Need Help? Ask The Semi-Experts

[Missouri_Rebel]

Just post a question and I'll see if I can help you. MWiF is a huge game, but the programmer, Steve, has included a lot of tools to help navigate this monster game.

I guess everyone has discovered that F1, F2 and F3 brings up the manuals? Do you know that you can do an advanced search from that point?

Bring up the manual
Once open in Adobe, at the top click the EDIT header and go down to Advanced Search.

From there you can enter the search words and enter what you want to search for. A list of all instances will come up and you can zoom to that area in the manual by pressing them. A short preview gives you an idea of what the section contains.


Again, if anyone needs any help about anything, if I can, I will answer you.

mo reb

[Missouri_Rebel]

Another VERY useful tool is the MAP VIEWS function.

This form has lists of map areas in it. Clicking on any of the listings in it instantly takes you to that area on the map. Very helpful for getting around the huge map. You can change the way the Map Views by either editing the current ones or adding new ones yourself and saving them. I implore all new players to refer to Players Manual 1 Section 8.4.3 pages 171-172 for the full explanation. It is one of the most useful things for new players to grasp imo.

[Rosseau]

How long would it take an experienced player to finish his pbem turn, Mo?

[Missouri_Rebel]

No pbem at this point. Online play only. But the turns are interwoven meaning that throughout the turn made up of variable impulses the play switches back and forth so the players can accomplish their tasks. It goes that way, depending on the actions taken and by which phasing side the whole game. Normally the times where you would wait the most is during setup and possibly for huge land impulses where the phasing player is moving many units into the hexes they want to attack. It really is a cooperative experience if that makes sense.

In short its not an IGO-UGO

[Missouri_Rebel]

Also, any other tester want to chime in please do. Most of these guys know the system far more than I do. Paul is about the best versed on the rules that I can think of. But I'll try to do my best.

[Peeking Duck?]

Is there a way to share set up files or something? Possibly someone has a very vanilla yet somewhat standard set up for the scenarios that can be shared?

[Missouri_Rebel]

ORIGINAL: Peeking Duck?

Is there a way to share set up files or something? Possibly someone has a very vanilla yet somewhat standard set up for the scenarios that can be shared?

My version may be different but I think you could use the Fast Start saved game. From the main menu choose Restore Saved Games. Choose which scenario and use the Fast Start save.

I hope I am not wrong about this. Give it a try.

[Missouri_Rebel]

In those saves there may be optional rules on. Not exactly the Restore set up as you might want for the Barbarossa scenario. Maybe we could work on getting some of those made. Possibly someone else has one?

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: Peeking Duck?

Is there a way to share set up files or something? Possibly someone has a very vanilla yet somewhat standard set up for the scenarios that can be shared?

A new game of WIF includes drawing a lot of random units (e.g., most of the land and all of the air units). That makes it impossible to have a "standard setup" since the units may be different.

However, some of the units are always the same (assuming you are using a given set of optional rules). For instance, the convoy counters are generic, and you always get the same number of those. And all the naval units which have names are also either included/excluded depending on the scenario specifications/rules.

So what MWIF does is permit players to have what is called a "Saved Setup", but it only applies to the units that are NOT randomly selected. A button on the Setup Tray lets you restore a Saved Setup. Selecting one of those (they are named for the different major powers) will set up all the non-random units on the map, according to the wisdom of some experienced player (a beta tester).

However, even if you use a saved setup, you will still need to decide about and place the air and land units on the map.

Alternatively, you can use a Fast Start saved game. Saved games store all the unit locations, so when a saved game is restored, all the units are placed on the map. But note that the units will not have been randomly selected, and the optional rules will be whatever the person who created the saved game decided on.

The choice is up to you:
1 - choose the optional rules and get a fresh group of randomly selected units, then use a Saved Setup to place roughly half the units on the map (the navy) and then place the rest on the map yourself,

OR

2 - use a Fast Start Saved Game.

[Dr. Foo]

I know there is no AI but this is not like playing on Vassel,is it? Is there computerized turn resolution, combat odds calculation, supply calculation, movement point allocation, stuff like that?

No AI, no problem, I always end up play solitaire becasue the AI is never challenging. As long as the game will do most of the bookkeeping I'm cool.

[Missouri_Rebel]

Thanks. Probably best to stay away from things I am not 100% sure about. Hence the semi-expert. [:)] Maybe amateur is a better word?

If after you get the setup and options you want be sure to make a save that you can always revert to before continuing.

[Missouri_Rebel]

Is there computerized turn resolution, combat odds calculation, supply calculation, movement point allocation, stuff like that?

Yes, and much more. For instance, full rule enforcement, Help Forms throughout the program in almost every form, in game searchable PDF of 2 player manuals and the Rules as coded. Everything you wanted Vassal to be able to do and more. Not doggin' Vasssal, I used it for ASL and it is great for that and WiF pre MWiF, but this is right up your alley. Plus Netplay with 2 people and support coming for up to 6 players.

[Erik Rutins]

Bumping this useful thread. [8D]

[FroBodine]

ORIGINAL: Missouri_Rebel

No pbem at this point. Online play only. But the turns are interwoven meaning that throughout the turn made up of variable impulses the play switches back and forth so the players can accomplish their tasks. It goes that way, depending on the actions taken and by which phasing side the whole game. Normally the times where you would wait the most is during setup and possibly for huge land impulses where the phasing player is moving many units into the hexes they want to attack. It really is a cooperative experience if that makes sense.

In short its not an IGO-UGO

Please clarify this. No PBEM at this point? So, the entire game has to be played in real time? How can this be possible with a game as huge as this one? Is there no way to do my turn, then submit it to the server for my opponent to take his turn at his leisure? Like all other Slitherine PBEM+ games?

[Mynok]

The nature of the game does not lend itself easily to PBEM at all.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: jglazier

ORIGINAL: Missouri_Rebel

No pbem at this point. Online play only. But the turns are interwoven meaning that throughout the turn made up of variable impulses the play switches back and forth so the players can accomplish their tasks. It goes that way, depending on the actions taken and by which phasing side the whole game. Normally the times where you would wait the most is during setup and possibly for huge land impulses where the phasing player is moving many units into the hexes they want to attack. It really is a cooperative experience if that makes sense.

In short its not an IGO-UGO

Please clarify this. No PBEM at this point? So, the entire game has to be played in real time? How can this be possible with a game as huge as this one? Is there no way to do my turn, then submit it to the server for my opponent to take his turn at his leisure? Like all other Slitherine PBEM+ games?

No PBEM with the current version. Sorry.

For World in Flames, PBEM will be quite different from the normal IGO-UGO war games. MWIF has an intense amount of interaction between players at various points in the sequence of play: air-to-air combat, naval combat, and even naval movement. The number of emails could easily run into the hundreds for a single turn. I have a design solution but it will take a lot of time to implement PBEM for MWIF.

[FroBodine]

So, how can this game be playable at all, then, except for people who have unlimited hours in the day to devote to being online playing this game?

Am I missing something? How is this game playable for folks who have limited gaming time? I cannot imagine anyone playing this game to completion in real time in a single session. Without PBEM, how does it work then? Can you save your progress and resume play in multiple online sessions?

[Zorachus99]

ORIGINAL: jglazier

So, how can this game be playable at all, then, except for people who have unlimited hours in the day to devote to being online playing this game?

Am I missing something? How is this game playable for folks who have limited gaming time? I cannot imagine anyone playing this game to completion in real time in a single session. Without PBEM, how does it work then? Can you save your progress and resume play in multiple online sessions?

Yes.

The board game takes about 60-100hrs to play the entire game. With MWIF though, I think there will be significant time savings.

[composer99]

ORIGINAL: jglazier

So, how can this game be playable at all, then, except for people who have unlimited hours in the day to devote to being online playing this game?

In small chunks.

Am I missing something? How is this game playable for folks who have limited gaming time? I cannot imagine anyone playing this game to completion in real time in a single session. Without PBEM, how does it work then? Can you save your progress and resume play in multiple online sessions?

The original board game is very difficult to play through to the end as well.

The game automatically saves at certain breakpoints, and you can also save the game at will, save for in the middle of certain phases (usually combats in the midst of being resolved). So yes, you can resume play in multiple sessions.

[sanderz]

Ok, here's a game play question for you (i've not played the boardgame). I am working may way through the video tutorials and have a question about combat.

In the vid he has moved units and then left clicks on a target enemy of his choice and it seems like ALL adjacent units are automatically allocated to the combat. Then he clicks on the next target enemy and so on. However there was one unit that got allocated in the first attack that was also adjacent to another enemy unit in the second attack - is it possible to un-allocate this ONE unit from the first attack and give it to the second attack?

Also, a bit cheeky as i haven't watched the Naval stuff yet but can CVs only have one Unit attached as thats all i have seen, yet the CV capacity can be, say 3. If its only one then it seems you can only have either fighter or bomber units on a CV and not both which seems a bit odd.

Thanks