Faelwolf

The graphics in the new version are very impressive, at ground level on par with some FPS games I have. I can recall when the general consensus among the gaming "experts" was that strategy/tactical games would never be this good graphically, and we would all have to settle for rough graphics or abstracts forever. But where I really tip my hat to the graphics dept. is the zooming. It's an aspect that is easy to miss as a viewer (unless they get it wrong, then it is very noticeable), but when I watched the AAR videos, I noticed that there is a near infinite zoom scale, without the graphics degrading at any resolution. No moire screening, no pixelation, and no shifting of the terrain tiles that I could see. That is a very difficult thing to achieve, and I have seen game companies with much larger budgets and staff drop the ball on that consistently, on static art. And don't forget that all the terrain has to be modular to allow for map making by the end user while doing this. Then add in animated objects meeting the same requirements while in motion. I am sure the modding community will improve the few things that aren't sparkly enough to suit them, like the bomb blast effects and such, but I'd say we have been given one heck of a good game to start with. (Not a knock on anyone's comments, just an observation) Speaking of modding, I also give credit to the company for allowing the art to be modded, I have seen discussions on that, and the game isn't even out yet. They have enough confidence in the product to open it up to the player base, and we all win.

I am 48, and yes, life is short and unpredictable. I had a severe heart attack about a year and a half ago, you really can go at any moment, without warning. So enjoy life! Not all of us get a second shot at it. I started with Squad Leader, back when it was new I lived in a remote area, so could not do much more than dabble with it, and honestly have been a dabbler ever since. This game looks like one I could really get into in a lot more detail. I am one of those who doesn't like the RTS games and feeling rushed, and the reflexes aren't what they used to be From what I saw of the videos, even in the RTS setting, it wasn't so fast paced, I may give it a try once I get comfortable with the game mechanics.

I will add my thanks here as well. As I mentioned in another thread your vids helped me to decide to buy the game.

I just got my pre-order in, and signed up for the forums tonight. I have lurked here off and on, and have been fence-sitting for a while on buying the game, though I did play around with the demo for AK a bit. Tyrspawn's videos finally convinced me to take the plunge I am one of the "seniors" having started with Squad Leader back in the mid 70's, and moved on to the Talonsoft series later on. I have been very much just a dabbler though, so will likely have a million questions over time as I try to get into it more, and learn. I will say that I do like the "we go" system as it doesn't make me feel rushed. I tried the demos of some other similar games over the years, but they were all real time, and I found it hard to keep up, especially while trying to learn. I am sorry I missed the earlier games in this series, but those that I tried really put me off the whole genre for a while.