SpharV2
Posts: 218
Joined: 6/13/2004 Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: MPHopcroft I'm waiting for my fiscal situation to be sorted out so I can buy my copy of this game (boy do I want it) and a few questions arose from playing the demo: 1. In the Bull Run scenario, I frequently found it turning into a race to see whether the Union would get to Richmond before the Confederates got to Washington. Obviously, the key to preventing this is to know what's going on behind you, but is it wiser to go right after the enemy army than it is to head for the geographic objective, particularly in the campaign game where losing Washington or Richmond early is an unmitigated disaster? 2. In the Early campaign game, will taking Richmond automatically end the war, or will the Confederacy recover and relocate their capital to a more secure location such as Montgomery? 3. How significant a factor are the presidential elections in the full war game (Jeff Davis had to run for a full term in 1862, and of course the Union election of 1864 was the Confederacy's last chance to secure a negotiated peace by hoping for a McClellan victory)? 4. The American Civil War, in addition to its social and political implications, is notable as the conflict that changed warfare forever -- where harrying the enemy and watching him slowly bleed to death under your relentless pressure became the most viable strategy of all. It was this insight on the part of Grant and, earlier, Winfield Scott (who devised the plan that led to eventual Union victory) that makes the Civil War so significant to future conflicts. How well can you reflect this in the game. 5. Is it EVER advisable for the Army of Northern Virgina to invade the North in the campaign game? Lee tried it twice and accomplished little. 1 - The AI has been improved a good bit in the full version, plus, if you play with some of the settings, (AI fog of war, aggressiveness, and especially strategic activation rolls), you can tailor the AI to be a pretty decent opponent. Not sure what base version the demo is running on, but I think it's an older one. The AI will still sometimes try to strike straight for the capital, but not nearly as much as it used to. And yeah, it is kind of silly, though with the forces the Union usually keeps in Washington, an attempt to take it as the south can be tough. 2 - The loss of a capital as either side is a big loss, but not a killer. You'll have to fight fairly hard to put either side down for the count. Each side has three options as to where to move their capital if it becomes necessary, and it's always better to do that if you think you might lose it. 3 - Elections will definitely have an impact on your morale and such. As for Little Mac ending the war, we had some interesting discussions about that earlier on the AGEOD board. Personally I don't think he would have done it barring a huge swing in the congressional layout. He was a war democrat, who had a peace platform forced on him at the convention. He wanted to run the campaign on the basis that he would be better equipped to end the war than Lincoln due to his military background. Besides, in the historical war, by the time he actually took office (Not when he was elected) the war would have been basically over. 4 - Enjoy, attrition warfare is a huge thing in this game. You can wipe out armies, or make deep strikes, but it's very difficult to do. Grinding is the best strategy to use. 5 - Yes, although I usually make my pushes into the much friendlier western theater. If the northern army is sitting and defending their entrenchments, a swing around their flanks (Learn to use those supply wagons if you're going to do marches away from rail lines or depots) can get them out of their works and into a battle on more favorable terms...just make sure you leave enough to defend Virginia against a quick strike. Though until the North's good generals are in command, the fact that it's nearly impossible to get your generals to activate means that the threat of a solid offensive is low.
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