Roghain
Posts: 30
Joined: 7/15/2006 From: Ede, Netherlands Status: offline
|
And so , I reckon I can no longer postpone this. I own the game for months. I read up on stuff, I watched hours of videos, then watched them again, I did RTFM. I played through the smaller scenario's and feel that I at the very least understand the GUI, I understand a few things in regards to why TFs act the way they do. Well, most of the time. Yeah, it is time to get my B-hind handed to me. So, I will stop procrastinating and start a Grand Campaign. But first, a little background. I started way back in this hobby through board games - so, as a prelude to WitP:AE I 'graduated' from Flat Top, Pacific War and moved to computer wargames when, well, computers got manageable in both size and price. Enter Atari 800XL, then 2086 IBM with that god-awful colour. I actually witnessed the invention of the mouse. I'm talking the old Microprose games - Crusade in Europe, Conflict in Vietnam. It goes on, but somehow two particular theatres kept me intrigued: North Africa and the Pacific. So, I bought this. Fired it up. Clicked on a few buttons, shrugged, went back to TOAW3. No tutorial, not the most easily read manual (more like a reference guide really). I just could not be bothered. Frankly, I was overwhelmed - and I played World in Fames a few times... Where does one start? Here, on these forums, as it turned out. So, I got more intrigued, learned more, understood a few things and finally picked up the smaller scenarios. Which, in the end, led me to believe I am as ready as I can be. Writing this, I realise that this game is about as intimidating as they come. This Battlecruiser 3000AD without the bazillion bugs. This is Magic Realm without a decently written 'get into it' manual. Grigsby on steroids (bless his attention to detail) isn't for the faint of heart. So, what I basically an about to do, is write a kinda sorta log of experiencing the GC from a beginner's point of view. I am going to list what things I found exceedingly helpful in overcoming my fear, which articles, videos and threads are a 'must read' in my opinion to get any new player like myself get through the learning curve. Scratch that - get started on the learning curve. make it less of a learning abyss. After that, I will collect my difficulties in playing, questions that arise. I hope that, when I manage to finish this, it will be of some use to anyone who bought this, looked at it and went back to something less daunting - because I can say, once you get into this, it will be an experience like no other wargame you have played. And yes, that includes Campaign for North Africa, pasta-cooking logistics and all :) A few acknowledgements. I would not ever have played the GC - not even a scenario most likely - if not for the people here on these forums, who posted a vast arsenal of knowledge, tirelessly help new players, answer questions and make life easier for those of us like myself who don't have the perseverance to figure stuff out all by oneself. A few do need to be mentioned because their efforts have been more than just helpful. I'll be referencing to these individuals by their forum handles so you can look them up. Kull, for the excellent spreadsheets that help in figuring out what to do. It helps in not getting lost or overwhelmed. A most impressive source of information, help and an invaluable learning tool. http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3253803&mpage=1&key= n01487477 for the guide to Japanese economics. That is a whole issue by itself, and it help to have it explained in a tad more comprehensive (27 pages... yeah) manner than the manual does. Even as a Allied player, it helps to understand the options, how the engine works and how your opponent needs to do stuff. http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=2933397 Sardaukar for his 'Tutorial AAR'. That was the trigger for me to 'get on with it'. It helped as it took me by the hand, step by step, on how to get started - and once you are there, it gets a little easier every turn. Really. Gradenko_2000 for a well written tutorial that explained tha basic of the game in a concise manner linked to a scenario that I could then go on and actually play - and win. So, for me, getting started turned out to be sitting in the garden with a cigar, a notepad and a decent drink. For more than a few hours, too. I'll point out the rough order of things I read and did to come to the point that I felt secure enough to start up the GC. First, I went to look up a few 'Lets Play' video's online. There are a three sources I found quite helpful: https://sites.google.com/site/n01487477/ No doubt you have seen these referenced a few times on the forums. They help. On Youtube, two gentlebeings have done series of tutorial videos. I watched them both in no particular order. There is a series by TeianDown - https://www.youtube.com/user/TeianDown/videos?sort=dd&live_view=500&flow=list&view=0 , both a play through of an actual game turn and also a few basic videos on aspects of the game. Then there is a smaller series by GRaider https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i68Z10vw58&list=PLXeRSW0IdSTd2NygEkAzn64mJRd3fX5gD , a series that is based on Gradenko_2000's tutorial (qv). I then went to read the manual, noting questions that arose and looking these up on the forums. After that, I used both Sardaukar's Tutorial AAR and Gradenko's tutorial to play along, step by step, again noting questions as to why they did things: http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3249215&mpage=1&key=� http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=2564541 After that, I sat down to decide what I actually wanted, for my future gaming entertainment. See, from what I understand, it's apparently a very different beast depending on whether you play the Allied of Japanese side. Also, did I intent to play vs the AI or would I one day try and take on a real opponent? Now, I understand that playing the GC against the AI is already a time consuming affair. At one day per turn and four-and-a-half years of simulation that amounts to a staggering 1500 turns plus. Imagine being fully versed in everything and managing on average 90 minutes a turn (which I seriously doubt I can achieve) you will need to invest some 2250 hours. That would be - when having no life other than the GC and putting in 12 hours a day, you still would be 'at it' for a full six months. So, I thought, playing against a human opponent isn't going to work. Two people will need more than two years I reckon, having diverting lives and schedules. My experience with internet gaming not too good, I at first thought that would never happen. Then I thought - wait one. Look at the amount of time and dedication displayed on these forums. If ever, this will be the place to find somebody as serious, as dedicated to finishing it. So, that means my aim, eventually, is to play a full GC against a human opponent. That means I can not 'farm' the AI. I need to learn to stay away from gamey solutions - try and play as 'honest' as possible against the AI to better prepare myself. Try not to learn bad habits that the AI will not punish, but a human most certainly will. Okay, first decision made. I aim to play against a human. Which side? being Dutch, I was partial to playing the allies, as the Dutch are actually in the game, something that isn't happening too often. We are not even in our 'own' battles - Arnhem & Nijmegen. But I decided against this - the forums seem to be leaning towards a majority of Allied players. That, and I do have an interest in Japan as a nation, the culture, history and people. Third reason is, the Allies actually did win the war in the Pacific, so the challenge to me seems to be to play the losing side and see if I can do better. I also prefer to play Napoleon at Waterloo, or the CSA. So, playing as Japan with the goal of playing eventually against a human player. Set. Not too interested on seeing the puter run through the December 7th turn, I figured to start with the GC on December 8th - the historical situation 'the day after'. EDIT: There is a big difference between starting the GC on December 8th by means of the like named scenario OR sitting through the first historical turn in the December 7th scenario. That was fully unexpected (and curious as to why, really), so I restarted to better be able to play along with the start sheet by Kull. With that decided, I went on preparing. I printed out the Excel sheet Kull made, the idea being I wanted to be able to reference it while playing, not alt-tabbing back and forth. Turned out to be 80 pages of A3 paper on a 9 point font - and that's only the 'unit orders list'. Clean desk - check. Sunday household chores finished - check. Better half out of the way - check. Stack of Kull-reference papers - check. Notepad to jot down questions and reminders - check. Markers in various colours - check. Extra strength caffeine laced coffee - check. Cat aide-de-camp - check. Let's get this show on the... uhm... waves. PS - any and all comments are welcome. Really.
Attachment (1)
< Message edited by Roghain -- 5/17/2015 1:01:29 PM >
_____________________________
"If tolerance is taken to the point where it tolerates the destruction of those same principles that made tolerance possible in the first place, it becomes intolerable." - Gaetano Mosca -
|