I have played the first two titles, but got deceived. The promise of the game was realism. You want to get bigger by annexing or developing, but on a realistic pace. Nothing like world domination common to other titles. The problem is that world domination is possible and the AI is weak. For years I have been after strategical games with good AI, until I realized it was a vain effort. AI began beating humans in chess more than 20 years ago and just recently was able to beat a professional GO player. All those games are great, but they are deterministic and have simple rules, enough to be beyond human capacity to do all calculations, but already in the reach of computers' capacity of calculation to deal with them better than humans. When it comes to wargames, though, the intuitive capacity of humans are still far ahead. Computers will have to master tactical level games before dealing with strategical ones and I think there still a long way to go. So, the alternative is to play humans and that is what I have been doing. Yet, not only me, but a lot of people that like this kind of games don't have enough time to be in front of a computer for hours playing a game. Solution: turn based PBEM. Ok, I know the title is real time, but so is Combat Mission. Yet, Combat Mission allows for a mixed mode on the genre WEGO. Set your orders, your opponent sets his orders and the game runs for a minute of real time (it tactical, so a minute is a minute). This is great, since you don't have to stay in front of the computer for hours, even if you play multiple turns a day. And more, it is more realistic, since no commander have real time information about all his troops (or armies) and no order is immediately followed. I'm not suggesting that WEGO simulates chain of command, but it kind of allow for the feeling of not being able to intervene immediately and having to plan ahead.
Question is: is there a way to play EU IV by PBEM, using something like the Combat Mission system. Something like pausing the game, letting players set their orders and running it for a fixed number of years for instance. Or months, since I really don't remember the pace of the game.
The way it is, playing against a stupid AI for world conquest isn't my cup of tea. Also, handicapping yourself by playing a weak country isn't also a great solution. When computers become predictable, it's all a matter of repeating what works against their fixed strategy.
Question is: is there a way to play EU IV by PBEM, using something like the Combat Mission system. Something like pausing the game, letting players set their orders and running it for a fixed number of years for instance. Or months, since I really don't remember the pace of the game.
The way it is, playing against a stupid AI for world conquest isn't my cup of tea. Also, handicapping yourself by playing a weak country isn't also a great solution. When computers become predictable, it's all a matter of repeating what works against their fixed strategy.
