Looking for an opponent for a PBEM game.

[retired from gaming]

Burroughs,
slow response recently is my second name so no problem with that :)
We just started with Vesku quite interesting way of playing scens, it might be good for you and me as well.
We simply pick up a nation for each of us (we play WW2, I took Poles, Vesku Finns) and we play two games at a time. So we stared sort of campaign, we want to play each nation's scens one by one, making this sort of a campaign. He always takes the Finn's side and me the Pole's one. This needs a bit of admin work at first, but I can do that, as soon as you let me know which nation you want to play.
Surely I can wait a couple of days or longer if you need to get used to PBEM-ing first.
cheers
czerpak
p.s. and yes, I am back to work tommorow as well, ehhh

[Seahawk]

Hey czerpak, that sounds like a really fun way to play it..after vesku gets done handing me my head in our mirror battles ill have to give that a shot.

[retired from gaming]

Hey czerpak, that sounds like a really fun way to play it..after vesku gets done handing me my head in our mirror battles ill have to give that a shot.

In my case Vesku made it kind of habbit...handing me my head on plate I mean :)

yes, that is fun. Stock scens were always my favourite kind of battles (mainly bcause they save both time and discussion about restrictions and limits, historical/realistic buys etc.) but I hope that sticking with one nation in number of scens will add special flavour. Also, you get to know your boys and gear. And to fight against one nation should teach you it's strenght's and weaknesses as well.
When you want to give it a try let me know. There are still many nations in game I'd like to play.

[low_bidder]

"Slow down Low_bidder a bit. Guy simply asked for someone to play stock scens and you jump on him with arty restrictions and longish lecture how stupid AI is and how smart you are. Arty restrictions have nothing to do with stock scens."

Actually, I didn't. I think you are applying this sentence to 'stock sceanarios';
"If anyone is keen on SPMBT I also accept the challenge." I read that as a straight forward challenge to a normal MBT game. Since SPMBT is the subject of that sentence, I read it as a separate topic.
Once there, I informed Bill of my normal restrictions to a PBEM game. What's wrong with that? I certainly hope you do it.
That led to questions, which I tried to answer. At no point in the process was I "jumping" on anyone. I'm not "jumping" on you now. I'm simply correcting your misreading of the situation.
I didn't find anything in my post claiming I'm smart, which is a good thing since I'm not. Or at least compared to others attracted to SP. I do claim to be smarter then the average politician.
The Program as an opponent IS STUPID. All programs that fight humans are.
Meanwhile, if the light was just right and I turned my head just so and squinted my eyes just a bit, I could see your post as a personal attack. Not sure why, since I don't know you and you don't know me. We should meet on the field of honor and get to know one another. I'm a rookie at WW2, so there is where your best chance lies.
After you get to know me, you can attack all you want. I'll probably deserve it. I might just attack back though. So bring a hankie. Or a shop rag.

[burroughs]

I start to become a little apprehensive and it's because my English not the knowledge of the game. I realized that when I was using the term "default" I actually meant "stock" in the meaning that czerpak uses due to the reasons already described. Perhaps it's because that for many years I was a part of "Operation Flashpoint" community which deemed original scenarios that comes with the game and the extensions as "default" as opposed to custom scenarios made by the community for the community. These were wonderful years spent playing and making the game even better and more realistic and challenging than it used to be at the very onset of the movement. I have been slowly realizing the fact that it might have slightly different meaning when applied to SP.
I gladly accept Your proposal, czerpak, and in just a few days I'll come with the set of my favourite scenarios and theaters that I would like to play against human opponent, namely You so we can come to terms with which ones suit both of us. Regarding what You are writing about the system that You have developed playing; I also made a habit of playing two different scenarios against any of my opponents simultaneously, but what I am aiming at is to balance them with the situation that each time everyone is advancing/ assaulting or delaying / defending in another scenario. The only exeption is that playing against JR it's me who is on the move each time, both in Dutch East India as the Japanese and advancing toward Son in Holland '44. What you are proposing and practicaly doing adds a very historical flavor to the game, a new level of exerience that I deem very important for me. I like to submerge myself in the historical settings of a certain scenario and walk in a real life commander's shoes for some time as I stated before.
... and yes - the AI as an opponent IS stupid. I am delaying Seahawk at Mokra village in the Polish Defence War ' 39 and when I compare the armored assault done by the computer with that of his I am starting to pity the last a year and a half when I was having quite a good fun playing SPMBT and thinking that it was a very demanding tactical simulation of battlefield. Gee, horryfing just to think of ...

[Walrus]

I start to become a little apprehensive and it's because my English not the knowledge of the game. I realized that when I was using the term "default" I actually meant "stock" in the meaning that czerpak uses due to the reasons already described.

...and there Gentlemen, let the argument rest.

Burroughs, please don't let this discussion fool you into thinking that your use of English has caused a problem. You have been quite correct in your use of terms and in my opinion, quite clear in what sort of game you were looking for.

I read your initial post the same way as Czerpak did, that you were looking to play the pre-made scenarios that come with the game.
There is no definite term for this, 'stock' and 'default' work fine either way.

Czerpak...you did come across a little forcefully in your initial post, even though, in my opinion, you were basically on the money.
Perhaps you need to check the tone of your post next time eh.

Low Bidder. You are a new player here, and though your wording is very carefully phrased in your response to Czerpak, it is also quite condescending IMO. We show a bit of respect to our elders (in forum terms) here on the SP ladder, unlike some of the ladders here at the Blitz, so perhaps rather than jumping to your defence you should have taken the time to read Czerpak's post and take some relevant information from it.

It seems, according to the quote at the top of this post, that you misunderstood Burrough's request for a game and did indeed launch into a jargon laden and potentially confusing (to a new PBEM player) offer of a game he wasn't actually looking for. This was basically what Czerpak first posted...though I will agree, not exactly in the most friendly manner.

So Gentlemen. Let's put this down to a little initial confusion leading us in the wrong direction.
In the end, we are here to play Steel Panthers, whether this is our first, fifth or five hundredth game.
This forum is for polite, and at times - robust, discussion and to help us hook up player for PBEM games. That is all.

If anyone has a problem with what I have said here, please email me
[email protected] and also cc Weasel [email protected] and we will go from there.

Now...get those games up and running and Carry On....

[roman]

I find it interesting the subject of the rules.
I personally believe that there should be rules. If we want to be historically faithful will see that in wars there are no rules. I think if you have to pay attention to the relationship between the map size, type of battle and value for the purchase of units. To avoid excesses. I personally believe that putting too many rules will lose the tactical possibilities of the game. Once I spent about 30 rules. This reduces the scope of the game. Too predictable rules make purchases of units. True, after winning the best use units but lost quantities of choices. So rather than thinking about rules propose to study what I said earlier. Size of map-type battle-purchase value.
Pd: To those who point to the historical argument, I say that if I choose to France in 40 would inevitably be lost. If I find good research units and their capabilities.

[Walrus]

Hello Roman and welcome to the Blitz

Over the years there have been very many discussions about 'rules' for playing PBEM.
There are a few interesting documents here...
https://www.theblitz.club/message_boards...?tid=50259
...that might help you with PBEM.

When fighting a new opponent I find that it is a good idea to have only a few basic rules.
As you fight the same opponent over time, you will add to those rules and perhaps get a quite complex set of rules for your PBEM games.
I have been playing against Weasel for 4 years or more now and we have quite a few rules for our games. They help us get a very fun game happening, and do not hinder us at all. However that is because we have developed them over a long time to suit our playing styles and help us get to where we think a good game should be.

Some very simple rules for arty can help.
In real life, you would perhaps have very many artillery guns. In Steel Panthers, this is very boring.
I often limit arty to 10% of battle points. Also sometime it is good to ban ammo re-load...and other time ban very heavy arty.
Against the AI (computer) we all use(d) these tactics...but against a human, it is not so skillful to have a massive barrage and no real fighting.

You are correct the battle points v map size v turns will have the biggest impact on the game.
It is hard to get the perfect combination...but with every battle you get better at finding the perfect combination eh

What we try to do here is provide a forum where players can meet and get a game going. How you wish to play that game is up to you.
All we wish is that every player is shown respect and that every player can have fun playing the great game of Steel panthers.

By the way...I have won quite a few battles as france in 1940...you are correct, when you look in the OOB, there are many good French units. But then...how many Somua before it is not historical????
How many 88mm AT before it is silly?
Thus we have some rules :-) but only if you both agree.

Hurrah!

[retired from gaming]

1) ...and there Gentlemen, let the argument rest.

2) Czerpak...you did come across a little forcefully in your initial post, even though, in my opinion, you were basically on the money.
Perhaps you need to check the tone of your post next time eh.

3) This was basically what Czerpak first posted...though I will agree, not exactly in the most friendly manner.

4) If anyone has a problem with what I have said here, please email me [email protected] and also cc Weasel [email protected] and we will go from there.

ad1. We were still far far away from argument IMO and I definetely did not have intention to create one. I just tried to imagine how the new guy might have felt, thus my post.

ad2. My appology to Low-Bidder if he felt attacked. Never heard of him before so it simply couldn't be personal. If this was you, Walrus, Weasel, Vesku or Steel God my answer would be exactly the same, regardless of the fact I consider all of above mentioned friends.
I reacted to what was written not to the person who wrote.
Although I still can't find anything offensive or forcefull in my post, again my apology to anyone feeling different. I did read it few times before posting and found it at least two tones below the tone of the post I was answering to. Apparently I was wrong.

ad3. I can't imagine beeing even little more friendly in the forum than I am now but I'll do whatever it takes to try :)

ad4. no problem. just about right time it was to step in, although discussion wouldn't be carry on anyway, from my side at least.

Sorry for problems to everyone involved,
cheers
czerpak

[Walrus]

Cool Bro
Perhaps I should have said 'discussion' rather than 'argument'...it wasn't meant like that.
Language eh!
It gets me every time


I reacted to what was written not to the person who wrote.
I know, but it was time to chill...for everyone.

Cheers