quote:

ORIGINAL: Odox

Esteemed friends:

I've just spent the last little while perusing the info available on this new American Civil War game, AACW.

To be honest, I feel sad. No, in fact I feel downright gloomy. I struggle to control myself, but I can feel the power of my outburst ready to explode out of me despite me literally trying to clamp my jaws together with BOTH HANDS:

WHEN IN THE WORLD WILL GAME DESIGNERS STOP MAKING GAMES DESIGNED FOR ADULTS LOOK LIKE CARTOONS???

*ahem*

(Pardon me while I straighten my tie and regain my composure.)

I'm sure AACW is a fine game, and I'm equally sure I'll be buying it sometime in the not-too-distant future.

But it's the same thing for me with AACW as it is for FoF, and for that matter Civ IV and countless other games. These creations may contain subtleties of gameplay as yet unheard-of in the world of wargaming. They may incorporate the very cream of research of LEGIONS of doctorates in history of the various time-periods they endeavor to recreate. But gentlemen, I beg you, let go your seeming obsession with childish little figurines and storybook houses, with garish primary-colored terrain and cartoonish displays! I literally become ill from hours of staring at second-grade renditions of human forms and broad formless swashes of screaming landscape colors. I feel as though I have been living in some Looney Toons nightmare; Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Wile E Coyote et al.

You have created masterpieces of simulations and raised them to a level of an art form! Why then, do they still retain so much crudity in their art?

(I remember loading Civ into my computer for the first time. I didn't know whether to retch or laugh hysterically. "Oh, look," I said to myself, "aren't those little forts and barbarians so CUTE? I think I'll send this off to my grandson. He's eight. He may enjoy it for awhile before he hits PUBERTY.")

Forgive me friends, gentlemen, fellow enthusiasts. But there's only so much an adult can take. Hat in hand, I bow most humbly and beseech you all: PLEASE, RAISE THE BAR.

With abiding admiration,

Odox

quote:

ORIGINAL: Roger Neilson II

I have to agree with you, its the usual 'dumbing down'. I can think of very few games where the artwork is reasonably real as opposed to 3d animated smiley stuff.....

On the DB FOF has it about right I think and you can always switch to NATO symbology. However the displays are still too cartoonish for me. I 'suspect' these could be modded though.

Roger

quote:

ORIGINAL: Queeg

Returning to the topic, I own and enjoy both FOF and AACW. Both are very thoughtful and nicely done. But they are different games. I hesitate to do a Pros and Cons because those sorts of comparisons always seem to rile someone.

Suffice it to say that this has been a VERY good year for ACW games.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Gray_Lensman

My preference though leans towards FoF, due to my taste for the detailed battles, but AGEod's game which I just bought, looks intriguing enough also. AGEod's map is a lot busier, so I just posted on AGEod's site forum to ask if there was a way to "unclutter it", just for strategic planning purposes. I may mess with (AGEod's AACW) occasionally just for variety, but the detailed battles of FoF are just too fun for me to leave for long.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Queeg
So my new rule: When in Rome, I'll discuss what I like about Rome. When in Athens....)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Queeg
In the case of AACW, my guess is they did it because the vast majority of people like it. That's usually the way it works.