TheElf
Posts: 3870
Joined: 5/14/2003 From: Pax River, MD Status: offline
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Pasternakski, Funny you should pop up, i was just getting ready to agree with you whole heartedly over on your WiTP gameplay post(and I still do). If you've read any of my recent posts on the LRB poll, you may have noticed my love for historical accuracy. I also want to avoid changing UV for the sake of changing it or because people aren't artful with their assets. I will be the first person to stand up and say "are you doing everything you can with your assets?" when I read complaints of unbalanced gameplay. Maybe I haven't given UV a chance in regard to the Zero issue. To be fair I have only gotten to Dec 42 in most of my games. But, I have seen some things that don't compute when it comes to the calculations/machinations/PFMagic that determines the results of air to air combat (something I know a little about). Specifically flights of 3-6 B-17s or 10-20 Med Bombers at 6000 feet, Well within the heart of the Zeros envelope, facing 20-30 well rested highly experienced, non-malaria havin', well led Zero pilots. I'm talkin' Saburo Sakai-style with the kung fu grip. And they walk away unscathed, or only slightly damaged. Now I COULD go to the reference material and support my argument, but its way too late, and it IS just a game... That being said, if you could enlighten me on how to better use my assets to improve my boys performance, do tell. A note on historical accuracy. I am familiar with your idea of the perfect wargame. In fact I just read it and I agree 100%. the balance between gameplay and accuray is crucial. If the game is unbalanced in gameply, ie favors one side too strongly=no fun. If its too accurate, guess what, it favors one side, after all historically the US won! = no fun. Historical accuracy has its place though. In the stats. By correctly assigning stats to each unit in the game you give the players the tools. What he does with them is his choice. But when the stats are inaccurate and lead to the inaccurate interaction between the tools then people get frustrated. In large part 2by3 has done an outstanding job. No doubt COUNTLESS hours were devoted to getting things right on a BROAD racge of items. More detail than I ve EVER seem in a game! I have very few complaints. In fact I had none until I started reading these damned forums and saw that I wasn't the only one who had a question about this action or that dogfight. One of which is the inability of the Zero to do damage to med and hvy bombers. I fully realize the historical reputations of all A/C concerned here, but I have NEVER shot down a B-17! I rarley get any medium bombers. I know that to expect large numbers of Bombers to be downed when they are escorted by a competent unit of fighters is asking a lot. but what about the situation I mentioned above? I could accept it if it was a result of some freak of nature. Variables combined in such a way so as to allow them to escape unharmed after a successful raid, Jupiter aligned with Mars, Axle Rose and Slash back together again, dogs and cats living together...MASS HYSTERIA! But I digress One of my other few complaints is the dominance of 2nd Generation Allied A/C over Japanese A/C. If the conditions in the game mirror those in history, what SHOULD happen? The Japanese SHOULD be dominated, but as you so astutely put it in the WiTP post, part of the fun of these games is what if the Japaese didn't lose all their Elite Carrier Aviators at Midway. What if the Japanese player DOES manage to preserve an elite core of Army and Naval Aviators and CAN control the Production of one type of fighter over another? What if he trains his pilots himself to higher levels of proficiency than IRL(he can do that in any of the current scenarios)? What if a group of green, though well trained Corsairs meets a large number of Veteran Lae wing Zeros in an advantageous position over Rabaul? Should 13 Zeros be downed without loss to the F4U's, I think not. But it happens, a lot. I am NOT advocating major changes. Just accuarcy in the stats. A Corsair is not more maneuverable than a Zero. (I know that is the only way to distinguish the performance of each aircraft as it relates to another in game calculations) but maybe something else needs to be added? More consideration given to EXP levels, or even the artful use of assets... That ended up being too long! Regards Elf PS did I mention I agree with you?
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IN PERPETUUM SINGULARIS SEDES
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