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Digital Gaming => Computer Gaming => Topic started by: Rayfer on November 06, 2015, 09:48:30 AM

Title: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: Rayfer on November 06, 2015, 09:48:30 AM
My dad fought in the Pacific in WW2 so I have always had an interest in that theater. But I can't find the right strategic game covering the entire war that works with my 64 year old brain. War in the Pacific is just way too complex and at the other extreme there is SC: Pacific Theater and Storm Over the Pacific....both are too abstract, light on detail and not complex enough.  HOI3 is about between the two extremes but I struggle with the real time aspects (especially when the war starts, I prefer turn based) and regions rather than hexes. Is there anything out there I've missed that I might give a try? Ps. not interested in board games.
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: Barthheart on November 06, 2015, 09:55:57 AM
Have you looked at War Plan Pacific:

http://www.shrapnelgames.com/KE_Studios/WPP/WPP_page.html

I've not played it but heard good things about it. Also heard that is was sort of like the old AH game Victory in the Pacific.

It even has a demo.

Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: sandman2575 on November 06, 2015, 10:09:50 AM
Great question. I for one would pay through the nose for a strategic/operational level PTO game that was deep but not WitP-level of micromanagement. In short, a game that was closer to WitP on the complexity spectrum than games like Order of Battle: Pacific without getting mired in WitP's micromanagement hell.

Unfortunately HoI has always made a hash out of naval warfare, which was always a secondary (if not tertiary) concern for the series. I have some hope that HoI4 will be better and offer something approaching a decent representation of the Pacific war, but I have my doubts...

Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: Anguille on November 06, 2015, 10:47:54 AM
I've heard good things about War Plan Pacific too. I usually play Storm over the Pacific which i like.

What about Order of Battle: Pacific?

http://www.matrixgames.com/store/516/Order.of.Battle:.Pacific (http://www.matrixgames.com/store/516/Order.of.Battle:.Pacific)
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: Rayfer on November 06, 2015, 01:31:07 PM
Quote from: Barthheart on November 06, 2015, 09:55:57 AM
Have you looked at War Plan Pacific:

http://www.shrapnelgames.com/KE_Studios/WPP/WPP_page.html

I've not played it but heard good things about it. Also heard that is was sort of like the old AH game Victory in the Pacific.

It even has a demo.

Thanks for the link...wasn't aware of WPP, have never played a shrapnel game.  Anyone know if it works with Windows 10?
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: IronX on November 06, 2015, 02:14:51 PM
I see there is a demo there, which could be worth checking out for compatibility and gameplay.
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: Rayfer on November 06, 2015, 06:12:49 PM
Quote from: IronX on November 06, 2015, 02:14:51 PM
I see there is a demo there, which could be worth checking out for compatibility and gameplay.

Thanks...I went on their site but missed the mention of a demo.
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: Pete Dero on November 07, 2015, 04:36:56 AM
Not really strategic but cheap : Battlestations Pacific  (2,69 € this weekend)
http://www.greenmangaming.com/s/be/en/pc/games/strategy/battlestations-pacific/

Pacific Storm Allies (with community patch 1.7  http://steamcommunity.com/groups/PacifcStormGamers/discussions/1/613938575218163622/ )
http://store.steampowered.com/app/11260/
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa5Z4LLXZDehsBGctRqKlz6UpwJ5_FXCK

I have these games on my HD but never really played them so i can't tell if they are any good.
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: bbmike on November 07, 2015, 09:07:11 AM
I was looking for a good Pacific WWII about a year ago. I finally settled on SC:Pacific Theater. It is a bit light but fun. I could never really find the game I really wanted. I don't think it's out there.  :(
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: W8taminute on November 07, 2015, 10:04:46 AM
Quote from: Pete Dero on November 07, 2015, 04:36:56 AM
Not really strategic but cheap : Battlestations Pacific  (2,69 € this weekend)
http://www.greenmangaming.com/s/be/en/pc/games/strategy/battlestations-pacific/

Pacific Storm Allies (with community patch 1.7  http://steamcommunity.com/groups/PacifcStormGamers/discussions/1/613938575218163622/ )
http://store.steampowered.com/app/11260/
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa5Z4LLXZDehsBGctRqKlz6UpwJ5_FXCK

I have these games on my HD but never really played them so i can't tell if they are any good.

I have both of those games and have spent quite a lot of time with both.  Battlestations Pacific is a fun to play scripted action campaign game where you can jump into the seat of a plane, man the guns on a ship, or just sit back and direct your forces from the command chair.

Pacific Storm Allies had a rocky start which I was a part of.  Over the years this once abandoned game has been polished to the point where it is playable.  It's real time grand strategy but the battles are fought much like in Battlestations Pacific.  The plus with this game however is resource management, research, and industrial production.  For me the joy of this game is setting up your production lines to mass produce aircraft, ships, and buildings for the war effort.  You can even change the historical equipment on your aircraft  and ship models to suit your needs.  Say for example you need a small destroyer outfitted with the 'new' radar technology and the anti aircraft guns to go along.  You can do that.  I like changing the fuel tanks on the A6M2's to self sealing fuel tanks to improve survivability.   

You can also change the speed of the game to very slow to allow you the time to plan things out and neither of the above mentioned games are realtime click fests.  I'm an older gamer as well and appreciate games where I have the time to think things out.  I prefer turn based but sometimes I enjoy real time games if they have the ability to either pause and issue orders or at least slow time down enough to react to what's happening.
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: sandman2575 on November 07, 2015, 10:55:52 AM
W8aminute -- I'm very intrigued by what you say about Pacific Storm -- a game I always looked at as having amazing potential but thought was left for dead by the devs. You recommend picking it up then? I've seen it on sale so many times for practically 'giving it away' prices, but always held off b/c of all the reports that the game was terminally unplayable.  But if you think it's playable I will definitely jump in!

(+1 to praise for Battlestations: Pacific and Battlestations: Midway -- both are very fun games, but definitely video games. Still, there are hours of solid Pacific theatre entertainment to be gotten out of them.)

Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: Tuna on November 07, 2015, 05:00:06 PM
Always wanted to get into Pacific Storm, looks great on paper. Sounds like it's time to try and learn it again and give it another shot!
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: sandman2575 on November 07, 2015, 05:41:34 PM
The idea that Pac. Storm is playable and actively being supported by a dedicated community was too much for me to resist.  Purchased and am downloading the community 1.7 patch now.  8)
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: Boggit on November 07, 2015, 07:20:12 PM
I have this game on DVD. Will the patch work on the disk version, or is it only Steam compatible?
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: Johnnie on November 08, 2015, 12:29:23 AM
Rayfer:  You must try War Plan Pacific by Shrapnel.  It's playable;  you can complete the entire war in an evening,  a long evening.  There are a few separate strategies available to the Japanese (I play the Japanese side as I consider it more interesting.)  The games play out quite historically.  It is area (not hex) based.  It looks like the AH game (Victory in the Pacific?)  The combat is played out, more or less, like Carriers at War.

Aside from being playable and surprisingly historically accurate, it is really a lot of fun.  It has been the  hard drive of my last three pc's and I don't upgrade often.

Oh, I'm 64 also.  Every time I think of it I sing the Beatles tune in my head.  It was the Beatles right;  it's so hard to remember.
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: Boggit on November 08, 2015, 03:36:24 AM
Just wondering if the patch fixes the spawning issue where loading your game can result in dozens of enemy ships spawning at places you'd previously flattened them.
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: Pete Dero on November 08, 2015, 03:38:03 AM
Quote from: Boggit on November 07, 2015, 07:20:12 PM
I have this game on DVD. Will the patch work on the disk version, or is it only Steam compatible?

I have the Gamersgate version and the patch installed fine so i guess it should work with all versions.
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: bbmike on November 08, 2015, 08:30:22 AM
Quote from: Johnnie on November 08, 2015, 12:29:23 AM
Rayfer:  You must try War Plan Pacific by Shrapnel.  It's playable;  you can complete the entire war in an evening,  a long evening.  There are a few separate strategies available to the Japanese (I play the Japanese side as I consider it more interesting.)  The games play out quite historically.  It is area (not hex) based.  It looks like the AH game (Victory in the Pacific?)  The combat is played out, more or less, like Carriers at War.

Aside from being playable and surprisingly historically accurate, it is really a lot of fun.  It has been the  hard drive of my last three pc's and I don't upgrade often.

Oh, I'm 64 also.  Every time I think of it I sing the Beatles tune in my head.  It was the Beatles right;  it's so hard to remember.

Hmm, now you've made me want to go look War Plan again.
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: Rayfer on November 08, 2015, 08:34:47 AM
Quote from: Johnnie on November 08, 2015, 12:29:23 AM
Rayfer:  You must try War Plan Pacific by Shrapnel.  It's playable;  you can complete the entire war in an evening,  a long evening.  There are a few separate strategies available to the Japanese (I play the Japanese side as I consider it more interesting.)  The games play out quite historically.  It is area (not hex) based.  It looks like the AH game (Victory in the Pacific?)  The combat is played out, more or less, like Carriers at War.

Aside from being playable and surprisingly historically accurate, it is really a lot of fun.  It has been the  hard drive of my last three pc's and I don't upgrade often.

Oh, I'm 64 also.  Every time I think of it I sing the Beatles tune in my head.  It was the Beatles right;  it's so hard to remember.

LOL....love it there are old-timers around here like myself...."when I'm sixty-four"...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAzaOZfgf0M   I found the demo and intend to download and check it out on Monday.  Thanks for the reply.
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: Tuna on November 08, 2015, 09:34:19 AM
Quote from: sandman2575 on November 07, 2015, 05:41:34 PM
The idea that Pac. Storm is playable and actively being supported by a dedicated community was too much for me to resist.  Purchased and am downloading the community 1.7 patch now.  8)

So is it not updated from Steam? I fired it up last night, to try the tutorial. Screen Resolution seemed limited, it didn't seem to recognize my Joystick. Didn't look like anything 'changed'?
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: W8taminute on November 08, 2015, 01:01:43 PM
Quote from: sandman2575 on November 07, 2015, 10:55:52 AM
W8aminute -- I'm very intrigued by what you say about Pacific Storm -- a game I always looked at as having amazing potential but thought was left for dead by the devs. You recommend picking it up then? I've seen it on sale so many times for practically 'giving it away' prices, but always held off b/c of all the reports that the game was terminally unplayable.  But if you think it's playable I will definitely jump in!

(+1 to praise for Battlestations: Pacific and Battlestations: Midway -- both are very fun games, but definitely video games. Still, there are hours of solid Pacific theatre entertainment to be gotten out of them.)

Yes I enjoyed the game much better after a member of the community issued that 1.7 patch.  The game runs stable now on my Win8 machine.  The only problem I still have with this game though is if you lose three bases in the campaign then you automatically lose the war. 

The concept that makes me like this title is managing your nations inventory of hardware and assigning items to squadrons, ship divisions, and transport duties.  Managing how your raw materials are brought back to your nation so that you can construct ships and planes is fun.  Just be careful not to lose more than two bases and you should be ok.  If the game is on sale for under 10 then I would say get it.  It's worth about 10 hours of fun imho.
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: W8taminute on November 08, 2015, 01:03:54 PM
Quote from: Tuna on November 08, 2015, 09:34:19 AM
Quote from: sandman2575 on November 07, 2015, 05:41:34 PM
The idea that Pac. Storm is playable and actively being supported by a dedicated community was too much for me to resist.  Purchased and am downloading the community 1.7 patch now.  8)

So is it not updated from Steam? I fired it up last night, to try the tutorial. Screen Resolution seemed limited, it didn't seem to recognize my Joystick. Didn't look like anything 'changed'?

I think you have to manually apply the patch directly into your Steam apps directly for the game.  I got the game to recognize my joystick.  Make sure before you fire up the game your joystick is already connected.  Seems to make it easier for the game to recognize it.  I'm using a PC version of the xbox controller.
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: Pete Dero on November 08, 2015, 01:05:59 PM
Quote from: Tuna on November 08, 2015, 09:34:19 AM
Quote from: sandman2575 on November 07, 2015, 05:41:34 PM
The idea that Pac. Storm is playable and actively being supported by a dedicated community was too much for me to resist.  Purchased and am downloading the community 1.7 patch now.  8)

So is it not updated from Steam? I fired it up last night, to try the tutorial. Screen Resolution seemed limited, it didn't seem to recognize my Joystick. Didn't look like anything 'changed'?

You need to download the community patch ( http://www.mediafire.com/download/tzc4q5bvoooc35h/PSA_1.7.1.zip ) and install it manually : http://steamcommunity.com/groups/PacifcStormGamers/discussions/1/613938575218163622/
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: Tuna on November 08, 2015, 04:23:56 PM
The game recognized the Joystick before.. just didn't work.. I see online. .maybe I have to hit J key..

I downloaded the patch and my Hulls disappeared :-(.

Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: sandman2575 on November 08, 2015, 04:26:19 PM
Having a weird time with this. Applied the 1.7 and 1.71 patches. Everything works fine. But when I try to start a campaign as USA (or Great Britain), the game always launches the Japan campaign. It's bizarre -- I have no idea what could be causing this.   Is this a known problem? Haven't found any info  about it on the Steam PSA group forum (where the 1.7 patch is hosted)...
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: Pete Dero on November 08, 2015, 04:36:11 PM
Quote from: sandman2575 on November 08, 2015, 04:26:19 PM
Having a weird time with this. Applied the 1.7 and 1.71 patches. Everything works fine. But when I try to start a campaign as USA (or Great Britain), the game always launches the Japan campaign. It's bizarre -- I have no idea what could be causing this.   Is this a known problem? Haven't found any info  about it on the Steam PSA group forum (where the 1.7 patch is hosted)...

I don't have this issue.  Is the patch installed ok ?  You should see 1.7.10000 in the right top corner.

Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: sandman2575 on November 08, 2015, 05:26:53 PM
Yup, have the 1.7.10000 showing up.

Really strange. I would have thought that if it were a corrupt install, I'd should get a CTD or something. But just tried it again. Selected USA for campaign, and it loads up the Japan campaign. Very frustrating.

Probably have to start over from scratch with a fresh install. Wondering if it's actually worth it -- PSA is graphically a lot more primitive than I thought it would be. I was expecting something closer to the graphics level of Battlestations: Midway, but it's nowhere close.  Still, I'm very intrigued by the campaign and don't want to give up on this just yet.

EDIT -- I wonder if I just didn't apply the 1.71 hotfix correctly -- I copied it over the main game directory, but maybe I was supposed to copy it over the PSA directory in the mod folder...
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: sandman2575 on November 08, 2015, 07:51:15 PM
Quote from: W8taminute on November 08, 2015, 01:01:43 PM
The only problem I still have with this game though is if you lose three bases in the campaign then you automatically lose the war. 



Wait, what?  Does that mean if, playing USA, you lose the 3 bases in the Philippines, it's Game Over?  (Please tell me that's not the case -- that's beyond idiotic.)
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: W8taminute on November 08, 2015, 11:25:58 PM
Quote from: sandman2575 on November 08, 2015, 07:51:15 PM
Quote from: W8taminute on November 08, 2015, 01:01:43 PM
The only problem I still have with this game though is if you lose three bases in the campaign then you automatically lose the war. 



Wait, what?  Does that mean if, playing USA, you lose the 3 bases in the Philippines, it's Game Over?  (Please tell me that's not the case -- that's beyond idiotic.)

Unfortunately it is true.  Lose three bases and it's campaign over.  :(
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: Pete Dero on November 09, 2015, 05:09:40 AM
Quote from: sandman2575 on November 08, 2015, 04:26:19 PM
Having a weird time with this. Applied the 1.7 and 1.71 patches. Everything works fine. But when I try to start a campaign as USA (or Great Britain), the game always launches the Japan campaign. It's bizarre -- I have no idea what could be causing this.   Is this a known problem? Haven't found any info  about it on the Steam PSA group forum (where the 1.7 patch is hosted)...

Found this possible problem : there is a typo in folder name in the 1.7.1 zip file PSA 1.7.1\data\scipts instead of "scripts".
To make it work correctly, copy everything from scipts to scripts.  Hope this solves the problem.
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: sandman2575 on November 09, 2015, 08:11:07 AM
Thanks Pete,  that was indeed the problem. Got the USA campaign working. Now just have to figure out how on earth to play this.   :)
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: Pete Dero on November 09, 2015, 08:56:30 AM
Quote from: sandman2575 on November 09, 2015, 08:11:07 AM
Now just have to figure out how on earth to play this.   :)

Watch someone else play it :



Full playlist : https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa5Z4LLXZDehsBGctRqKlz6UpwJ5_FXCK
Title: Re: WW2-Pacific Theater
Post by: Pete Dero on November 16, 2015, 01:26:59 PM
If someone is still interested : Pacific Storm + Pacific Storm Allies for 1,25 €.

http://store.steampowered.com/sub/927/?snr=1_7_7_weeklongdeals_150_4