RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (Full Version)

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Shannon V. OKeets -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (1/11/2008 4:06:52 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: brian brian

lookin' good - a couple notes:

there is also the -1 for anti-tank assets

you might want to note which modifiers come into play by selecting an optional rule? (co-operation, at guns, territorials)

a general note on language for MWiF - WiF frequently uses imperative verbs and the table above supplies one example - "Destroy units that can't retreat." In the paper game, this language works good because you have to physically move the counter to the force pool. On the computer, it somewhat implies the player has to do something with the mouse, when actually they won't, so "Units that can't retreat are destroyed" might be more clear.

I had the tense problem throughout RAC and decided I would not try to make all those corrections. Instead, I see RAC as RAW with changes necessitated by the computer. Precision of tenses I let slide.

I did go through and remove all references to face-up, face-down, flip, turn over, etc.. I also introduced a couple of new items: "interception unit" and "naval combat initiation unit" for example. In RAW these are referred to as 'face-down' units, which doesn't work in RAC. Likewise a Milchcow sub becomes an "at-sea-base" when serving that purpose, rather than simply a "face-down Milchcow sub". I thought about using "floating port" as mentioned in RAW, but that term is also used fro US naval supply units when they augment minor ports by becoming "Floating Ports".

[image]local://upfiles/16701/7CB9067FEC9048629E09B4D6E8B1A1A0.jpg[/image]



Froonp -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (1/11/2008 8:58:34 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: brian brian
I never knew ENG factors could be doubled by terrain. put the Royal Engineers in Calcutta and it will perhaps never be taken. if the Italian TRS slip past the Rock in Sep '39, perhaps a good French build would be their Engineer to deploy in Toulouse. and maybe I should protect Leningrad with Engineers in the summer, switched out with a night air-lifted SKI div in the winter. and China's last-ditch defense should be the ENG for Kunming.

If you write that defensive ENG can be doubled by Terrain on the table, maybe you can also write that offensive ENG can be doubled by Offensive Chits.



Shannon V. OKeets -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (1/11/2008 10:39:15 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Froonp

quote:

ORIGINAL: brian brian
I never knew ENG factors could be doubled by terrain. put the Royal Engineers in Calcutta and it will perhaps never be taken. if the Italian TRS slip past the Rock in Sep '39, perhaps a good French build would be their Engineer to deploy in Toulouse. and maybe I should protect Leningrad with Engineers in the summer, switched out with a night air-lifted SKI div in the winter. and China's last-ditch defense should be the ENG for Kunming.

If you write that defensive ENG can be doubled by Terrain on the table, maybe you can also write that offensive ENG can be doubled by Offensive Chits.

Someone said they would like to see all the possilbe modifiers on the table. Are there others missing?



Shannon V. OKeets -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (1/24/2008 6:19:40 PM)

We are doing more work on the production details of the Player's Manual. let me show you some of where we are, and at the end I'll present a few questions where I would like to know your opinion.
==========
Here is the first page of the Table of Contents. Examine section 3.4 in particular.
CONTENTS

Foreword
Preface
Audience
How to Use this Manual
Conventions Used in this Manual
Organization of this Manual
Acknowledgments
List of Figures

1.0 Matrix Games World in Flames
1.1 Minimum System Requirements
1.2 Installation Procedures
1.3 Uninstalling the Game
1.4 Product Updates
1.5 Game Forums
1.6 Technical Support
2.0 Introduction to Matrix Games World in Flames (MWIF)
2.1 Background on World in Flames Games
2.2 Differences between Matrix Games World in Flames and the Board Game World in Flames
2.2.1 Rules as Coded (RAC)
2.2.2 World in Flames Add-ons from Australian Design Group
2.2.3 Optional Rules
2.3 Opening Screen
2.3.1 How To Play
2.3.2 Starting a New Game
2.3.3 Restoring a Saved Game
3.0 How To Play
3.1 Tutorials Overview
3.2 Picture Plus Text Tutorials
3.2.1 Starting a Game
3.2.2 Countries
3.2.3 Map
3.2.4 Land Units
3.2.5 Naval Units
3.2.6 Air Units
3.2.7 Weather
3.2.8 Zones of Control, Hex Control, and Stacking Limits
3.2.9 Supply
3.2.10 Sequence of Play
3.3 Interactive Tutorials
3.3.1 Introduction to Interactive Tutorials
3.3.2 Land Unit Movement (Eligibility and Supply)
3.3.3 Land Combat
3.3.4 Naval Unit Movement (Eligibility and Supply)
3.3.5 Naval Combat
3.3.6 Air Unit Movement (Eligibility and Supply)
3.3.7 Air Combat
3.3.8 Production
3.3.9 Politics
3.4 Important Decisions
3.4.1 Setting Up Units
3.4.2 Action Choice
3.4.3 Committing Air Units
3.4.4 Deploying Naval Units
3.4.5 Using HQs and Armor
3.4.6 Air Combat
3.4.7 Naval Combat
3.4.8 Land Combat
3.4.9 Reorganization
3.4.10 Production
==============
Here is another segment of the TOC. I expect to show about 50 screen shots here - not every form will get a screen shot. Examine section 7.7.3 in particular.

7.0 Player Interface
7.1 Introduction to the Player Interface
7.2 Main Screen
7.3 Menus
7.3.1 File Menu
7.3.2 Command Menu
7.3.3 Info Menu
7.3.4 View Menu
7.3.5 Player Interface Menu
7.3.6 Windows Menu
7.3.7 Help Menu
7.3.8 Unit Menu
7.3.9 Other Menus
7.4 Detailed Map
7.4.1 Zoom
7.4.2 Scrolling
7.4.3 Map Views
7.4.4 Display Controls
7.4.5 Flyouts
7.5 Global Map
7.5.1 Terrain View
7.5.2 Weather View
7.5.3 Control View
7.5.4 Unit View
7.5.5 Marker View
7.5.6 Convoy View
7.5.7 Global Map Legend
7.5.8 Linkage to Detailed Map
7.6 Screen Layouts
7.7 Forms
7.7.1 Informational Forms
7.7.1.1 Action Limits
7.7.1.2 Captured Facilities
7.7.1.3 Carrier Classes
7.7.1.4 Convoy Information
7.7.1.5 Die Rolls
7.7.1.6 Distance Calculations
.
.
.
7.7.1.29 Unit View Filter
7.7.1.30 Weather Chances
7.7.2 Sequence of Play Forms
7.7.2.1 Action Choice
7.7.2.2 Add Minor Units
7.7.2.3 Air Attack
.
.
.
7.7.2.58 Weather Report
7.7.2.59 US Entry
7.7.3 Internet Play Forms
7.7.1 Chat
7.7.1 Bid for Major Powers
7.7.2 New Message
7.7.3 Password
7.7.4 Recipient List
7.7.5 Test Communication Links
================
Here is the third and final piece of the TOC. RAC will not be included here in its entirety, but instead a general description of the document will be provided and the reader told to look at the actual PDF of RAC for specifics.

9.0 Rules as Coded (RAC)

10.0 Appendices
10.1 Sequence of Play Reference
10.2 Standing Orders
10.3 Data Files
10.3.1 Map Data Files
10.3.2 Unit Data Files
10.4 Bitmap Files
10.5 MWIF.INI
10.6 Scenario/Player Created Files
10.6.1 Screen Layouts (SLY)
10.6.2 Map Views (MVW)
10.6.3 Optional Rule Sets (OPR)
10.6.4 Scrap Lists (SCP)
10.6.5 Saved Setups (SET)
10.6.6 Saved Games (GAM)
10.7 Other Files Included with MWIF
10.8 Combat Tables
10.9 Other Tables
=============
My questions:

1 - How does section 3.4 look for completeness and organization? I do not want this to be a long-winded discussion on how to play WIF but I would like to give new players some help in understanding what is important. WIF is very complex and could be quite disorienting when you face it cold the first time.

2 - Does section 7.3.3 cover the things that you would like to know how to do/how they work for internet play? Is there something that has come up when you were playing other games that should be described here?

3 - Are the appendices complete? Sections 10.8 and 10.9 are somewhat vague at the moment (I am waving my hands in the air rather having something specific to say). What is your opinion as to what should be included?

4 - Matrix Games has a standard manual size for its games that fits in a DVD case. It is 7 inches by 5 inches and has a maximum size of 200 pages. Going to a larger page size (e.g. 8.5 inches by 11 inches) has a lot of ramifications. If you were buying a boxed version of the game (instead of a downloaded copy), what is your opinion? It is possible that a larger page size might drive the cost up (but that's just me making a guess).

5 - Other comments?

Thanks for reading this far.[:D]



Shannon V. OKeets -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (1/24/2008 6:27:13 PM)

Here is my first draft on the opening salvo of text in the Player's Manual. A couple of pieces are still empty at the moment.

==============
Foreword

Player’s manuals are notoriously difficult to write. That’s because there’s a lot of information to present to an audience with diverse backgrounds. Adding to the problem is that players use the manual for different purposes as they gain familiarity with the game. At first they just want to install the program and get it up and running. Then they want to learn the game, according to their own preferred method, which may involve reading the manual in detail, focusing on just a few sections, or referring to it rarely as they explore the game by using tutorials or simply jumping into game play. And after mastering the basic game, players will return to the manual for a better understanding of specific areas of the game, including controlling how the game plays: from changing player interface settings, through modifying data files that define the simulated world.

Supporting these different uses puts heavy requirements on the manual. In writing this manual for Matrix Games’ World in Flames I have attempted to satisfy these needs, though I seriously doubt that I have succeeded in all particulars.

Yet another problem with software manuals in general, is that while the program can be easily updated with patches and new versions, the printed manual the player received when he first purchased the software does not change. Attempts to remedy this by printing errata and addenda alleviate the mismatch to some degree, but in the end are unsatisfactory solutions. While electronic versions of the manual are nice, and can be kept up-to-date easily, many players want to hold a hard copy in their hands, to examine at their leisure, without having to sit in front of a computer. I know of no solution to this aggravation, and apologize in advance for the inevitable mismatch between the content of the printed manual and later versions of the program.

Dozens of people, listed in the acknowledgments, have contributed to the creation of this manual. However, the final decisions were mine, so when you are reduced to muttering under your breath about the deficiencies of this manual and its author, it is my name you should use.

Steven Hokanson

Preface

Audience

This manual is written for the players. Some will know little or nothing about World in Flames (WIF), some will have played the board game version years ago, and some will be World in Flames afficionados: keeping up with each new add-on, playing games over the board weekly with a group of close friends, and even going to WIF tournaments. Quite probably some players will have had an opportunity to play the earlier computerized version of World in Flames sold by Australian Design Group.

I have structured and written this Matrix Games’ World in Flames (MWIF) Player’s Manual with the above audience in mind. In addition, I expect the reader to open the manual at different times in his ownership of the game: when it is a brand new purchase, after he has played through a scenario or two, and later when he is an old hand at MWIF and is hunting for an answer to a specific question.

How to Use this Manual
At first, you should scan the table of contents (TOC), to get the lay of the land. When you have a specific task you want to accomplish, like how to install the program, the TOC is the best place to start. To familiarize yourself with World in Flames, read section 2.1, which gives a background on the game. Or if you are an experienced WIF player, read section 2.2, which enumerates the differences between the board game and MWIF. Then everyone should read about the Opening screen in section 2.3.

As you go through the tutorials, you might want to come back to the manual to examine the descriptions of the player interface components. That is especially true of the numerous forms that provide information about your units, and aspects of the simulated world in which they are engaged in combat. While seeing the forms for decision making in the interactive tutorials will help you learn, it is equally useful to read about them in the manual, when there is no pressure on making an immediate decision. The manual and the tutorials are intended to be used together, with each providing an opportunity for exploring and learning about MWIF.

Finally, there are detailed explanations of the optional rules, with appendices on the sequence of play, standing orders (for PBEM), data files, and WIF charts and tables. For finding answers to questions, the index and glossary should be of assistance.

Conventions Used in this Manual


Organization of this Manual
Bracketed by the Table of Contents and the Appendices, this manual contains 9 primary sections. Section 1 is for getting the game installed on your computer and associated ancillary issues. Section 2 provides an introduction to Matrix Games’ World in Flames and a quick overview of the Opening screen. Sections 3, 4, and 5 expand on the 3 major elements of the Opening screen: How to Play, Starting a New Game, and Restoring a Saved Game.

You might notice that this manual has some redundancy, where a topic is given a quick overview (e.g., section 2.3.1, How To Play) followed by a longer section that goes into the topic is greater detail (e.g., Section 4, How To Play). Besides the 3 sections listed immediately above, that is also true for Section 6, Modes of Play which expands on section 4.1. Likewise, Rules as Coded (RAC) appear in overview in section 2.2.1 and in more detail in Section 9, while the complete RAC document is a separate PDF file. Lastly, the optional rules are introduced in section 2.2.3 and explained in careful detail in Section 8.

While this redundancy runs the risk of being possibly confusing, it is intentional. The hope is that players will be able to get a grasp on a topic quickly by reading the shorter introduction sections and yet have the detailed discussions accessible when they want a more complete understanding.

Section 7 covers the Player Interface in depth, which involves separate subsections for 90+ forms. Perhaps this is overkill. Yet, as a serious war game player myself, I am often annoyed by thin documentation manuals, that treat most of a program’s numerous screens and forms as self-explanatory. Besides, I believe presenting the author’s perspective on all the forms can add to a player’s appreciation of their purpose and utility.

Acknowledgments



composer99 -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (1/25/2008 5:14:10 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

We are doing more work on the production details of the Player's Manual. let me show you some of where we are, and at the end I'll present a few questions where I would like to know your opinion.
==========
Here is the first page of the Table of Contents. Examine section 3.4 in particular.

3.4 Important Decisions
3.4.1 Setting Up Units
3.4.2 Action Choice
3.4.3 Committing Air Units
3.4.4 Deploying Naval Units
3.4.5 Using HQs and Armor
3.4.6 Air Combat
3.4.7 Naval Combat
3.4.8 Land Combat
3.4.9 Reorganization
3.4.10 Production
==============
Here is another segment of the TOC. I expect to show about 50 screen shots here - not every form will get a screen shot. Examine section 7.7.3 in particular.

7.0 Player Interface
7.7.3 Internet Play Forms
7.7.1 Chat
7.7.1 Bid for Major Powers
7.7.2 New Message
7.7.3 Password
7.7.4 Recipient List
7.7.5 Test Communication Links
================
Here is the third and final piece of the TOC. RAC will not be included here in its entirety, but instead a general description of the document will be provided and the reader told to look at the actual PDF of RAC for specifics.


10.0 Appendices
10.1 Sequence of Play Reference
10.2 Standing Orders
10.3 Data Files
10.3.1 Map Data Files
10.3.2 Unit Data Files
10.4 Bitmap Files
10.5 MWIF.INI
10.6 Scenario/Player Created Files
10.6.1 Screen Layouts (SLY)
10.6.2 Map Views (MVW)
10.6.3 Optional Rule Sets (OPR)
10.6.4 Scrap Lists (SCP)
10.6.5 Saved Setups (SET)
10.6.6 Saved Games (GAM)
10.7 Other Files Included with MWIF
10.8 Combat Tables
10.9 Other Tables
=============
My questions:


And some answers...

quote:


1 - How does section 3.4 look for completeness and organization? I do not want this to be a long-winded discussion on how to play WIF but I would like to give new players some help in understanding what is important. WIF is very complex and could be quite disorienting when you face it cold the first time.


Maybe add a section for politics (e.g. declaring war & aligning minors for the most part, but maybe also border claims for USSR and peace treaties?)

quote:


2 - Does section 7.3.3 cover the things that you would like to know how to do/how they work for internet play? Is there something that has come up when you were playing other games that should be described here?


Seems reasonably thorough, aside from the numbering being off.

quote:


3 - Are the appendices complete? Sections 10.8 and 10.9 are somewhat vague at the moment (I am waving my hands in the air rather having something specific to say). What is your opinion as to what should be included?


For a player's manual, especially if it is to be printed, I would exclude tables & charts, myself. It seems to me that they would take up a fair bit of space for little gain.

quote:


4 - Matrix Games has a standard manual size for its games that fits in a DVD case. It is 7 inches by 5 inches and has a maximum size of 200 pages. Going to a larger page size (e.g. 8.5 inches by 11 inches) has a lot of ramifications. If you were buying a boxed version of the game (instead of a downloaded copy), what is your opinion? It is possible that a larger page size might drive the cost up (but that's just me making a guess).


7x5 would be my preference for a player's manual. A full-size one just seems too big for a computer game manual, especially if I'm getting it delivered.

quote:


5 - Other comments?


None from me. It seems like a pretty thorough document.



composer99 -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (1/25/2008 5:15:20 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

Here is my first draft on the opening salvo of text in the Player's Manual. A couple of pieces are still empty at the moment.



This is looking pretty good so far.



Shannon V. OKeets -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (1/25/2008 6:47:12 PM)

A keen eye Christopher, thanks.

Here is the corrected numbering.

7.7.3 Internet Play Forms
7.7.3.1 Chat
7.7.3.2 Bid for Major Powers
7.7.3.3 New Message
7.7.3.4 Password
7.7.3.5 Recipient List
7.7.3.6 Test Communication Links

EDIT: I also added a section 3.4.11 Policitcal Relationships, in response to your suggestion.



brian brian -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (1/27/2008 3:01:17 AM)

I think you are incredibly well prepared to answer the question - 'so how do I play this game anyway?' But it would be pretty hard for me to look at it from the perspective of someone who has never played the game before, since I've been playing since before the units had names on them.

I can't remember if there will be a "replay" feature to let the computer 'playback' a turn or impulse, but if there is, that would be an ideal tutorial. Take the first impulse from the Barbarossa scenario and let new players 'watch' it happen. Maybe just use one from any playtest you got... ?



Shannon V. OKeets -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (1/27/2008 3:14:55 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: brian brian

I think you are incredibly well prepared to answer the question - 'so how do I play this game anyway?' But it would be pretty hard for me to look at it from the perspective of someone who has never played the game before, since I've been playing since before the units had names on them.

I can't remember if there will be a "replay" feature to let the computer 'playback' a turn or impulse, but if there is, that would be an ideal tutorial. Take the first impulse from the Barbarossa scenario and let new players 'watch' it happen. Maybe just use one from any playtest you got... ?

Yeah. But I had to move the Replay game feature to MWIF product 2.[:(]



cockney -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (1/27/2008 8:05:57 PM)

now as we all know the Wif Rules are vast and not easy to skim through, just looking at the players handbook is making my headspin. Good work keep it up.
On a side note, with the tutorial will thier be an idiots guide so that new players can move say at least 1 or two units of each type to find out the strengths and limitations of each.



marcuswatney -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (2/5/2008 1:19:25 AM)

I have been looking at Post 96.  Is this really going to be the number-cruncher in MWiF?  Converting odds into DRMs throws up strange anomalies.  Thus, a 6-1 attack into jungle suffers a -4 DRM, which pushes the result down to the equivalent of a 4-1 attack (i.e. 67% of face value).  But if the attack happens to be at 2-1, the -4 DRM converts the battle into a 1-2 (i.e. 25% of face value).

Or looked at from the defender's point of view, faced with a low odds attack, jungle quadruples; faced with a high odds attack it only adds 50%.  While mountain doubles at all odds.

So, on the Indian-Burmese border, if you as the Japanese are expecting to be hit with a high-odds attack defend in the mountains, but if you and the enemy are at rough parity abandon the mountains and defend the jungle.

In the immortal words of Sgt Wilson "Are you sure that's wise, sir?"



marcuswatney -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (2/5/2008 1:30:18 AM)

Also, where can I find the TEC?  I know that tracing supply through desert costs double (never understood why - I think the designer imagined the North African desert is sand-sea, whereas most of it is hard and flat and easy to supply across - just ask Rommel when he turned the Bir Hacheim box!)  So I am assuming that tracing supply through mountains is at least doubled, mountains being far more difficult terrain than non-sand-sea desert.



Shannon V. OKeets -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (2/5/2008 2:20:31 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: marcuswatney

I have been looking at Post 96.  Is this really going to be the number-cruncher in MWiF?  Converting odds into DRMs throws up strange anomalies.  Thus, a 6-1 attack into jungle suffers a -4 DRM, which pushes the result down to the equivalent of a 4-1 attack (i.e. 67% of face value).  But if the attack happens to be at 2-1, the -4 DRM converts the battle into a 1-2 (i.e. 25% of face value).

Or looked at from the defender's point of view, faced with a low odds attack, jungle quadruples; faced with a high odds attack it only adds 50%.  While mountain doubles at all odds.

So, on the Indian-Burmese border, if you as the Japanese are expecting to be hit with a high-odds attack defend in the mountains, but if you and the enemy are at rough parity abandon the mountains and defend the jungle.

In the immortal words of Sgt Wilson "Are you sure that's wise, sir?"

Your arguments here are with Australian Design Group and WIF, not with MWIF. My task is to render WIF onto the computer, not redesign it.



Mziln -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (2/5/2008 5:27:37 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: marcuswatney

I have been looking at Post 96.  Is this really going to be the number-cruncher in MWiF?  Converting odds into DRMs throws up strange anomalies.  Thus, a 6-1 attack into jungle suffers a -4 DRM, which pushes the result down to the equivalent of a 4-1 attack (i.e. 67% of face value).  But if the attack happens to be at 2-1, the -4 DRM converts the battle into a 1-2 (i.e. 25% of face value).

Or looked at from the defender's point of view, faced with a low odds attack, jungle quadruples; faced with a high odds attack it only adds 50%.  While mountain doubles at all odds.

So, on the Indian-Burmese border, if you as the Japanese are expecting to be hit with a high-odds attack defend in the mountains, but if you and the enemy are at rough parity abandon the mountains and defend the jungle.

In the immortal words of Sgt Wilson "Are you sure that's wise, sir?"


Remember OPTION 67: 2 DIE 10 LAND COMBAT RESULTS TABLE is just that an option.

You can always just use the 11.16.5 LAND COMBAT CHART (BLITZKRIEG TABLE and ASSAULT TABLE) instead.


Personally, I prefer the 11.16.5 LAND COMBAT CHART with Option 39: (Blitz bonus).



Froonp -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (2/5/2008 8:40:35 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: marcuswatney

I have been looking at Post 96.  Is this really going to be the number-cruncher in MWiF?  Converting odds into DRMs throws up strange anomalies.  Thus, a 6-1 attack into jungle suffers a -4 DRM, which pushes the result down to the equivalent of a 4-1 attack (i.e. 67% of face value).  But if the attack happens to be at 2-1, the -4 DRM converts the battle into a 1-2 (i.e. 25% of face value).

This is with the 2D10 CRT, but Japanese, white print US MAR and white print Australian units offst this penalty, 1 per unit. so if 4 Japanese units are attacking, there is no more penalty. With the 1d10 CRT, there is 1 odd ratio penalty, offsetted if all attacking units are Japanese.
There is nothing that offset the penalty of attacking someone in the mountains becase the penalty is derectly imbedded in the defensive factors.



Froonp -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (2/5/2008 8:42:50 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: marcuswatney

Also, where can I find the TEC?  I know that tracing supply through desert costs double (never understood why - I think the designer imagined the North African desert is sand-sea, whereas most of it is hard and flat and easy to supply across - just ask Rommel when he turned the Bir Hacheim box!)  So I am assuming that tracing supply through mountains is at least doubled, mountains being far more difficult terrain than non-sand-sea desert.

Desert is the only place that cost double, with desert mountain. All other terrains cost normaly.
Supply distance is 4 hexes from a supply source, 2 hexes if weather is rain storm or blizzard, and 3 hexes if weather is snow. HQ are supply sources, as are controlled or captured capital cities, as well as your home cities.



marcuswatney -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (2/5/2008 2:30:01 PM)

I would still like to see the TEC.  Anyone know where it is?

I suppose the design philosophy here is to use the weather to mess up Pacific supply rather than the terrain, which is fair enough.

Whew!  I was afraid the 2D10 approach to combat resolution was going to be mandatory.  I completely agree with Mziln: traditional CRT with Option 39 every time!

According to the RAW (11.16.1), jungle only causes a single odds shift (none if Japanese).  Is this still the case with MWiF?  The difference between the two forms of combat resolution is most marked when it comes to jungle.

I am pleased to read that rivers still offer doubled defence.  And the fact that mountain units can attack (and so presumably also move) across Alpine hexsides makes them not such a fearsome barrier after all.



composer99 -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (2/5/2008 6:18:13 PM)

It is a small but sometimes important distinction that rivers do not double the defenders but halve the attackers.

The 2d10 is more widely used nowadays, and I would not be going out on a limb to suggest it is now the preferred land combat chart in terms of numbers of players using it. If I am not too far off the mark it is generally considered superior to the 1d10 because of the difference in the way it handles blitz combat, the effect of airpower (especially successful ground strikes) on combat, and the 1/2-disorganized result offers a less "binary" outcome for attacks.

Pacific supply, in WiF:FE, was extremely precarious due to weather and map scale. In MWiF, on the new map scale, it is a good deal more forgiving.

As long as you play the 1d10 land CRT in MWiF, you get -1 odds level with the offset if the attackers are Japanese.

The -4 for the 2d10 is not, in my estimation, such a bad thing: how many modern motorized/mechanized armies actually function well in the jungle? Plus, merely analyzing the penalty from the pure numbers approach ignores the context in which the penalty operates - jungle is found, for the most part, in three areas: South America, Central Africa, and S/SE Asia. The first two almost never see combat in WiF; the third is usually the combat zone of the very units that are able to offset the penalty.



Mziln -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (2/5/2008 7:44:51 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: marcuswatney

I would still like to see the TEC.  Anyone know where it is?



Maybe Steve will post a screenshot.



Shannon V. OKeets -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (2/5/2008 7:59:31 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Mziln


quote:

ORIGINAL: marcuswatney

I would still like to see the TEC.  Anyone know where it is?



Maybe Steve will post a screenshot.

I did. It is post #232 ff in the thread MWIF Tutorial (on page 3 in the thread list).



Froonp -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (2/5/2008 11:21:08 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
I did. It is post #232 ff in the thread MWIF Tutorial (on page 3 in the thread list).

Here :
http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=1040731&mpage=8&key=



Shannon V. OKeets -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (11/30/2008 3:35:22 AM)

Okay, I have decdied to turn my attention back to the Player's Manual. While about half of this has been done, there are still large portions where I have yet to write word #1.

My paranoia about the Player's Manual has always been that I would end up with having to write a couple of hundred of pages at the last minute. The reality is that one of the first things that Matrix needs completed before publishing is the Player's Manual since it requires proof reading and physical printing.

So, my goal is to try and complete a section each month for the next few months, which should cut the remaining task in half.

Here is a section I could use your advice about:

3.4 Important Decisions

3.4.2 Action Choice.

The purpose of this section is to give new players advice about how to decide which action to select for each impulse. There are many ways to cut this: by scenario, by major power, by where you are in the game, by where you are in a turn (i.e., which impulse), and so on.

What advice would you give a new player (let's assume he is a friend, not someone you want to pound into the ground during his first game of WIF).[;)]



Greyshaft -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (11/30/2008 11:10:41 AM)

To get experience with different impulse types:
Start with the Barbarossa scenario and suggest that learners self-impose a 'house rule' that they must have one 'combined' and one 'air' impulse per turn. If they miss having those impulses in one turn then the missed impulse must be the first impulse type of the following turn. This forces them to consider how to get the best value out of impulse types that they might never otherwise use (amphib landing near Leningrad maybe?). 


In General Play:
STRATEGIC: Make sure that you have a definite Naval (eg move new subs to North Atlantic) and definite Land (eg take Cairo) objective for each turn. The objective must be immediately achievable - no good planning on taking Cairo if you haven't yet crossed the Libya/Egypt border and the British have four well-positioned corps in the Cairo neighborhood with oodles of local air and naval support.

TACTICAL: As each impulse passes keep a running mental list of the tasks which absolutely, positively, definitely have to be done by the end of the turn - plug that enemy breakthrough, move those ships from the threatened port, garrison that undefended invasion beach etc. - and concentrate on reducing those exposures. Likewise keep a mental tally of your three or four greatest opportunities - attack that unpatrolled convoy route, break the enemy line here and overrun that stack of flipped enemy air units, strategic bombing on that undefended factory hex - and strike the enemy when and where you can.

Just be aware that although achieving tactical objectives can provide immense personal satisfaction - ahhh! Bet he didn't see that coming! - they will not win you the war since if you do not have any strategic objectives for the turn then you are tacitly giving the initiative to the enemy. Once you have achieved your strategic objectives for the turn then you can give yourself the luxury of completing your remaining tactical objectives.

Each impulse ask yourself what type of action will bring you closer to achieving your strategic goals - "well the loss of two armor corps means that my attack on Cairo has clearly failed so lets see what I can do with the Kreigsmarine for this impulse".

None of this advice is guaranteed to survive first contact with the enemy.



brian brian -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (12/1/2008 9:35:01 PM)

To select an impulse type it is best to have goals like Greyshaft mentioned...but you also need to work on goals by selecting priorities, which is especially true for large naval powers. Generally with a large navy it is good to do a naval impulse first in the turn, as events on land flow from control of the sea in many theaters. However as the game moves along you may be relying on land-based air to control sea zones and air impulses become more important.

The next thing to influence your decision is the weather for that impulse. In turns aside from Jul/Aug, where you pretty much know the weather everywhere and can sequence out your impulses by a good plan, you should consider the weather in the current impulse and what it is likely to be in the next impulse. If the weather roll has some asterisk results tacked on to it, you might need to get certain ops done before the weather gets worse. Conversely, bad weather can be a good time to get naval and air missions (such as a lot of rebases) out of the way.

I won't play with the normal Intelligence Rules where the USA can just pretty much buy permanent large quantities of the points, but we still play with a House Ruled version that only lets a power buy an Intell Operation if it did not buy one the previous turn, in addition to reducing the amount of free ones. With a lot fewer dice and multiples, there can actually be some big swings in the points from side to side; yet no power may spend more than 3 BP a year on them. Anyway, I bring this up because one of the best uses for Intell that I have found is to know the weather in advance. Then you can make two impulse type decisions at the same time and you can really get combined-arms ops very well planned.

I would also make a point that the most overlooked type of impulse is an air impulse, and the key to that is the re-org cost of airplanes. In my opinion, the #1 way to defeat the French is for the Germans to build the Guderian HQ-A on the first turn, and then during the French campaign use the extra re-org capacity to take an air impulse, launch a lot of ground strikes, and then re-organize the Stukas involved. (And don't forget that extra re-org from an ATR)



terje439 -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (12/1/2008 11:27:12 PM)

I would also consider if this is likely to be the last turn this round. If so, it might be a good idea to look closer as to were your attacks should take place.
a)cut a rail line
b)seize a resource
c)close a pocket
d)take out a CONV line
e)reorganise (move) your units for the next round

Things like these are stuff I would spend some time pondering over if there is a 50% chance of this being the last turn.
a) will this make any enemy units OOS?
b) do I need an extra resource? Do the enemy?
c) out of supply units are easier to take out after all
d) do I have the means to take it out? Will it have any effect, or does the enemy trace supply/resources through another path
e) are my units needed somewere else on the line? Is there somewere were I can put my panzers to better use?

Things like these influences atleast my choice of action.



Taxman66 -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (12/2/2008 12:25:25 AM)

f) Can I afford the losses if I roll 1 (2 in 2d10)?



Shannon V. OKeets -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (12/13/2008 6:38:52 PM)

Here is the shortest section of the manual. Comments?
=========
5.0 Restoring a Saved Game

Restoring a saved game is easy to do and can be done either as soon as you start the program or from within a game in progress.

As soon as the program starts, there is a list of the 11 scenarios in the lower left corner of the opening screen. Clicking on one of the radio buttons in that list brings up another panel in the center-bottom of the screen which contains all the saved games for that scenario (which are in the scenario’s Saved Games folder). Clicking on one of those saved games brings up a third panel in the lower right of the screen, which provides specifics about the saved game. For instance, it tells when, where, and who: (1) the date and time that the game was saved, (2) where in the sequence of play the save was made, and who was playing the game. Click on the Restore Game button to initiate restoring the game.

Besides saved games in the Saved Games folders, the Browse button below the list of scenarios gives you access to other saved games that you might want to restore. For instance, there are automatic saves performed at the start of each phase a of game. These are stored in the AutoSave folder within the Saved Games folder (for each scenario). There are 3 places where automatic saved games are placed: the Axis folder, the Allied folder, or directly in the AutoSave folder.

The reason there are 3 separate places is that if a phase is performed once for both sides (e.g., Weather), then it is placed directly into the AutoSave folder. For those phases that are perform by each side (e.g., Select Action) then separate saved games are made after the Axis and Allied sides execute the phase. So, a saved game is automatically created at the start of the Axis Select Action phase and a different saved game is created at the start of the Allied Select Action phase. Hence, the program uses separate folders.

Note that automatic saves have the disadvantage of automatically overwriting the previous saved game for the same phase. That means that you will only have one AutoSave game for a weather phase - the most recent one. This is another reason why the Axis and Allied phases are kept separate. You can rely on the automatic saves to let you recover a game for different phases within the last 2 impulses. However, if you want to go back farther than that, you will have to have made a save of your own, using a unique file name.

When restoring a saved game from within a game in progress, there is a menu item under File in the main menu bar. Clicking on that menu item presents you with the standard file directory for your disk. You need to navigate to the scenario and possibly subfolder where you have saved the game. This is typically how the automatically saved games are accessed. Once you have restored a saved game, the program remembers the location in the directory structure so you do not have to navigate a second time - assuming you are going back to the same place.

There are no restrictions on switching scenarios, mode of play, optional rules, or players when you load a saved game. The program ‘forgets’ everything about the previous saved game. If you want to, you can switch from playing a PBEM Barbarossa game to a Solitaire Global War game directly, with no adverse effects.


[image]local://upfiles/16701/691B615B84344FF6A01DF9790C86703D.jpg[/image]



Shannon V. OKeets -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (12/26/2008 8:40:36 PM)

Originally, I was going to simply provide RAC (Rules as Coded) and a description of the each form in the game to communicate the sequence of play to the players. However, I have changed my mind. The sequence of play is simply too difficult to understand, even by experienced players, to pass over it lightly in the documentation (player's manual).

Therefore I have added another section to the player's manual, devoted solely to the sequence of play. I was hoping that this would contain just a few sentences on each phase and subphase of the game, but before I even got to the first phase (Lend Lease) I fely I needed to provide a lot of background material. Here is the start of Section 7 Sequence of Play. I expect to write the rest of it over the next 2 or 3 weeks.

=====
7.0 Sequence of Play
7.1 Phases for Setting Up a New Game

In order to understand the phases of the game associated with setting up units, you need to have an understanding of the various off-map pools that MWIF maintains. Every unit in the game is either on the map or in an off-map pool. Here is a overview of the off-map pools:

• Future Force Pool - Units that are unavailable until future years are placed in the future force pool. For example, at the start of the war, 1939, most units are in the future force pool. Historically, the quality and quantity of units engaged in combat increased over the course of the war. MWIF simulates this by making more (and better) units available to every country at the start of each year. During the January/February turn of each year, units are automatically moved from the future force pool to the force pool.

• Force Pool - The force pool contains all the units that are eligible to be built. During the production phase at the end of each turn, players can spend build points to build units from their force pool. The force pool is divided into over a hundred subsets, with each major power having its own force pool subsets. For example, the USA has separate force pools for armor, infantry, artillery, fighters, bombers, battleships, carriers, and so on. Each of the major powers has a comparable set of force pools. When players decide to build a unit, they designate the type, which sometimes means designating the number of build points (BP) as well. In particular, there are two separate force pools for fighters: those that cost 2 BPs and those that cost 3 BPs. When a major power spends 2 BPs to build a fighter, a unit is randomly selected from those in the major power’s F2 (2 BP fighters) force pool . Once a major power has spent BPs, the randomly selected units are moved from the force pool to the production pool.

• Production Pool - The production pool contains units that have been built, but have not yet arrived as reinforcements. It is subdivided into 6 sections: one for each of the 6 bi-month turns during a year. Some units arrive as reinforcements in the turn immediately following their construction. Others take longer. For instance, 2BP fighters take 2 turns (4 months) and 3BP fighters take 3turns (6 months). A 2BP fighter built in Jan/Feb arrives as a reinforcement at the start of the May/Jun turn (i.e., it is in the May/Jun section of the production pool) . Most naval units take 2 years to build (12 turns). They are build in two stages, typically taking 6 turns (1 year) to complete each stage. Roughly speaking, historically ships were built in two stages, with the hull and superstructure built the first year and the armaments and personnel added in the second year. In game terms, the second year includes the training period/shake out cruise for new ships. Players spend build points for taking naval units through each stage of construction. Naval units that complete their first stage of production go from the production pool to the construction pool. Naval units that complete their second stage of construction arrive as reinforcements.

• Construction Pool - This pool contains only naval units that have completed their first stage of construction. Units can sit in this pool indefinitely. Whenever the player decides to spend the build points for the second stage of construction, he gets to choose which of the units in the construction pool to build. This is one of the rare exceptions where the unit being built is not randomly selected.

• Repair Pool - Naval units damaged during combat go into the repair pool. If a player wants to repair a naval unit, he spends the necessary build points and then gets to select which unit gets repaired. This is another exception where the unit being built is not randomly selected. Repaired naval units go into the production pool.

• Reserve Pool - This pool contains a country’s reserve land units. When a major power goes to war with another major power, its reserves arrive immediately as reinforcements. When a minor country goes to war, its reserves arrive as reinforcements during the reinforcement phase of the next turn. Reserve units that are destroyed in combat go into the force pool and are treated just like any other unit.

• Air Reserve Pool - This pool contains air units that have been built, but not assigned pilots. If you do not choose the optional rule pilots, this pool will always be empty. However, when playing with pilots, air units and pilots are built separately. You could build 3 air units and 2 pilots. At the start of the reinforcement phase, you get to choose which air units receive pilots and are placed on the map. Any air units without pilots go into the air reserve pool and are available to receive pilots during the next reinforcement phase.

• Lend Lease Pool - This pool contains air unit markers. These are not actually units in the sense that they can be built. Instead, lend lease air unit markers are part of a set where only some of the units can be built. At the start of the game, the “source country” has one or more units in a set of units that can be built. All the other countries have merely air unit markers sitting in the lend lease pool. For example, the USA is the source country for Tomahawks and has 2 Tomahawk fighters in its force pool. If the USA decides to built an F2 fighter, one of those units may be randomly drawn. Meanwhile, in the lend lease pool, China has 2 Tomahawk markers, the CW has 1, France has 1, and the USSR has 1. None of the air unit markers in the lend-lease pool may be built. If China requests a Tomahawk to be lend-leased to it from the USA, and the USA grants that request, one of the USA Tomahawks would be moved to the lend lease pool and one of the Chinese Tomahawks would move into the Chinese force pool. Instead of there being 2 USA Tomahawks in the game, there would then be 1 USA Tomahawk and 1 Chinese Tomahawk. Note that though there are 7 Tomahawk markers in the game, only 2 Tomahawk units are ever eligible for being in the game (built or on the map).

• Setup Pool - This pool contains the units currently being placed on the map - being “set up”.

• Broken Down Pool - This pool contains corps/army and division sized land units. When a player breaks a corps/army sized unit into divisions, the corps/army sized unit is placed in the broken down pool. They are not available for production. If the player decides to reform divisions into a corps/army, he is restricted to choosing from among the corps units in the broken down pool. Divisions that are destroyed during combat go into the broken down pool. The player can choose to reform divisions in the broken down pool into corps/army sized units. Should he decide to do so, the corps/army unit goes into the force pool and the divisions are removed from the game.

• Transfer Pool - This pool is only used during the “half-map” scenarios: Fascist Tide and Day of Infamy. It contains naval units that are deployed “on the other side of the world”. For example, Fascist Tide only uses the European ‘half’ of the world, so when you are playing that scenario, the transfer pool contains naval units that are deployed in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Those scenarios permit some movement of units between the map and the transfer pool. Indeed, some movements between the map and the transfer pool are mandatory.

• Conquered Pool - This pool contains units belonging to countries that have been conquered. They are kept separate since the might become available again if their home country is liberated.

• Internment Pool - This pool contains air units that have been interned. This happens very rarely and these units can return to combat under special circumstances.

• Scrapped Pool - This pool contains units of all types that the owner has voluntarily chosen to scrap. Scrapping units is a vital part of the game, since it enables you to remove obsolete (i.e., poor quality) units from your force pool, thereby improving the over quality of your force pool. The better the quality of the units in your force pool, the more likely you are to draw good units. If you do not scrap units, you may find yourself drawing a weak fighter built in 1937 instead of the spectacular new jet fighter from 1945.

• Removed Pool - This pool contains units that are not part of the game. For example, it contains all the divisional size units if you do not select the optional rule Divisions, or all the Light Cruisers if you do not select the optional rule Cruisers in Flames.




Shannon V. OKeets -> RE: What kind of manual(s) should we ask for? (12/27/2008 2:16:02 AM)

Here is the rest of section 7.1.
=======
7.1.1 Lend Lease

The lend lease phase starts each new game, unless you are playing Barbarossa, which only has one country on each side. First the Allied side gets the opportunity to lend lease air units between its major powers. Then the Axis side gets the same opportunity. Japan never participates in lend lease, so the only Axis major powers that lend lease are Germany and Italy. If Italy is out of the war, or if it is early in the war when Italy has no lend lease air units, the Axis has nothing to lend lease and the game proceeds directly from the Allied lend lease phase to setting up the first major power in the scenario.

Lend leasing an air unit from a source major power to a recipient major power causes 2 units to move between the lend lease pool and the force pool. The source major power moves a units from its force pool to the lend lease pool, while the recipient major power moves a unit from the lend lease pool to its force pool. The source major power has 1 less unit in its force pool while the recipient major power has 1 additional unit in its force pool. Together with scrapping units, lend leasing air units enables you to modify the composition of your force pools prior to the random selection of units for placement during setup.

7.1.2 Scrapping Units

Each major power has the opportunity to scrap units prior to the random draw of the units that will be placed on the map. The order in which major powers set up their units is determined by the scenario rules. For example, in Barbarossa the USSR gets to scrap its older units, followed immediately by the random draw of the units it will have available to place on the map. After the USSR has placed all its units on the map, Germany goes through the same sequence: scrap units, random draw, place units on the map. For scenarios that involve multiple major powers, the same 3 step sequence is repeated for each major power in turn.

Players can only scrap older units. They get to choose which ones and may choose to scrap none at all. Note that scrapping units is permanent. After you close the scrap form, any units that you have scrapped will be placed in the scrap pool and no longer part of the game.

For your convenience, there are saved lists of scrapped units for each major power for each scenario, including a default list. Simply clicking on Restore Default List will automatically scrap the units in the default list. Once you have made your decisions about which units to scrap, you might want to save your list to a file for use in future games.

7.1.3 Placing Units on the Map (RAW 24.)

After you have closed the Scrap Units form, the game displays the setup tray for you major power. In each scenario the rules specify which types of units you will have available to place on the map. The rules also define how many of each type and where they may be placed. Often there are special restrictions on setting up units, which can be viewed by clicking on the Setup Rules button in the setup tray.

You can place units on the map in any order that you desire. By clicking on the different Set Up Areas labels, you can see what units you have available in each set up area. There is a list of available air units shown in the top of the set up tray and either land or naval units shown in the bottom list. You can control whether the land or naval units are shown in the bottom list by clicking on the Show Land/Show Naval button.

If you are playing with the optional rule Pilots, you will receive more air units than pilots. Clicking on an air unit in the setup tray assigns it a pilot. Holding down the Ctrl key and left clicking on an air unit deassigns a pilot from an air unit. Once you have assigned all your pilots, the remaining air units without pilots are automatically placed in the air reserve pool.

All land and naval units start with the label ‘Ready’ underneath it. Air units get that label once you assign them a pilot. When you click on a ‘Ready’ unit it will acquire the label “In Stack” under it. All the “In Stack” units are “in your hand” and can be placed ibn the map by left clicking on a destination hex.

Once you have emptied the setup tray of units, the setup tray is removed from view. You can still rearrange the units you have on the map and the setup phase is not completed by a major power until you click on the End of Phase button in the main form.

For your convenience there are saved setup locations for non-random units. By clicking on the Restore Setup button in the setup tray, you can automatically have units in the setup tray placed on the map. This only affects non-random units, such as named units (e.g., battleships Marat for the USSR, Warspite for the CW, and Bismarck for Germany). Autonomous units, like convoys and build points, are also non-random, since they are all identical. This means that the long convoy pipelines can be restored instantaneously without having to place each convoy point individually.

Like saved scrap lists, saved setups are stored separately for each major power for each scenario. And also like the saved scrap lists, there are default saved setups for each major power for each scenario. Once you have made your decisions about where to place your non-random units, you might want to save your setup placements for non-random units to a file for use in future games.

Note that units which are randomly drawn from your force pool are never part of saved setups but instead always appear in the setup tray. These include: all air units, all land units except named HQ units, and a few naval units (e.g., submarines and transports).

7.1.4 Placing Partisans on the Map

Once all the major powers have placed their units on the map, a final setup phase occurs, where major powers get to place partisan units behind enemy lines. Only a few of the later scenarios have partisan units to be placed during setup, so this phase is oftentimes skipped. Even if there are partisan units to be placed, the phase will be skipped if there is no place to legally put them on the map. For example, in the Decline and Fall scenario the German player can easily prevent the USSR partisans from being placed on the map by covering all possible locations behind the German front lines with zones of control. The placement of partisans on the map is followed by the start of the first turn in the scenario.



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