KG Erwin
Posts: 8981
Joined: 7/25/2000 From: Cross Lanes WV USA Status: offline
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...towards the addictiveness of this game. Look, I've spent hours just selecting core forces, trying to find the right mix and thinking forward to future upgrades, etc etc etc... Going through a long campaign and getting all out of sorts when one of your elite units gets annihilated (ouch!). You really get (or I do) concerned about the health and training of the men under your command, which is everything a great tactical wargame SHOULD do. In this aspect, apart from the sheer enjoyment and technical aspects, is the intangibility factor. You ARE part of the combat force, and these virtual soldiers (I usually assign my own names to the unit commanders) develop an identity after a number of battles--you know who can depend on to take that bunker complex, and who to keep on the quieter sectors. Close Combat gives you this feeling, too, (on a smaller level) but that's what attracts me to SPWaW--I'm a battalion commander, and I have access to regimental and divisional air/artillery assets (sometimes) , and I'm responsible for the well-being of up to a thousand men, more or less. It's this, for me: after 5 or 6 battles in a campaign, your guys are in a desparate spot, but you are the commander, and your men are relying on you to make the right decisions. These are the moments you play for, and test your ability to triumph over adversity. To have a game evoke these feelings within the player is a testament to the game's greatness and its ability to draw you in to the mindset of a combat commander.
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