Jump to content

GJK

Members
  • Posts

    1,355
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by GJK

  1. To me, that explains why computer wargames are deficient. I'll explain.

    MMP decided to tweak two rules in the recently released Journal 7 (those are rules that have been the way that they were for 25+ years). The good thing is that if mutually agreed upon by both players, you can either adopt the errata or ignore it. If this were a computer wargame, you'd be stuck with whatever the coding team decided to do.

  2. I think that a perfect comparison of SL to ASL is CMBO to CMAK. SL/CMBO are fun games for being the first in the genre, ASL/CMAK refine a lot of what wasn't done right in the initial offering.

    I think Peter hit on a good point with ASL - once you learn the basics; Chapter A and B stuff, then it becomes like riding a bike. If you play a scenario that offers a terrain piece or a SW that you haven't used before, then you quickly read how those are handled and you play. No way that you learn all of the rules and you don't need to. It's really a brilliant game system.

  3. Good post DerBlitzer. Try the SK's, you wont be dissapointed. The rules are very easy to digest and each of the scenarios have a high replay value. Install VASL and Skype (voice) and then meet up with others and play online or arrange for a pbem game. Very enjoyable.

    I attempted to pbm a game of ViTP once. I was 15 I think, and the guy that I was gaming against was much older (I gathered) when after turn two his letter rattled off a list of boo-boo's that I had made in my previous turn and then concluded with a simple "you haven't read the rules, have you?". Ugh.

  4. Originally posted by Peterk:

    Hey Gary,

    Are you guys still doing the starter kits?!?! Time for the big plunge. Barricades! smile.gif

    I've got the 1st ed RB, the new 2nd ed RB and several modules. I was getting pretty deep into regular ASL with a buddy until he was shipped off to Iraq and then my interest waned. So, going back through the SK's (aren't those things great? Like little refresher courses) and then I'll work up to full ASL again. Actually looking forward to SK#3 (tankz!). I've never used any type of vehicle in ASL before, so that will be fun.

    Originally posted by Peterk:

    Your brother hit it on the head with where the immersion comes from in boardgames.

    I think the charm of CM however is more than just getting the computer to do the tedious chores and rules. It's seeing your move in 3-D. I have a feeling if it were 2-D; it wouldn't work.

    If you wrote an ASL proram to do all the rules and calculations and dice rolling - even though that's what some people think they want - I have a feeling that the fun of the game would be gone. ASLers would start complaining that there wasn't enough to do.

    That's funny, I said the exact same thing in a thread on the GDF here just last week. I thought that I wanted a "computer ASL" game, I can see now that it would quickly become yet another computer wargame that I would rarely play. The fun factor with ASL is the social interaction and the actual squad management.
  5. Peter,

    Dorosh and me just started up a pbem of an ASLSK scenario. I haven't played in a few months either but had been itching to. FWIW, I also hadn't played CM for several months until the other night, I did a quick battle just to get it out of my system. Both of these games will be ones that I'll always go back to as none does it better (each in their own way).

    I have also transitioned from playing computer wargames to primarily playing board wargames (via VASSAL albeit). My brother, whom I was playing "Fire in the Sky" with tonight summed it up when he said that with boardgames, "You do everything. You know every piece and their status in the game. You're much more involved.". Some say that the benefit of computer wargames is that the computer handles the mundane tasks for you, supply checks, rules enforcement, etc. I'm finding that to be a liability though. I much prefer having that complete control; call it micro-management if you will (and yes, I know that in *some* computer wargames you can micro-manage, but they all still do *some* things for you that sometimes you'd rather it not of done).

    My thoughts on this old but classic thread. smile.gif

  6. I assume that we're all speculating as to how it works in this game as I haven't seen an "official" post yet about it, but I would think that a gentlemans agreement as to when a pause would occur would work best - but then you're getting into what CM does already.

    I'll be most curious to see how the demo works, provided that there will be a demo - any word on that yet (obviously I haven't gone through all the posts here)?

    Edit: Just searched and saw Madmatt's reference to a demo, so that answers that.

  7. Originally posted by Hortlund:

    My guess is that they will do it the same as Paradox has done it. If one player in MP pauses, both players are paused. There is a 10 second "lock" where it is impossible for the other player to unpause, but after that, anyone can unpause the game, and the clock continues.

    Sounds like a reasonable solution to the MP-problem to me.

    Sounds like a cluster-f*** to me.

    Me: [pause]

    You: (after 10 seconds) ok, you're done [unpause]

    Me: Uh, no I'm not! [pause]

    You: (after 10 seconds) Come on already! [unpause]

    Granted, I haven't played a Paradox RTS game online so I'm not a first hand witness as to how it works, but if it's as you describe, yech!

  8. Pbem helper has an automatic zipping feature built in. Just set the preference for that game to use .zip instead of "as is" and it will zip it and then mail it.

    Alternatively, if both you and your opponent use Pbem Helper, you can set it to use the propriety ".pbm" format meaning that all you have to do is double click on the attachment and pbem helper will launch and load the turn in one gesture - or you could have it load your turn automatically upon arrival. Some neat features inside of that program.

    And yes, CM should have Pbem Helper built in. smile.gif

×
×
  • Create New...