Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: TheGreatRadish

Not happening, I asked several times whether it was included or not, but was repeatedly ignored yet the devs were happy to answer other questions. Odd decision, but it's their game I guess. I would like to hear the rationale for why they didn't at least allow this as an option with a brand new engine but they don't want to respond and no one else seems to care.

PBEM with >2 players is the one thing more than anything that SC has been crying out for - it already had great mechanics, impressive content, wonderful immersion, easy-to-learn-hard-to-master status and superb ongoing support from Hubert and Bill so I'm really struggling to see why I, and my wargaming friends (the ancien regime :D), would purchase this. I introduced them to SC2:WaW and we've played it and all the successors and had so much fun since, but we're getting older and geographically more spread out - we've all just crossed the 30 threshold so nature has dictated that we can no longer all huddle round one machine for 12 hours at a time and direct our individual nations. We had hoped, and fully expected, SC3 would give us a chance to continue the fun as a game that could cope with five individual players via PBEM but it seems we can't. Even a compromise of separating the WA from the USSR would have allowed some of the variation and multiple input this series so badly needed.

We're just going to have to make do with playing AoD twice a year or so when we can all get together. We tried other games that allow you to do what we like but they don't match SC for playability (hell, even Hasbro's failed A&A port to PC in 1998 allowed AI control of individual nations so I refuse to accept it cant be done). Nothing lasts forever, I suppose. On an individual level, I might have picked up SC3 but I'm mighty peeved that my questions about this particular subject weren't even acknowledged, never mind answered, in the same thread(s) where devs made direct responses to other posters.

All the best Hubert and Bill, I hope SC3 works out as you hoped, but equally I hope that you revisit your decision to make a simple two player split. I cannot justify, and after speaking to them, neither can four others I play this game with, purchasing SC3 when it simply does not offer such basic fundamentals as increased player numbers and flexibility.