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winky51 -> RE: Obligitory Initial Impressions Thread (7/27/2008 7:12:00 PM)
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Ok I had a chance to play the game some more. I am a super pessimistic 41 year old that doesnt like most of the games out there. I think this game is good. It needs fixing but I am finding it having good game playability. So since my baby is asleep I am going to list a lot of things I feel are good/bad/need improvement. I use to program quite a while ago and still understand code. So I will make suggestions within the realm of possiblility for what the programmers can do.
INTERFACE: I find the land/air interface for land battles and strat bombing very good. I think though instead of the text popping up at the top of the page for what you are hovering over (just the button functions) perhaps either a larger text (with taller green bar) on the map appears itself or a popup bubble. Like when I hover over the icons on the right I have to look up top for what it is "oh its bombing". For unit descriptions I might straighten it out and bold it and line up the numbers
HOW IT IS NOW
2nd Corp
Owner: Netherlands Level: 1
Supply:15
Action Points: 1 Used: 0
No HQ unit in range
Strength: 2.0 (100%)
Effectiveness: 82%
Effective Strength: 1.6
PERHAPS THIS see how its lined up and easier to read.
2nd Corp (lvl 1)
Owner: Netherlands
Supply: 15
HQ: None
AP: 1/0
Str: 2.0 (100%)
Eff: 82%
Eff Str: 1.6
The counters look great, easy to read on the map for strength and action. Just using the map itself for land combat is easy. COunters love it.
No chart to show whats in production like ships and planes. Do different units take time to come out?
Buttons on lower left are good.
Fleet operations look fine, about as simple and easy to use as I can think.
Reports should include, total units, losses, whats in production.
MAP:
better define borders.
Place ports on cities that have ports within the big map. It took me 2 days to realize the barber poles meant ports, they are hard to see. May I suggest something more obvious like perhaps a big blue ring around the city.
Keil should be a double port off of west germany and Baltic.
You dont seem to have impassible hexes like at El Alamein.
On fleet map define where zones begin and end. I would even go so far to put hexes on the land masses so we know what zone can invade what hex. I have an idea but I am really not sure where things are. I would add a sea zone in northern norway and for the murmansk area. You have 3 in the med and only one for all of the scandinavian area. I would add a west coast sea zone, north atlantic (you have) and one off of the west english coast.
GAME PLAY:
Convoys? Do we have a set # of convoy ships? Each power should have a set # of convoys. HoI2 has it. You should be able to build them too.
Destroyers? We should inclued these in the game. Main function is escort convoy. 2ndary fleet action.
Cruisers & Battleships should not be able to sink subs.
Scale I suggest for counters? 1 battleship per counter, 2 cruisers, 16 destroyers, 10 subs.
Carriers should be able to technically bombard shorelines subject to air intercept just like bombarding ships.
The scale of the map for the div/corp is great BTW.
Missions:
fleet like it is now... openly looking for battle with fleet, raider
raider like it is but harder to find they are looking to openly engage convoy, and transport missions only.
escort which is for any ship but only destroyers engage subs. their job protect convoys they do not openly engage at all
escort can also be used for transports when moving div/corp from one port to another.
A raider fleet of only subs should be VERY hard to find, I mean very.
Air units should be able to attack bombardment ships or invading ships. I would do it very simple. Any air unit within 5 hexes of a coastline where a bombardment or invasion occurs auto attacks, if it is more it does not. Opponent's air units can intercept of course. Very simple solutions that puts control into the players hands by simply moving air units closer or farther away from sea zones. Land based air attacks sea units only when they perform a mission.
Make visibility based on air unit range not fixed like you have it in the game options. Or if you want to keep it that was make it ONLY apply to air units and make a default 4 hexes for everything else.
Add ASW research which would include tactics and tech effectively.
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Really with those improvement I think the game will be very very good. Well beyond the other grand strategy games out there.
One more thing. Make a scenario editor. This game looks dynamic. With a game editor you should be able to adjust how the system works for combat and naval searching. Adjust OOB, tech, and scale the naval to your level of play.
I took the 1939 SC2 scenario and the CEAW 1939 scenario and scaled it for more detail. I adjusted how somethings work and how ships respond to each other. I felt I made a much better sceanrio that what came with the game. I am sure some one will do the same for this one if its not me.
I do have the OOBs for air, naval, and land for WW2. I also have production units for each power. I have several books on these statistics and I am fairly well read on the 2nd world war. I would love to make a 1939 sceanario for this game accurate to history and balanced for good game play.
I think I covered it all. I thought it would be more. But overall for a 1st shot at this type of game good job!!!
Right now this game looks and feels much better than Computer War in Europe by design games, even the new one coming out. Those improvements should blow it away.
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