WEGO vs RT-Is it age related?

[Stingray]

Don't know if this has been asked before. I am wondering how many play CMBN in WEGO VS. RT?? Is the choice of play mode age related???

Just wondering. I would like to think that I play WEGO because I like to take time to plan and then watch the re-play.

Being an old sea dog, the real reason is: my fingers are not too nimble and I get confused easily. I also grew up playing board games- ASL-Panzerblitz-Tobruk...

[SteveP]

My age and wargaming experience is similar to your own, I believe. I switched to RT because I could pause the game any time I want (often after less than a minute has passed, but sometimes only after several minutes when there is no reason to stop the action). The only disadvantage is lack of replay, but I regard that as being more realistic. Running the replay over and over so you can glean every detail of what happened to every unit would be something a RL commander could only dream about.

OTOH, it would be nice to have a saved movie to look at after you've completed a mission.

[Wreck]

it would be nice to have a saved movie to look at after you've completed a mission.

Second that. Since they already have the ability to record one-minute scripts and replay them, it does not appear to be a huge extension to the engine. Basically put N scripts into one large file, then create a UI that allows you to select script 1..N for replay. (It would be slicker to have the scripts be automatically assembled into one large script, but that would mean more work.)

[umlaut]

Running the replay over and over so you can glean every detail of what happened to every unit would be something a RL commander could only dream about.

Ahem. As opposed to: Hovering over the battlefield, pausing all combat everytime you wanted to issue an order?

CMBN is a game. Sometimes I think this urge for realism gets blow out of proportions.

Realism would be something like this: You as the commander being able to see only the inside of a bunker, while you get updates on the progress of the battle via out-of-breath dispatchers running into the bunker to tell you that a "Tiger is spotted in the western corner of the woods" or recieving half dechifrable messages on the radio. You would then move your virtual commander to the virtual map on the virtual bunker table and mark presumed location of enemy and friendly forces.

Until another dispatcher tells you that the enemy is retreating

or

the enemy enters the bunker

or

an artillery shell hits the bunker

...and the game ends.

My point is: realism doesn´t equal good.

I play WEGO because I love to " glean every detail of what happened to every unit ". If there was no WEGO I wouldn´t be playing CM at all. In my view WEGO is what CM is all about and I really don´t understand why anyone would want to play it real time. Not that I mind - I just don´t get it.

And I´m only 44 - so no: it´s no age thing ;-)

[Ranger33]

I like WeGo for H2H and realtime for single player. I think you get the best of both worlds this way.

I'm 24, if that matters.

[Tread Head]

I can't stand real time.... who clicks the fastest wins.....

[LuckyDog]

I started playing realtime and then realised that I have a tendency to really focus on one area of the battlefield and missed what was happening elsewhere. I don't think it makes it any less realistic (as Umlaut said, we are not there in the game!) and it makes it more fun. To me, the game is more akin to directing a film, than a simulation of 'being there' as a commander.

[Erwin]

+1 to umlaut's post.

[Mingan]

This is my first post so hello everyone!

I play WEGO. I like to have complete control over the battlefield and I feel very frustrated if I make bad decisions just because I don't have enough information at hand. Takes the fun out of it. I do not think real-time is more realistic: in the game, you are the only one making decisions and observations, in real situation squad and platoon leaders have orders and they make decisions and observations all the time even if the company leader is not present. So to compensate the missing thinking and observing power we have WEGO.

[Mord]

WEGO...WEGO...WEGO. It's the best of both worlds...You get time for thought and plotting then you get to watch it fluidly play out, oft times to disastrous effect.

Real time for me is just too schizophrenic. You miss a good part of what's happening and it seems it's played from a high view level. I've got all these cool units and vehicles I wanna watch them in action...up close and personal...and re-watch them over and over when one of those awesome moments occur. That is where WEGO shines above turn based or real time...catching one of those jaw dropping situations and being able to savor it or save it and watch it later on. It's a game first and foremost...and there's the plotting, planning and tactical side of defeating your opponent...kicking his ass before he kicks yours...BUT it's those vignettes and dramas that play out within the context of this clash of arms that takes CM from a game and elevates to the status of story telling....and being able to view and record those stories as they occur is for me, what makes it beyond anything else I've ever played.

Mord.

P.S. And I am 42 but I liked WEGO just as much when I was 31 soooo...

[Smeel]

I'm 23 and playing wego, it's because of the ability to replay that ridicoulous ricocheting AP round killing your hq 50 to the side of the very lucky tank. It's those moments that make me wanna play cm, and if you can't replay, you'll se it once, if you're lucky enough to watch those units at that particular moment.

[Childress]

RT will come into its glory when- and if- BFC enables multi-multiplayer. Question is whether it's possible to organize 4+ players over the net in this very niche hobby. CM isn't World of Tanks or Call of Duty.

[SteveP]

The OP suggested, at least in part, a misconception that playing RT was necessarily about reflexes ("twitch). If RT were implemented for H2H play, I suppose it would be that way, which is why I would never do it. For solo play, my reflexes are still fast enough to hit the Esc key when needed, which is all I really need them to do (other than hide the game when my wife comes into the room ).

Another reason why I don't mind the lack of replay is that I have no interest in micro-managing my units. Doing so would be the opposite of a fun experience for me (clearly a matter of taste). I'm content to let the TacAI respond to highly localized events. In RT, however, I can give or alter orders sooner than if I had to wait for the full minute to finish.

I save the game quite often when I am paused, and I have no qualms about going back to an earlier save if it looks like I've done something badly (not an infrequent occurance ) because I missed something that I would likely have seen in replay.

Much of what has been said here about the replay feature is perfectly true. It's just a matter of trade-offs.

[sfhand]

I'm currently a 99% pbem player. In every one of my ongoing games I'm (mis)managing at least 2 Co's of infantry and some armor spread across a large front. There is no way I could effectively (mis)manage my forces without replay; there is simply too much going on in any given turn (especially when the "questionmark icon" is so generic, i.e. not knowing what type {armor, infantry} of unit it represents)

[Sgt Schultz]

Since I do not own a Ronco™ Pocket Difibrillator, I play WEGO.

I like my replays and screenshots too much to give them up.

[Rosseau]

I never liked RT and too stressful now that I'm 55. But I may have to try it one day. Unfortunately, I also suck at the game in general.

[PanzerMiller]

I'm a (relatively) old fart and I can only do WEGO...my Call-of-Duty-obsessed kid showed me how futile RT is in the hands of a thumb-challenged Dad who needs ample time for thoughtful analysis and reflection...it takes me hours to play a few turns of CM and I love every minute of it!

[Paper Tiger]

I'm 51, and will be 52 later this week but I have no problems playing in RT. This seems to be an issue that some folks feel very passionately about. Playing in RT is not about reflexes or twitching. I only PAUSE the game when I receive reinforcements, am calling in an artilllery or air strike or when I have accomplished my mission on one side of the battlefield and move over to get a second group going. You can certainly abuse RT and pause the game every few seconds to micro-manage every detail but that's basically playing WEGO where you determine the length of the turn.

I would like to play WEGO but it just takes too damned long to play anything after you have grown accustomed to the pace of a RT mission. I can play an hour-long mission in less than an hour and a half in most cases. That's more fun than replaying for me at least.

[Field Marshal Blücher]

I'm 51, and will be 52 later this week but I have no problems playing in RT. This seems to be an issue that some folks feel very passionately about. Playing in RT is not about reflexes or twitching. I only PAUSE the game when I receive reinforcements, am calling in an artilllery or air strike or when I have accomplished my mission on one side of the battlefield and move over to get a second group going. You can certainly abuse RT and pause the game every few seconds to micro-manage every detail but that's basically playing WEGO where you determine the length of the turn.

I would like to play WEGO but it just takes too damned long to play anything after you have grown accustomed to the pace of a RT mission. I can play an hour-long mission in less than an hour and a half in most cases. That's more fun than replaying for me at least.

Ditto for me. Except I'm 23.

[Blazing 88's]

Ahem. As opposed to: Hovering over the battlefield, pausing all combat everytime you wanted to issue an order?

CMBN is a game. Sometimes I think this urge for realism gets blow out of proportions.

Realism would be something like this: You as the commander being able to see only the inside of a bunker, while you get updates on the progress of the battle via out-of-breath dispatchers running into the bunker to tell you that a "Tiger is spotted in the western corner of the woods" or recieving half dechifrable messages on the radio. You would then move your virtual commander to the virtual map on the virtual bunker table and mark presumed location of enemy and friendly forces.

Until another dispatcher tells you that the enemy is retreating

or

the enemy enters the bunker

or

an artillery shell hits the bunker

...and the game ends.

My point is: realism doesn´t equal good.

I play WEGO because I love to " glean every detail of what happened to every unit ". If there was no WEGO I wouldn´t be playing CM at all. In my view WEGO is what CM is all about and I really don´t understand why anyone would want to play it real time. Not that I mind - I just don´t get it.

And I´m only 44 - so no: it´s no age thing ;-)

[Sakai007]

I can't stand real time.... who clicks the fastest wins.....

In most RTS games like Company of Heroes and the like, yes, this is true. Combat Mission is a whole different kind of animal. Even when played in real time, CM doesn't get any less realistic, it's still CM. When playing H2H, WeGo is the obvious since it's necessary more often then not. But for the single player, I switch between WeGo and RT. If the scenario involves a large amount of units, anything over 2 companies, then I use WeGo in single player. This is mainly so I don't forget any units when I get caught up in the action in a certain part of the map. The very best part of RT is being able to stop your squad from charging that building at the last second when you realize it's a trap and the ambush is about to be sprung.

I am 28 and have been playing Combat Mission for 7 years or so.

[JonS]

which means that ...

[Mord]

You know, I've seen a few mentions (and heard this many times before when this subject comes up) in this thread about micro managing in WEGO...I don't know about anyone else but I rarely do unless something drastic happens or I need to tweak an order...a lot of times once my guys are in position I trust them to deal with what comes up.

Either way, RT or WEGO, I think it's cool that people have the choice. From what I can tell RT (outside of the UI complaints) is handled pretty well...I hope there's a little more attention put on the WEGO system to make it the best it can be.

Mord.

[OrdeaL]

RT Because i can pause it when ever and to me if feels more fluid and at the end of the day it plays out more like a computer game then a board game. But im happy we get the choice (for you old farts)

[whako]

I'm 51, and will be 52 later this week but I have no problems playing in RT. This seems to be an issue that some folks feel very passionately about. Playing in RT is not about reflexes or twitching. I only PAUSE the game when I receive reinforcements, am calling in an artilllery or air strike or when I have accomplished my mission on one side of the battlefield and move over to get a second group going. You can certainly abuse RT and pause the game every few seconds to micro-manage every detail but that's basically playing WEGO where you determine the length of the turn.

I would like to play WEGO but it just takes too damned long to play anything after you have grown accustomed to the pace of a RT mission. I can play an hour-long mission in less than an hour and a half in most cases. That's more fun than replaying for me at least.

Ditto I'm 45 and RT is the way to go. Who said RT was a clickfest obviously has not really played CM in RT.