Oh, we were quicker than that.
I expressed an interest in the game late in 2022 (Christmas Eve eve) and purchased the title necessary for the game soon after that [a Christmas present for myself]. I was told it would be a one-day (2X2) battle on a smaller map than usual and that was about it. I said I had no problem with that as smaller maps are not a problem provided there is room for manoeuvre - I don't want a small map crammed up with too many units.
After some preliminary discussions, the game started on 15 January 2023 [Australia time so probably late 14 January USA time]. It finished early on 18 February 2023 [again, Australia time so sometime on 17 February USA time]. There was some discussion and analysis after that.
So, if you calculate it out, a complete turn (both sides) was almost always completed within twenty-four hours (sometimes we got two complete turns finished in a day). The limits on communication between team members helps MP games progress at a good pace. The promptness of the players on both sides was, obviously, a major factor. Those turns that took a little over twenty-four hours were generally those for the conferences.
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I do enjoy the bigger battles with large numbers of units but they can be fairly slow for MP games. This was a matter I was recently discussing with a senior CSA member (not Blake) who is seeking a way to speed things up in such games. Regrettably, I do not have any fail-proof solution to the slowness that can occur in larger games involving a number of players (often simply due to the fact that eight or more files can be necessary for each complete turn). To me, the key things are:
1. Committed and prompt players on both sides (like we had in the Mississippi game);
2. A referee (like Blake) who can prompt players to hurry up if they are taking too long (I recall I got such a 'hurry-up' in one game when a conference was taking too long);
3. Limits upon communication;
4. Conferences that do not get involved with precise discussions of small tactical manouevres and orders that reflect broad objectives [I think it's fairly pointless to go into fine detail as the tactical situation can change with the very next move and players could be constricted by precise orders that no longer reflect the strategic goals - and there can be another few hours of gameplay before you can talk again to rectify any problems]; and
5. Trust your team-mates, especially in terms of 4 above. You are not playing a one-on-one where you can micromanage every detail so everyone needs to 'play their own game' (within boundaries set down by orders) to let everyone maximise their enjoyment in playing an MP.
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I'll now get a coffee and watch the latest installment. It should be good as the action was really ramping up in the last one.
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