I am new to these forums. I just bought the game. Its been a l;ong time since I played (like 10 years) and I plan on plowing through the rules over the next couple days.
I was wondering if anyone could tell me if this plays that much differently from the original board game? Also, seeing as this is a PC game, is there a way to conduct games over the internet? If not, has anyone devised systems to hold games with people from across the planet?
I remember loving this game and the intricacy and strategy involved and would love to get some games in. Any help you can offer to a new guy here, returning to the game after over a decade is much appreciated!
Posts: 171
Joined: 6/9/2003 From: Omaha, NE Status: offline
For starters you asked if the game was like the original game. It is much more like Empires in Harm. The AI is weak, but is a good way to get a feel for the Interface. PBEM is really what this has been designed for thus far. PBEM is very slow and with all the bugs can stall without notice. I still play because I look to the future of the game and its potential is great. I am dissappointed their is no TCP/IP play supported as of yet but will wait once again on it. To be frank you bought an expensive Beta version of the game as we are all seemingly finding the bugs for Marshall and suffering through the effects. Get to know it for the future when the games AI is improved and they add TCP/IP play and offer that as a choice over Archaic PBEM. Good concept not yet fully achieved.
I was in your shoes 3 years ago -- I played EiA in High School (in the 1980's), but hadn't touched it since. As an adult, it is interesting that this is the only wargame from my youth that I even considered playing again.
3 years ago I joined the Yahoo group empiresinarms (you can join here: [email=empiresinarms-subscribe@yahoogroups.com]empiresinarms-subscribe@yahoogroups.com[/email] -- that is, if Matrix doesn't expunge the link after I post it!) and have participated in a number of PBEM games with guys across the globe (and one girl, so as not to be sexist). For these games you use a Cyberboard version of the game (you can Google that) which, frankly, this Matrix game is intended to replace, I suspect. PBEM games are fairly slow compared to face-to-face games (a move a week is quite fast), but I still enjoy them. I have not tried this Matrix version with PBEM yet, but intend to try it soon.
The AI is a good way for you to refamiliarize yourself with the mechanics of the game, but is ultimately not very satisfying for sustained play . . . yet. I have hopes.
Hope this helps. Hope to see you at the Yahoo group soon.
Posts: 676
Joined: 12/15/2007 From: Norwich, England Status: offline
Hi Ray,
I would *definitely* spend a while playing against the AI to familiarise yourself with the system before joining a PBEM. This is for three reasons, firstly because a few mechanistic changes are necessary for computer play, secondly because there are a number of 'new' rules courtesy of Empires in Harm and finally because I suspect virtually every group has their own rules interpretations and house rules so that the computer game probably plays a little different to how you are familiar with playing it anyway.
Notable rules changes (off the top of my head).
Additions Privateers (optional). Heavy, Light and Transport naval fleets. Additional minor countries. Winter movement (optional). Minor country diplomacy.
Changes Many modifications to Corps sizes. Combined movement works differently. Several new political combinations not implemented. Several optional rules not implemented.
If you join a PBEM game, be sure to read the readme.rtf file in the empires in arms directory which has information that is *not* in the manual. PBEM games can be a bit fiddly but are OK when everyone knows what they are doing. The biggest frustrations I have had in PBEM is when there is *one* player who clearly hasn't bothered to read the instructions properly and keeps messing things up.
And don't believe the doom sayers who say the game isn't fit for purpose. Yes there *were* problems and there still are a few, but they're now mostly down to the status of niggles. I'm playing in no fewer than four PBEM games and I'm having a blast.
Well, since we're answering newbie questions anyway, I thought I'd add my own.
I never actually played EiA, though I definitely was intrested back in the days, but I could never find enough people intrested in the monster type games while in high school. And in college, when I probably could have managed, I kinda drifted away from strategy games and into roleplay, so in the end it never happened.
Having heard of the release of a computer adaptation I decided to come check it out, and I'm definitely intrested in finally leaving my first footprints behind on the battlefields of Europe. Before I go ahead and order the game though, I'd like to know at how much time commitment we're talking about to play the PBEM games, as I'm not sure I can devote the time needed to it. (And it wouldn't do to leave 6 other players hanging in mid-game, would it? )
Posts: 676
Joined: 12/15/2007 From: Norwich, England Status: offline
quote:
ORIGINAL: Amhazair Having heard of the release of a computer adaptation I decided to come check it out, and I'm definitely intrested in finally leaving my first footprints behind on the battlefields of Europe. Before I go ahead and order the game though, I'd like to know at how much time commitment we're talking about to play the PBEM games, as I'm not sure I can devote the time needed to it. (And it wouldn't do to leave 6 other players hanging in mid-game, would it? )
Well total time required is quite low, but it really helps if you're the sort of person who is online a lot. Most games operate with a 24 hour turn around so you would be expected to play your phase within that time.
So although it doesn't take much time, it can be hard to say *when* that time will be, you need to keep your eyes open.
Also the total time over which the game will run could be several years (not kidding !) The fastest game I'm playing in has been going about five months now and has reached June 1806.
There are three areas of time you will need to consider;
a) Turn-time (the amount of time you need to do your actual turn) IMHO, this is the shortest area of time spent, and gets better with experience. (Of course, some countires require more then others..eg France and GB (more), Spain and Turkey (less).
YOu will be "wasting" time waiting for others to finish their turns before your turn arrives...
b) Diplomacy(the amount of time you spend dealing with the other players) IMHO, this is a critical point of EIANW PBEM and depends on you and your other players...all done by e-mail so, depends on many factors- generally, I spend about 1/2 hours a day dealing with Diplomacy e-mails...
c) Game play time (the time to play the complete game from start to finish) IMHO, this is a LONG time and can span months or years of real time
Posts: 676
Joined: 12/15/2007 From: Norwich, England Status: offline
Area b) will vary heavily depending on the country you are playing and the state of the game. Early there will be much diplomacy, this will drop off as peoples' diplomatic positions become established.
Nations such as Great Britain and Austria may be quite busy diplomatically, France and Turkey probably much less so (no friends !), it will of course vary from game to game.
Personally I doubt that AresMars estimate of half an hour per day of diplomacy would be sustained throughout an entire game, in fact I'd be very surprised if it came close to that.
I'd like to know at how much time commitment we're talking about to play the PBEM games, as I'm not sure I can devote the time needed to it. (And it wouldn't do to leave 6 other players hanging in mid-game, would it? )
All right, thanks to all for the replies. More or less what I expected, except that I was looking at a time frame of many many months, but not quite a couple of years. I'll be lurking around here for a while checking out how things go with the game - I'm in a very busy period atm, new job, about to move houses, stuff like that, so not the right time to decide about such a time commitment anyway. But maybe I'll see all of you in a game somewhere within a number of months.
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