Ok I really just have to give HPS a big thumbs, salute, whatever.:bow:
This France '14 title is fantastic....HPS has done what I thought was impossible....make an operational level WWI that is actually playable AND most importantly.....FUN. We've always seen flight sims and grand strategy level games of WWI, but this I've never seen. The Sound effects.....what can I say....I love them! I like what HPS did to the engine, now you actually HEAR the unit when it moves, not just when it fires. The authentic sounds really add immersion to the game, hearing the clucking of the horses and men yelling while firing the artillery makes you feel like you are actually at the battle. I would love see the the movement sounds moved other games espcially games like The Renainssance, Civil War and Napoleonics, where many horses and artillery are used.
Also, the game really gives you sense of the casualties and warfare of WWI....HPS, great Job.
P.S. I can't wait to see later war titles with tanks, gas, and heavy trench warfare.
Well said Panzer VI.
I think you have to give most of the credit for all this to Ed-Volcano Man - as the main man behind the game. A real tour de force that took him years to put together. Add in John Tiller who took the design from Ed and worked on the engine to get him a lot of what he wanted with some excellent functionality, and throw in HPS as the publisher, and you have the end result of a good game.
Glenn and Blackie put a huge amount of work into the PzC and other series games that they do also, but this one game from Ed represents a large part of his (young) life :), as shown by his documentation and the overall results. I agree the game captures WW1 wonderfully, even the Ypres scenarios which maybe aren't as fun as the earlier battles but show trench warfare at its (early) peak. But reserves are critical, high ground has a lot of benefits to the defender - and probably attacker, there is movement, and as you say losses are straight out of WW1.
Rick
"and as you say losses are straight out of WW1."
Gee wizz no kidding! I'm playing the August campaign now as French and after 6 hours there are 16,000 French losses and 9,000 Germans! And there is no sign of any let up. Jonny :angry::mad::conf::eek1:
(06-27-2010, 05:53 AM)Panzer VI Wrote: [ -> ]This France '14 title is fantastic....HPS has done what I thought was impossible....make an operational level WWI that is actually playable AND most importantly.....FUN.
Wow, not sure what to say... "thanks" just doesn't quite do it!
Lets just say that I have been worried if anyone would even be interested in WW1 at this scale from the beginning. Foul certainly knows that about a few weeks before it was released I started second guessing whether or not I wasted four years of my life working on F14, and whether or not it would be well received but then I finally felt better once I realized that it doesn't quite matter as long as I like to play it myself. ;) It looks like my panic / concerns were unjustified now.
In regards to the movement sounds, I actually created unique movement sounds for both PzC and MC series as well (about two years ago), but curiously they have not appeared in any titles yet. Perhaps they were just lost by accident, I will ask and see what happens. In regards to the Nappy, ACW, REN series, movement sounds would be most useful there. Unfortunately the OOB is setup differently (unit classes and types aren't as easily defined like they are in FWWC, PzC, MC) but maybe something can be figured out here at some point (I have actually done some work to help bring movement sounds into those games, but not sure what will come from it).
In any case, you are probably one of the few that actually play with the sounds on, like I do. Personally I don't see how these games can be played without the sounds on, sure I know it plays a little slower, but you have to have some kind of immersion!
"Personally I don't see how these games can be played without the sounds on, sure I know it plays a little slower, but you have to have some kind of immersion!"
I cranked up III Armee' commander and there was the sound of a 1910 vintage limousine putt-putting down the road! Love the sound of the hoofs when the cavalry moves and the neighing of the horses! jonny;)
No problem-by HPS of course I mean everyone involved in the game. Overall the presentation of this title was done very well. I have to say the game does do what the game was designed to....break away from the WWI stereotypes and show that a game could be made about WWI. I think it took "balls" to go ahead and try to make a WWI wargame at this level, and I see the those guts and hard work paid off. Now HPS pretty much has a monopoly on Operational level WWI strategy wargames....which is well deserved IMO.
It is a real masterpeice
I can not wait for Tannenberg and Galicia
(06-27-2010, 05:53 AM)Panzer VI Wrote: [ -> ]Also, the game really gives you sense of the casualties and warfare of WWI....HPS, great Job.
I second that. I'm on turn 13 as the germans and so far there are over 160,000 total causalties!
Thank you everyone for your positive feedback on the first title of this new series, when Ed contacted me to ask me to join the testing team i was as surprised as the rest of you about what the title was, i had only the basic knowledge of the events of 1914 from the book "Guns of August" which i had read about twenty years ago and to some extent that may have been an advantage as i had an open mind to what Ed had created rather than preconceived ideas. And what a master piece he has given us, as i have said before Ed must now be one of the leading authorities on this period due to the sheer amount of research he put into the project and his replies to questions on the forum have already shown that i believe.
Ed was worried about how the community would receive the title, my view was the title would not fail due to any lack of effort on his and the testing teams part and as long as we give the customers a quality product the chances of a positive response was high (as has been proved), as a perfectionist Ed would lose sleep over a small detail that he could not find a reliable source on and there was many times Rick and I had to say "leave it, leave it" its fine, but that same trait has also ensured that the title is as historically correct as is possible.
We are very fortunate that Ed has stepped fully into the designers ring as we have a brand new series from HPS that complements PzC and MC perfectly and ensures new titles for years to come.
This games sounds great. I just ordered today and look forward to making the Kaiser proud.
