David boutwell
Posts: 353
Joined: 5/28/2000 From: Haymarket, Virginia, USA Status: offline
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Redleg [B]I have some of the Battleground series - I stand by what I said. Detailed information is hard to find. Battleground series or otherwise. I stand by what I said, as well. As I see it, there are plenty of resources out there with more detail than most people seem to have the will to find. A simple Google search can bring up lots of eyewitness accounts, images and maps, for example. In a very short time, Redleg, I found some very nifty photographs of the Kall River Gorge, some panoramic photos of the Hurtgen Forest, personal account of the fighting, seven Hurtgen Forest maps,and found a super-detailed book on the 22nd Regiment in the Hurtgen Forest at Barnes and Noble. And I wasn't even doing that for me. Obviously, you do have the desire to faithfully reproduce, to the best of your ability, the scenarios that you design. So, I don't see where you are disagreeing with me. [QUOTE] Originally posted by Redleg. I guess "historic" is a somewhat ambiguous term that has many levels of meaning. I cannot apply that term to *any* game I have ever seen. I would define "historic", in the context of this game, as a scenario in which the designer did their best (and "did their best" means actually attempting to do so) to recreate the environment, conditions and units involved in that battle. As far as I'm concerned, the only reason someone would design a scenario based on an actual event, give it a name based on an actual event, and not at least make an honest attempt at being faithful to the units and terrain, is because they have no desire to. Not to say that is the case with you, based upon what you are saying. [QUOTE] Originally posted by Redleg. Right now, I am working on a "historic" battle. Even after having researched it quite a lot, I must fill in a lot of blanks. I must interpret the meaning of "kampfgruppen". Also, I must arbitrarily decide the length of a runway and location of the airstrip. The limitations of retreat hexes mean I must distort the map in order to prevent AI forces from being flanked so they do not retreat into oblivion. On and on. I suppose I could call that "historic" but to me, it is a game designed mainly for entertainment, based on something that apparently actually happened. That fits my definition! [QUOTE] Originally posted by Redleg. What I am trying to say is that if one wants to pursue trying to dig out detailed data and spend a lot of money doing it, more power to them. That just isn't my bag unless I get lucky... and I do sometimes. I found a little book called "Panzer Aces" and another called "Infantry Aces". These are extremely detailed in some ways but totally lacking in others. At the other end of the spectrum are those books that describe the Battle of Kursk in a chapter. Even an entire book such as Glantz' "Battle of Kursk" leaves tons of blanks to be filled in. I own perhaps a dozen works on Stalingrad - I still do not feel entirely comfortable with the blasted map. It would be embarrassing to describe the lengths I have gone to in the quest for more information on Stalingrad. It is sort of an on-going obsession. That sounds good to me, too. The important thing is the fact that you have the desire to educate yourself, and then be faithful to the real thing on whatever level you are able to achieve. Was this post disagreeing with something I've said???? [QUOTE] Originally posted by Bing. The text intro file isn't the place for the designer to trot out his/her knowledge. Bing, I view information like I view ammunition. Too much is much preferred over not enough. But, hey...I guess if I can state my opinions about what I believe in, so can you. David Boutwell "Out of ammunition. God save the King."
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