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Where is the tutorial? - 5/3/2013 4:50:51 AM   
mantrain

 

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I understand there are videos to watch, but are there any written tutorials, like the one in WITP? Or should I just do the tut in the WITP.

I really wanna learn. but not sure what the steps are. I mean, I can make a task force, but what about logistics. etc?
should I just play tut in WITP ? Are these games the same mechanically?
Post #: 1
RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/3/2013 5:19:19 AM   
Quixote


Posts: 773
Joined: 8/14/2008
From: Maryland
Status: offline 		Mantrain,
Did you play original WitP? If so, how much, and what's your comfort level with that game? If not (it's OK if the answer is no) there will be different ways to best start learning how to play WitP AE. In answer to a couple of your questions:

1. Logistics are even more essential in AE than they were in original WitP.

2. Yes - WitP and AE are the same mechanically, but with an added level of complexity in AE. If you're comfortable with WitP, then AE won't be too big a stretch. If you've never played either one, you're in for a massive learning curve. This isn't a bad thing, but it will require some time and patience on your part. If you have that, it'll be fun. A lot of fun, actually. That said, the rewards aren't instant - you'll have to put a little time and effort into it.

With that out of the way, let us know what your level of prior experience is so we can make some better recommendations about where you should start.

< Message edited by Quixote -- 5/3/2013 5:21:15 AM >

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Post #: 2
RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/3/2013 5:27:34 AM   
mantrain

 

Posts: 444
Joined: 9/3/2008
Status: offline 		I do not have much prior experience with either title except reading through the manuals in a non intensive manner, starting scenarios several times but not sure how to proceed. I understand the overall concepts, but not the steps.
IF I could just see how someone conducted some turns, maybe a good "aar for dummies" that might be helpful.

< Message edited by mantrain -- 5/3/2013 5:33:05 AM >

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Post #: 3
RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/3/2013 5:51:09 AM   
Quixote


Posts: 773
Joined: 8/14/2008
From: Maryland
Status: offline 		Two thoughts:

1. Here's a link to Sardaukar's AAR for new players. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDAQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.matrixgames.com%2Fforums%2Ftm.asp%3Fm%3D2564541&ei=lT2DUa-3CLS64AOjqYG4Bw&usg=AFQjCNE6SOBGA0u2X4u4mcMrt-00LTsgjQ&sig2=LBoKI0L0r63SB0C50ruWyg Note that this is for the campaign game, which may be overwhelming for new folks even with the advice Sardaukar provides in the AAR.

2. If you'd like, I'll walk you through a small scenario - something like Coral Sea - either by PBEM, or by playing with you on the same team vs the AI, where I'll send you a turn with the orders I've issued along with a brief explanation of why I issued the orders I did, and you'd be welcome to ask questions. Send me a PM if you'd like to try either of these out.

< Message edited by Quixote -- 5/3/2013 5:52:02 AM >

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RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/3/2013 6:34:54 AM   
JeffroK


Posts: 6391
Joined: 1/26/2005
Status: offline 		Qickshot has the best way to learn.

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RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/3/2013 7:55:06 AM   
mantrain

 

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quote:

2. If you'd like, I'll walk you through a small scenario - something like Coral Sea - either by PBEM, or by playing with you on the same team vs the AI, where I'll send you a turn with the orders I've issued along with a brief explanation of why I issued the orders I did, and you'd be welcome to ask questions. Send me a PM if you'd like to try either of these out.


Thank you so much for your generous offer. At this point I will review the AAR. Then as I go along I will follow up with some questions. Thanks again.

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Post #: 6
RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/3/2013 8:57:45 AM   
mantrain

 

Posts: 444
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Status: offline 		Well, the first question I have going through this AAR, is what to do with all the aircraft outside the theatre of operations? The AAR says to assign tasks, such as ASW, but what good is that if the units are in San Diego? I thought to transfer some units to other bases but the options to transfer them into the eastern pacific realm, like Pear Harbor, was not an option. So I thought to put some units on ships, and when I went to click on that option no ships showed up. Perhaps I need to re-base the airunits to nearby ports that have the available shipping? thanks again!

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RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/3/2013 2:32:19 PM   
Quixote


Posts: 773
Joined: 8/14/2008
From: Maryland
Status: offline 		1. ASW, or at least search, will be useful even in the San Diego area when Japanese subs start showing up there looking for the convoys you should be sending from the US to Pearl Harbor and beyond.
2. Putting aside the utility of ASW in San Diego, you still want your air groups doing something in the grand campaign so that the pilots in those groups can gain experience. No activity or training, no experience gain, which is why Sardauker recommends what he does.
3. Most of your air units don't have the range to fly from the West Coast to Pearl by themselves, which is why you don't have this option. Most of the ones that do have the range are currently restricted to the US, so you won't see the option to transfer them to Pearl either. You can free up these units over time by spending Political Points. Until you can buy them out, ,though, you may as well make them as productive as possible within their current theater.
4. To ship unrestricted units, whether air or ground, first move them to a port. When this is done, create a TF in that port (transport TF, or in some cases an amphibious TF), then select the load option and select the unit you want to transport. There are no options on air units (or ground units either) to "auto-ship" to on-map bases out of range - you have to assemble the shipping yourself, load the unit(s) yourself, and send the loaded TF on it's way yourself.

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Post #: 8
RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/3/2013 3:04:57 PM   
Oldguard1970

 

Posts: 578
Joined: 7/19/2006
From: Hiawassee, GA
Status: offline 		Hello Mantrain,

You're getting good advice here. Please allow me to add two other thoughts.

Mechanics: One of the first problems is HOW does one do anything. (How do I assign air missions? How do I form task forces? How do I control supply? etc.) A new player is often stumped. My advice is to play a small scenario against the AI. Do not worry about "winning". Use the exercise as a way to develop a modest understanding of mechanics. Run a turn or two focusing only on air missions. Start over. Run a turn or two only using ships. Start over. Run a turn or two to transfer units, use PP (political points) to change leaders and HQ, and fiddle with logistics. Start over. As Japan, fiddle with the Economy. Start over and try to put it all together.

When you are stumped with the mechanics, use the forum. There are lots of helpful folks out there.

Operations and Strategy: Once you can stumble through the mechanics, the next hurdle is the stunning problem of WHAT to do. Egad! There are so many choices and options! Read the start of a few AARs. Read some of the forum posts about strategy. In my case, my next step was to fire up Scenario One against the AI and try my hand. I blundered and stumbled, and the AI handed me a whole series of painful lessons. I started over several times because my mechanical skills were still too limited. Then I began to get a handle on the game and finally learned how to take on the AI. Whew.

PBEM came next, and the world changed. I have never gotten so many hours of play from any game. The price in money per hour is absurdly low.

Have fun and welcome!

< Message edited by OldGuard1970 -- 5/3/2013 3:06:54 PM >

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RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/3/2013 11:47:10 PM   
mantrain

 

Posts: 444
Joined: 9/3/2008
Status: offline 		so at the beginning like this, the first turn, are you literally clicking on every air or ship, even land unit in Allied inventory across the theatres and assigning tasks, whether it be training, recon, or a task force? I guess what I am getting at is, how to you spend all your time in the first turn(s)? Is there something I am supposed to be doing w logistics? This is before UPS, but I know I got to get supplies everywhere. Heck, I want to try and save the Philippine Command. Can I start shipping needed men and material to Manila and Wake, Guam, those places. and Singapore -- can I turn the big guns around to face the jungle?

< Message edited by mantrain -- 5/3/2013 11:57:31 PM >

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Post #: 10
RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/4/2013 12:11:42 AM   
obvert


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From: PDX (and now) London, UK
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quote:

ORIGINAL: mantrain

so at the beginning like this, the first turn, are you literally clicking on every air or ship, even land unit in Allied inventory across the theatres and assigning tasks, whether it be training, recon, or a task force? I guess what I am getting at is, how to you spend all your time in the first turn(s)? Is there something I am supposed to be doing w logistics? This is before UPS, but I know I got to get supplies everywhere. Heck, I want to try and save the Philippine Command. Can I start shipping needed men and material to Manila and Wake, Guam, those places. and Singapore -- can I turn the big guns around to face the jungle?


You will likely not save the Philipines. The guns there will shoot toward troops invading. There will be a long siege. Troops will starve. The Japanese will take the islands eventually.

Think about first steps first. Align your logistic with your LONG TERM strategy. Don't do anything if it doesn't fit your long term goals, (unless its getting valuable stuff out of harms way in the first few weeks especially).

Start with a small scenario though, first. Coral Sea will teach most of the basics and you can get used to how the turns flow. you'll get your ass handed to you by the AI, but you can always back up and try again.

Notice there are many ships in the ports along the west coast. you have to make transport, cargo, and fuel TFs and load them manually with the stuff you want to send. Then you assign them a destination and they should move there. You may have to assign that as a new home base if the distance is to far and the fuel numbers go red.

The campaign is great, but virtually no one does everything on the first turn. You have to ease your way into it. A bit at a time. And there is a war to wage in the DEI as well.

Good luck!

_____________________________

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RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/4/2013 1:14:08 AM   
mantrain

 

Posts: 444
Joined: 9/3/2008
Status: offline 		wow, still wondering if I should play the tut from the previous version of WITP (SAJ) since the learning curve is deep (to say the least).

< Message edited by mantrain -- 5/4/2013 8:28:23 AM >

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Post #: 12
RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/4/2013 2:03:29 AM   
mantrain

 

Posts: 444
Joined: 9/3/2008
Status: offline

[/quote]
Start with a small scenario though, first. Coral Sea will teach most of the basics and you can get used to how the turns flow. you'll get your ass handed to you by the AI, but you can always back up and try again. [/quote]

Are there any threads/ AARs' out there for dummies that show this scenario? And I mean dummie, literally.

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Post #: 13
RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/4/2013 3:49:29 PM   
Icedawg


Posts: 1610
Joined: 1/27/2006
From: Upstate New York
Status: offline 		mantrain - the best tutorial is getting your butt kicked by the AI for a year or two, followed by breaking even against the AI for another year or two, followed by beating the AI for about 6 months. Along the way, you pretty much figure things out through experience and reading the forum. Once you start beating the AI, you turn to PBEM and start getting your butt kicked again. Which is just about where I am now.

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Post #: 14
RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/4/2013 5:16:15 PM   
mantrain

 

Posts: 444
Joined: 9/3/2008
Status: offline 		When you see year or two, six months, etc, I hope you are referring to game time (ie, each turn is a week, sort of thing) and not real human time.

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RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/4/2013 7:43:35 PM   
Bullwinkle58


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quote:

ORIGINAL: mantrain

When you see year or two, six months, etc, I hope you are referring to game time (ie, each turn is a week, sort of thing) and not real human time.


I've played AI grand campaigns on 1-day turns and they took about a year real time each.

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RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/4/2013 8:00:42 PM   
Yaab


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From: Poland
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: mantrain

so at the beginning like this, the first turn, are you literally clicking on every air or ship, even land unit in Allied inventory across the theatres and assigning tasks, whether it be training, recon, or a task force? I guess what I am getting at is, how to you spend all your time in the first turn(s)? Is there something I am supposed to be doing w logistics? This is before UPS, but I know I got to get supplies everywhere. Heck, I want to try and save the Philippine Command. Can I start shipping needed men and material to Manila and Wake, Guam, those places. and Singapore -- can I turn the big guns around to face the jungle?


I wouldn't recommend clicking everything on turn one if you are a perfectionist. I tried this approach and it took me one month in real time to set up everything the way I wanted - makes no sense. After some experimenting I created for myself a quick checklist of what to do on turn one - a short document, only eight pages long in Word, heheh.

On turn one, I would try to expend political points wisely. Fighter airgroups in Phillipines and Pearl Harbor have some really poor leaders ( low Air skill and Inspiration, crucial for number of planes flying). If you want use all the B-17s offensively in Clark Field I would change their poor leaders too.

As for supply, learn how the economy works. If you want to supply Manila, you can probably haul supplies from Sorebaja (ample supply, fast loading times), but you can also haul resources by xAKLs from several bases in Phillipines to feed the light industry in Manila.



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Post #: 17
RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/4/2013 10:20:36 PM   
mantrain

 

Posts: 444
Joined: 9/3/2008
Status: offline 		I am surprised so many people love this game. Thing is, games are to enjoy, but if it takes so long to learn, well, surprising so many breached that cliff of required knowledge to enjoy this game.

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RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/4/2013 10:32:03 PM   
Bullwinkle58


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quote:

ORIGINAL: mantrain

I am surprised so many people love this game. Thing is, games are to enjoy, but if it takes so long to learn, well, surprising so many breached that cliff of required knowledge to enjoy this game.


The mean age of people playing it is probably about 50. Folks of this age are used to things that take a long time to bake. Careers, marriages, children. This game is nothing. If you're 20 the idea of a single PBEM taking three years or more might be horrifying.

I spent 25 years of my life in formal schooling. I love to learn. I'd say that's true of most people who play AE.

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RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/4/2013 10:36:03 PM   
Tone


Posts: 161
Joined: 9/2/2009
From: Around The Sun
Status: offline 		When I first learned of to play this game, I played all the smaller scenarios a number of times. On the Nippon side they have no economies to manage, so are fun and good for tutorials.

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and the vanquished are
but drops of dew,
but bolts of lightning -
thus should we view the world.
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1507-1551

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RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/4/2013 10:54:14 PM   
LoBaron


Posts: 4776
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From: Vienna, Austria
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: mantrain

I am surprised so many people love this game. Thing is, games are to enjoy, but if it takes so long to learn, well, surprising so many breached that cliff of required knowledge to enjoy this game.


Because actually the enjoyment begins while learning. I know, and played, the series for a very long time now (about 10 years), but I will never forget the feeling of awe when I began to understand what wonderful love for detail was put into the game, on so many levels, what it means to be able to conduct grand strategy with so many tactical layers, and how complex and intelligent the overlaps between those layers were designed.

mantrain, if you feel overwhelmed by the learning curve, don´t worry. Many people here learned the game by jumping right into a grand campaign, but others have not. I am a big fan of the small scenarios, and reccommend them everytime I see someone new to the game posting about its scale.

If you have not already, check out Damians great basic tutorials for a start, then launch a scenario:

1000mile war is a great way to start making mistakes. Use it to get a general feel for the very basic game mechanisms, how to conduct small amphib ops, fight surface battles, and how to fight sub war, conduct ASW, and do small scale air ops.

Coral Sea is the best way to get a basic understanding of how a carrier battle works.

Both above scenarios are very short and can be handled in a few days, depending on your time available for the game. This enables you to replay them in case you want to eradicate some errors you made in your first attempts. Switch sides to understand the difficulties presented to your opponent. If you start to get bored by the small scale, usually it is a good sign to increase the scale.

Fire up Guadalcanal, and I promise, if you already understand the basic game mechanics, and know a bit about the historical background of the campaign, even against the AI the game will be fascinating. Play both sides, take your time, and enjoy the replays. Good analysis of the combat replays and reports are very important for later grand cmpaigns, and PBEM. Thankfully they are exciting to watch when it is your own units fighting for survival.

This approach has two big advantages: You can split the learning curve into smaller segments, and you can pay much more attention to details which will be missed in later by the scale of the grand campaign. Who cares if that approach takes half a year, a year, or longer?

The great thing about WitP is, the journey is the reward.


Edit: Tuorials are here

< Message edited by LoBaron -- 5/4/2013 10:56:44 PM >

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RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/5/2013 12:09:29 AM   
mantrain

 

Posts: 444
Joined: 9/3/2008
Status: offline 		Thanks LoBaron, everyone.
is there a checklist of what should be done prior to clicking the end turn button? I mean, the game is vast, how did I know I did what I need to do?

What recommendations as far as turn cycle to begin with? 2 days?

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Post #: 22
RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/5/2013 1:13:55 AM   
HexHead

 

Posts: 464
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From: I'm from New Hampshire; I only work in cyberspace
Status: offline 		There is a checklist or spreadsheet, stickied in one of the subforums - Strategy, I think.

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Post #: 23
RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/5/2013 1:22:26 AM   
HexHead

 

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From: I'm from New Hampshire; I only work in cyberspace
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quote:

ORIGINAL: mantrain

Thanks LoBaron, everyone.
is there a checklist of what should be done prior to clicking the end turn button? I mean, the game is vast, how did I know I did what I need to do?

What recommendations as far as turn cycle to begin with? 2 days?



Once you wear out a mouse with clicking, it starts to gel and make sense.

...

Seriously, the best way is to start with, "How do I get stuff from here to there? How about men & materiel? How do I tell my B-17s on Pearl to do a Naval Search & Attack in a hopelessly naive attempt to 'catch' the Kido Butai & punish them?"

Things like that. Hmmm, got some good Aussie elements mired in Singapore. How do I get them out?

Then you start to move on to seeing that Port Strikes are how you deny seaborne supply at the terminus; how LBA & CV air mesh; and how to conduct an amphibious assault.

Start with the Thousand Mile scenario - it'll teach you the basics of how to get from A to B 'cross the waves.

And read GreyJoy (A) vs Rader (J) in the AARs. It 's funny and a great learning tool - lotsa good tips.

< Message edited by HexHead -- 5/5/2013 1:24:48 AM >

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"Goddamn it, they're gittin' away!!"
- unknown tincan sailor near the end of Leyte Gulf, when Kurita retired

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Post #: 24
RE: Where is the tutorial? - 5/5/2013 1:29:37 AM   
Bullwinkle58


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quote:

ORIGINAL: mantrain

Thanks LoBaron, everyone.
is there a checklist of what should be done prior to clicking the end turn button? I mean, the game is vast, how did I know I did what I need to do?




One of the great things about a game this long is it doesn't matter in 99% of the cases. If you forget something do it tomorrow.

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