Any good

[coachi]

Is this game any good as it stands now. thinking' of buying. Any comparisons. How difficult? complexed?

[Lebatron]

I think if you like a game like Axis and Allies, but wanted something a bit deeper without going as deep as modeling the armor value of a soldier's boot laces, then this may be a game you like. So think A&A with the map divided about twice as much. Things are purchased and built using a que system. In A&A if you spent 24PP to buy a Battle ship you got it right away. In this game, it takes several seasons to finish. Another thing that A&A always was terrible at was modeling research. Here you can buy research into something and not have it be a total gamble. The research is persistent. Once you hit the level your unit gets an extra dice for its attack. For example normal infantry throws 6 dice to try to damage something. Later in the game it goes to 7 then 8 even sometimes 9 near the final push. So if you were like me and grew up loving A&A but found you wanted more out of it (like the huge modding community for it) I think this game addresses those very nicely without becoming a Grognards level game. It also has the advantage of being a WWII wargame that you can actually finish when playing against a real opponent. Like around a weak or two of trading saves back and forth. You don't see that much in the monster WWII games. Most call it quits after just a few months when the outcome seems clear. Therefore these monster games hardly ever see late war gameplay unless you pick a late war scenario.

[midgard30]

ORIGINAL: Lebatron

I think if you like a game like Axis and Allies, but wanted something a bit deeper without going as deep as modeling the armor value of a soldier's boot laces, then this may be a game you like.

World at War is the first game I bought on Matrix, precisely for this reason! It had everything I wanted in A&A: better bombing raid, true Pacific war, real sub warfare, supplies, etc. If I had to choose only one game in my library it would this one.

It's great to see the forum being alive again, that 2by3 is giving it a "face lift". Just to play it in 1920x1080 is already an improvement. With just an update of the UI and graphics, this game could have a second life!

[Rusty1961]

Is this game any good as it stands now. thinking' of buying. Any comparisons. How difficult? complexed?

No.

[Kriegsspieler]

For what it's worth, I think this game has been surpassed by the Strategic Command series. It has better corps/army level combat mechanics, reasonably good naval war, including sub operations, and a good production/deployment system. No knock on 2by3 -- I love their work. It's just that newer games have built better ways of modeling the conflict at the same level. The Warplan games are also quite good, but there's no comprehensive iteration of the entire war there yet.

[Lebatron]

I like that series as well. However, I wouldn't put it in the same class as you did. World at War AWD is a way faster game to complete. It more like Axis and Allies the board game with everything you wished it had. Instead of yippee I just succeeded on my Heavy Bomber super tech roll, you have a gradual increase in effectiveness. Units no longer just pop into existence with your purchase, but actually only come into play after they passed through a build que. It's these things that make it a true successor to A&A that I always wanted in a game. Strategic Command is just a light Grognard level game. It's good, but what if you don't want to spend days in real time trying to conquer Russia? Or how about you want a PBEM game you can actually finish? AWD PBEM games can last anywhere from about 10- 20 turns. Kinda like a chess game. Currently there is nothing on the market that scratches that A&A itch better than this game. Basically, this game is for those that loved A&A but always wanted more out of it.

[Kriegsspieler]

Yeah, that's an entirely fair point.
It's just that I can't quite wrap my head around a Grigsby game that can be compared to Axis and Allies!

[ncc1701e]

This game is the first computer game I have found clearly showing how the battle of Atlantic was important. And, how once win, this can free up bombers to do strategic bombing over Germany. Honestly, this is a very good WW2 strategic game.

And, I am happy with the revamp IU for 1920x1080 screen.

[toddtreadway]

By far, this is my favorite playable grand-strategic WW2 game!

From the production system, land combat, to the naval combat system it is really satisfying. Much more deep than Axis and Allies, but (once you understand the interface) extremely playable. The rule book is VERY well done, so if you really want to understand what is going on under the hood, you can figure it out.

I feel the game did not get the success it deserved. Hopefully at some point in the future they will to do a remake and make the interface a little bit less intimidating. At this point, having played it for God-knows how many hours, I will tell you that the first time I looked at it, during the initial playtesting years ago, I bounced off it. After I came back to it and took a little bit of time to figure out the interface, it was off to the races for me and I am enjoyed every moment since.

[generalfdog]

Is this game any good as it stands now. thinking' of buying. Any comparisons. How difficult? complexed?

I have always loved ww2 strategic level games a&a was my first love played it with my family alot, then world in flames which was a great board game, the computer version is iffy, then world at war came I wasted countless hours in college on this one it is great I am glad they are revamping it, right now it is a little glitchy but I am sure it will get figured out. Right now my favorite is War Plan and War Plan Pacific

[toddtreadway]

I've played a LOT of both Strategic Command and World at War. I MUCH prefer the World at War naval system. WaW naval system is much, much, MUCH more realistic at the strategic scale.

Added to that, I like the lower-density of the map and fewer areas to think about. WaW is a better strategic -level game. SC is, however, a bit simpler (there is not as much going on under the hood). So...SC is simpler but bigger. WaW is a bit more complex but smaller.