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All Forums >> [Current Games From Matrix.] >> [American Civil War] >> Forge of Freedom: The American Civil War 1861-1865 >> Thinking of buying---Have a question

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Thinking of buying---Have a question - 6/9/2008 8:00:35 PM

throttle8

Posts: 168
Joined: 4/8/2006
Status: offline

I'm thinking of buying Forge of Freedom: The American Civil War 1861-1865. My main concern is that I do not want a Civil War version of Hearts Of Iron. In HOI, I loved the political side of it, however the micromanaging of all the different units, the defenses, research & development, etc, took away a lot from the game. During the early stages of the game, the management was not that bad. However, as the game progresses, it becomes too overwhelming for my likes.

So, my question to you is how much micromanaging is involved in this game?

Thanks

Post #: 1

RE: Thinking of buying---Have a question - 6/9/2008 10:12:42 PM

terje439

Posts: 6813
Joined: 3/28/2004
Status: offline

The first couple of rounds there tends to be a bit of micromanagement as you want to equip your troops (brigades) with other weapons than what they brought from home, as well as rearanging your army and decide which general should serve where. After that to me it comes down to build some camps and research facilities every round which usually takes me 2mins. As game progresses the only micromanagement I tend to do is raising a Cav army, arming it and finding some decent officers for it.
So I would say (for me atleast) micromanagement divides into something like this;
turn 1-2/3 -> 5-10 mins
turn >4 -> 1-2 mins

But different style of play for anybody I suppose so others might object to this

The game is nothing as consuming on the micromanagement side as HOI thou!

(in reply to throttle8)

Post #: 2

RE: Thinking of buying---Have a question - 6/9/2008 10:14:05 PM

morganbj

Posts: 3634
Joined: 8/12/2007
From: Mosquito Bite, Texas
Status: offline

There's not much detail at all, at least not compared to some other games. You can buy special abilities for some units (i.e., brigade artillery, sharpshooters, etc.), and you can buy different weapons for units. But, these are not done unit by unit since the costs are high enough that you just seem to slowly upgrade over time.

The economy is highly abstracted and doesn't take very long to deal with. Most of my time is figuring out what I need to buy to keep my troops armed and happy.

I can usually play a turn (with one or two detailed battles), in a half hour or so. Some turns take five minutes. Turns with large detailed battles can sometimes take longer, but they don't happen all that often. Usually, you're planning strategic maneuvers, making sure your economy is producing what you need (maybe 1 minute a turn, total), and seeing if you can upgrade to better weapons.

The beauty of the game is that you can turn off some of what you don't what to deal with. I don't like the role of governors in the game so <click> they don't play a role at all. If you want the detail, add it in. If not, turn most of it off.

I guess what I'm really saying is that there's enough detail to keep the micromanagers happy, but not so much as to be a distraction at all. And, you have some control over what you have to do and what you don't have to do. Once you learn it, it moves VERY quickly.

I got creamed the first four or five games, but learned quickly how to win. The most important aspects of the game are where your units are, and how well they're supplied, and how well they're equipped. That's very realisitc for a straegic game, IMO.

The two strategic guides on this forum are invaluable. They helped me quite a bit.

Buy it. You won't be disappointed.

(in reply to throttle8)

Post #: 3

RE: Thinking of buying---Have a question - 6/12/2008 8:57:55 AM

Hornblower

Posts: 1361
Joined: 9/10/2003
From: New York'er relocated to Chicago
Status: offline

thank you for that information...

(in reply to morganbj)

Post #: 4

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All Forums >> [Current Games From Matrix.] >> [American Civil War] >> Forge of Freedom: The American Civil War 1861-1865 >> Thinking of buying---Have a question

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