|
Lucky1 -> RE: Noob Questions (12/13/2008 9:11:15 PM)
|
Hi ReynaFan,
1) I think that if you are a history buff and enjoy WWII grand strategy games, you will enjoy AWD. That said, unlike A&A, AWD is a bit more grounded in 'reality.' What this means is that for equally matched opponents, Germany and Japan will generally 'lose.' That said, victories are determined by when the loss occurs. Of course, strategies are never perfectly matched, information is never perfect, and plays are never perfectly executed (remember all those 'perfect' assumptions in econ). What this means is there is a surprising variety in the games, despite the fact that they are working within historical constraints. This also means that the Axis can (and does) pull off the odd straight-out victory.
Importantly, the game is well suited to PBEM - with steady players a game can be completed in a couple of weeks (one turn for each side, representing three months). This is (in my mind) an important consideration. Too, if you are reasonably computer savvy, the game is moddable. Don't like what the computer is producing - you can mod this (albeit in a rather static way). Don't like initial deployments? You can mod this. The community here is small, but stable. WanderingHead has been working assiduously to further refine the game from its initial release (with some success).
2) the requirements are not too onerous and are posted on the matrix game info section. for years, I used a 2.4 gig P4 with a 64 video card and ~ 500k ram. That said, more power is always preferable. I currently run the game fine in Vista and ran it with no problems in XP before that. I do not recommend that you play in full screen (rather than windows) mode. The game does not support a really large monitor resolution (it takes up approx 1/2 my current monitor), but there is evidently a workaround for that (I have not tried it).
3) I personally purchased the game a couple of times (don't ask) from Matrix by digital download. Had no problems. If you register the game, you will be able to access the beta patches (in addition to the finalized patches). In my experience, finalized patches have been integrated into the digital download. That said, once you have downloaded it, this does not keep up with subsequent patches (there have only been a few, mind you.) The current download is version 1.02 (one version behind the publicly available beta). Patches at this point are generally to make refinements to play rather than to correct instability (which I have not really encountered) or glitches. I personally like to support Matrix because there are not a lot of distributors / co-developers out there for strategy games anymore. Too, Matrix and most of its game developers (and hard-working volunteers like WanderingHead) have been conscientious to improve the games on an ongoing basis after release.
4) the game can be addicting and can make you an obsessive email-checker....
|
|
|
|
