|
John Hutton -> (10/13/2001 7:55:00 AM)
|
Mike T's version of EIA is floating about in various electronic forms. The last one I viewed had some important innovations, and should certainly be of value to the Matrix design team.
Congratulations, as everyone else is saying, for taking on this project. A part of my mind has been thinking about just this kind of a game - an Empires in Arms for the computer, but much much more - for about five years now.
Briefly some thoughts:
1) a good economic system is a must (EIA was board-game simple in that case) for that vital strategic interface between diplomacy, war, and economy;
2) why Europe only? There was an entire world out there that was driving, historically at least, the conflict in Europe. England was Napoleon's enemy not just because he was short and spoke with a terrible accent! A good text on the subject is "Dreams of Empire", although I forget the author's name.
3) no board game or existing Napoleonic game has ever done strategic level naval combat any justice whaaaaatsoever! Could this one do it? Naval combat was always about supply.
4) semi-realtime does work, as Europa Universalis has proven. However, it is not as friendly for turn-based email play, which is what any long campaign with multiple human players needs.
5)how about a technology tree? There were key strategic, administrative, economic, technological and social changes through the period 1796 (when the Grand Campaign should start) to 1815, which could be brought into play. Nations could commit different resorces to different areas - the military reforms of Austria for instance in 1806-8 were vital in defeating Napoleon on the battlefield.
Each of these issues could generate an uncomfortably large body of text on my part, so I won't bother.
However, I would encourage the designers to engage with the wider gaming community on these issues. We have waited too long for a good Napoleonic game to have it being second best. There is really potential here to create a classic.
Finally, the period itself is so replete with exciting history as to require innovation; thinking outside the gaming box. There is also sufficient historical data (and a virtual mountain of literature) to ensure that it is honest to its time: an education tool as much as a game.
Cheers,
John from Down Under.
|
|
|
|
![]("smile.gif")
Im going ot let him know whats going on here, hopefully you should hear from him.
Galahad
