morganbj
Posts: 3634
Joined: 8/12/2007 From: Mosquito Bite, Texas Status: offline
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Well, I don't necessarily disagree with you Barbarossa2. In fact, I wish ALL wargames were like WITP, detailed almost to the point that the game is a true simulation. Weekly or even shorter turns, weapon type modifications, more comprehensive formation effects, more leader effects, a FULLY developed political subsystem, ... I could go on and on. But, that shouldn't happen and won't happen with COGEE. It's a strategic level game that only takes a few days to play when against the AI, even when the time limit is set to 23 years. For MOST people that's important. MOST people don't want a lot of complexity; they just don't have the time or inclination to learn the details. Gaming companies must make a profit, and that means volume of sales compared to development costs. Some believe that the original COG was less successful that it could have been because so many people didn't like the advanced economy. Enter the simple economy in EE. If logistics had been more realistic in COG, I'm sure EE would have simplified them. My point is that once the decision is made to have a relatively easy to play strategic game that appeals to large numbers of people, it's folly to then start adding in all types of "unnecessary" complexity. Develop something that is pretty faithful to the strategic options that were historically available, and then move on. And, saying that a particular piece of complexity could be turned on and off as an option does not always pan out because of the extra development costs involved in developoing that compexity (realism). It's tremendous. Besides, once one piece is done, a few players will want something else added, or something changed, or will complain that it's not realistic enough. I spent many years (more than a decade) developing a strategic Napoleonic board game. It was detailed in every way that it could be. But, the rules alone were over 100 pages long, and when computer games came along, I just gave up on the project, knowing that eventually such a game would exist electronically. Sadly, I'm still waiting. I would like to see a very detailed civil war game, too (no, those on the market aren't even close). And I would LOVE to see a very detailed Napoleonic game, where virtually all important variables are included. COGEE could not be that game because it is, after all, an extension of an existing engine, not a new game. Maybe at some point in the future it will happen, perhaps once younger players today evolve into true grognards, and development techniques become more sophsticated. But, there are just a lot of players who currently like role playing "shoot-em-up" type games, so that kind of grognard may never develop in sufficient numbers. More complex games may just never hit the market any time soon. I think WITP is one of a kind. Don't think that this is a criticism of EE in any way. I think it's the best game of the period. Maybe if there's a COG III that is developed with a new engine ....
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