Wargamer's Corner

Prederick wrote:

All of this is a long way of saying I'm all the way back in on CM, and fairly annoyed because now I need to blow a comical amount of money getting all the most recent releases from the current engine.

So "all the way back" got hugely blown out by the return to office order, but I actually managed to finish a small CM: Cold War PBEM with a very kind, more experienced player who was willing to show me the things I'd done well and the bad ideas I'd had as we played through the mission.

My functional experience, however, was watching a seemingly endless number of Soviet tanks and artillery overrun my positions while the USSR's national anthem played.

TAZ89 wrote:

It looks like we have a new expansion for Gary Grigsby's War in the East 2! I've been holding off really diving into this one because its so complicated, but now may be the time.

https://youtu.be/AgrcCuxUKdY

Happy to see the expansion announced. Looks good, thanks for sharing!

[quote="Prederick"]

Prederick wrote:

All of this is a long way of saying I'm all the way back in on CM....

Hey bud. I want to like CM, I have played a bunch, but I just got exhausted with what a pig the CM engine is. I own a bunch of them, but I just got to the point where the chunky & clunkiness of the engine just ruined the experience.

Prederick wrote:
Prederick wrote:

All of this is a long way of saying I'm all the way back in on CM, and fairly annoyed because now I need to blow a comical amount of money getting all the most recent releases from the current engine.

So "all the way back" got hugely blown out by the return to office order, but I actually managed to finish a small CM: Cold War PBEM with a very kind, more experienced player who was willing to show me the things I'd done well and the bad ideas I'd had as we played through the mission.

My functional experience, however, was watching a seemingly endless number of Soviet tanks and artillery overrun my positions while the USSR's national anthem played.

If you want to do another PBEM game, let me know. I'm bad so I won't be able to teach you anything but, at least, you'll probably win.

Swampyankee, there's also the Graviteam games. They trade a learning curve for the interface for an excellent game engine and high historical fidelity. Mius Front and the desert one are the best. Plus they have a well-developed strategic layer, which CM never quite pulled off. (Your units in each grid of the strategic layer determine which units you'll have access to in the tactical map for that strategic turn, down to accumulated casualties and supplies. You also have to rotate units into and out of the front line, for rest and replenishment, as well as deliver reinforcements and even maintain communications at both the strategic and tactical layers. Very few other tactical WW2 games have comms teams laying wire from command posts to subordinate positions, artillery, observers and the like.)

wrong spot.

Robear, thanks. I've read about GT but I don't want to wrastle its UI any more than deal with CM's clunky engine. Currently I am playing WDS' versions of Tiller's Tour of Duty & Pacific by email, and when I can scare up an opponent that has the same free time, Lock & Load Tactics. Also Matrix Games' Campaigns Vietnam, I'd say is the same scale.

Campaigns Vietnam is excellent, I need to get further into it.

PWAlessi wrote:

If you want to do another PBEM game, let me know. I'm bad so I won't be able to teach you anything but, at least, you'll probably win. :)

SOON

I honestly think Campaigns Vietnam is one of the finest computer wargames of the last decade, up there with Decisive Campaigns Ardennes, Graviteam's Mius Front (yes, the UI has been updated and made much easier since about 2019) and Lock 'n' Load Tactical Digital.

Robear wrote:

I honestly think Campaigns Vietnam is one of the finest computer wargames of the last decade, up there with Decisive Campaigns Ardennes, Graviteam's Mius Front (yes, the UI has been updated and made much easier since about 2019) and Lock 'n' Load Tactical Digital.

Agreed. CV is really good. I have high expectations for the upcoming (THIS WEEK!) Flashpoint Campaigns Southern Storm.

I'm actually going to try that one, in spite of the bugs and fiddliness of the first game. Is there any sign that they will either port back the new code to the old game, or bring the scenarios forward into one unified game?

I know they let bugs stand to start on the new game...

Robear wrote:

I'm actually going to try that one, in spite of the bugs and fiddliness of the first game. Is there any sign that they will either port back the new code to the old game, or bring the scenarios forward into one unified game?

I know they let bugs stand to start on the new game...

I'd be surprised if they backported new code to the old game. I think that they completely re-wrote the game engine. I don't know of any plans to bring the scenarios forward but I'd be surprised if the community didn't do work on that.

I'm interested in trying to build my own scenarios. If I ever get around to it, I'll post on here if anyone wants to try them out.

CV Vietnam is great. The tutorial won me over: Air lift to LZ, hump to another point clear LZ, move to and attack a hill, then patrol back to the 2nd LZ to go home.

The scenarios have been interesting, I am PBEM'ing with a guy and we started with the scenarios in the "US Advisor" stage.

I do think that should shitcan the "3D" graphics to concentrate on the 2D chits and board, but that's just a preference.

You actually build a firebase, too. You have to bring in the artillery and ammo and engineers, then guard while they build, then start sending teams out to scout out targets and provide security. It's something special.

I got the new Flashpoint after being converted by various media. I'd forgotten how complicated it is. Praying that it's not as buggy as the first. Looks just great, though, in the tutorial. overwhelming amounts of information well organized and solidly presented. Dual monitors would actually be useful to keep the various dockable windows open while you play on the main screen. Might have to try that.

Can't even get to the Matrix site right now. I guess everyone came home from work and decided to buy Southern Front lol. (I realized I had not re-downloaded Vietnam after reinstalling.)

Robear wrote:

Can't even get to the Matrix site right now. I guess everyone came home from work and decided to buy Southern Front lol. (I realized I had not re-downloaded Vietnam after reinstalling.)

I definitely want to get it. I'm fighting the urge to buy it now at $60. I'm going to (try to) wait until my next annual coupon comes through. I've already used all of my other coupons.

Robear wrote:

You actually build a firebase, too. You have to bring in the artillery and ammo and engineers, then guard while they build, then start sending teams out to scout out targets and provide security. It's something special.

That's it! I felt like I did the first time I put a multi-plane airstrike together in the original Harpoon. That was 1987 or 1988, I think. Good times.

Yeah, same feeling of accomplishment.

Campaign Series: Vietnam is currently 10% discounted at the Slitherine store.

IMAGE(https://readingdoonesbury.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/31.png)

My god, I was ten years old when that cartoon showed up in the paper. BD was the dim one in the group, but I figured he was going to get killed off. 1972. Soon there'd be big changes for me that year, new school in the Fall, new friends, first hard schoolwork I'd ever had. Socially harrowing but I knew I was on a better path. Doonesbury was an unadulterated pleasure back in the day.

I started reading it in High School, in the early 80's.

Remember, just before he enlisted to get out of it, BJ told Mike that the title of his term paper was "Our friend the beaver" (or muskrat, or somesuch) LoL

Even as a Middle Schooler, I was just self aware enough to realize that being the kid reading Doonesbury comics from the start definitely meant I was the weird one. (The sheer volume of jokes I didn't get until years, DECADES later...)

LoL. Exactly.

It looks like Second Front has a release date: January 31st 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOd2...

I've been hopeful for this one.

Apparently the beta testers are pretty happy with it, from what I’ve seen around the net.

TAZ89 wrote:

It looks like Second Front has a release date: January 31st 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOd2...

I've been hopeful for this one.

I got a chance to play a playtest version a few months ago. I was impressed with what I got to experience, although the playtest ended before I got too far into what was available. The ASL influence is clear, in a very good way I thought.

I posted a video about it as well, if you'd like to see more.

Thanks Zilla! It’ll be a nice break in the Winter grind times.