Commander: Europe at War

[GaryChildress]

Can anyone tell me how the AI is in Commander: Europe at War? I understand the new Napoleonic game could use a bit better AI. I'm wondering if CEaW is the same? It looks like a lot of fun. It looks sort of like Panzer General except with a production system. Is that a fair assessemnt? Also do units gain experience with battle, working their way from "regular" or "green" to "elite"?

Many thanks.

[JudgeDredd]

It wasn't great to be honest. Not the worst I had seen but certainly not the best...

It's main problem was lack of (re)action in North Africa...in fact outside of Europe it's fair to say. Another was the incredible strength of the allied navies against your U-Boats...seemed like as soon as you attacked, you were surrounded and destroyed....very little chance of escape...and this is early on in the war...not when the Allies had better sub hunting equipment. Made making subs (very expensive) a waste of time in my eyes. Another was no stacking...not even of air units in the same hex...seemed really silly to me that you could not have aircraft and ground units in the same hex! And the final one...I never got Britain to surrender...I invaded, wiped them out and stole their cities, but they never surrendered.

This is from memory...so not only could I be wrong, but they may well have fixed some issues.

If you they have fixed these, or ignore tham if they're still there, then it was a good game. Panzer general on steroids I think I may have likened it to....and it was a nice trip into the past, but I think that's all I got it for. I played it loads when I had it. I stopped playing for other reasons.

In Europe I think it was ok.

[killroyishere]

If you want a decent WW2 operational strategy game with a decent AI then Battlefronts Stategic Command 2 with the WAW expansion is the way to go. You get a free downloand that also gives you the WW2 War in the Pacific that plays with the Blitzkreig portion of the origional SC2 though not as quality AI as the WAW expansion. It's hard though to get any Operational Strategic game with a decent challenging AI though. And most people don't want to play an pbem game of them because they take too long. 

[Grell]

I didn't like it much myself.

Regards,

Grell

[Marc von Martial]

I suggest you read the plenty of good reviews the game got:

tm.asp?m=1520773

I personally like it a lot and will soon start on the Napoleonic variant. It has to be clear that the "Commander" series is not for complete "diehard only" type of gamers.

It is a very fun and quick paced game. Has the typical "one more turn" addiction level.
I love the possibility to just jump in a play a few turn in 15 minutes.

It got an extremely good recption at the SPIEL game convention in Germany last year. Many people found it reminiscent of Panzer General.

[JudgeDredd]

But have they fixed the North Africa problem? And I understand that the U-Boats was seen as a problem by some and not others...I think I may have eventually been swayed by their depiction of what was going on...but I still stopped building subs after that.

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd
But have they fixed the North Africa problem?

If you mean the general inactivity of the AI outside Europe, the straight answer is : no. But it gives you a damn' good fight in France and Russia. In other words : pretty good tactical AI, but average strategic AI. Not any worse than the one in Strategic Command, Clash of Steel, Third Reich and other comparabable games mind you.

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd
And I understand that the U-Boats was seen as a problem by some and not others...I think I may have eventually been swayed by their depiction of what was going on...but I still stopped building subs after that.

The 1939 U-Boats in the game are indeed easy prey, but if you advance U-boat technology a couple of levels and the Allies don't take countermeasures they'll be in world of pain.

Other than that I concur with Marc that it was *the* hit-game at Spiel, just because it isn't a die-hard grog-only wargame. Everyone could just pick it up and go, no need to read the manual, just play.

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx