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Release date announced is Nov 17. 

http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4166092&mpage=1&key=&#4166092

Curiously intrigued and mildly excited.  ^-^

Quote from: Sir Slash on October 17, 2016, 10:03:08 AM
Curiously intrigued and mildly excited.  ^-^

Watched quite a lot of the video AAR of the German invasion of Poland and then France. Saw a lot that I liked, the biggest being the return to hexes over squares. But it appears they have retained the one ship per hex of the old games.  I was hoping they would have added fleets.

Quote from: Rayfer on October 17, 2016, 10:52:23 AM

Quote from: Sir Slash on October 17, 2016, 10:03:08 AM
Curiously intrigued and mildly excited.  ^-^

Watched quite a lot of the video AAR of the German invasion of Poland and then France. Saw a lot that I liked, the biggest being the return to hexes over squares. But it appears they have retained the one ship per hex of the old games.  I was hoping they would have added fleets.

Yes, I am excited and going to get it anyway, but the thing that I dont like about it is there is no any sort of stacking, or at least some units should be mixed (a fleet for example), and since the game is using Corps and armies units it should not retain using specialized companies and battalions (Anti-tank etc)as a separate unit which will occupy a whole hex (maybe a hex length is more than 30 kM), such a system is nice for beer & pretzel game but I guess Strategic Command is more abstracted wargame let say than GG WTIE, yet it should be realistic in a way that let play in a bigger picture with less details.

I don't mean to come over all dampening on peoples enthusiasm...ok...I do... ;D

Seriously - 3 questions...

• Why is there no stacking of air/land units...or is there? I couldn't see any in the screenshots. That kind of mechanic was in Panzer General 1!
• You can't be telling me that a strategic game has an aircraft carrier in it's own hex?
• What's the price - or is it being kept until launch day like Matrix/Slitherine always do?

Kudos for supporting units both as 2D counters and as 3D miniatures  :)

Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 17, 2016, 01:02:21 PM
I don't mean to come over all dampening on peoples enthusiasm...ok...I do... ;D

Seriously - 3 questions...

• Why is there no stacking of air/land units...or is there? I couldn't see any in the screenshots. That kind of mechanic was in Panzer General 1!
• You can't be telling me that a strategic game has an aircraft carrier in it's own hex?
• What's the price - or is it being kept until launch day like Matrix/Slitherine always do?

#2.....agreed, makes no sense at all considering the scale of the game.

IIRC, you couldn't stack in any of the previous incarnations of SC.  I might be thinking of another game, but I think it was SC.

Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 17, 2016, 01:02:21 PM
I don't mean to come over all dampening on peoples enthusiasm...ok...I do... ;D

Seriously - 3 questions...

• Why is there no stacking of air/land units...or is there? I couldn't see any in the screenshots. That kind of mechanic was in Panzer General 1!
• You can't be telling me that a strategic game has an aircraft carrier in it's own hex?
• What's the price - or is it being kept until launch day like Matrix/Slitherine always do?

$79 is always my default guess:)

Quote from: RyanE on October 17, 2016, 03:01:57 PM
IIRC, you couldn't stack in any of the previous incarnations of SC.  I might be thinking of another game, but I think it was SC.

I don't know - new to the series - but I wasn't really suggesting that it's a feature that's been removed - simply questioning why it's a feature that's not IN given this is 2016 and Panzer General (which had shared spaces between air and land units) was back in 1994  :)

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 17, 2016, 04:31:52 PM

Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 17, 2016, 01:02:21 PM
I don't mean to come over all dampening on peoples enthusiasm...ok...I do... ;D

Seriously - 3 questions...

• Why is there no stacking of air/land units...or is there? I couldn't see any in the screenshots. That kind of mechanic was in Panzer General 1!
• You can't be telling me that a strategic game has an aircraft carrier in it's own hex?
• What's the price - or is it being kept until launch day like Matrix/Slitherine always do?

$79 is always my default guess:)

Smart.

Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 17, 2016, 04:59:06 PM

Quote from: RyanE on October 17, 2016, 03:01:57 PM
IIRC, you couldn't stack in any of the previous incarnations of SC.  I might be thinking of another game, but I think it was SC.

I don't know - new to the series - but I wasn't really suggesting that it's a feature that's been removed - simply questioning why it's a feature that's not IN given this is 2016 and Panzer General (which had shared spaces between air and land units) was back in 1994  :)

It isn't that they can't do it; their design decision is that they don't want to have stacking

It was explained as being too complicated.  Its their game and design decision, but that is not the reason I would have used.  Considering numerous games have had stacking since the 1990's at least.

No stacking....how quaint.

Aren't air units handled differently than ground units in SC?  I don't think they have to be adjacement to attack or defend, do they?

I'm interested but JD brings up some valid points.  Also is this game hotseat playable?  Couldn't find the answer over at Matrix but I didn't look hard.

Becoming steadily less intrigued and excited. By the minute.

Quote from: Sir Slash on October 17, 2016, 09:40:07 PM
Becoming steadily less intrigued and excited. By the minute.

+1.  Sad. How can you have combat, especially at this scale, without stacking? Are the single counters "boxes" that you fill with a mix of troops (tanks, trucks infantry, etc.) or is it all Inf or tanks? Kind of a make or break question.

There is no stacking at all, even for air units, here is a thread talking about since a year ago in matrix forum: http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3870627
The air units can be far behind your main line, and can attack within its arrange without the need of physically moving it, and since the map is huge, I do not see this is a problem, only maybe in some situations where you have a far away isolated one hex island in the pacific and you want to occupy both land and air unit.
Regardless, the game still seems to be enjoyable, and I hope their design choice is the best for the game.

Quote from: solops on October 17, 2016, 10:34:38 PM

Quote from: Sir Slash on October 17, 2016, 09:40:07 PM
Becoming steadily less intrigued and excited. By the minute.

+1.  Sad. How can you have combat, especially at this scale, without stacking? Are the single counters "boxes" that you fill with a mix of troops (tanks, trucks infantry, etc.) or is it all Inf or tanks? Kind of a make or break question.

From the lets play on you tube it is clear that there is no mixed troops, there are separate unit of Anti-tank and artillery that occupy a hex as shown in the 11m24s:

Well I'm going to have to go against the grain here and give the opinion that this approach is not only sound, it is welcome. I love the big games that delve deeply into historical accuracy and complex play that involve stacks upon stacks of units to shuffle to and fro. There are certainly no shortage of them on my hard drive e.g. War in the East/West, Campaign Series, Decisive Campaigns etc. 

There are, however, precious few games on the light side that offer fast play and streamlined control. Of those that do fall into this category, Panzer Corps, Commander: Europe at War etc none offer this big of operations while including a diverse number and types of units. PC is just too generic and CeaW much too simplistic.

It seems as though this game will fall somewhere between the two, in a space that is wide open. The game doesn't need stacking to be enjoyable imo. As long as it is plausible and fluid I think it will hit it's mark.  Let us move chits and build units that are not all cookie cutters. For all the times I don't want to clumsily go through the umpteenth stack I think it will be great. Never played SC before, but I am looking forward to its release.

Dozing off so that may not even make sense.

^Agreed that it isn't going to be "that monster" and will be in between PC/CeaW and GG:WitW and WitE and there's a market for that.

But I think it's going just a bit too simplistic again for me - it's just PC on a grand scale - certainly with regard to unit types and hex content

Looking further at it, it seems it will be a little too much like Commander for my taste where the unit strength is a number and that their isn't much variations between like units. I would have hoped they had been more unique in their stats signifying various compositions giving different attack and defense values as well as movement, assault etc. I hope I'm wrong, but it looks like one unit is exactly like the next as long as the strength is the same.


Hmmm.


EDIT: Just read your post JD and I agree. Too generic. I despise the 1 through 10 strength number as stats.

That is the problem it is too simple and generic, I was hoping for something like HOI scale but turn based, balanced and working in smarter way without going very in depth regarding the simulation, but it seems like strategic command is more of B&P with a hint of diplomacy and research.

The non-stacking for ground units is ok with me, especially at this scale where most of your units are corps. It's the naval piece that is the big head-scratcher.  It ruined the older SC: Pacific War (or whatever it was called).

I don't have a problem with the non-stacking of ground units either. What I object to is the way air units engage ground units. Panzer General was released in 1994 and air units in it attacked land units from overhead, not from adjacent hexes. Why can't Strategic Command WWII: War in Europe do the same?

No matter how good the game is otherwise, it seems to have been designed in such an amateurish fashion that I don't have any desire to purchase or play it.

Quote from: Greybriar on October 18, 2016, 09:44:00 AM
I don't have a problem with the non-stacking of ground units either. What I object to is the way air units engage ground units. Panzer General was released in 1994 and air units in it attacked land units from overhead, not from adjacent hexes. Why can't Strategic Command WWII: War in Europe do the same?

No matter how good the game is otherwise, it seems to have been designed in such an amateurish fashion that I don't have any desire to purchase or play it.

Not sure I understand your concern....you can attack units by air from a distance, you don't have to be adjacent. They will be attacked by anti-air units and interceptors as would be expected.

In SC your air unit represents (as far as I am aware, having played them all) your air base which then has an attack range which is what you use to "fly over" and attack  a unit and also to intercept.

Personally I like the non-stacking of the SC series and am particularly looking forward to going back to hexes.

To each his own.  I've played every one of the Strategic Command games.  The World War 1 game was especially good.  Naval combat has always been a weakness and I concur that the Pacific War version was not good.

In previous editions SC air units had very long ranges to hit opponents, run intercept missions, and what not.  Stacking the air units was not necessary given their combat system.

I like games with this degree of complexity.  I don't want games that I have to study like a second job.  But this is a personal taste thing.  Strategic Command and Order of Battle are about the degree of complexity that I find enjoyable in a wargame.

One thing I am most curious about is turn processing time....I remember trying some of the old versions and it seemed to take forever for moves to happen.  Although I appreciate it might make the AI smarter, I just don't have patience for long turns:)

Quote from: Rayfer on October 18, 2016, 10:51:20 AM

Quote from: Greybriar on October 18, 2016, 09:44:00 AM
I don't have a problem with the non-stacking of ground units either. What I object to is the way air units engage ground units. Panzer General was released in 1994 and air units in it attacked land units from overhead, not from adjacent hexes. Why can't Strategic Command WWII: War in Europe do the same?

No matter how good the game is otherwise, it seems to have been designed in such an amateurish fashion that I don't have any desire to purchase or play it.

Not sure I understand your concern....you can attack units by air from a distance, you don't have to be adjacent. They will be attacked by anti-air units and interceptors as would be expected.

I think I am confusing this this game with one that has a similar title. :P

Strategic Command came out in a time where there were no current grand strategy games and had a huge following. I believe it still does.  My wish is that someone would develop a Grand Strat game somewhere in complexity between World in Flames and SC/C:EaW. I'm not sure what that would look like, but I know such a game is sorely missing in the genre.

Maybe a touch lower in complexity than the HoI series but turn based.

I wonder, are there any mods that turn HoI4 into a turn based system? Something that restricted planning by predetermined and auto pauses?

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 18, 2016, 03:39:11 PM
One thing I am most curious about is turn processing time....I remember trying some of the old versions and it seemed to take forever for moves to happen.  Although I appreciate it might make the AI smarter, I just don't have patience for long turns:)

Also, how scripted is this series?  Or is the AI totally reactive and different each game?

Sneak peak: the manual
http://www.matrixgames.com/amazon/PDF/StrategicCommand_SP/Strategic%20Command%20sample.pdf (http://www.matrixgames.com/amazon/PDF/StrategicCommand_SP/Strategic%20Command%20sample.pdf)

This one does look like a sweet spot between those two extremes (I'm eager to play it, but 9 months after buying Civil War 2, I still haven't started a game). 

I do miss the ability to customize units any differently than "Infantry / Type 2".  While that makes for a more wide-open "sand box" mode, it bleaches the historical flavor out of a genre that just drips historical flavor.

I don't really understand why games like this don't bother to build out Major Power-specific research trees that tweak the stats differently.  Rename an American Level 3 fighter a "P-47 Thunderbolt" and give it slightly different stats than the German Level 3 "FW-190 Focke Wulfe".  Or even just build the functionality in so that it's easy for modders to do that, and then offer to buy the product from them nine months after the game's release?

That seems like an easy compromise versus the "Generic Tank 5" thing, and makes the research aspect of a game much more interesting.

Looking at this game....I'm thinking it's less complex than hoI4, at least to my noobish eyes.

Might give this one a go. I REALLY want to dig HoI4, but I couldn't wrap my pee sized brain around it.  :uglystupid2:

Quote from: FarAway Sooner on October 24, 2016, 10:56:43 AM
I don't really understand why games like this don't bother to build out Major Power-specific research trees that tweak the stats differently.  Rename an American Level 3 fighter a "P-47 Thunderbolt" and give it slightly different stats than the German Level 3 "FW-190 Focke Wulfe".

Me either. Surely it would not be too difficult to implement?

I'm happy that at least they didn't "generic-ize" the game's title to something like "War of Command: Men in Combat"!  But yeah, less generic units, if possible, would help give it a more historical focus without making it overly groggy.

Quote from: IronX on October 24, 2016, 01:52:51 PM
"War of Command: Men in Combat"

;D  ...although admittedly, a game I'd probably buy.

One of my gaming pet-peeves, but the lack of imagination that goes into some game titles - especially groggy historical titles - never ceases to amaze me.  "Strategic War in Europe". "Order of Battle". "Theater of War". "Unity of Command". Etc. etc.

Yeah, it's a pet peeve of mine too. I can only guess that generic titles and unit names are either due to laziness or an attempt to appeal to an audience with little knowledge of history. Having said that, I am looking forward to seeing how this game turns out.

Just throwing this out there, but what's wrong with some of the grand strategy scenarios that you can get with TOAWIII?  The graphics issue I think is mostly resolved with the latest updates; maybe not breathtaking but you can now zoom in and the graphics look much less "digitized".  The OOB's/TOE's for many of those are quite surprisingly researched, detailed and complete. 

I think learning to play TOAW is the problem.

Much less of a learning curve than say HOI, IMO.  It's fairly simple to just move and attack in TOAW.  Learning to coordinate the attacks and using assets is where the game really shines but it's not rocket science.

I should have said playing it well. And I don't disagree about it being any worse than HOI. Different though.

Why are they so bad at drawing maps in the Strategic series.....

Quote from: mirth on October 24, 2016, 06:09:44 PM
I think learning to play TOAW is the problem.

It's not too hard to learn but the you are pushing thousands of counters in mega scenarios.

There are helps though like player side AI to automate the task.

I didn't know the manual was going to be like this

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FSnap33_zps4fy2pbxj.jpg&hash=b09ece1f58b5bbd6d15605def44f7c246653ba63) (http://s1160.photobucket.com/user/wmar1967/media/Snap33_zps4fy2pbxj.jpg.html)

That's a £70 game right there  :-[

Quote from: FlickJax on October 25, 2016, 02:54:36 AM
Why are they so bad at drawing maps in the Strategic series.....

Because most hex/counter computer wargames choose to tile the images for their maps and that gives it a very "repeated pattern" look to them.  I can understand that choice where the game has a scenario and map builder for the user so that you can create custom or random maps but I do not understand why a game that covers the entire war at the same scale needs to do that instead of just painting a nice looking map of Europe/Asia. 

Quote from: jomni on October 25, 2016, 03:39:50 AM

Quote from: mirth on October 24, 2016, 06:09:44 PM
I think learning to play TOAW is the problem.

It's not too hard to learn but the you are pushing thousands of counters in mega scenarios.

There are helps though like player side AI to automate the task.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of the 1000's of counters where you just keep moving up the strongest units to attack, advance if you can, rinse and repeat a 1000 times to hopefully get closer to their capital...ugh.  There are a number of scenarios out there though that are at much higher scale - like corps/army.  There was a fun one that tried to mimic the classic "Third Reich" boardgame and I recently played one that covered all of the Eastern front at corps scale that was very manageable and very challenging. 

Gotta admit, that's a mighty fine lookin' manual right there...

But as JD says, probably priced accordingly...

^ Agreed

Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 25, 2016, 07:46:15 AM
I didn't know the manual was going to be like this

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FSnap33_zps4fy2pbxj.jpg&hash=b09ece1f58b5bbd6d15605def44f7c246653ba63) (http://s1160.photobucket.com/user/wmar1967/media/Snap33_zps4fy2pbxj.jpg.html)

That's a £70 game right there  :-[

They will probably have sharply different prices for the physical copy of the game compared to a download with a pdf.

^ Those games go into the Collectors Edition and they cost.

Not saying they're not worth it - everyone has their price - just that you should be prepared to pay.

I really don't even understand why Matrixgames is offering these super-nice hard-bound manuals.  After a patch or two or ten, the manual become useless.

Hopefully it will be more in line with DC: Barbarossa (which also has a nice hardback manual) - £30 on Steam (PDF manual), £43 on Matrix (PDF manual) or £56 + P&P (Hardback manual)

If it is as the above I'll probably forgo the printed manual because whilst very nice (I have the War in the West one) it's not worth doubling the price of the game to get.

P.S. just looked back at my purchase history on Steam and I got DC: Barb for £23.99 in a sale 6 months after release .

Quote from: airboy on October 25, 2016, 11:23:58 AM

Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 25, 2016, 07:46:15 AM
I didn't know the manual was going to be like this

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FSnap33_zps4fy2pbxj.jpg&hash=b09ece1f58b5bbd6d15605def44f7c246653ba63) (http://s1160.photobucket.com/user/wmar1967/media/Snap33_zps4fy2pbxj.jpg.html)

That's a £70 game right there  :-[

They will probably have sharply different prices for the physical copy of the game compared to a download with a pdf.

Didnt think this game was complex enough to warrant a manual that big...

Not being fooled by manuals again....War in flames already screwed me once:)

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 25, 2016, 06:12:58 PM
Not being fooled by manuals again....War in flames already screwed me once:)

It wasn't a nice manual? : P

Quote from: mirth on October 25, 2016, 06:23:35 PM

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 25, 2016, 06:12:58 PM
Not being fooled by manuals again....War in flames already screwed me once:)

It wasn't a nice manual? : P

Nice manual for $100...game sucked and continues to suck.

Soooo.....essentially they were selling the manual and the game was a throw in?   ::)

Quote from: Steelgrave on October 25, 2016, 07:42:44 PM
Soooo.....essentially they were selling the manual and the game was a throw in?   ::)

Whoa, whoa. Slow down. Not a working copy of the game.

Quote from: mirth on October 25, 2016, 07:57:04 PM

Quote from: Steelgrave on October 25, 2016, 07:42:44 PM
Soooo.....essentially they were selling the manual and the game was a throw in?   ::)

Whoa, whoa. Slow down. Not a working copy of the game.

Got ahead of myself again, didn't I?   ::)

I dont know, i'm feeling the pull of that manual. I ordered the DCB book/manual, first hard copy in 10 years and i'm pretty happy with it. There weren't a ton of massive changes so the manual is still relevant and it looks real nice. This game is not my preferred scale and i've tried other game at this scale and been a little overwhelmed with all the choices but this looks approachable for my feeble brain. Unless of course it's $79.99

Quote from: -budd- on October 25, 2016, 08:29:17 PM
I dont know, i'm feeling the pull of that manual. I ordered the DCB book/manual, first hard copy in 10 years and i'm pretty happy with it. There weren't a ton of massive changes so the manual is still relevant and it looks real nice. This game is not my preferred scale and i've tried other game at this scale and been a little overwhelmed with all the choices but this looks approachable for my feeble brain. Unless of course it's $79.99

At least 79.99 without a doubt

Hard copy $59.99  :)  If i remember correctly thats what i payed for DCB, manual and all. Don't think its a monster game price thing here, but i've been wrong before.

Quote from: -budd- on October 25, 2016, 08:36:14 PM
Hard copy $59.99  :)  If i remember correctly thats what i payed for DCB, manual and all. Don't think its a monster game price thing here, but i've been wrong before.

We'll see but I will hang my hat on $79...seems to be a popular price for them

if thats the case i'll probably wait. There's only a few dev's i'll buy on release. I don't own any of the other SC games but have followed the development of them, like i said its not my preferred scale. One thing i have noticed is they support there games well and that certainly if worth considering.Game support is pretty much a prerequisite for me to buy on release.

I would be glad to be wrong, but seems like this will be a flagship product for them

That "hardback" looks like a render to me. Can't see how they could reasonably fill that many pages unless this version of the game is very different from the previous versions.

Quote from: Bardolph on October 25, 2016, 11:36:47 PM
That "hardback" looks like a render to me. Can't see how they could reasonably fill that many pages unless this version of the game is very different from the previous versions.

I've got no doubt that is a render. However, if it's shown like that, I'm pretty sure it'll be like that. The example manual that's kicking about has a TOC - so that should tell you how many pages there are

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 25, 2016, 08:38:48 PM

Quote from: -budd- on October 25, 2016, 08:36:14 PM
Hard copy $59.99  :)  If i remember correctly thats what i payed for DCB, manual and all. Don't think its a monster game price thing here, but i've been wrong before.

We'll see but I will hang my hat on $79...seems to be a popular price for them

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 25, 2016, 08:54:21 PM
I would be glad to be wrong, but seems like this will be a flagship product for them

I agree

It always annoyed the hell out of me that Matrix would get down about the price flame wars that kicked off on release of their products. For a month prior to release they would see the speculation growing and the various vociferous discussions about pricing and then on release day - BAM! - hitting people with a £100 bill (with customs - that's how much WiF was going to cost).

What annoyed me most about it was them watching this happen and created the environment for it to breed and really spoil release day. I was always of the mind if they released the price, people would "get used to it" over time and possibly have the fight taken out of them on release day and have a much more appealing release day for their products.

I could be wrong - but given the alternative - guaranteed price war - then what was to lose.

I don't know much about previous Strategic Command games - but it seems it has a strong following....so I would look out for another price flame war on release if Matrix price this above £50 - which, looking at the manual, I have no doubt they will.

Just spotted this on the Barbarossa AAR on the Matrix site:

"The first change allows to switch the sides, even during the game. I just need to go back to the corresponding menu, click "Allies" instead of "Axis", and I have changed the sides.
The second new feature allows me to let the AI control a Major Country of my side while I control the other. So I can play Germany and let the AI control Italy. Or even vice versa."

Now I'm even more interested.

Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 26, 2016, 12:41:43 AM

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 25, 2016, 08:38:48 PM

Quote from: -budd- on October 25, 2016, 08:36:14 PM
Hard copy $59.99  :)  If i remember correctly thats what i payed for DCB, manual and all. Don't think its a monster game price thing here, but i've been wrong before.

We'll see but I will hang my hat on $79...seems to be a popular price for them

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 25, 2016, 08:54:21 PM
I would be glad to be wrong, but seems like this will be a flagship product for them

I don't know much about previous Strategic Command games - but it seems it has a strong following....so I would look out for another price flame war on release if Matrix price this above £50 - which, looking at the manual, I have no doubt they will.

Seems like the game does have a dedicated following but like a lot of "niche games" especially war games dedicated don't mean big sales numbers. I see they have an opportunity with this game, kind of a HOI lite thats more military focus and easier to get into. Is this going to steam? dont remember any reference to steam, might do well unless they price themselves out. I'll probably get it, maybe even hard copy, just not sure about that because if there is massive changes the manual will be outdated fast. It just looks way more approachable then say HOI, but again not my scale and it will depend on pricing to decide when i will get it. Guess we will find out in 2 weeks.

Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 17, 2016, 01:02:21 PM
I don't mean to come over all dampening on peoples enthusiasm...ok...I do... ;D

Seriously - 3 questions...

• Why is there no stacking of air/land units...or is there? I couldn't see any in the screenshots. That kind of mechanic was in Panzer General 1!
• You can't be telling me that a strategic game has an aircraft carrier in it's own hex?
• What's the price - or is it being kept until launch day like Matrix/Slitherine always do?

I am not excited about this one either. It looks and seems to play like too many games that have come before.  And I am starting to really loath grand strategy games that don't allow stacking.  My dollars will get excited about something new and different... It's kind of like 4x space games...I think I already have this one.

Not sure if I will buy right away.  I like to wait a little after the game comes out

Saw this posted at Matrix...I hope this is not heading down the path of World in Flames of promised post release functions and fixes....also, I asked about AI processing time...seems like it will be in the 1-3 minute range...not sure how I feel about that.  I am an impatient person:)

We are in the process of delivering the final release master for Strategic Command. Unfortunately, due to the volume and quality of feedback on single player we've not had the time to focus on the multiplayer testing that we wanted. Rather than release an untested multiplayer version we are going to launch the single player only version this week so those eagerly waiting can get their hands on it and we will add multiplayer as soon as we are happy with it. We expect to have a beta version of multiplayer releasing in the next week or two and the final version shortly after that. While we are aware this is not ideal we feel this is the best way to minimize any inconvenience. We are already working hard to solve it as quickly as possible.

Thanks for your patience.

I can see this not going over well.

Quote from: -budd- on November 14, 2016, 01:51:01 PM
I can see this not going over well.

The part that bothers me just like WIF, this shouldn't have been a last minute surprise to them...seems like this kind of announcement could have been made long ago since they were concentrating on single player....feels like deja vu.

Looks like a lose/lose situation for them if they were bound and determined to hit that date. Either release with buggy multiplayer or no multiplayer.

Quote from: -budd- on November 14, 2016, 02:06:35 PM
Looks like a lose/lose situation for them if they were bound and determined to hit that date. Either release with buggy multiplayer or no multiplayer.

Personally, don't think its about a date....just proper communication with the community, more so then 3 days ahead of the release and then making promises.  I will never play MP so no big deal to me at all...they also made some promises about features planned for the game early on that don't appear to be in the release (still trying to review that at the official forums).  I hope they succeed, but just smells like the past.  But if the game is still strong enough, likely will still be on my radar.....then I can blame only myself:)

I just wonder if the lack of multiplayer and features mentioned but not implemented has made them rethink there price point, I can see a really high price point going over like a lead ballon. For me it just looks like a nice entry game for grand strategy without overwhelming me like HOI type games.

Quote from: -budd- on November 14, 2016, 03:05:50 PM
I just wonder if the lack of multiplayer and features mentioned but not implemented has made them rethink there price point, I can see a really high price point going over like a lead ballon. For me it just looks like a nice entry game for grand strategy without overwhelming me like HOI type games.

Excellent point....if a very high price, then will make it just like WIF for sure.....hopefully not the same mistake....personally these are my two guesses for price.

1)  49.99 (download, plus $15 for physical with manual)
2)  79.99 (download, plus $15 for physical with manual)

I am hoping more like option #1:)

A stream session from today...

https://www.twitch.tv/slitherinegroup/v/101071660

Wasn't the price $49 when battlefront was selling it? Don't see anything that would make it go above that price point, but you never know.

Quote from: -budd- on November 14, 2016, 03:21:19 PM
Wasn't the price $49 when battlefront was selling it? Don't see anything that would make it go above that price point, but you never know.

I believe it was in that range....probably only difference is if Matrix feels it is one of their "Premium" titles...if it stays in that range, then it has a chance....I guess we'll see in a few days.

No multiplayer on release... I think I am going to wait. Man I was so hyped...

Saw Ian responding to the controversy of leaving the SS out of the game as specific units....I am not worried about that specifically, but as he talks about it and the perfection of the game, makes me think leanings toward the $79 cost of a premium game:)

For me the key point to bear in mind is the scale. At the scale we are representing it doesn't make sense to represent the SS in standard military units as our units are too large. Each unit in the game represents a multitude of sub units some of which are SS. The SS units combat values are abstracted in to the army level stats covered by the technology advantage and readiness/morale advantages the Germans enjoy in the early game. We never even thought about suggesting SS unit names as they did not exist at the army level we represent so there is no compromise as it was just not an issue. A tank unit with heavy tanks 3 is the same for all nations, so people can understand what is happening. By design we do not have different values for different nations, and the advantage German armour had in early war is represented by the techs they have. This again is a design decision, not a comment on the history.

I know some people feel strongly about this but this is already a niche hobby and if we go out of our way to look for issues when 99% of the game is perfect and we don't agree with 1%, then no game is ever going to succeed. Also as already mentioned you can mod to your hearts content so if you want to change unit names please feel free. The modding support for Hubert's games is immense.

I really hope nobody misses out on this awesome and unique game because of this issue. I'm hugely enjoying the game and can't wait to find enough free time to complete a game.

come on ....you always pick $79 :) ...of course last time you were right :notworthy:

Quote from: -budd- on November 15, 2016, 07:01:03 PM
come on ....you always pick $79 :) ...of course last time you were right :notworthy:

I would love to be wrong....kind of hoping for $39 range, but guessing not very likely.  As usual they are quiet about the cost but only 2 days away from release.

What scale are the units supposed to represent - or is that abstracted too?

Quote from: GJK on November 15, 2016, 07:47:20 PM
What scale are the units supposed to represent - or is that abstracted too?

As per the counters they are Corps and Armies.

Quote from: Raied on November 15, 2016, 11:10:34 PM

Quote from: GJK on November 15, 2016, 07:47:20 PM
What scale are the units supposed to represent - or is that abstracted too?

As per the counters they are Corps and Armies.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.....counters are corps and armies on land, and yet at sea they are individual ships with only one allowed per hex. I have never understood why this series never went to fleets for sea counters. The one ship per hex makes no sense at all. What am I missing here?

Quote from: Rayfer on November 16, 2016, 07:40:15 AM

Quote from: Raied on November 15, 2016, 11:10:34 PM

Quote from: GJK on November 15, 2016, 07:47:20 PM
What scale are the units supposed to represent - or is that abstracted too?

As per the counters they are Corps and Armies.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.....counters are corps and armies on land, and yet at sea they are individual ships with only one allowed per hex. I have never understood why this series never went to fleets for sea counters. The one ship per hex makes no sense at all. What am I missing here?

You are right, it doesn't make any sense I agree with you, this is the same problem also other games had such as commander: the great war, the solution is simple, just make it fleet as you mentioned, and the tech should determine if for example your subs are strong or weak within the fleet.

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 15, 2016, 07:05:59 PM

Quote from: -budd- on November 15, 2016, 07:01:03 PM
come on ....you always pick $79 :) ...of course last time you were right :notworthy:

I would love to be wrong....kind of hoping for $39 range, but guessing not very likely.  As usual they are quiet about the cost but only 2 days away from release.

lol @ pouncing the price on the public on release  :idiot2:

I've said before and I'll say again - given the flame wars that occur when a games price at Matrix is revealed, why the hell you would want that to mar the release day is beyond me.  :pullhair:

Yep, but I guess we only have a day to find out....

It's the Final Countdown!

Here you go lads....

Digital is reasonably priced, but if you live in the UK and want Physical copy for the manual...

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FSnap1_zpszsqugjl8.jpg&hash=8c1fc24d87a1804e91818986986c78fb212d8a20) (http://s1160.photobucket.com/user/wmar1967/media/Snap1_zpszsqugjl8.jpg.html)

Digital copy £34.99
Physical Copy +£12.00
Delivery £29.97
Total £76.96

British company apparently (Slitherine) and no UK postage.

I don't even know if that includes VAT which we pay here and if it's shipping from the US, there will be a customs charge on that too.  :DD

Seems reasonable, probably picking this up this weekend. Asked a question about the manual over at Matrix, don't see many details on the manual.

From Matrix forum:

Quote
Where are you based? The Physical version is only $54.99, digital $39.99. Shipping to Europe is expensive and costs around $30+.

We will be adding the game to Amazon in UK and US next week which offers low or free shipping depending on your location. We've been struggling to find better shipping options but nobody seems to offer us anything better sadly. We're trying to get a European warehouse opened again to reduce costs but we cant compete with Amazon on this so we supply them direct so you can do that if you prefer.

We're just waiting for the stock to arrive at Amazon. It only just arrived at our warehouse, it has to be integrated, manufactured with disks and shipped off to Amazon. We'll see if we can get pre-orders set up so you can order now.

Once the game is on Amazon you can get the manual for much cheaper

I see it's $15 to upgrade, must be one of those nice manuals. $54 for hardcopy.

I can't imagine paying that for anything that wasn't massive and extraordinary.

The download price is basically $40 (US), which is about what I would expect for something like this, and in line (slightly less, actually) with what Battlefront sells the WW I game for.

I was a Beta tester and just re-read the NDA, and my interpretation of that document is that I still have to be fairly judicious about what I say.

If you're a Strategic Command fanboy, you'll love the game and shell out eighty quid for a hard copy without thinking twice.

I will spend the next month trying to decide whether to buy the download version or not, partially because I'm seriously broke and the game isn't on my must-have list.

Got reply about the manual. There's shots of it on Ian's Twitter account, looks nice. This seems like a game where the manual might not get to outdated. I'd post a link but I'm at work.

I laid out in my post the breakdown of the price - just so there's no confusion about what I was disgruntled about...

The actual price of the game is fine and the upgrade to physical is fine as well with a good looking manual

The "ultimate" price is ridiculous and it's down to postage. My beef is why does Matrix/Slitherine not have a UK/EU distribution centre? Slitherine are a UK company. I thought that was sorted (eventually) for World in Flames?

On top of that cost to buy, you will have a customs charge. It happened with people who bought World in Flames and it will happen with this one.

Just so I'm absolutely clear - there is no problem with the price if you are in the US. It's a reasonable price for it. But if you are outside the US, you're "reasonable price" is anything but.

Quote from: PanzerFaust on November 17, 2016, 10:49:20 AM
From Matrix forum:

Quote
Where are you based? The Physical version is only $54.99, digital $39.99. Shipping to Europe is expensive and costs around $30+.

We will be adding the game to Amazon in UK and US next week which offers low or free shipping depending on your location. We've been struggling to find better shipping options but nobody seems to offer us anything better sadly. We're trying to get a European warehouse opened again to reduce costs but we cant compete with Amazon on this so we supply them direct so you can do that if you prefer.

We're just waiting for the stock to arrive at Amazon. It only just arrived at our warehouse, it has to be integrated, manufactured with disks and shipped off to Amazon. We'll see if we can get pre-orders set up so you can order now.

Once the game is on Amazon you can get the manual for much cheaper

Fair enough...but I thought the EU warehouse was sorted - that's all.

I wouldn't buy hardcopy at your price either. Until I bought DCB hard copy I hadn't bought a disk in a decade, forgot how much I enjoyed reading a good manual a PDF just isn't the same enjoyment to me.

Its even expensive to ship to US.....$20 shipping.  The book upgrade and shipping costs just about the same as the game itself....that's nuts.  How can I ship a book or box from my own home for a few dollars while they need to charge that much?

yea about the same as JD's prices listed above $74, probably going to go DD route, unless i can muster the patience to wait on Amazon selling it.

Quote from: -budd- on November 17, 2016, 07:21:41 PM
yea about the same as JD's prices listed above $74, probably going to go DD route, unless i can muster the patience to wait on Amazon selling it.

Yep, I am going that route....I will just read the manual on a tablet.  I have a coupon that I need to use within the next day, so can't wait until Amazon release.

Looking forward to your impressions of the game.

Anyone play this yet? I haven't ever played the previous version. To me it looks like Hearts of Iron lite? My WW2 strategy fix is (or will be ) HOI IV and my operational fix is Decisive campaigns. Does this offer anything different? Or just a different variation of that makes sense.

This isn't HOI lite. Looks more like the Commander series.

Quote from: jomni on November 18, 2016, 12:17:06 AM
This isn't HOI lite. Looks more like the Commander series.

I never played that. Just GG war in the east /west and decisive campaigns

Quote from: mikeck on November 18, 2016, 01:08:09 AM

Quote from: jomni on November 18, 2016, 12:17:06 AM
This isn't HOI lite. Looks more like the Commander series.

I never played that. Just GG war in the east /west and decisive campaigns

There are a few demo's of the pre cursors to this game on the battlefront website. Whilst this is a new game I don't think it is so vastly different that one of those wouldn't give you a good idea of what this game is.

I did buy and download last night but won't have time to play until the weekend.  Did fire it up for a few seconds and the graphics/display seemed ok.  I like the fact that it is turn based versus realtime.  It didn't come across as lite but I guess that depends on your definition of lite.  Since I had a coupon only cost me $23 so seemed worth the shot.

It certainly doesn't look lite. And did you see the editor options?  :o

[edit]Here's some editor information (http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4182340) from a thread at the Matrix site.

I've played every iteration of the Strategic Command series.

My thoughts which have been shared by many is this:
1] Good corps/army level game.
2] AI keeps improving with each version.
3] The game stinks in simulating naval warfare.  If the war has a heavy focus on island warfare, it does not do very well.  Land combat - very good.

Quote from: airboy on November 18, 2016, 11:13:08 AM
[...]
3] The game stinks in simulating naval warfare.  If the war has a heavy focus on island warfare, it does not do very well.  Land combat - very good.

kirk23 is already working on/looking into modding the naval part of the game.
if the devs let him do what he does best and don't drop the support for the game at some point - i'm sure(i hope) the naval part will be 'on par' with the rest of the game... of course, wishful thinking on my part but one can hope! (he did a great job on CTGW before they dropped the iBomb on this gem...)

cheers and enjoy your weekend 'minna-san' ;)
chem!

A lot of ifs.

My sense is that Hubert and Bill are taking a very gradualist approach to making changes.

The rate of change isn't geological, but I wouldn't hope for anything dramatic and hold my breath.

They hit on what they consider a winning formula many years ago, and if they want to continue eating they're not going to upset the apple cart.

Strategic Command is a fun, WW II-themed wargame with a very deep and not very discerning fanbase.

Check it out...

HOT TAKES:

1.  Best UI and overall "look" of the series.

2.  I'm sorry, you failed the MP HOW?

3.  Feels very similar to previous iterations (I have them all), but haven't poked enough to be sure.  There is something to be said, however, for making a game with a good "engine" more lovely and more accessible.

4.  No comment on the naval piece as it's not my thing although I think I grok what made others so crabby about previous iterations.

5.  I have long hoped that this game would become the "Third Reich" PC game we all deserve.  Won't know until I can play MP.

The points raised here are a reason why I'd never pick this one up:


http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4183340


One of the *only* fun things about a giant corps/army level game is the surrounding and destroying, making pockets and trying to break out of pockets.  If it doesn't have that then what do you do in the game- nothing, you just keep moving your strongest guy up to plug a hole and hit "GO!" to execute the next combat.  Ugh.

I played one turn.  I usually don't buy right away, but the turn took a long time, maybe mess with the settings.  39 dollars not to bad

Quote from: demjansk1942 on November 18, 2016, 08:58:06 PM
I played one turn.  I usually don't buy right away, but the turn took a long time, maybe mess with the settings.  39 dollars not to bad

yes, you can turn off computer moves in settings which will speed it up a bit, but you'll miss on seeing what the computer is doing across the map.

True Grim, I am used to fast turns but it's okay

Quote from: demjansk1942 on November 18, 2016, 09:13:39 PM
True Grim, I am used to fast turns but it's okay

I understand, me too...developer said at times could take 9+ minutes (when large amount of units on map with actions) to process the AI so be prepared....will depend on PC setup as well.  They said it allows you to see the events on the map, which is true....but even when you see the events they kind of happen fast so not sure I will remember anyway.

That's the one thing I disliked about Global Conflict.  This is a game that will be saved with multiple days of playing.

I will buy it once they include PBEM++

Quote from: GJK on November 18, 2016, 07:15:02 PM
The points raised here are a reason why I'd never pick this one up:


http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4183340


One of the *only* fun things about a giant corps/army level game is the surrounding and destroying, making pockets and trying to break out of pockets.  If it doesn't have that then what do you do in the game- nothing, you just keep moving your strongest guy up to plug a hole and hit "GO!" to execute the next combat.  Ugh.

That link to the Matrix forum leads to a long and depressing post by an unhappy player...and yet his points are well made and need to be addressed.

Quote from: GJK on November 18, 2016, 07:15:02 PM
The points raised here are a reason why I'd never pick this one up:


http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4183340 (http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4183340)


One of the *only* fun things about a giant corps/army level game is the surrounding and destroying, making pockets and trying to break out of pockets.  If it doesn't have that then what do you do in the game- nothing, you just keep moving your strongest guy up to plug a hole and hit "GO!" to execute the next combat.  Ugh.

Can someone that took the plunge confirm if this is the case or not?  Seriously, what is an army/corps level game if you can't pocket, encircle and strangle via lack of supplies other units?

Quote from: Rayfer on November 19, 2016, 07:54:43 AM
That link to the Matrix forum leads to a long and depressing post by an unhappy player...and yet his points are well made and need to be addressed.

I'd be pretty unhappy too and yes, they do.  That's the whole point of a game at this scale - that's what Third Reich was based upon; if you are cut-off you DIE.  This could be a serious issue if he is accurately describing how the gameplay is in this game.

Quote from: GJK on November 19, 2016, 08:00:44 AM

Quote from: Rayfer on November 19, 2016, 07:54:43 AM
That link to the Matrix forum leads to a long and depressing post by an unhappy player...and yet his points are well made and need to be addressed.

I'd be pretty unhappy too and yes, they do.  That's the whole point of a game at this scale - that's what Third Reich was based upon; if you are cut-off you DIE.  This could be a serious issue if he is accurately describing how the gameplay is in this game.

I haven't bought the game but I did watch a long running video play through of a German campaign (I think it was done by someone who regularly posts in these forums)...and there were instances where completely surrounded allied units would somehow reinforce making it next to impossible to destroy them. The Matrix posters frustration over the AA unit on Malta also played out the same in the video play through I watched.

Quote from: GJK on November 19, 2016, 08:00:44 AM

Quote from: Rayfer on November 19, 2016, 07:54:43 AM
That link to the Matrix forum leads to a long and depressing post by an unhappy player...and yet his points are well made and need to be addressed.

I'd be pretty unhappy too and yes, they do.  That's the whole point of a game at this scale - that's what Third Reich was based upon; if you are cut-off you DIE.  This could be a serious issue if he is accurately describing how the gameplay is in this game.

You mean like cut-off units die in WITE?!?  :) I haven't played SC3 yet, but played lots of Global Conflict and AoD, and can say nope doesn't happen like that. There is some effort involved. From reading that thread I don't see a long and depressing post, I see a player who is new to the system and has not learned the intricacies of the game. Matrix does not provide demos but Battlefront still does. Download the demo of a previous version, gameplay will be similar, and give it a whirl. That will tell you if this game is for you and your money will be well spent.

Quote from: Rayfer on November 19, 2016, 08:34:22 AM
...and there were instances where completely surrounded allied units would somehow reinforce making it next to impossible to destroy them.

But wasn't this always the case in Strategic Command 2 also?

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 18, 2016, 09:17:20 PM
...developer said at times could take 9+ minutes (when large amount of units on map with actions) to process the AI so be prepared....

Are you saying it's  9+ minutes to process a turn?

Quote from: Ian C on November 19, 2016, 10:54:06 AM

Quote from: Rayfer on November 19, 2016, 08:34:22 AM
...and there were instances where completely surrounded allied units would somehow reinforce making it next to impossible to destroy them.

But wasn't this always the case in Strategic Command 2 also?

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 18, 2016, 09:17:20 PM
...developer said at times could take 9+ minutes (when large amount of units on map with actions) to process the AI so be prepared....

Are you saying it's  9+ minutes to process a turn?

Yes, if the map has a lot of units and they are all performing actions, it can take up to 9 minutes or so.  It also depends on what settings you have turned on for watching computer moves.  Its not just 9 minutes watching a blank screen or progress bar, it is watching the computer make all of its moves across the entire map

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 19, 2016, 10:56:40 AM

Its not just 9 minutes watching a blank screen or progress bar, it is watching the computer make all of its moves across the entire map

That's more encouraging! So anyone know how long a turn is to process without watching computer moves?

Developer provided this example...again the 9 minutes was late in the game with a lot of units...

1939 AXIS AI (first turn with 73 available Axis units in total)

Full Animation Turn Length = 2 minutes and 10 seconds
Quick Animation Turn Length = 1 minute and 25 seconds
No Animation Turn Length = 40 seconds

Quote from: Zonso on November 19, 2016, 09:40:09 AM
You mean like cut-off units die in WITE?!?  I haven't played SC3 yet, but played lots of Global Conflict and AoD, and can say nope doesn't happen like that. There is some effort involved. From reading that thread I don't see a long and depressing post, I see a player who is new to the system and has not learned the intricacies of the game. Matrix does not provide demos but Battlefront still does. Download the demo of a previous version, gameplay will be similar, and give it a whirl. That will tell you if this game is for you and your money will be well spent.

Well fuck, yeah. If you can encircle a unit it should fuckin' die, even if it's eventually. You're ok if it doesn't??

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 19, 2016, 12:15:48 PM
Developer provided this example...again the 9 minutes was late in the game with a lot of units...

1939 AXIS AI (first turn with 73 available Axis units in total)

Full Animation Turn Length = 2 minutes and 10 seconds
Quick Animation Turn Length = 1 minute and 25 seconds
No Animation Turn Length = 40 seconds

Thanks Grim.

A surrounded unit will lose readiness and morale (both are tracked seperately just like the unit strength).
The longer you're cut off from your supply bases, the less effective you will attack, and pretty soon you won't be able to move anymore, or at least not as far as before. In the meantime you live off the land you occupy. Don't forget that there are different kind of encirclements. A russian unit which is encircled in Russia is able to get new equippment (Stalingrad, west bank, the tractor factory buil T34 while the Germans had the Soviet defenders with their backs to the Wolga), and an american unit would be able to resupply while encircled in Detroit. Even the German 6th army was cut off for month in Stalingrad and still fought on. Partisans are per definition cut of and fight on, so I really think that it is ok if a unit doesn't instantly die only because it got cought in an encirclement.

It is easy to kill a encircled unit in Strategic Command, but the guy in the matrix forum was a new player who hasn't yet fully understood the game basics, and that is absolutely ok, but shouldn't be used as argument to never buy the game.

In SC a cut of air unit is no longer able to rebase, and a cut off artillery unit won't receive new shells.

Please don't judge SC because of experience made by still green players. You can get Malta if you want to in no less than two, max. three turns. But you need to concentrate your efforts on this goal, just like in history. Mass tac air and medium bombers, provide them an HQ, bomb the Malta defenders into oblivion, make a para jump on the isle, done. Or use amphib attacks once the bombers have done their work.

Btw.:  in SC  naval units are not single ships, they are always a group of ships .

Quote from: GJK on November 19, 2016, 12:45:30 PM

Quote from: Zonso on November 19, 2016, 09:40:09 AM
You mean like cut-off units die in WITE?!?  I haven't played SC3 yet, but played lots of Global Conflict and AoD, and can say nope doesn't happen like that. There is some effort involved. From reading that thread I don't see a long and depressing post, I see a player who is new to the system and has not learned the intricacies of the game. Matrix does not provide demos but Battlefront still does. Download the demo of a previous version, gameplay will be similar, and give it a whirl. That will tell you if this game is for you and your money will be well spent.

Well fuck, yeah. If you can encircle a unit it should fuckin' die, even if it's eventually. You're ok if it doesn't??

Huh, looks like my post flew over your head, on at least a couple levels. First, in WITE, encircled units did die instantly the turn after they were cut off - perhaps you were an advocate? Second, I never said or implied encircled units shouldn't be eliminated - there should be some effort and cost, it doesn't just happen magically because some hex changed color ala WITE. Encircled units are eliminated in SC, not understanding the game like the poster in the thread you linked shouldn't be the basis for sweeping judgments.

Quote from: GJK on November 19, 2016, 12:45:30 PM

Quote from: Zonso on November 19, 2016, 09:40:09 AM
You mean like cut-off units die in WITE?!?  I haven't played SC3 yet, but played lots of Global Conflict and AoD, and can say nope doesn't happen like that. There is some effort involved. From reading that thread I don't see a long and depressing post, I see a player who is new to the system and has not learned the intricacies of the game. Matrix does not provide demos but Battlefront still does. Download the demo of a previous version, gameplay will be similar, and give it a whirl. That will tell you if this game is for you and your money will be well spent.

Well fuck, yeah. If you can encircle a unit it should fuckin' die, even if it's eventually. You're ok if it doesn't??

GJK...you need to chill out and knock off the 4-letter words.

Quote from: xwormwood on November 19, 2016, 05:50:06 PM
A surrounded unit will lose readiness and morale (both are tracked seperately just like the unit strength).
The longer you're cut off from your supply bases, the less effective you will attack, and pretty soon you won't be able to move anymore, or at least not as far as before. In the meantime you live off the land you occupy. Don't forget that there are different kind of encirclements. A russian unit which is encircled in Russia is able to get new equippment (Stalingrad, west bank, the tractor factory buil T34 while the Germans had the Soviet defenders with their backs to the Wolga), and an american unit would be able to resupply while encircled in Detroit. Even the German 6th army was cut off for month in Stalingrad and still fought on. Partisans are per definition cut of and fight on, so I really think that it is ok if a unit doesn't instantly die only because it got cought in an encirclement.

It is easy to kill a encircled unit in Strategic Command, but the guy in the matrix forum was a new player who hasn't yet fully understood the game basics, and that is absolutely ok, but shouldn't be used as argument to never buy the game.

In SC a cut of air unit is no longer able to rebase, and a cut off artillery unit won't receive new shells.

Please don't judge SC because of experience made by still green players. You can get Malta if you want to in no less than two, max. three turns. But you need to concentrate your efforts on this goal, just like in history. Mass tac air and medium bombers, provide them an HQ, bomb the Malta defenders into oblivion, make a para jump on the isle, done. Or use amphib attacks once the bombers have done their work.

Btw.:  in SC  naval units are not single ships, they are always a group of ships .

Ok, good info.  I was simply asking if what the guy on the Matrix forums was posting was accurate or not and it's good to know that he was incorrect.  I'd *love* to have a solid WWII ETO game with a competent AI and so I'll definitely take a long look at this one.


JH: Really? 

"JH: Really? "

I think its common courtesy, if that exists on the web, to restrain yourself a little with that type of language.  I rarely see that particular word thrown around on public forums.  And when it is, there is usually some admonishment right behind it.  I have been known to use the word quite frequently, but I don't go into a store and start using it in public.

Private forum where you need to be registered to see anything, have at it.  But again, it says a lot about the user of the word who uses it in public around people they don't know.  Everybody's sensibilities are different, but there is typically some low bar that is set.

Quote from: RyanE on November 20, 2016, 09:00:11 AM
but there is typically some low bar that is set.

Usually, I set it.

And then its Limbo Time!

What if my wheelchair doesn't go that low?

Quote from: FarAway Sooner on November 20, 2016, 01:14:11 PM
What if my wheelchair doesn't go that low?

New rims?

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fprecisionbillet.co%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F09%2FIMG_1681.png&hash=6964bcf36d341dcdb9a7bf2713b766a5e6c151d3)

For those of you who have bought SC3 what is the difference if any from it's previous incarnations? Other than HEXes is the tech tree the same and as random as SC2 was?
Can you boost research so you can accomplish a breakthrough in less time as in SC2?

Good write up on changes

http://www.matrixgames.com/SC/Blog_1.asp

Most notable changes for me have been:

1) Hexes.
2) Dynamic movement - a unit can (action points allowing) move both before and after it attacks and it retains this ability even if you go back to it having moved one or more other units in the interim.
3) Although there are still two sides, Axis and Allied and you will be playing one of them you can assign nations within your side to AI control. Thus if you just want to play the Soviets, pick Allied as your side and then assign all the Western powers to AI control and off you go. Also you can I believe do actions for units on your side that have been assigned to AI control whilst leaving all the other units to the AI. Thus as the Axis you could decide to let the AI control Italy but at the same time still have full control of all the Italian and German units in North Africa for instance.

Quote from: GJK on November 19, 2016, 10:12:43 PM

JH: Really?

Really. Thanks.

GR

Saw your very reasonable post over at Matrix/Slitherine and - as usual - was astounded with the response.

I didn't understand why so many people were saying that $20 was ludicrous for a company with the benefit of *mass* distribution - who can be in a position to negotiate terms with the postal services - when as an individual you can post the same book for less than $10  :wow:

I was also bemused by the response that perhaps the price of the manuals should be increased falsely so postage costs could be reduced - truly a "scratch the head"  :pullhair: statement

I'd be very interested in your thoughts on the game  :dreamer:

Quote from: JudgeDredd on November 22, 2016, 11:23:30 AM
GR

Saw your very reasonable post over at Matrix/Slitherine and - as usual - was astounded with the response.

I didn't understand why so many people were saying that $20 was ludicrous for a company with the benefit of *mass* distribution - who can be in a position to negotiate terms with the postal services - when as an individual you can post the same book for less than $10  :wow:

I was also bemused by the response that perhaps the price of the manuals should be increased falsely so postage costs could be reduced - truly a "scratch the head"  :pullhair: statement

I'd be very interested in your thoughts on the game  :dreamer:

Hello JD, yeah I was pretty frustrated with them, more so that they evaded the questions....they asked for people to provide cheaper options, they did and were promptly ignored.  And then they make the statement about increasing book cost to "fake" people out, very bad decision for a company rep to say something like that.  Next time they raise prices, I am going to think they are trying to make up shipping costs.

As for the game, haven't had much time to really get into it, but I am off for the next week so hopefully will find some time to give it a whirl.

looked like a really nice book manual too. Feel kinda bad for the Dev, seems like a lot more people would bought the hard copy with better shipping costs. If the DCB manual would of had $20 shipping charge i wouldnt of bought that one either, even with me being a fanboy of Vic's games. Just not going to pay more for shipping than the product, especially when i shipped stuff heavier for less. Those flat rate boxes weight doesnt matter[unless thats changed since i shipped last] whatever you can stuff in there.

As for the game i like it. Have to get used to the no stacking, i've screwed myself a few times by not moving units in the right order. The bigger the scale gets the more i get overwhelmed and suck at the gameplay. I find this really accessible and not overwhelming and havent run into any major bugs yet, a few are mentioned on tech forum. Some events have misfired, like after i took Paris an event said France moral falls as Germans approach Paris and sometimes i havent been able to swap units like the manual says, not sure why. I think i'm in Dec 1940, i'm not doing sealion and have moved my units to the east for Barbarossa. The Africa corps just got deployed to help the italians in Africa. Ive played a few turns as allies and then a few as axis and then restarted as axis. There is random elements, one time after Russia attacked Finland the allies sent troops and they didnt make it before the Finland surrender, next time the troops made it to help out the Fins and that swung the Fins toward the allies so i had to drop 3 diplomacy chits on Finland as i need them to swing my way to help once i get deep into Russia. I've had some fun playing hide and seek with the RN in the North sea and Atlantic, took out an aircraft carrier that had strayed a little too far from its escorts. It's been fun and i find myself planning my strategies while at work. One cool feature is that i'm playing German only the AI plays the rest of axis but if i want to move a few units for my axis partners i can and the AI will do the rest, i did that in France as the Italians weren't being much help in pressing France. You can also switch sides at any time and play that out. I'm still working my way through the manual but you can defiantly pick this up and start playing. One thing i would like to see is more detailed reports, right now you seem to only get reports on events or units lost, i'd like to see all combats shown in the report and clicking on them takes you to that site. I think more detailed reports are needed as i dont think i'll being watching the screen the whole time once the turns get long.

Getting the physical version costs $15 plus $20 shipping in the USA.  That is a pretty hefty shipping charge.

Looking forward to it being available on Amazon.

For those that ordered the manual have you received it yet?

i looked at other prices for Matrix/Slitherine games on Amazon before i went with DD. i don't think it will be much cheaper overall judging by the cost of the others. What do you think Grim $79.99 ;D i'm guessing in the $60's

Quote from: Al on November 22, 2016, 09:04:52 PM
For those that ordered the manual have you received it yet?

Just got an email from Matrix saying that it's been shipped... eta 11/28

Up for order on US Amazon $55.99 ships Dec. 5th. Guess I should of waited  :) with prime, shipping would of been free.

£46.99 in Amazon.co.uk...3 left

Quote from: JudgeDredd on November 29, 2016, 09:44:22 AM
£46.99 in Amazon.co.uk...3 left

Were there 4 before you posted that?  ^-^

lol  :notworthy:

No purchase here. I wasn't overly keen on some of the mechanics. Manual looked delicious though, so if I was getting it, it would've been with the manual.

Its funny, at least for me the Amazon option is more expensive then if I had bought it through the Matrix store because I had a coupon.  I could have got for about $53, while at Amazon costs the $55.  Still no sale for me and glad I didn't buy the book, I have easily used the electronic manual without any issues.

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 29, 2016, 06:14:29 PM
Its funny, at least for me the Amazon option is more expensive then if I had bought it through the Matrix store because I had a coupon.  I could have got for about $53, while at Amazon costs the $55.  Still no sale for me and glad I didn't buy the book, I have easily used the electronic manual without any issues.

I have a big (10") Kindle Fire.  Will the manual read well in it?  I'm torn between the $40 download at the matrix site and the $55 on Amazon with free delivery.

Quote from: airboy on November 30, 2016, 10:55:01 PM

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 29, 2016, 06:14:29 PM
Its funny, at least for me the Amazon option is more expensive then if I had bought it through the Matrix store because I had a coupon.  I could have got for about $53, while at Amazon costs the $55.  Still no sale for me and glad I didn't buy the book, I have easily used the electronic manual without any issues.

I have a big (10") Kindle Fire.  Will the manual read well in it?  I'm torn between the $40 download at the matrix site and the $55 on Amazon with free delivery.

I have a kindle 6 for my manuals works great, kinda wish I choose the bigger display now though.

Quote from: airboy on November 30, 2016, 10:55:01 PM

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 29, 2016, 06:14:29 PM
Its funny, at least for me the Amazon option is more expensive then if I had bought it through the Matrix store because I had a coupon.  I could have got for about $53, while at Amazon costs the $55.  Still no sale for me and glad I didn't buy the book, I have easily used the electronic manual without any issues.

I have a big (10") Kindle Fire.  Will the manual read well in it?  I'm torn between the $40 download at the matrix site and the $55 on Amazon with free delivery.

I use an iPad and works great.....don't have a kindle so sorry can't say for sure.

I know it's probably been discussed but is there a way to print it out other than at home?

Quote from: bbmike on December 01, 2016, 08:22:38 AM
I know it's probably been discussed but is there a way to print it out other than at home?

At work?

Quote from: mirth on December 01, 2016, 08:26:52 AM

Quote from: bbmike on December 01, 2016, 08:22:38 AM
I know it's probably been discussed but is there a way to print it out other than at home?

At work?

:bd:

Yeah, like I never thought of that. But staying employed is kind of important.  :buck2:

I just bought it and started the 1939 campaign. Seems to be less Beer & Pretzels than I thought...which is a good thing!

We just posted a long-form article on how the supply system works in SC3 :) http://www.wargamer.com/news/quartermaster-an-in-depth-look-at-supplylogistics-in-strategic-command-ww2-war-in-europe/

So, from a guy who really enjoyed the Battle Academy series and thought Combat Mission 2 and Hearts of Iron V would make me kill puppies....how is this game for someone of my ilk (some what impatient and kinda slow  :crazy2:) ?

Quote from: acctingman on December 12, 2016, 02:11:11 PM
So, from a guy who really enjoyed the Battle Academy series and thought Combat Mission 2 and Hearts of Iron V would make me kill puppies....how is this game for someone of my ilk (some what impatient and kinda slow  :crazy2:) ?

These could give you a good idea :







Maybe take a look at the demos of the previous games in the series  http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=0&Itemid=318

Quote from: WargamerJoe on December 12, 2016, 12:03:51 PM
We just posted a long-form article on how the supply system works in SC3 :) http://www.wargamer.com/news/quartermaster-an-in-depth-look-at-supplylogistics-in-strategic-command-ww2-war-in-europe/

Thanks Joe! I appreciate the link. I really gotta sit down and read the manual one of these days.  :-"

Quote from: Slick Wilhelm on December 13, 2016, 08:08:05 PM

Thanks Joe! I appreciate the link. I really gotta sit down and read the manual one of these days.  :-"

(https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/15137579_10153962746441516_5471662598075390756_o.jpg?oh=4e81989b5ef21c0eb6092ed09c39a154&oe=58B5C8C2)

Good luck with that :P

Quote from: acctingman on December 12, 2016, 02:11:11 PM
So, from a guy who really enjoyed the Battle Academy series and thought Combat Mission 2 and Hearts of Iron V would make me kill puppies....how is this game for someone of my ilk (some what impatient and kinda slow  :crazy2:) ?

How about Commander Europe at war Gold, that's kind of Beer and Pretzelly!

http://www.matrixgames.com/products/344/details/Commander.-.Europe.at.War.Gold
(http://www.matrixgames.com/products/344/details/Commander.-.Europe.at.War.Gold)

Quote from: Tuna on December 15, 2016, 09:35:30 PM

Quote from: acctingman on December 12, 2016, 02:11:11 PM
So, from a guy who really enjoyed the Battle Academy series and thought Combat Mission 2 and Hearts of Iron V would make me kill puppies....how is this game for someone of my ilk (some what impatient and kinda slow  :crazy2:) ?

How about Commander Europe at war Gold, that's kind of Beer and Pretzelly!

http://www.matrixgames.com/products/344/details/Commander.-.Europe.at.War.Gold
(http://www.matrixgames.com/products/344/details/Commander.-.Europe.at.War.Gold)

About this, you can also beef Commander Europe at War Gold up with the Grand Strategy Mod 3.0:

http://www.slitherine.com/ceaw_gs3

Quote from: Oche on December 17, 2016, 11:05:03 AM

Quote from: Tuna on December 15, 2016, 09:35:30 PM

Quote from: acctingman on December 12, 2016, 02:11:11 PM
So, from a guy who really enjoyed the Battle Academy series and thought Combat Mission 2 and Hearts of Iron V would make me kill puppies....how is this game for someone of my ilk (some what impatient and kinda slow  :crazy2:) ?

How about Commander Europe at war Gold, that's kind of Beer and Pretzelly!

http://www.matrixgames.com/products/344/details/Commander.-.Europe.at.War.Gold
(http://www.matrixgames.com/products/344/details/Commander.-.Europe.at.War.Gold)

About this, you can also beef Commander Europe at War Gold up with the Grand Strategy Mod 3.0:

http://www.slitherine.com/ceaw_gs3

Here's full list of changes for Grand Strategy 3.0 mod or GS 3.0 for CEAW (Commander Europe ar War) gold version:

http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3419990

Thanks, just looked and saw my version of that mod was 2.0. Didn't they make a Commander for Napoleonic Wars too?

Quote from: Tuna on December 17, 2016, 01:54:01 PM
Thanks, just looked and saw my version of that mod was 2.0. Didn't they make a Commander for Napoleonic Wars too?

No clue..

They did make a Nap version of Commander.

Best avoided.

They tried to capture the horse-foot-guns substrata of Napoleonics, but wound up with Artillery "corps" (whatever those are) firing at ranges of hundreds of miles and other like nonsense.

The WWI version of Command is VERY good, however.

Looks like multi-player and any patches delayed until sometime after the new year...seems like they are indicating developer health issues.

http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4180670&mpage=2

Hi guys,

we've been hoping to release an update for the last 2 weeks but unfortunately it just hasn't happened. Hubert wasn't well and was working through and has just been diagnosed with pneumonia.

We've asked Hubert to stop trying to get anything done and take a break for Christmas and hopefully start the new year well and ready to update the game. We're sorry for the delay but really don't think Hubert pushing to try and deliver anything now makes sense for anyone.

We'll get a patch to you and multiplayer as soon as we can in the new year. Thanks for your understanding.

The Matrix & Fury Teams 

In my interactions with him over the years, Hubert has always been righteous.  No patch is worth your health...nor answering the caterwauling of those that want it.

I wpuld like to echo Cyrano's comment here - in my dealings with Hubert he has always been completely righteous.  I hope he gets better soon!

+1, always quick to help. Hope he gets better soon.

Quote from: Cyrano on December 19, 2016, 11:52:23 AM
In my interactions with him over the years, Hubert has always been righteous.  No patch is worth your health...nor answering the caterwauling of those that want it.

Amen to that. It's only a game.

Thanks for your understanding everyone, I'll pass on your best wishes to him.

In the meantime I hope you all enjoy the festive season and we look forward to bringing out an update including Multiplayer in the New Year!  :)

Bill

I am loving the heck out of this game, fellas! It's addicting. The balance in the Barbarossa campaign feels just right. The AI is giving me a nice challenge, too. Perhaps the best thing is that it's just deep enough to feel like a serious grog game, without getting into WitP:AE minutia. Great job, Hubert and Co.!  :bd:

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 17, 2016, 07:27:53 PM

Quote from: -budd- on November 17, 2016, 07:21:41 PM
yea about the same as JD's prices listed above $74, probably going to go DD route, unless i can muster the patience to wait on Amazon selling it.

Yep, I am going that route....I will just read the manual on a tablet.  I have a coupon that I need to use within the next day, so can't wait until Amazon release.

Look you guys are probally going to buy from Amazon right(if you havnt already)ive just taken copy of my excellent looking hardback manual with cd inclosed,pay the extra tenner its well worth it,then you can hold it in your left hand!PDF you cant do that.Just thought id add my twopence worth:)

Quote from: FarAway Sooner on October 24, 2016, 10:56:43 AM
This one does look like a sweet spot between those two extremes (I'm eager to play it, but 9 months after buying Civil War 2, I still haven't started a game). 



That seems like an easy compromise versus the "Generic Tank 5" thing, and makes the research aspect of a game much more interesting.

Thats because last couple years alot of us Wargamers seem to be collecting Wargames,rather than playing them all,well i for one still have Civil War 2 and it's addon/ext and untouched they remain after at least seven months or more!...So we are not alone :idiot2:

I coveted the hard back manual - so I just bought it on Amazon.

I got a review copy.  But because I did not get the review done I felt guilty and bought it.  Christian guilt strikes again!

Quote from: Ickiestickie on March 20, 2017, 01:52:14 PM

Quote from: FarAway Sooner on October 24, 2016, 10:56:43 AM
This one does look like a sweet spot between those two extremes (I'm eager to play it, but 9 months after buying Civil War 2, I still haven't started a game). 



That seems like an easy compromise versus the "Generic Tank 5" thing, and makes the research aspect of a game much more interesting.

Thats because last couple years alot of us Wargamers seem to be collecting Wargames,rather than playing them all,well i for one still have Civil War 2 and it's addon/ext and untouched they remain after at least seven months or more!...So we are not alone :idiot2:

Also haven't started ACW 2 yet!

Love ACW 2. Won as the North in the grand campaign, and making very slow progress as the South in the return match. Great game.

Quote from: Sir Slash on March 20, 2017, 10:00:04 PM
Love ACW 2. Won as the North in the grand campaign, and making very slow progress as the South in the return match. Great game.

+1  Great game. Playing a full campaign as the North.

Looks like multiplayer got added today:
http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4257671

Yes, Multiplayer is now available!  :)

We've also introduced something new for Italy, so that Italy can surrender with the remaining portion of her territory still in Axis hands transferring to German control. This means that the Allies will have to fight German forces for the remainder, just as they had to in real life from late 1943 onwards.

This wasn't something we were able to replicate before, but many hours of scratching our heads pondering how it could be done, some engine changes by Hubert and script changes on my part have made it so.

This is just one of many examples of improvements we've made that have been inspired by discussions on our game forums, so if you ever have some thoughts or suggestions, please do post them, either here or in our forum at Matrix Games.

Bill

just a quick question....

Would someone who found HoI4 totally frustrating and still found himself lost after 20+ hours of playing find the same frustration with this game?  :uglystupid2:

I find myself looking for another WW2 grand strategy type game, but I find the Panzer General/Corps games a little too simple even for my pee sized brain  :crazy2:

Gracias!

acctman - No.

Strategic Command has far less R&D detail work, far fewer units and far less supply insanity than the HOI series. 

You can pick up some of the earlier versions very inexpensively to see before dropping a bundle.  The new game has some important modifications, but the same game engine.  SC also works on turns and is not real time.

There are quite a few AARs of Strategic Command games from earlier iterations that are floating around.  I did one for WW1, but I don't have a ready link to wherever I put it.  Reading through one of the AARs will give you a very good feel for the game mechanics and if it is right for you.

Quote from: acctingman on March 24, 2017, 10:47:15 PM
just a quick question....

Would someone who found HoI4 totally frustrating and still found himself lost after 20+ hours of playing find the same frustration with this game?  :uglystupid2:

I find myself looking for another WW2 grand strategy type game, but I find the Panzer General/Corps games a little too simple even for my pee sized brain  :crazy2:

Gracias!

You sound like me. Never can wrap my head around , Well any paradox game so far. Strategic Command is easy to get into but has some depth to it.Sounds like it would fit the bill for you .

Thanks gents

I'll look at one of the earlier versions to see if it's for me.

There is a demo for one of the earlier versions, out there. Global or something like that.

Quote from: acctingman on March 24, 2017, 10:47:15 PM
just a quick question....

Would someone who found HoI4 totally frustrating and still found himself lost after 20+ hours of playing find the same frustration with this game?  :uglystupid2:

I find myself looking for another WW2 grand strategy type game, but I find the Panzer General/Corps games a little too simple even for my pee sized brain  :crazy2:

Gracias!

I am exactly the same. I love SC over HOI. It is much more my speed with plenty of depth to keep it interesting. And unlike HOI the AI in SC is actually good.

Quote from: airboy on March 20, 2017, 02:58:32 PM
I coveted the hard back manual - so I just bought it on Amazon.

I got a review copy.  But because I did not get the review done I felt guilty and bought it.  Christian guilt strikes again!

Does the physical copy include a Steam key?

Quote from: Ubercat on March 26, 2017, 09:11:14 AM

Quote from: airboy on March 20, 2017, 02:58:32 PM
I coveted the hard back manual - so I just bought it on Amazon.

I got a review copy.  But because I did not get the review done I felt guilty and bought it.  Christian guilt strikes again!

Does the physical copy include a Steam key?

Ubercat - I don't know.

Quote from: Ubercat on March 26, 2017, 09:11:14 AM

Quote from: airboy on March 20, 2017, 02:58:32 PM
I coveted the hard back manual - so I just bought it on Amazon.

I got a review copy.  But because I did not get the review done I felt guilty and bought it.  Christian guilt strikes again!

Does the physical copy include a Steam key?

SCWW2:WiE is not available on Steam so I don't believe Matrix/Slitherine can provide a Steam key. As to whether it will ever be available on Steam... beats me.

I think if you register the game to your members account at Matrix if in the future it goes on steam you would get a key, but its worth asking the question over at Matrix about the amazon hard copy.

As Milipede said it's not on Steam, so no Steam key. I would assume if it went on Steam they would then provide one.

Quote from: Ubercat on March 26, 2017, 09:11:14 AM
Does the physical copy include a Steam key?

No. I purchased the physical copy and a Steam key was not included.

If this covered the entire war, ie., Pacific, North Africa, etc., I'd probably take the plunge. With just Europe though, I can't get motivated.

It does cover North Africa.  For example, see here:

http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/fb.asp?m=4240932

Note also the jump map at the bottom.

No Pacific theater, though.

Quote from: Jarhead0331 on March 26, 2017, 01:40:35 PM
If this covered the entire war, ie., Pacific, North Africa, etc., I'd probably take the plunge. With just Europe though, I can't get motivated.

What you want is the Order of Battle series.  It covers most of the war.  Its naval module is much, much better than Strategic Command.  You got to have a good naval model to simulate the Pacific.

Quote from: airboy on March 26, 2017, 02:21:58 PM

Quote from: Jarhead0331 on March 26, 2017, 01:40:35 PM
If this covered the entire war, ie., Pacific, North Africa, etc., I'd probably take the plunge. With just Europe though, I can't get motivated.

What you want is the Order of Battle series.  It covers most of the war.  Its naval module is much, much better than Strategic Command.  You got to have a good naval model to simulate the Pacific.

I have Order of Battle, but I always felt the scenarios were too scripted. For example, when enemy reinforcements were triggered, etc.

To each his own, but it follows the Pacific War.  You get your fleet yanked away on multiple occasions because of a disaster in another theater.  The reinforcements for the Japanese pretty closely follow the Solomons campaign, etc.....  Seems like a feature to me instead of a bug.

Quote from: airboy on March 26, 2017, 11:42:31 PM
To each his own, but it follows the Pacific War.  You get your fleet yanked away on multiple occasions because of a disaster in another theater.  The reinforcements for the Japanese pretty closely follow the Solomons campaign, etc.....  Seems like a feature to me instead of a bug.

I'm not suggesting it's a bug. I agree it is a feature. Most likely to ramp up difficulty due to inadequate AI. It also kills replayability. You'll get hit by the same reinforcements at the same time and at the same place every time you play the scenario. Personally, I prefer strategy games that aren't as scripted.

Yeah.  Heavily scripted games can still offer some replay value (e.g., Unity of Command), but if you're already familiar with the mechanics and the bells and whistles, the replay value here starts to diminish after 20 years.  They've added some nice wrinkles (e.g., the "research" tree), and you can always tweak your unit fix, but the biggest part of those puzzle games is always knowing what surprises are going to happen when.

Once that suspense is removed, completing the games at higher levels feels more like grinding to me, rather than immersive role-playing of a beer & pretzels WW II sim. 

Still, to each their own.  If you're enjoying it, more power to you!

:bd: