Noob needs some advice.....

[Switters]

....Okay just signed in here, ready to take the plunge with one of GGs games. Never played one before and I'm intruiged by the Pacific as usually when I play Hearts of Iron I play in the European Theatre. I guess my question is is this game a reasonable one for my first venture or should I try War in the West or East first? Are they all equally (in)accesible for a new player?

Cheers in advance

[Bullwinkle58]

I have WitE, and have read the WitW forum since it shipped. I've played AE and its daddy WITP pretty much every day since 2005.

AE is completely different than the other two land-focused games. It's bigger, it's more complex. The engine is older and in some ways clunkier (no map zoom for example.)

AE has a much more active forum and it's easy to get a PBEM partner. OTOH, grand campaigns take a lot longer in AE. 3-4 years is normal.

My impression of WITW is it's more "on rails." You start in 1943 and hew much more closely to history. WitE is less, but more so than AE. In AE you can really change history and you start on 12/7/41, not in mid-war.

I don't think pricing is different enough to be a big factor.

There are hundreds of other comparisons I could make. My best advice is hang around all three forums, read, especially AARs, and figure out what kind of game you're looking for. If you don't like ships AE is not for you.

[Rising-Sun]

ORIGINAL: Switters

....Okay just signed in here, ready to take the plunge with one of GGs games. Never played one before and I'm intruiged by the Pacific as usually when I play Hearts of Iron I play in the European Theatre. I guess my question is is this game a reasonable one for my first venture or should I try War in the West or East first? Are they all equally (in)accesible for a new player?

Cheers in advance

Best thing to do is mess around with smaller scenario and get a hang of it. Make sure to read that booklet, very important. If you don't have a book, there is one in .pdf format somewhere in WitP:AE folder, prob under manual. It gonna take awhile for you to understand it. It is very complex strategy wargame.

[Korvar]

If you want to play the Pacific theater of WW2, I think WitPAE is the answer. It definitely feels like "eating an elephant" when you first begin - it will be overwhelming and not much will make sense.

But if you take it "one bite at a time" and focus on learning the interface, you'll eventually start learning enough of the game to start playing.

One of the best resources for learning the game is Kull's spreadsheets - they will tell you exactly what to do with every single unit, so you can focus on acquiring the muscle memory of 'this is how you form a task force', 'this is how to assign pilots', 'this is how you set a search arc'.

If you'd like to see some video demonstrations, n01487477's YouTube Videos.

For further reading, read Useful Info for Beginners.

[Switters]

Thanks guys, appreciate it. Think I'll do a bit more research, defo can't afford all three games right now, will have to settle for one of them to start with

[sventhebold]

Plus. If you have questions just ask we are a friendly group of grognards and will try to answer them or point you in the right direction.

[m10bob]

IMHO Gary Grigsby has crafted the best military based games.
Personally, I like hex based games, a link to the old table top days of S?T, Avalon Hill, etc.

Have probably owned ten of his games to date?
WITP-AE is an advanced form of WITP, in which years of gameplay was matched with more historical inclusion of units and ships, planes, etc.

If you play any of these games and catch yourself having to restart your games after just a few turns, you are in good company, as that is usually the way we all learned how to play the games.
As you learn new features you were unaware of, you will want to restart to implement those rules and features.

Take your time, none of the games are over-challenging, and keep some good munchies near at hand.[:D]

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: m10bob

IMHO Gary Grigsby has crafted the best military based games.
Personally, I like hex based games, a link to the old table top days of S?T, Avalon Hill, etc.

Have probably owned ten of his games to date?
WITP-AE is an advanced form of WITP, in which years of gameplay was matched with more historical inclusion of units and ships, planes, etc.

If you play any of these games and catch yourself having to restart your games after just a few turns, you are in good company, as that is usually the way we all learned how to play the games.
As you learn new features you were unaware of, you will want to restart to implement those rules and features.

Take your time, none of the games are over-challenging, and keep some good munchies near at hand.[:D]

Good advice, but he hasn't yet bought any of the three games he is considering. To me the biggest selling point for the game is the lowest cost per hour played of any computer war game- ever! And for me it gets cheaper every day!

[Trugrit]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: m10bob

IMHO Gary Grigsby has crafted the best military based games.
Personally, I like hex based games, a link to the old table top days of S?T, Avalon Hill, etc.

Have probably owned ten of his games to date?
To me the biggest selling point for the game is the lowest cost per hour played of any computer war game- ever! And for me it gets cheaper every day!

Yep, plus it is a better game now than it was when I bought it.
It has been getting better every year since it came out thanks to the great support.

[Switters]

Thanks again guys, think I'm gonna take the plunge with Pacific. Sure I'll be back with loads of stupid questions

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Switters

Thanks again guys, think I'm gonna take the plunge with Pacific. Sure I'll be back with loads of stupid questions

There are no stupid questions, but I won't guarantee my answers! [;)]

[Switters]

Okay bought and downloaded, been reading the manual, reading AARs etc, might start my first game this year if I'm lucky.....

First noob questions: What graphic mods should I be downloading? Particularly want something to spruce up the map. And should I apply the latest beta patch or just stick with the latest official version of the game? Finally are there any other game play mods that you guys think are essential or am I better just playing vanilla for a bit, then trying a few mods?

Cheers in advance

[pontiouspilot]

I think you will find that most regular players on here use updated Betas. The Betas work at fixing a pile of issues, usually successfully. There are a number of nice map upgrades but I still play the original...just used to it and addicted to hexes! Many of the players have downloaded the Da Big Babes which brings new scenarios and enhanced maps & logistics of its own. I play only these beefed up scenarios and I sense that many others do too.

[BBfanboy]

The modded scenarios like Reluctant Admiral and Ironman can be downloaded and played anytime - they are free and readily available. Unless you want to get into maximum complication right off the bat I recommend playing the base game first, starting with the smallest scenarios (Guadalcanal, Coral Sea, Thousand Mile War) to learn the game mechanics and start thinking of strategies.

The Maps are a separate issue - their appearance does not affect game play but the differences between the types (stock and extended, without stacking limits or with stacking limits) materially affect play in some areas. So the art work you choose can be whatever pleases your eye but be careful to match the map pwhex files with the scenarios that can use them. That is usually explained at the map source.

Here is one thread about developing the extended map: tm.asp?m=3599038&mpage=9&key=&#3861704

[SaintEx]

For what it's worth, I am an old-time Avalon Hill gamer and have played a great many military sims. GG is undoubtedly - in my extremely humble opinion - the most accurate and engaging simulator of military strategy in the computer gaming era, albeit in some rather painstaking detail. That detail is nowhere more apparent than in WITPAE.

I own and play all of the games you mention (as well as perhaps my favorite GG game, his simulation of the American civil war). In terms of second world war games, I continually come back to WITPAE.

Back in the old days, and, I suppose, in these newer days as well, there has always been the debate between realism and playability (anybody out there also still save their archives of AH's "The General"?). WITPAE definitely falls on the realism side, which is the side I have typically taken in those kinds of discussions. Every ship, every airplane in the Pacific theater is represented. This makes for sometimes maddening micro-management, but if you're into that kind of thing, which I most certainly am, then there is no better arena in which to play. WITE and WITW are likewise extremely detail-oriented, and for those of us who appreciate this level of detail all three games are fascinating and ultimately, highly instructive in terms of history. WITP, though, somehow seems more fluid to me. I like the details, I like the naval warfare, I... well, it's hard to explain, but it's just a great game that has a daunting learning curve but at the very least, you will indeed learn a great deal about the war itself, while you learn the game.

Come to think of it, that can be said for any of GG's games, which is perhaps why I flock to them.

By the way, in case you also are an old-time gamer, WITP reminds me in many respects of the old board game "The Pacific War", although in much greater detail and without it's very innovative time-dilution thing.

[zuluhour]

Most of the micro management of WITP-AE can be done "en-masse" using the various interfaces, then back tracking to "customize" particular
units and situations. I refer to manual less and less as I master this aspect of the game.

[Switters]

Okay, starting to get to grips with things. I've been downloading some new AI updates but totally confused about which work best. I'm guessing its Andy Macs for the shorter scenarios. Then for the full campaign should I playing his scenario 100 or 101 for the best experience? And do I need to up the difficulty level to hard or very hard? So many options, patches, etc.

[Yaab]

Stick with scenario 100 (updated stock scenario 1). Play as the Allies (easier side) and learn new things, then restart and try again. Also, start creating your indvidual checklist for turn 1. Learn to use Tracker to understand your regional economies, especially China.

[Switters]

Hi Yaab, what's this tracker? what does it do, how do I use it? Cheers in advance.....

[Yaab]

Tracker is a third-party management program for WiTP:AE

https://sites.google.com/site/witptracker/

Tracker has many features which you do not have to use, but the ones concerning regional economies are really nice.