First, I have enjoyed these games from TalonSoft and HPS and appreciate the ACW Club for facilitating our games and player contacts for past years. I don't want to go through the work of learning new gaming systems, which match so well the system that I learned from Avalon Hill starting in 1960.
These HPS and TalonSoft games are commercial products and this is the place to suggest changes for improvement. They are based on real battles, as opposed to chess or checkers, and a lot of the pleasure of playing them depends on the opportunity to try and perform better than the original commanders. Therefore, they need to be a realistic presentation of the problems of military conflicts. If realism is not an issue for you, why not stick to chess and checkers?
I prefer that the games stay simple as possible with plenty of options for those who want more realism. Moreover, I want the game engine to do most of the work.
I appreciate HPS as offering the best in the market place for our gaming pleasure, at present, but when and if a superior product line appears, I will switch "in a heartbeat." I am not married to HPS nor TalonSoft products and am loyal, as long as there is "no better deal." As in "The Godfather," it's not personal. It is just business.
Meanwhile, I will post here about any game flaws that violate my notions of reality and spoil my gaming fun, especially when the flaws might be corrected by a nominal change or an option added, but will have a profound effect on play. Often it is similar to a "fly in the punch bowl" level of dissatisfaction. A game designer refusal to remove it as not worth the trouble, or "it doesn't drink much." will lead me to consider my options, seeking a cleaner punchbowl. So far, there is no better deal according to my preferences.
<font color="yellow">Accordingly, my critiques are not attacks, but my intent is to help the game designers improve their products and keep my future business.</font id="yellow">
My complaints about flaws are always accompanied by suggestions on how to improve that aspect, hopefully with as little trouble to game designers as adding a minor patch to fix it or add an additional optional refinement. I welcome alternative suggestions and improvements on my recommendations, always subject to debate.
Meanwhile, I acknowledge the previous comments of appreciation:
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Where else can you get this kind of enjoyment for so little?
So, thanks to the game publisher, developer, game designers, map makers, artists, researchers, support staff for all their hard work and dedication to our hobby!! <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
BG Ross McDaniel
2nd Bde, 3rd Div, III Corps, AoG, CSA
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