Why IGOUGO and not WEGO?

[kosmoface]

Since WITE I wonder, why was the decision made to go with IGOUGO? It's probably the only thing I would do different with WITE and WITW.

I enjoy WEGO-Games just some bits more, because of their unpredictability. And it seems to me the more realistic.

Can anybody chime in?

[RedLancer]

Mainly because WitW is a development of WitE, and WitE2 is a development of WitW - changing to WEGO would be close on ripping everything up and starting again.

[morvael]

kosmoface, if you'll wait patiently for 30 years I might do such a game, because it's my dream game. WitE-like scale but WEGO mode. Alternatively you may send me $1M now, and I'll quit my day job and start doing the game immediately [:)]

[Helpless]

WITW is not a pure IGOUGO. Air game has planning and execution phases.

[cardolan]

ORIGINAL: kosmoface

Since WITE I wonder, why was the decision made to go with IGOUGO? It's probably the only thing I would do different with WITE and WITW.

I enjoy WEGO-Games just some bits more, because of their unpredictability. And it seems to me the more realistic.

Can anybody chime in?

I feel you pain. Love WitE but IGOUGO does not really fell right to me. If only we had a WEGO system it will be THE GAME.

I understand a WEGO game is a lot more complex to program than a IGOUGO and GG decided to go with the latter for the whole series. But still dreaming sometimes...

[KWG]

En passant style

A semi-WEGO . A ground system done as the air system is done.

Still have IGOUGO turns, but the non-turn player can set actions to respond to certain triggers.

[szmike]

There is already WitP (AE), so they could have possibly expanded on that. My guess is there was more headaches than possible to resolve within reasonable time back then - at the time of WitE creation.

[Joel Billings]

Gary's War in the East games in the 80s and 90s were WEGO games, War in Russia (1984), Second Front (1990) and GG's War in Russia (1993). When we started developing War in the East in 2000 we wanted to make an IGOUGO game because we wanted to make a slightly more accessible game that had the turn to turn addictiveness of IGOUGO games like Panzer General. We liked the idea of the "just need to move one more unit" feel that games with continuous movement/combat phases can have. We felt this would be fun, especially in the making of pockets. This was also our homage to the old SPI War in the East boardgame from the 70s (the first monster game and one of my favorites). Clearly WitE is more complicated than Panzer General, but despite all the complexities, we enjoy hearing some of the posts of new players that point out that it's really not that hard to pick up WitE and start moving and attacking and having fun with the game. That was the idea. There's tons of things to be learned in order to play the game well, but at it's heart the game has a simple concept.

BTW, yes, we started WitE in 2000 but had to shelve it several times as we worked on other projects (including War in the Pacific, a WEGO game) until we finally got back to it seriously in 2008. This is why it didn't come out until 2010.

[kosmoface]

Thanks for chiming in, Joel.

In a way you totally succeeded. For me WITE is the Panzer General of my wet child dreams and even though WITW is two steps beyond now (different ballbark I would even say) I still admire WITE because it is such an elegant design. Complex simpilicity is usually an oxymoron, but WITE is exactly that. Very well done.

Nevertheless WITE and WITW are in my number one spot regarding WWII wargames - even with IGOUGO.

ORIGINAL: morvael
kosmoface, if you'll wait patiently for 30 years I might do such a game, because it's my dream game. WitE-like scale but WEGO mode. Alternatively you may send me $1M now, and I'll quit my day job and start doing the game immediately [:)]

Deal. I certainly will wait 30 years, because it will be well worth it. With the million... I would totally give you one if I had one. Maybe you have to wait 30 years too until I have enough money, haha.

[cmunson]

Call me a heretic but I think IGOUGO is the right choice for a game with 1 week turns. The reserve commitment feature gives some WEGO flavor to the game and the combat hex delay penalty mitigates some of the IGOUGO distortion. Biggest frustration with WEGO is the rogue unit phenomena. Enemy unit trapped behind your lines. Every time you plot to surround and or attack it disappears to another part of the map. Anyone who has played an AGEOD game knows of what I speak. The rogue units gets a week of movement with no reaction possible and you end up farther away than when you started.

WEGO great in WitP but shorter turns and naval warfare conducive to WEGO.

Morvael, I'll give the $1MM for a War in Europe where WitE and WitW are mere scenarios.[;)]

[kosmoface]

Good point and it is true, since WITW it isn't a straight IGOUGO anymore (for the better).

I would give morvael the million anyway. Just to see what he will come up with.

[ultradave]

ORIGINAL: Joel Billings

.... This was also our homage to the old SPI War in the East boardgame from the 70s (the first monster game and one of my favorites)....

Love this. Mine too. Back in undergrad days one of our gaming friends had a single room. We set up SPI's WITE on the other side of the room and played for a whole semester in our spare time. 3 Russians and 2 Germans. Great fun. That would have been around '76 or so. I still remember the highlight of my northern Russian command was having 6 tank corps surrounded on Lake Ladoga unable to break out. Then the ice melted. The uncontrollable glee of the German players was a bit much