Newbie questions about this game...

[Emren]

Hi all!

I've just read the review over on The Wargamer, which gives this game high praise indeed. I've never owned a ACW game, and my historical knowledge of this war is very sketchy. My preference in games is certainly in the turn based games, and most certainly on the grand scale (no battlefields for me, please). Getting down to the practicalities, I have a few questions:

1) Are politics included in this game? I.e., do the players have any control over the politics of the time, or are they a background setting which changes as history did?
2) How long does it take to complete the longest campaign from start to finish?
3) How complex would you say this game is, compared to e.g. TOAW?

Thanks to all!

[saintsup]

Hi all!

I've just read the review over on The Wargamer, which gives this game high praise indeed. I've never owned a ACW game, and my historical knowledge of this war is very sketchy. My preference in games is certainly in the turn based games, and most certainly on the grand scale (no battlefields for me, please). Getting down to the practicalities, I have a few questions:

1) Are politics included in this game? I.e., do the players have any control over the politics of the time, or are they a background setting which changes as history did?
2) How long does it take to complete the longest campaign from start to finish?
3) How complex would you say this game is, compared to e.g. TOAW?

Thanks to all!

About 1: You have several 'political' choices all along the campaign such as emancipation, move capitol, total bockade, ... Each choice is rewarded by its own pro's and con's. OTOH there is no 'political' game by se (election, ...).

About 2: count around 10 min a turn and around 80 turn and you have 800 min for a full campain

About 3: I'm a fairly experienced player and I used to play a lot BOA ... and I played TOAW since the first version in 1998 so I don't know what to say ... except that it was very easy to start doing things but there are still some 'subtleties' that I still discover now reading the forum

[arsan]

About 2: count around 10 min a turn and around 80 turn and you have 800 min for a full campain

Really??
It takes me between 30 and 60 minutes a turn
And i think the longest campaign is +100 turns
So... in theory, 100 hours of fun per campaign... yeah!!
But usually it ends earlier with USA or CSA winning theirs objetives.

Cheers!

[saintsup]

It takes me between 30 and 60 minutes a turn

Well 10 minutes could be bit optimistic. It depends on your turn minutia. Mine is:
- read the message log (except the movement ones); take some actions on the spot
- follow the front line; take action for the main armies
- Ctrl-S - E/S - E/S - E/S - some action - E/S - etc ...
- T/S- T/S - some action - T/S etc ...
- Go to the ledger, buy replacements, adjust the industrialization / rail / river
- Hit the end of turn button

[arsan]

Well 10 minutes could be bit optimistic. It depends on youy turn minutia. Mine is:
- read the message log (except the movement ones); take some actions on the spot
- follow the front line; take action for the main armies
- Ctrl-S - E/S - E/S - E/S - some action - E/S - etc ...
- T/S- T/S - some action - T/S etc ...
- Go to the ledger, buy replacements, adjust the industrialization / rail / river
- Hit the end of turn button

Yes more or less the same... but i´m slower...
With E/S you mean you sentry every units afer cheking them??
They remain on sentry on next turn?
I just E/R util units start to repeat themselves

Thanks!

[willgamer]

With E/S you mean you sentry every units afer cheking them??
They remain on sentry on next turn?
I just E/R util units start to repeat themselves

Yeah, me too... I hate to have to revisit the "permanently" sentry'd city garrisons. I use S to avoid them when cycling.

My turn time is poor: 30-60 min., still in my first campaign mid '62, no BOA experience.

Pocus: How about adding a new button to sentry just for the current turn?

[saintsup]

With E/S you mean you sentry every units afer cheking them??

The ones that don't move. The ones that move are excluded from the E/R/T/Y cycle

They remain on sentry on next turn?

Yes but that's what the CTRL+S at the beginning of the procedure is for ...

I just E/R util units start to repeat themselves

I could'nt very easily remember where was the start, especially for the zillion of anonymous militia. Therefor the S

[saintsup]

Pocus: How about adding a new button to sentry just for the current turn?

Would love that ...