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timc -> Thanks and Comments (2/9/2001 6:02:00 AM)
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SPWAW is a great game. Since I downloaded it however many weeks ago it was, it has
consumed all of my non-working hours. My experience with this family of games goes back
to Kampfgruppe and they keep gettng better. Congratulations to everyone on the team.
You've done a woderful job.
I've played a couple of scenarios, but usually I play the Long Campaign. I completed one
campaign in Europe as an American and am in June 1944 as a German. My comments and
suggestions are based on that experience. I'll limit the list to things I haven't seen
anyone else mention.
Here are a few suggestions for the next release (I figure I better get them in now)
1. The M5 Stuart, SdKfz 222 and Staghound (that I've noticed) use the autocannon type
sound and visual effect. Additionally, the SdKfz 222 fires at aircraft. I don't know
abot the SdKfz 222, but shouldn't the Stuarts and Staghounds have the same sound and
visual effect as the 37mm AT gun?
2. I found that LCI(Mortars) are superb for close in support on amphibious assaults.
But when you use the "Z" key to attack a hex where you know there is a enemy unit the
first round lands on the target hex and the rest of them land on and around the firing
unit.
3. The flag on the "Select a Front" screen is always French.
4. Recoiless rifles are way to hard to spot. As an American I could lose three tanks to
an RCL that remained unspotted. When I would finally get it spotted it (by running an
infantry unit to it) it could be as close as 3 hexes away and a dozen vehicles had been
looking at it the whole time. I assume RCL rifles have the same size/signature as
antitank guns and I don't think that should be the case. I'm not familiar with the
German weapons, but I've fired the US 90mmm and 106mm and the backblast is significant.
5. If level bombers are going away (I'm not unhappy about that) I'll not comment on
them.
6. I would really like to be able to destroy abandoned vehicles and equipment. Since
you can't fire on them (even if you occupy the same hex) you either have to hunt the crew
down and kill them, keep a unit on the hex to keep them from coming back or risk having
the crew sneak back and shoot you in the back. If it's a vehicle, you should be able to
put a round through it, if it's a gun, you should be able to heave a thermite grenade
into the breach or run over it or spike it or something.
7. I would also like to be able to get large caliber towed artillery (105, 150, 155) for
my core force. I like to park an ammo truck with my mortars and artillery so they don't
run out of ammo. Since you can get SP artillery of similar calibers when it becomes
available, why can't you start with towed artillery? Every time I go to upgrade my
equipment and see a dozen or so different kinds of trucks and no artillery pieces, I have
to woner why.
Comments on AI force selection
1. Vichy French (against American) - Good force mix, off-map artillery, sometimes air.
Includes both VF (Vichy French?) and FF (Free French?) Legionaires, but who cares?
2. Germans (against Americans) - Good force mix, almost always the best available tanks,
off-map artillery, air early on which goes away as the war progresses. Once I understood
that I would have to "Advance" against an unprepared enemy who turns out to have 100+
Panthers and Tigers against my 34 Shermans, I learned to deal with it. The AI always had
recoilless rifles instead of AT guns (except for the occasional 88) which bothered me.
3. Italians (against Americans) - YIKES! These were the hardest battles to win. In fact
I NEVER got a win against the Italians (always a draw) for the following reasons:
a. The AI doesn't pick much armor, so you can't get points for destroying it.
b. There is a massive amount of 305mm (!!!) naval guns as off map artillery.
These things can vaporize whole infantry platoons with one volley and are apparently out
of range of counter-battery fire. I found myself very relieved to get away from the
Italians and onto the Germans, who I could deal with.
4. British/Americans (against Germans) - OK mix of tanks and infantry but the AI NEVER
(so far) selects off-map artillery. This leaves a lot of mortars, maybe a couple of
sections of SP guns and a (maybe) massive amount of air strikes to deal with. Doing an
assault against an opponent with no serious artilery is way easy.
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