Where Are You Coming From?

SPWaW is a tactical squad-level World War II game on single platoon or up to an entire battalion through Europe and the Pacific (1939 to 1945).

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victorhauser
Posts: 318
Joined: Mon May 29, 2000 8:00 am
Location: austin, texas

Where Are You Coming From?

Post by victorhauser »

It occurs to me that of the dozens and dozens of comments/suggestions/critiques being flooded into the Matrix headquarters, it would be nice to give them a way to sort all that information. I'll start with me.

I bought SP1 back in 1996 when it first came out and have purchased and/or downloaded every SP game since. I have literally played thousands of hours of SP games (mainly SP1, SP3, SP2WW2, and now SP:WaW). For instance, when SP1 first came out I was unemployed and spent about 10 months straight playing about 50-60 hours per week, sometimes playing entire weekends from Friday to Monday, catching catnaps while still in my chair while my opponents were making their moves.

I prefer to play campaign games because I really like the feature of being able to shepherd my core forces, watching them evolve and gain experience over the course of time. Currently, I play a campaign as follows...

Initial Settings (through the first battle):
All buttons on the Realism Panel are turned on except Troop Quality is turned off (they remain that way throughout). All my modifier percentages are set at 100%/defaults and my troop quality is set at 80. The computer is set at 150% to hit, 150% rout/rally, 110% tank toughness, 250% infantry toughness, AI of 50 and troop quality of 70, with all other percentages at 100%/defaults. I allow myself to recycle through any number of first battles until I get an A0 that I'm satisfied with and I never take an assault as my first battle.

Battle #2 Settings:
All my settings stay the same. Computer settings go up, 170% to hit, 170% rout/rally, AI to 75 (other settings the same).

Battle #3 Settings:
All my settings stay the same. computer settings go up, 190% to hit, 190% rout/rally, AI to 100 (other settings the same).

Battle #4 Settings:
All my settings stay the same. Computer settings go up, 210% to hit, 210% rout/rally, AI to 125 (other settings the same).

Battle #5 Settings:
All my settings stay the same. Computer settings go up, 230% to hit, 230% rout/rally, AI to 150 (other settings the same).

Battle #6 Settings:
All my settings stay the same. Computer settings go up, 250% to hit, 250% rout/rally, AI to 175 (other settings the same).

Battle #7 Settings:
All my settings stay the same. Computer settings go up, 250% to hit, 250% rout/rally, AI to 200 (other settings the same).

I don't give the computer increased sighting because then it becomes too difficult for me to stay hidden. And believe me with an AI of 200 and 250% to-hit bonuses I need to have the ability to stay out of sight! Image
However, at around the halfway point of the campaign I increase the computer's tank toughness to 120%.

As for the battles themselves, I impose several restrictions on myself. I never use mines or barbed wire or dragon's teeth. In addition, during meeting engagements, delays, and defends, I require myself to place the bulk of my force (including all my AFVs) to the rear. Further, I'm not allowed to freely engage the computer until all the victory objectives are computer controlled. This means, for instance, when I'm on a Defend mission, the computer is allowed to capture all my victory flags before I'm allowed to counterattack with my full force. Until such time as all flags are computer controlled I may only return fire if fired upon, and may only adjust my position to avoid fire. However, I do allow myself the ability to move scouts and snipers at will so long as they do not initiate fire. In essence, the effect of these restrictions is to make every battle an advance/assault on my part regardless of the initial mission definition since I've found that the AI is much better in defense than in attack.

So now you know where I'm coming from. When I claim that something is easy or difficult or broken, now you have a context and a frame of reference with which to consider my claims.

Happy gaming to you all! Image
VAH
Wild Bill
Posts: 6428
Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2000 4:00 pm
Location: Smyrna, Ga, 30080

Post by Wild Bill »

You are a very methodical, well-planning gamer, Victor. That is very evident. You take your wargaming very seriously.

For that reason I will studiously avoid you in a PBEM game, lest I be slaughtered wholesale Image

WB

------------------
Wild Bill Wilder
Coordinator, Scenario Design
Matrix Games
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In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Independent Game Consultant
Charles22
Posts: 875
Joined: Wed May 17, 2000 8:00 am
Location: Dallas, Texas, USA

Post by Charles22 »

I think victor ought to at least use a few mines, if only to restrict them to ones being built by engineers, because it's a pretty fun part of the game (Just to suddenly hear that KA-BOOM). Mines going off are probably one of the loudest noises in the game, and it's so satisfying, to place them as I do anyway, to be fighting against an en masse charge, trying to halt the enemy before they get there (does trying to stop 170 French tanks with German '40 equipment sound desparate enough? Luckily the S-35 gunners forget to take much gunnery), and then when they finally get there, perhaps having wiped out half of your defense in the area, to have them run into something they didn't bargain for!

I have a different aversion, and that is that I cannot see much of a purpose for artillery, and perhaps even air support. If I need artillery, it's coming out of tank barrels.

I do have a question, though, for what little I've used real artillery for, and that is in mortars. I'll get one unit and it fires once, maybe twice, and half of the ammo is gone. What's the good of a 60 round artillery unit, whose rounds only last 2-4 turns at most? This is peculiar, because I don't remember SP3 using mortar indirect fire so weirdly, as it seems the 81mm Gerry one, would take at least 7-8 turns to use it all (continous bombarding).
Charles22
Posts: 875
Joined: Wed May 17, 2000 8:00 am
Location: Dallas, Texas, USA

Post by Charles22 »

The idea of crushing, brings a whole new aspect into the doubtlessly, soon to be demanded, implementation of Russian satchel charge dogs. I mean it would sort of be like the immovable object against the irresistable force. Would the tank crush the dog before the mine went off, or not? Particularly sticky when you consider the dogs were running underneath the tanks. Image
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