Erik Rutins -> Response... (7/20/2002 4:32:06 AM)
|
Eric, I'm sad to read your response here. First, let me say that there is no scenario called "Decisive Action", therefore Joel is well within reason in asking for the scenario number. I'm guessing you mean "Decision in the Pacific" but that's a guess. I would hope that before you climb all over Joel for asking for the number, you'd check to make sure you're using a real name. To put things in perspective, I'm e-mailing back and forth with Joel and others every day discussing issues raised on this board as well as in our own testing circles. We are continuing to do a balancing act with everyone's resources to provide patches and improvements to UV as quickly as possible while continuing development on other projects as well (Battlefields! for me, War in the Pacific for Joel, Gary and Keith). Most game companies do not even bother to respond to every bug report or feature request. In this thread, you received multiple responses which, while not to your taste, were honest and open. We're neither omniscient nor infallible, but UV is a pretty darn good wargame out of the box and we've been listening, testing and making it better. Right now, we have a long list of possible features to add and possible bugs to investigate. We have been and continue to work long hours meeting our obligation to our customers. No complaints there, but realize that this is hardly what I'd call a lack of support. In that overall context is the question regarding base forces. The fact is that the game works whether base forces expand or not. Joel's point of view is that the lack of base force expansion is more historical. Yours is that it is not. My view is that I'd like to see it back in, but it's not anywhere near the top of the list considering we have bugs to fix. However you look at it, it's a design decision. If the manual didn't state that base forces expand, this would likely be a non-issue because it is not a game-breaker by any stretch of the imagination. I saw base forces expand (apparently now during an earlier build in testing) and while it was nice, I've played full campaigns since then without that feature. Base force rotation works and the Japanese are supposed to be stretched for support in '43. It is definitely difficult as Japan to keep everything supported and supplied, but this was the historical situation as well. I recall your input in the TOAW days on testing and scenario design as well reasoned, but what I see here is that you appear to have quite a short fuse. All other things aside, I can't imagine personally as a wargamer chucking UV because I didn't agree with the base force expansion decision. Surely, you didn't agree with every design decision in TOAW or other wargames you've played? In my opinion, Joel's within reason in making this a design decision and you're within reason in saying "If it's in the manual, it ought to happen". Those things can coexist without a matter/anti-matter reaction. Regards, - Erik
|
|
|
|