Fulton
Posts: 26
Joined: 9/22/2008 Status: offline
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I truly feel that the most important ally in any pc wargame is the interface. When I buy a game I rarely think about it, however. Case in point, WiTP&AE, I love the content, love the setting and love the idea of mass control over fleets etc, indeed my imagination goes wild about it. But where I run into trouble is the user interface and I believe I have more fun thinking about it than playing it. I feel as though even though I know what I want to do in a given situation, it is a fight and a struggle to get there. Getting an overall picture of the situation feels difficult and maneuvering individual units sometimes feels tedious rather than empowering. I still play in spite of this but I am aware of it when I think about opening it for another turn against the AI. WiTE succeeds here magnificently. I opened up the game and started pushing counters around immediately having a relatively gratifying experience. Information was conveyed using all the tools at hand, with colors, side panels and popups. While I didn't know what much of it meant, I was confident I could pick it up in time by RTFM and forums. As I progressed through turns 3 and 4 I dug deeper into supply, leadership and support. These made sense as I learned about them. I began to feel powerful and competent as I thrust my formations against and around the enemy, utilizing the terrain and logistics to work for me. Vast amounts of information is funneled successfully to the user. In fact, I am no longer a user, I am commander, a genius, a war hero! No, indeed, what makes this experience feel that way is the interface allows me to visualize what I want to do and helps me get there. The formation colors, the HQ system, the way support and airpower is handled are all crafted brilliantly to assist me. When I make a mistake it is because *I* made it, not because I was busy fighting a difficult interface. I post this for two reasons. One, for those who are fearful of the large scope of this game. Two, as positive reinforcement for those designers in charge of UI specifically. I thank you and dedicate my next "masterful" victory to you! Obviously a game like this is a team effort and they have all done superbly to create, design, implement and support this endeavor. Thanks again, Josh
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