wings7
Posts: 4591
Joined: 8/11/2003 From: Phoenix, Arizona Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: gwgardner quote:
ORIGINAL: MrsWargamer Seeking opinions What are the comparisons with War in the East and War in the West with Ron's WWII E. Don't bother mentioning the AI, not relevant to me. Haha, first I'll mention the AI, just so you'll know. In a defensive role it's adequate on land. Naval AI is variable based upon which scenario being played, but only sometimes adequate. I've not played against the offensive AI much at all, so can't really speak to that but have heard that it's not good at exploiting breakthroughs. I can't vouch for that. At this point in the game's development some of the promised scenarios are not yet implemented, but Ron cranks out a few with each update. The monster Western front and the comprehensive war in Europe scenarios are not yet implemented. Barbarossa is implemented. The UI does take some getting used to but it grows on you to some extent, I think. The only problem I currently have with the UI is in naval movement, if there are large numbers of ships for a given scenario. It's much more of a wargamer's board-game feel than a computer game like Grigsby's. Supply is much simplified compared to Grigsby's games, as are the amphibious and paradrop mechanisms. WWIIE does offer some really nice combat preview and combat results features. The supply and command and control features are really quite intuitive and well-done, while being simplified, and both have a major impact of course on combat and movement. Air combat is completely different than in Grigsby's game, in that the player is in control of individual squadrons on a turn by turn basis, giving roles and directing movement individually, rather than the more abstract mission system of Grigsby's games. I playtested Grigsby's War in the West, and can say clearly that Schwerpunckt's air game is MUCH more like what you would be used to if you have been brought up on board war games. You'll be in direct control of all possible offensive and defensive roles for your aircraft. And transport. The map is beautiful and detailed, much more pleasing that Grigsby's in my opinion, though I have no complaints about Grigsby's. Playing a scenario can be as few as 5-6 turns or 20-30 based upon the scope of the scenario, and of course there are many more scenarios to choose from. Playing WWIIE is like having a history lesson. OOBs and setup are thoroughly researched and implemented, and easy to view the command structure both on map and in chart form. I've been playing Dockal's games for five or six years, and have playtested WWIIE, and really love them. Ron Dockal has been quite attentive to player suggestions and bug reports also. Gary, thank you for your detailed insight...much appreciated! Patrick
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