immense 37-turn engagements taking place across multiple nations like Drama on the Danube (Summer 1944 – Spring 1945).

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kirk23
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How good is this game ?

Post by kirk23 »

Hi I have been looking at this game for a while,I have been on the fence wondering wether or not to buy,I'm 85% sure I will delve in soon,I have over 20 Matrix titles in my collection,and it looks like this will be my next purchase,I really like the look of this game,what do you guys think about this game?
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elmo3
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RE: How good is this game ?

Post by elmo3 »

Ask 5 wargamers if they like a game and you'll probably get 6 opinions! What type of games do you like? Lots of detail, lots of units, with a mix of short scenarios and very long campaigns? Or easy to learn and quick to play, more in a "beer and pretzels" style? WitE is much closer to the the former. Some people here love it and some hate it. My suggestion is to read some of the AAR's to get a feel for how the game plays and decide for yourself.
We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing. - George Bernard Shaw

WitE alpha/beta tester
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Captain
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RE: How good is this game ?

Post by Captain »

If you like WITPAE, you will probably like WITE, you can dig as deep into your forces as you wish, down to squad level. At the same time, unlike WITPAE, you can play purely at the divisional level and let the AI handle a lot of the stuff.

I have both WITP/WITPAE, but never went more than a few days into the campaign because of the micro-management required. WITE requires a lot sess micro-management. I started a new grand campaign a few weeks back and am already on turn 9, mid-august 41.

If you read various threads, you will see the same various problem areas keep coming up, no game is perfect.

But on the whole, no other game out there gives you a better feel for the Eastern Front and I have been playing wargames for 40 years, going back to the old AH and SPI board games.
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kirk23
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RE: How good is this game ?

Post by kirk23 »

Thanks for the feedback folks,I have taken your advise,and following a few AAR's as I said earlier I really like the look of this game so I think I will be buying very shortly cheers![:)]
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Mac Linehan
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RE: How good is this game ?

Post by Mac Linehan »

Captain -

Concise response - and I appreciate your evaluation. Am a hard core WitP AE player, but ready to give WitE a try; it has been waiting patiently on my hard drive since last December.

Different game, different feel - but still the 2by3 detailed treatment, I know I will not be disappointed.

Mac
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Sardaukar
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RE: How good is this game ?

Post by Sardaukar »

It's good game...I'd say that it gives even better game vs. AI than WitP-AE. Probably beecause it is not as complex (tho it's pretty complex, but not to AE level).
"To meaningless French Idealism, Liberty, Fraternity and Equality...we answer with German Realism, Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery" -Prince von Bülov, 1870-

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Shupov
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RE: How good is this game ?

Post by Shupov »

WitE is the best entertainment value I've ever bought for the money. At this point it's cost maybe ten cents per hour of engrossing, exciting fun!
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Gefreiter Wardstein
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RE: How good is this game ?

Post by Gefreiter Wardstein »

Other than Advanced Squad Leader which I play FTF, this is the only game I've played for the last 16 months...... and still playing!
swkuh
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RE: How good is this game ?

Post by swkuh »

WitE is a pleasure to play because it stays true to itself. Its focus is on the conflict of forces and the arena in which this was played out. It is more detailed than I would prefer, but the details have purpose, and they are instructive to the reality of the Eastern Front. (So far as I know.)

Forum contributors are very useful, too..
hfarrish
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RE: How good is this game ?

Post by hfarrish »


I think it's a great game, and I certainly have gotten more for my money than out of anything else. I am a pure PBEM player (never played against the AI) and that can have its frustrations, for sure - something you can read endless posts about on the board and that over time has slowly been improved (usually with one side or another suffering for it).

In any case, worth a buy for sure.
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Apollo11
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RE: How good is this game ?

Post by Apollo11 »

Hi all,

IMHO the WitE is great game (but then again I am a bit biased [;)])! [:)]

For me the biggest value any game can have is re-playability and "bang for the buck" - in both the WitE excels (same as the UV / WitP / WitP-AE excel) and gives players hundreds / thousands of hours of enjoyment!!!


Leo "Apollo11"
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A & B: WitW, WitE, WbtS, GGWaW, GGWaW2-AWD, HttR, CotA, BftB, CF
P: UV, WitP, WitP-AE
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RE: How good is this game ?

Post by Alan Sharif »

Just adding my voice to those who give a positive opinion on this title. It may take a bit of time to get your head around. Play the tutorial and use the manual. This is not a game you can just dive into ( which ( often do). However, you will be rewarded a thousand times over for you effort. It is the best East Front game on the market and excellent all round. Well worth the asking price.
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Peltonx
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RE: How good is this game ?

Post by Peltonx »

ORIGINAL: kirk23

Hi I have been looking at this game for a while,I have been on the fence wondering wether or not to buy,I'm 85% sure I will delve in soon,I have over 20 Matrix titles in my collection,and it looks like this will be my next purchase,I really like the look of this game,what do you guys think about this game?

Best Eastern Front game to date hands down.
Beta Tester WitW & WitE
Mac Linehan
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RE: How good is this game ?

Post by Mac Linehan »

ORIGINAL: Pelton

ORIGINAL: kirk23

Hi I have been looking at this game for a while,I have been on the fence wondering wether or not to buy,I'm 85% sure I will delve in soon,I have over 20 Matrix titles in my collection,and it looks like this will be my next purchase,I really like the look of this game,what do you guys think about this game?

Best Eastern Front game to date hands down.

Pelton, Apollo 11 -

Many years ago, in 1982, I was a Marine stationed in the Las Pulgas Area, Camp Pendleton California. At that time I played Squad Leader extensively, especially on weekends. For whatever reason, I am a "read all the rules first" kind of guy. I vividly recall buying the Squad Leader: "G.I. Anvil of Victory" expansion on a Friday, and reading through the weekend until I finished about six o'clock Sunday evening - very tired but ready to rock and roll.

Well, it seems that things haven't changed much. Last Friday night I made the decision to put WitP AE on hold and focus on reading the WitE rules. This was a major step, as I am very addicted to AE. I finished the rules at 11:00pm last night, and immediately began to work though the tutorial. Played until 1:30am this (Sunday) morning.

Well - was it worth it? Absolutely. Several times, in the WitE forum, it is stated that WitE has the most comprehensive combat system yet produced. I am now certain that this is the fact - even though I have yet to really play the game.

As with many others, I have most of Gary Grigsby's games. War in Russia (1993) was an awesome step forward in it's time. WitP AE is phenomenal. Now it is WitE's turn. There is no question that WitE will, as it's predecessors, measure up.

My sincere appreciation to the 2by3 Games Team, and to all those dedicated testers - Hard Sarge and Apollo 11 in particular - who contributed serious time and effort to make it all happen. I am very aware, as a WitE newbie, that there are many on this forum - with whom I am not yet familiar - who have contributed much towards this game. I look forward to getting to know you over time.

Mac


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Apollo11
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RE: How good is this game ?

Post by Apollo11 »

Hi all,

Welcome on-board Malcolm! [:)]


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A & B: WitW, WitE, WbtS, GGWaW, GGWaW2-AWD, HttR, CotA, BftB, CF
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kirk23
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RE: How good is this game ?

Post by kirk23 »

Ok folks I just purchased the game 15mins ago,downloading the latest update as I write this,so looking forward to playing the game after reading the manual first.
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76mm
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RE: How good is this game ?

Post by 76mm »

ORIGINAL: Mac Linehan
...in the WitE forum, it is stated that WitE has the most comprehensive combat system yet produced. I am now certain that this is the fact - even though I have yet to really play the game.

While I agree that this game provides good bang-for-the-buck, I don't like its combat system at all--it is over-engineered, convoluted, opaque, and ultimately not very "realistic" in many situations. And this is not even mentioning the "combat system" (and I apply the term loosely) for the air war. Play a couple of PBEM games and I'm sure that you'll see what I mean.
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Light and dark

Post by Templer_12 »

ORIGINAL: 76mm

ORIGINAL: Mac Linehan
...in the WitE forum, it is stated that WitE has the most comprehensive combat system yet produced. I am now certain that this is the fact - even though I have yet to really play the game.

While I agree that this game provides good bang-for-the-buck, I don't like its combat system at all--it is over-engineered, convoluted, opaque, and ultimately not very "realistic" in many situations. And this is not even mentioning the "combat system" (and I apply the term loosely) for the air war.
I also like the game very much but I agree with 76mm and add:
Incomprehensible to me that they dispensed on "Concentic Attacks" feature on a game with such high demands.
swkuh
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RE: Light and dark

Post by swkuh »

Love the game for its insight to the Ostfront, but agree it is a bit techy-techy. With practice have become more efficient at the expense of sub-optimal techniques. Since I'm a bit slow I keep it simple.

Waiting for some sort of continuous action approach vs. IGOUGO approach. Any suggestions?
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RE: How good is this game ?

Post by Schmart »

Personally, I found the game fairly intuitive to start playing. It was just a matter of quickly learning the user interface. Coming from a board gaming background, I jumped right into pushing counters around and clicking attack. WitE plays well enough on a simple setting without too much imcro-management (vs AI). Learning all the micro-management takes time and allows for playing on more difficult settings.

I think it's a little easier learning the Axis side because it's more of a combat/movement micro-management (a little bit more intuitive), whereas the Russians require micro-management in building their army, which requires quite a bit more historical background and OOB knowledge.
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