What SPWaW Is, and What it Isn't:your thoughts wanted

[RayM]

Hello KG!

I played MC-Watchtower quite a bit in the past but only after I gained some experience with SPWaW in general and existing Pacific theater scenarios in particular. I especially enjoyed Guadalcanal 1942 and the shorter Pacific theater scenarios that came with the DL. I definitily learned quite a bit about tank-infantry combined arms playing the 'Tanks at Munda" scenarios...quite a humbling experience in spite of my knowing better. Still, it is always temping to "hey-diddle-up-the-middle" with you armor, no matter which theater you are playing. I suspect that it is a common feeling among SPWaw gamers when you start out that hopefully you outgrow.

Ray

[Baneman]

Well, I've played SP since the first DOS version and bought II & III as well. I was even happier to discover the SPWaW free version for Windows and play V7.1 with some friends and V8 with others ( only just saw 8.2 and haven't downloaded it yet - I hope some of the bugs in 8 are fixed ( eg. troop type info doesn't always show when selecting ).

It's given me hundreds of happy gaming hours and I've always enjoyed its attention to detail and attempts to achieve as much realism as possible. It was always Squad Leader on a PC for me - I actually paid good money for the Squad Leader PC game - anyone who played that ( or tried ) will know what a travesty that was !

Two things :
1) Things I'd like improved - Tanks reversing !!!!!! Why is it that after how-many incarnations of SP, tanks still turn around to move away from the enemy ?? Surely a key-press + mouseclick could tell it to move backwards ( similar to moving to an occupied hex )

2) Question for Gallo Rojo - you speak of

- SPWaW.8
- SPH2H (actually a mode of SPWaW)
- SPWW2v7 (the SPCammo version).

Now I have owned SP-1, SP-2 and SP-3 plus the freeware versions from 5 to 8 - I'm just not sure what you mean by SPWW2v7 and SPH2H - what versions are these ? Bear in mind that I haven't been on these forums before, so if they're well known, please keep the grilling down to a gentle "char" [:D]

Cheers guys

[Hexed Gamer]

"Tanks reversing"

It's code and won't be changed.

SPH2H is the most spectacular mod produced by Panzer Leo made to use SPWaW and some say they will only use that modification to a standard install of the SPWaW game (you need to install SPWaW first initially then let H2H modify portions of it.

Find it here.

http://www.theblitz.org/member_sites/pa ... rework.php

SPWW2v7 is the version put of by SP Camo and is their vision of "the better version". Some agree, some not.

Found here.

http://linetap.com/www/drg/SPCamo.htm

Also found there is SPMBT their reworked Steel Panthers 2 Modern Battles.

[Gallo Rojo]

Ditto Hexed Gamer

[Fidel_Helms]

I could never get H2H to work. It would always lock up the mech.exe and would not load. What was really annoying was that mech.exe would keep running as a "process", whatever that is, and hog ALL of my system resources unless I went in and killed it by cancelling the process for mech.exe. If I wanted a big PITA I'd go to a Greek restaurant...[:D]

[Fidel_Helms]

What problems, specifically, do people see with SPWAW? I like it just fine, but then I'm not much of a tactical grognard; I mostly play operational level games.

[KG Erwin]

One of my favorite features of the game is its flexibility, and the degree to which a player can customize it to his or her own liking. Having contributed to the OOB team, I can now go back and "fiddle with the numbers" to suit my own whims. I've altered unit armaments and formations, changed their designations, switched some pics and icons, all for my own personal use and the seemingly endless quest to come up with the "perfect" core force for a given nation and year.

For the obsessive "tweakers" amongst us, there's enough data in this package to allow one to crunch numbers for several lifetimes. Of course, this can be a double-edged sword, as anyone who has worked on the OOBs well knows.

That being said, I wouldn't have gotten involved unless I loved the game, in spite of its age and its quirkiness. Hmm, this sounds like something my wife could say about me. [:D]

[cadmus]

This thread has caused me to take a few minutes to consider why, after several years, SP:WaW remains such a source of pleasure and fun. For all its limitations and drawbacks (and there are such), it is still the WWII wargame that combines an enormous amount of detail with a relatively approachable set of mechanics ... the classic "easy to learn, difficult to master" syndrome. That richness of detail and flexibility combined with the outstanding support community ... all of you here on this forum, the countless scenario designers and Matrix itself ... have come together to produce a game (actually calling it a game under rates it) that after years of play, remains fresh, challenging and capable of surprise, especially against a human opponent. It really shines in H2H and PBEM, but is still a source of hours and hours of enjoyment in the solitaire mode. And it's still capable of being "immersive", allowing one to get swept up and experience gut-level emotions when an ambush takes you by surprise, or you pull off a really sweet victory. And ... it does all this in spite of well known limitations imposed by the original sub-structure. So, thank you, Matrix, and thank you, all the scenario designers, and oob contributors and all the rest that have given me and my pbem buddies years of the best gaming experience we've had since we folded up our ASL boards and packed away the counters.

Now, having said all that ... my reading of the Combat Leader forum suggests to me that the day will come when SP:WaW will be a fond memory and I'll be spending my time ... and my $$$ .. on a new love. But until then, I'm quite content to keep on keeping on with SP:WaW.

[m10bob]

I concur with Gunny Erwin completely..
I had been addicted to "Tanks",and had problems when Steel Panthers 1st came out because the game required (at that time) a pretty high CPU capability,but in time,I was able to get it going and got a new addiction from then on..
SP was a DOS game and with Bill Gates never happy,Windows kept changing until SP was no longer an "easy option"(and still isn't).
Thank God and Matrix SP was converted into a Windows friendly environment and I suspect SPWAW(this version) will be the DC 3 of computer wargames..
While it has soldiered on for a full decade,it has never lost it's appeal,and remains the #1 WW 2 land tactical wargame all others can be measured against..
Sadly,the good folks at Matrix have limited resources and perhaps limited vision,and have been unable/unwilling to similarly attempt the conversion of the modern era of SP,(which I have no doubt would be a financial hit)..
In all,the wargame market has no replacement for Steel Panthers World At War,as the industry has prostituted itself and has gone toward the appeasement of the "kiddy-o shoot-em-ups",rather than the serious and historical-based study this great gaming engine represents so well..
I would(and do) refer people to SPWAW and MatrixGames at every opportunity.[&o]