War In The West Question

[JudgeDredd]

Anyone who has WitW - no matter what I do in Operation Husky, I can't launch para drops.

I'm not doing anything else (bar allowing the Air Doctrine phase to complete) and I'm following the procedure to the letter in the manual - but when they have enough prep points (95) I select DROP and I get an "Not a Valid Airborne Target Hex" error....this message is NOT shown when I select the target hex.

What gives? Any ideas?

[mikeck]

And download "war in the West players handbook". I believe it is a PDF you can find. It is a 50 or so page many many more that explains a lot of things better than the actual manual itself including airborne ops:

http://www.matrixgames.com/amazon/PDF/MG_WitW_Materials_Manual_Handbook_Ebook.pdf




I click on the parachute icon up top and it brings up available hexes I think. Select the unit and then Select a hex next to an amphibious landing sight. The new coordinates should appear on the bottom of the chip. Next turn where the "refit on" language usually is, you should see "drop unit". Click that

They already have a hex selected for them at the start I believe...at least 1 regiment of the Brits and 1 of the Americans

[W8taminute]

Sounds like you have a similar issue with game mechanics like I did in WitE.  Matrix needs to do a better job with their manuals.  A step by step process explanation with a few screenshots would do nicely with these subtle nuances of the game. 

So how are you liking the game in general Judge?

[JudgeDredd]

And download "war in the West players handbook". I believe it is a PDF you can find. It is a 50 or so page many many more that explains a lot of things better than the actual manual itself including airborne ops:

http://www.matrixgames.com/amazon/PDF/MG_WitW_Materials_Manual_Handbook_Ebook.pdf




I click on the parachute icon up top and it brings up available hexes I think. Select the unit and then Select a hex next to an amphibious landing sight. The new coordinates should appear on the bottom of the chip. Next turn where the "refit on" language usually is, you should see "drop unit". Click that

They already have a hex selected for them at the start I believe...at least 1 regiment of the Brits and 1 of the Americans

I did that - but the only thing I'm not doing is doing an amphibious landing. I'm simply trying to drop troops. For no other reason than testing landing troops. I'm basically going through the manual and trying things.

I'm confused. Why do I need to land troops next to an amphibious landing site? Why can't I just...land troops by para drop?

[JudgeDredd]

Sounds like you have a similar issue with game mechanics like I did in WitE.  Matrix needs to do a better job with their manuals.  A step by step process explanation with a few screenshots would do nicely with these subtle nuances of the game. 

So how are you liking the game in general Judge?

Not bad. I'm really just trying things out. And apparently not getting very far.

My beef is really this...why is it telling me it's not a valid airborne target hex when I try to drop, but not telling me so when I assign the hex?

This is something that happens all too often in games. The game knows the reason why, it just doesn't relay that information to the user. Why not? It's kind of useful, no?

Same thing happened iirc in GG World at War. I was trying to move ships into a sea area and the game said "You can't move there"....so you know why I can't move there...why not tell me so I'm enlightened???

Drives me mental...it's an interface thing. Feedback. If the system knows it, relay it.

[JudgeDredd]

And download "war in the West players handbook". I believe it is a PDF you can find. It is a 50 or so page many many more that explains a lot of things better than the actual manual itself including airborne ops:

http://www.matrixgames.com/amazon/PDF/MG_WitW_Materials_Manual_Handbook_Ebook.pdf




I click on the parachute icon up top and it brings up available hexes I think. Select the unit and then Select a hex next to an amphibious landing sight. The new coordinates should appear on the bottom of the chip. Next turn where the "refit on" language usually is, you should see "drop unit". Click that

They already have a hex selected for them at the start I believe...at least 1 regiment of the Brits and 1 of the Americans

Got it thanks to the players handbook. It either needs to be in support of an amphib invasion OR within 8 hexes of a ground unit in supply

So two things

• Why didn't the game tell me "Not a valid Airborne target hex - no land unit within 8 hexes in supply and no amphibious landing occurring
  That sounds like a mouthful - but the game loves giving you textual information AND it must have known that was the case...so bloody tell me that!
• And why the hell is that little nugget not in the section 5.4.5.3 Air Drop Airborne Combat Units in the User Manual (which I have been using as my god send)

aaargh  >:(

[W8taminute]

It's like that with a lot of cardboard war games as well.  I think that all of these groggy games are well put together by individuals who are skilled at creating these kinds of games.  The problem is they don't invest in someone with excellent writing skills who can put together a clearly written manual.  All of the good writers it seems work for magazines and newspapers and these kinds of people would rather do that than work for a wargame company writing instruction manuals. 

I hear your pain though, yes indeed. 

[mikeck]

I think at this level, the game makers assume that you will know things automatically. That's why that "handbook" is so good.

I love the game. Love the air war management, amphibious landings and the feeling like I can maneuver instead of plow into 10 hex-deep soviet units

[BanzaiCat]

JD - I believe there's some video tutorials accessible from the Main Menu.

Check those out, they're quite helpful. The tutorials center on Operation Husky and airborne drops are discussed within. :)

I can't remember exactly how they're done, otherwise I'd let you in on it.

[JudgeDredd]

I know there's other sources. I even had that handbook downloaded (and there's a link for it on the main game menu).

My beef is two fold

• Lack of feedbac to the user in game even though the game knows what's wrong
• I've read, re-read and re-read that section on Airborne drops in the manual and it doesn't mention it

I shouldn't really have to check multiple resources.

Of course if the game told me, I wouldn't have been freakin' stuck int he fist place and wouldn't have to re-read sections of the manual, watch videos AND read a players handbook.

All because the game didn't tell me what was wrong  :(

[JudgeDredd]

And here's the other thing...at what point do you realise that the very large and seemingly comprehensive manual doesn't have the information you want - and that it was actually just your fault - but you didn't know? 

Look - I know - picky - I'm being picky. But the game has done the check. It's identified there's a problem with me trying to land troops at that area. Hell - it's even given me a message to say it's not a valid airborne drop hex. So why in God's good name could it not tell me WHY it's come to that conclusion?

If games did that - there'd be no need for a very beautiful 300 page, seemingly comprehensive and yet seemingly half-arsed manual

No?

Rant over...you may continue.  :D

[mikeck]

I agree with you. I always think games should tell you why you aren't allowed to do something. But, the game is so big and so good I overlook it

[Al]

Kind of related question - which version is the one that comes with the hardbound manual?  The $95 boxed version?  TIA.

[JudgeDredd]

Yes Al

mikeck - it's just a pet peeve of mine. If the software knows you can't do something - just say.

I develop applications for my work. If a user was trying to put a surname into a date field and I was to display a message that said "Invalid Data Entry" (as a lame example), I wouldn't think I was doing my job right. The message I would display is "Invalid Data Entry - this is a Date of Birth field and requires a date in the format dd-mm-yyyy"

Just sayin'

Most of the applications I create have interfaces. I don't doubt they've got some flaws though 

I found one the other day where I had disabled the CTRL-V option for some strange reason....fixed that! 

[mikeck]

I agree