OT where have all the good games gone?

[Yaab]

ORIGINAL: Mac Linehan

ORIGINAL: robinsa

I've said it before in thus forum but I really like "To end all wars". I know AGEOD games are not for everyone but to me that game is a true gem. I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in world war 1.

robinsa- "To End All Wars" is very enjoyable. It has been a while, but I will eventually fire it up and continue my campaign.

Mac

Still waiting for WiTP:AE2 "To End All Wargames"...

[Mac Linehan]

Yaab!

Great to hear from you. I absolutely agree on the AE "To End All Wargames" edition!

Mac

[Chuske]

I haven't tried it yet but I've heard that the new alpha release of ACW game "Ultimate General" is pretty good and if you like Naval what about "Rule the Waves"? Again not tried it but seen some interesting youtube videos by thehistorical gamer on this one.

As for WitW what do you think is wrong with its design? It seems to have a following but mainly with vs AI players so the forum is rather dead these days, it never quite seemed to excite the grognard market like AE. For me I find when playing it I'm always wishing for WEGO system like AE and proper modelling of the naval side

[Anachro]

I don't know about it's new ACW game, but UG: Gettysburg has nothing on Sid Meier's old classic.

[Mobeer]

ORIGINAL: adarbrauner
I'm still dreamin of an evolution of WITPAE...

I'm still wondering what Matrix Games meant in their Facebook post of 29 July 2016:

other FB user responding to WitP:AE video:
"I'm looking forward to a (hopefully) updated version with an intuitive GUI and friendly AI."

Matrix Games:
"You will be happy to know that something close to this is in the pipeline. We cannot say anything yet about it, but keep an eye on our site!"

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Anachro

SM's Gettysburg is one of my favorite games of all time. Truly marvelous and...I think unequaled by more modern ACW games like the Ultimate General series. Would love to see a modern version of it.

That really was a fantastic game. A bit click-heavy and hyperkinetic at times but someone in the community made a map generator and I built five maps for an operational 7 Days Battle.


Very cool.

[scout1]

ORIGINAL: Sardaukar

Command:Modern Air and Naval Operations is great, especially if you liked Harpoon series.

Combat Mission series is great for WW II tactical gaming.

Give a try to Tigers on the Hunt, turn-based WWII tactical game: tt.asp?forumid=1566 It definitely has that Advanced Squad Leader feeling.

Silent Hunter 3 and 4 are great with mods and work on Win 7 to 10 just fine.

Have seen listings for SH3 as XP only ... so If you have W7, is there anything special you're doing to run this ?

[rustysi]

I'm still wondering what Matrix Games meant in their Facebook post of 29 July 2016:

other FB user responding to WitP:AE video:
"I'm looking forward to a (hopefully) updated version with an intuitive GUI and friendly AI."

Matrix Games:
"You will be happy to know that something close to this is in the pipeline. We cannot say anything yet about it, but keep an eye on our site!"

You guys have to stop this stuff. I'm still learning this one and I'd like to play a PBEM before something replaces it!!![:D]

[bradfordkay]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

I very much like Battlefront's Combat Mission series but that is a tactical game. Otherwise, I am just not seeing much that sets me on fire..

I will second this comment. Combat Mission was a new look at a classic staple - the WW2 tactical game with multiple scenarios (remember Steel Panthers?). I thought that it was very well done.

I will probably check out that modern naval game but I have to admit to being spoiled by WITPAE. This game has been the game I have wanted since I discovered wargaming back in the 1960s and I hope that I can always have a computer able to play it.

RRoberson (asurob), I was another of the crew whose WITP was purchased by Steve at the convention (Origins?) in Columbus. I fondly recall the photo put up on the forum: First WITP Customer! showing Steve with a handful of copies of the game.

Nowadays if I am not playing AE but am playing a game it will usually be either a Fallout series game or an Elder Scrolls game (though BioWare's Dragon Age games occasionally squeeze in). Nothing - but nothing - has held me the way that UV, WITP and AE have held my interest.

[oaltinyay]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

I very much like Battlefront's Combat Mission series but that is a tactical game. Otherwise, I am just not seeing much that sets me on fire..

+1 and also another +1 for AoR.

ps. my dream is to combine CM and WiTP - u resolve your own land battles !

[oaltinyay]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

This morning my old blurry eyes read the title of this thread as "Where have all the good planes gone?". I guess we could start a thread for that.

I have inspired myself. Instead of starting a new thread, I can merge the issues. To paraphrase Peter, Paul and Mary ...
Let me clear my throat, ahem. Ahem.

Where have all the good planes gone?
long time passing
Where have all the good planes gone?
Old buffs have picked them one by one.
Oh when will they never yearn?
When will they never yearn?
.
Where have all the old buffs gone?
long time passing
Where have all the old buffs gone?
Gone for reverse mortgages every one.
Oh when will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?
.
Where have all their children gone?
long time passing
Where have all their children gone?
Gone for all the good wargames.
Oh when will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?
.
Where did all the good games go
with paper maps and cardboard chits?
Oh where did all the good games go?
Gone for digital media every one.
Oh when will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?
.
Oh where did Windows XP go?
long time passing
Oh where did Windows Vista go?
short time passing
Oh when will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?

How do u come up with this stuff Mr. Reptile ? It's just so good I kept singing it in the office and they look at me as if I finally came apart mentally.

[oaltinyay]

Crazy idea : can we crowdsource our own extension into WITP ? I'm sure Matrix will consider a business proposal.

[wdolson]

The problem with getting anymore extensions to WitP done is not the money. it's getting the right people to do the job.

Bill

[oaltinyay]

So how can we prevent WITP becoming obsolete ? I can see myself playing this 5 10 and 15 years from now if I life that long. I mean one pbem takes 3 years anway.

[wdolson]

It's only obsolete today if people believe it is. The only issue I see that is really an obsolescence issue is operability with newer operating systems and that is beginning to become more and more of an issue. With some effort that may be fixable though.

A lot of kids are going to turn up their noses at any game like WitP because it's not real time and doesn't have a lot of flashy graphics, but trying to weave in features that would draw in many younger gamers would break the game. This has to remain a turn based game in some fashion to remain what it is.

Bill

[Canoerebel]

I face the same dilemma with the magazine I publish. It's an old-fashioned history magazine. It's the same size, page count, and paper quality that it was in 1988. We haven't increased our subscription prices since 2004. (I think we are the last publication in America that can claim those things.)

But the world is turning to digital, electronic media, especially the younger generation. As it ages, will there still be a market for Georgia Backroads? I think so - I think there will always be a certain percentage of people that value quality, appreciate the "old ways," and just want to hold a print product in their hands. I don't need 25% of Georgians to subscribe to my magazine to make it viable. I actually need something around one-quarter of 1%. I think that'll always be there.

As for AE, it may eventually transcend it's niche market simply because it's a masterpiece - a classic. There is a chance that this game becomes a kind of Monopoly or Chess for those who love old-fashioned strategy games. That market doesn't have to be large. I wouldn't be surprised if AE continues to gradually grow. I also wouldn't be surprised if some day, somewhere, some whiz group who love WWII decide to roll up their sleeves and create something that will be the "next" AE, even if it isn't AE.

[Anachro]

Canoerebel. Just a personal anecdote.

I used to feel very strongly about the superiority of paperback or a physical copy. In some ways I do, but ever since I got a kindle, I've found myself drawn more and more to the convenience of having everything stored electronically with easy access. Moreover, the kindle has gotten better at making the text look (if not feel) more and more like an actual paperback.

That said, I'm not sure how good a periodical would be in e-format like a kindle. It obviously can work online on a website, but I have yet to try the subscription models available on a kindle. Only books. I feel this way probably because I think of a periodical like a magazine as more than just text: it's usually a multimedia experience using both images and text together (for most magazines, not necessarily scholarly journals). I'm not sure this translates well to something like the kindle.

[Canoerebel]

Most people feel the same as you do, Anachro. But there is a certain percentage - probably fairly high - that either love print books or detest electronic books or both.

The experience of businesses trying to morph print subscriptions into electronic subscriptions is abysmal. We're all familiar with the magazines and newspapers that have failed or teetered on the brink of failure. Most recently, the New York Times, USA Today, and other major newspapers have suffered crippling losses that have triggered more big cutbacks. And this is after years of concerted effort to wrap their heads around the problem and figure out a solution. They haven't, so the downfall will continue.

The problem is that those publications relied very heavily on advertising revenue. Advertisers have gone elsewhere.

That was where my publication got very lucky. In 2005, advertising revenue was about 1% of our revenue. Today it has "shrunk" to less than 1%. We simply rely upon subscriptions. Since we've been in business for 32 years, we have established a good will that allowed us to move through the recession and the "demise" of print publications relatively smoothly. Things aren't easy - they usually aren't for a small business - but at least we're able to do what we love doing.

Now, I apologize for hijacking the thread. Let's resume our digital entertainment!

[warspite1]

Well before resuming the digital entertainment, I would like to chime in too in support of books. I am not completely 'old fart' - I long since succumbed in the music world and no longer buy physical CD's, but instead download all my music from itunes (even though I said I wouldn't).

But books? I will never move to kindle or whatever electronic device. As I sit here typing this I am surrounded by my library of books - probably 90% military history - and I love them! Small second hand paper backs to large, glossy, hardbacks, I love them all, I love the smell of them when new, I love their accessibility, I love the feel of them in my hands. I love their ability to teach as they enrich and expand my knowledge of subjects I love.

Funny how life changes. As a small boy, I hated reading - it was boring and frankly I'd rather be outside kicking a ball around or making airfix models - or frankly doing anything but boring reading. Now? Now I cannot read enough, there is not enough hours in the day to satisfy my thirst for history knowledge. Life, its a funny old game eh?

[Alfred]

ORIGINAL: Anachro

Canoerebel. Just a personal anecdote.

I used to feel very strongly about the superiority of paperback or a physical copy. In some ways I do, but ever since I got a kindle, I've found myself drawn more and more to the convenience of having everything stored electronically with easy access. Moreover, the kindle has gotten better at making the text look (if not feel) more and more like an actual paperback.

That said, I'm not sure how good a periodical would be in e-format like a kindle. It obviously can work online on a website, but I have yet to try the subscription models available on a kindle. Only books. I feel this way probably because I think of a periodical like a magazine as more than just text: it's usually a multimedia experience using both images and text together (for most magazines, not necessarily scholarly journals). I'm not sure this translates well to something like the kindle.

Ereaders are very poor platforms for periodicals as they cannot handle colour and the screen size is generally too small/awkward for PDF publications. Most periodicals which are made electronically available are not reformatted to EPUB standards. On the other hand, tablets can usually handle periodicals with ease. Thus one needs an ereader for ebooks and a tablet (colour capable) for magazine/subscription periodicals.

Alfred