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Eye Candy vs. Clickfest

Juardis

By Juardis
in Theatre of War

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Juardis Senior Member

Juardis

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One of the things that I really really enjoyed with CM was replaying the previous 60 sec in all it's glorious detail. From different perspectives, from different units, riding shotgun on my uber-tank, watching a Brumbar take out an entire platoon with one shell, etc. Of course I could do that because the game was paused awaiting me to give further instruction. Now I realize ToW is built on a RTS platform and, while you can pause to give orders, you really can't playback anything (at least, I'm not aware that you can).

I understand you can change your perspective to anywhere you want in the game while it's running, but I'm afraid I'll lose control of what's going on where if I do that. So how do I enjoy all the eye candy, 3-d positional sounds (will there be positional sounds?), explosions, the AI execution of my brilliant orders, etc.? Will there be a movie playback feature where I can, at the conclusion of the game, replay it and enjoy the graphics? Or will I have to put the game on slug speed and zoom around the battlefield to get my fill of eye candy?

That's the problem I had with AoE (Age of Empires). Beautiful graphics/atmospherics that I rarely got to enjoy because I was too busy clicking and dragging and pointing and pulling my hair out and cussing. I mean, by all the screenies I've seen, this looks to be a gorgeous game but what good is gorgeous if you cannot enjoy it?

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Moon Senior Member

Moon

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We're not sure if a full playback feature will be implemented on time or not. TOW is based on IL-2's engine which had a great playback feature as you might know, but there are a LOT of differences between the engines which makes this task non-trivial. Another more likely thing to make it in is a battlefield review feature which will let you explore the battlefield after the mission is over. But again, we're not sure just yet.

Without a playback feature it will of course be possible to be caught looking the wrong way occasionally, but TOWs interface really makes it easy to stay in touch with where the action is. Feedback messages, soldier icons, audio and visual clues all help, and of course you can always pause and explore the entire battlefield. Another big difference to most RTS out there is that the game pace of TOW is generally somewhat slower, and more realistic, so you're not always running behind the clock or trying to outclick your opponent. With "game pace" I don't mean the visual playback, but the "ebb and flow" of the game - tanks and infantry move realistically, realistic rates of fire and so forth, meaning that the pace is often not unlike in CM, so the danger of losing the action out of view because you're busy clicking all the time is very low.

Martin

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Juardis Senior Member

Juardis

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Well, if I'm too busy trying to keep track of the units and what they're doing and giving orders, then presumably I'll be too busy to sit back, watch, and enjoy the show. On the flip side, if I get immersed in the details of the experience (e.g., zooming in on a gun crew as they take fire), then I may lose track of the rest of the battlefield and end up losing command of the situation. Or at least that's my concern. Ideally, I would like to have both though and that is my question, is it possible.

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Mord Senior Member

Mord

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Originally posted by TuuSaR:

Easy solution, keep on playing those 20-15 years old hexagon games! :rolleyes:

Why would he? CM had the feature he's talking about. CMAK isn't 15 years old is it?

I totally agree with Juardis and I've posted the same opinion in a couple threads now. The little cool moments and exchanges are what makes these games so much fun. The vignette's inside the big story...subplots...a tank dueling a panzershrek, a counter, counter attack on a position, a bailed tank crew who fights it's way to safety or is mowed down as they escape...**** like that. The little personal, violent moments between opposing units that make up an epic battle. I don't recall moments like that pushing NATO symbols around on a hexagon map do you?

Mord.

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Juardis Senior Member

Juardis

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Correction RMC. I'll still have those moments IF the game allows me to have those moments without totally screwing up my situational awareness of the battlefield.

I'm gathering from other threads that the AI is good enough to allow me to "experience the war" in small doses, but only a demo will let me know to what extent. Hell, I can see a situation where I play as much of a scenario as I can from the perspective of one unit just to get the immersion. Forget God like status, play as a grunt and see what happens.

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David JJ Junior Member

David JJ

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Originally posted by Moon:

Another big difference to most RTS out there is that the game pace of TOW is generally somewhat slower, and more realistic, so you're not always running behind the clock or trying to outclick your opponent. With "game pace" I don't mean the visual playback, but the "ebb and flow" of the game - tanks and infantry move realistically, realistic rates of fire and so forth, meaning that the pace is often not unlike in CM...

This is a superb explanation and will make many of us old(er) gamers far less wary of the letters "RTS" when we see them. My problem with the RTS genre (including pinnacles of the genre such as Warcraft III, Rise of Nations and their ilk) has always been that I'm never able to keep up with the clickfest (especially when playing against the computer) that they turn into as your rapidly try to balance assult and resource development and handling peons etc etc.

ToW is going to be superb.

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Juardis Senior Member

Juardis

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Originally posted by Sigrun:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Juardis:

Forget God like status, play as a grunt and see what happens.

At which point one might wonder why one doesn't simply play an FPS. </font>
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stone75 Senior Member

stone75

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Hey all,

Maybe what could be implemented is a 30 second rewind like in driving sims. Something spectacular happens, you hit "r" and it replays the last 30 secs where you can view the action from where you like. When your finished, the game is sat waiting in pause for you to resume.

The one thing about the IL-2 playback was watching it through to get to the action which could be a long recording. Left me not using it much except for disasterous takeoffs in fully laden Sturmoviks. Or maybe i was using it wrong :rolleyes:

Steve..

P.S. I beleive no such feature will make the first release anyway from what ive read on the forums but one can only hope with such tallented game designers smile.gif

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M Hofbauer Senior Member

M Hofbauer

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Originally posted by Juardis:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Sigrun:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Juardis:

Forget God like status, play as a grunt and see what happens.

At which point one might wonder why one doesn't simply play an FPS. </font>
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Kellysheroes Senior Member

Kellysheroes

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I really hope we are able to adjust the control setup. Cause I got the feeling I am going to be using Right Mouse Click for PAUSE a lot. I really hate real time games and that word PAUSE! It just doesn't make sense. If you're gonna pause it why not make it "turn based" to begin with? Then it pauses all the time orderly fashioned like. ;)

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Melnibone Senior Member

Melnibone

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Originally posted by Kellysheroes:

I really hope we are able to adjust the control setup. Cause I got the feeling I am going to be using Right Mouse Click for PAUSE a lot. I really hate real time games and that word PAUSE! It just doesn't make sense. If you're gonna pause it why not make it "turn based" to begin with? Then it pauses all the time orderly fashioned like. ;)

You're buying the game now? What changed your mind? ;)

To quote:

This game is going to be missing tooooo much out of the box to be worthy of retail purchase.

I bet this game is just another kiddie click fest movie watching game.

Sounds like an unfinished game to me being rushed out the door for the $$, then in each future sequel maybe adding more of what is wanted in the first place at an added cost of same retail prices. But, just like all other games it has NICE GRAPHICS. Once again this is one of those wait for the sequel and get everything that should have been in the first game. Graphics or no, it's just unfinished.

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Kellysheroes Senior Member

Kellysheroes

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{{You're buying the game now? What changed your mind? }}

I don't have to BUY the game to play the game igmo. ;) And no it won't be pirated either. Some of us have "real life friends" unlike you I suppose. ;)

{{He's quite the **** disturber, isn't he. Time for a lynching}}

If anyone fits that title Dorschbag it's you. ;)

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