A Couple of Questions

[HowieWowie]

This game has caught my eye. I've been hoping it would go on sale but I might take the plunge now. A couple of questions:

1-Are their tutorials included? Do they cover the mechanics of the game and UI well?
2-For those who played the game for a while do you find the AI challenging?
2-I see PBEM++ mentioned. I've looked at the Opponents Wanted section and it seems that there is not much activity? I'd like to PBEM eventually.

[cromlechi]

Hello, there is a tutorial scenario but you will pick the game up quickly by playing and reading the forum. I never play AI on any computer wargame as it's always rubbish. Much better to play people. I've had no problem getting opponents, just post a challenge on the server and I'm sure someone will take up the challenge. By the way, I think it's the best game available for this scale. Should have a much bigger following imho.

[Hugolin]

There's a tutorial, but there's also a few (relatively) simple scenarios, especially the 4 linked mini-scenarios of the 1st Army, that allows you to experiment with the game mechanics. The full scenarios are much bigger, so it's good to start with the smaller scenarios. The tutorial, like in most video games, will give you the basics, but won't teach you the tricks to mastering the game. The game has a great depth, and there more to it than it seems at first, you have to pay attention to a lot of details if you want to win your battles. But like cromlechi said above, it's a great game for this scale.

[freeboy]

the ai will destroy you on hard, on normal it gets some significant advantages, on easy its the same as playing a human and I DEFIANTLY recommend play on easy.
The game has some important structure or principles in place... namely unit integrity, keeping your separate regiment from the same division together, and command and control, keeping the hq for a force of divisions close to them....
asking questions as well.. I am an old time "AT", player, the game this is based on, and still I needed to read the " AAR" to learn how the scenarios play
out...
So, if you cannot play pbem, this plays fine... and has small to huge scenarios.... lots of replay
and if you want to play pbem there are some players... not a robust amount but some...

[stonestriker]

Regarding the AI my opinion is somewhere between cromlechi and freeboy; For your first game or two Easy difficulty is just fine, but after you get to know the scenarios and rules, you need to give the AI some advantages (Normal or Hard difficulty) to enable them to put up a proper fight. I never play Very Hard as that more or less enable a russian rifle brigade to overrun the Gross Deutchland division

I dont know if you are particularly fascinated by the Eastern front, but I would actually recommend to play the first game (Decisive Campaigns: The Blitzkrieg from Warsaw to Paris) first. Scenarios are a bit smaller, and contrary to the larger scenarios in CB, you always have the Axis on the offensive, while the Allies are on the offensive. This is easier to handle for a new player and for the AI as well.

[cromlechi]

I haven't got WtP yet. I was wondering if there are enough players to support online play? I can never get motivated against the AI.

[freeboy]

well, Im available and not a novice...

[stonestriker]

I haven´t had any issue with finding opponents, but have only played 4 games, plus another one that is on-going.

[Hugolin]

Simple question: when we play with pbem can we save the game mid-turn?

I vaguely remember reading somewhere that we cannot - we must finish the turn in one session. Somehow in my mind to save the game in pbem = to send it to the server for next player's turn.

Since I play rather slowly (I like to play my turn over the course of 1-2-3 days), this 'save-and-end-the-turn' thing has prevented me to try multiplayer.

I read in the aars that some players finish their turn in 1-2 hours - unless it rains and you're Russia, I really wonder how people can play a full turn in 1 hour, especially at the beginning! But then maybe I'm a maniac for details.... [8D]

[elmo3]

ORIGINAL: Hugolin

Simple question: when we play with pbem can we save the game mid-turn?

.... [8D]

See page 17 in the E-book version of the manual. If you turn off PBEM Protection then you can save mid turn. However this leaves open the possibility of cheating so you will have to trust our opponent if you turn it off.

[freeboy]

if you cannot trust your opponent they are perhaps the wrong opponent? a for me I only play pbem protection in a tournament environment and I EXPECT that if my oponent fat fingers a piece he or she will reload.. and I know enough to spot blatent cheating where an oponent knows just too much.. especially with hardcore recon on... which I highly recommend

[Hugolin]

Thanks for the reply! I knew I read something like that - but where I had forgot.

The "cheating' I can think of is to reload the game following a bad attack, or to recon and explore the front, or... actually haha there are a lot of opportunities. In my 1st practice game I reloaded a few times indeed while trying mechanisms. Indeed I can see someone obsessed with winning reloading over and over until getting the perfect result... But really to play a turn in one sitting, one need a lot of power of concentration...