OK, I have not yet had an opportunity to play, as the game is not out in my country yet, but this thread is really interesting and I have some thoughts about it I would like to share. I believe, that actually it is really good system. The player is actually left with two options:
- more or less re-create the history. But for that - you start the gameplay on 1 September 1939 or even later - there are such scenarios I believe. And you have to deal with the fact, that the technology development is as it was, armies are as they were etc. But unfortunately this could mean "no winning the game for Germany" - because that IS historical.
- run your totally own history, not only that of the war, but of politics, espionage etc. as well. Then you end up in 1939 with a country which has achieved different (higher) technology level, different (stronger) unit mix, but also different alliances and perhaps more enemies.
I am affraid that many people would like to have an option of international politics going on like it did in reality, while they handle the technical and military side their own way (which virtually always means MORE AGGRESIVE!). Now - that would be ahistorical for me! If the German player spends most of his/her effort on developing technology and army beyond the real achievements of the III Reich it is obvious that he will fail to do something elsewhere - in the world of politics, diplomacy, espionage. You simply cannot have everything, as your budget is limited! That IS historical.
Look on it also this way: imagine that in early 1939 the Germany has several divisions of medium panzers (which it really did not) army 1.5 times bigger, aircraft 100 km/h faster than any other country, and let's say two Bismarck class battleships already in service with further two (and possibly an aircraft carrier) under construction. Do you think that the UK and France would still insist that Poland cancels its mobilization on August 30 as they did? The point is that you cannot change the military story and have the same political outcome!
That said, I am of course not claiming that the new system is bug-free. OK, if you can make Lichtenstein the greatest threat to the civilized world than perhaps some tweaking is badly needed. It might be a good idea to relate the maximum threat level to the army size as someone has proposed earlier. But I think that the new game mechanics is quite well engineered and realistic. It is only different.
And besides - what fun is it to play the game if you know exactly what will happen? I would say that it is for instance too easy to play as the German and KNOW that France will not invade (i mean REAL invasion
). Hitler did not know it! OK, he suspected it, he was almost sure of it, but he had no way of actually KNOWING it before it happened. He took chances. Just like Stalin took chances thinking that he would strike first - and failed! And the player also has to take chances without any guarantees that he will always succeed. And that really makes the game fun. This requires you to think more and secure yourself from unpredictable. If you do not feel this way maybe you should better play some purely-military game like War in the Pacific for instance. Or just revert to HoI 2, which still is a very good game.
- more or less re-create the history. But for that - you start the gameplay on 1 September 1939 or even later - there are such scenarios I believe. And you have to deal with the fact, that the technology development is as it was, armies are as they were etc. But unfortunately this could mean "no winning the game for Germany" - because that IS historical.
- run your totally own history, not only that of the war, but of politics, espionage etc. as well. Then you end up in 1939 with a country which has achieved different (higher) technology level, different (stronger) unit mix, but also different alliances and perhaps more enemies.
I am affraid that many people would like to have an option of international politics going on like it did in reality, while they handle the technical and military side their own way (which virtually always means MORE AGGRESIVE!). Now - that would be ahistorical for me! If the German player spends most of his/her effort on developing technology and army beyond the real achievements of the III Reich it is obvious that he will fail to do something elsewhere - in the world of politics, diplomacy, espionage. You simply cannot have everything, as your budget is limited! That IS historical.
Look on it also this way: imagine that in early 1939 the Germany has several divisions of medium panzers (which it really did not) army 1.5 times bigger, aircraft 100 km/h faster than any other country, and let's say two Bismarck class battleships already in service with further two (and possibly an aircraft carrier) under construction. Do you think that the UK and France would still insist that Poland cancels its mobilization on August 30 as they did? The point is that you cannot change the military story and have the same political outcome!
That said, I am of course not claiming that the new system is bug-free. OK, if you can make Lichtenstein the greatest threat to the civilized world than perhaps some tweaking is badly needed. It might be a good idea to relate the maximum threat level to the army size as someone has proposed earlier. But I think that the new game mechanics is quite well engineered and realistic. It is only different.
And besides - what fun is it to play the game if you know exactly what will happen? I would say that it is for instance too easy to play as the German and KNOW that France will not invade (i mean REAL invasion
). Hitler did not know it! OK, he suspected it, he was almost sure of it, but he had no way of actually KNOWING it before it happened. He took chances. Just like Stalin took chances thinking that he would strike first - and failed! And the player also has to take chances without any guarantees that he will always succeed. And that really makes the game fun. This requires you to think more and secure yourself from unpredictable. If you do not feel this way maybe you should better play some purely-military game like War in the Pacific for instance. Or just revert to HoI 2, which still is a very good game.
