Considering buying, have some questions

[Chelco]

Hello everybody!
I'm seriously considering buying DA. I want a game to develop operational skills in simulated modern battlefields. I think this is the one I am looking for.
I couldn't find too much info in HPS's website. I roamed through this forum but still have some questions.
1) Is DA's system a WEGO?
2) There's no tiles or hexagons. Right?
3) I plan to use it mainly as solitaire. Is the solitaire mode challenging?
4) During scenario creation: you give the OPFOR AI comprehensive and precise orders and waypoints as in ATF? I know that you can set the AI into "destroy enemy forces" or "capture objective" modes. Does this means that during scenario creation you give the OPFOR an objective and the AI can figure out a path or attacking plan?
5) Does the enemy AI reacts dynamically to threats? In other words: if the AI plans go bad, will it reasses the situation to try to pull out a victory? Or it will stubbornly continue into it's original (and now doomed) plan?
Thanks for your feedback.

 

[Secret Agent]

I don't have DA (yet ), but I can answer question #2: DA has no tiles or hexes.

 

[Chelco]

Thank you SA. You already bought DA or you are thinking of too?

 

[Secret Agent]

Thank you SA. You already bought DA or you are thinking of too?

I have decided to buy it, but will probably wait until after I enroll in college to actually purchase it.

 

[mike_w]

chelco,

I bought this game about 1 month ago and am enjoying it much more than Flashpoint GErmany. Not that FPG is bad...its just that this is VERY detailed. It is definitely not a "game" in the true sense as it is far too realistic. It is a WEGO system that breaks resolution turns into different phases, arty, combat, movement, etc. If you buy it I recommend downloading the tutorial created by one of the forum members. DA can be intimidating at first, but after walking thru the tutorial, I was moving ahead in no time. I think it is in the archives but dont know the link. I will look for it and edit this post. I remember talking with you on the FPG forums and you were very interested in MAneuver warfare and such. If, like me, you just didnt find what you wanted in FPG, you will love this game.

Not many bells and whistles though...very straight forward.

tutorial
http://www.warfarehq.com/archives/showthread.php?t=387

 

[Chelco]

Nice to meet you here Mike!
The thing that's turning me off FPG is the low challenge in many scenarios. Hopeful for the next patch and user-created scenarios though.
Thanks for your answers.
So far DA looks like an outstanding game. I see some things that make me very eager to play it (like the control you have over your brigades with user-created lines). It is some commentaries in Wargamer.com regarding that the AI in DA is weak that have me worried. What do you think of the single player experience?
Cheers,

 

[Dr Zaius]

I want a game to develop operational skills in simulated modern battlefields. I think this is the one I am looking for.

DA is one of the best for this. It can't do truly massive battles like TOAW, but it is highly realistic in the way it presents the battlefield.

Is DA's system a WEGO?

Yes. Both players assign orders to units and then all movement and combat occurs simultaneously. Each such phase is one "turn."

There's no tiles or hexagons. Right?

All games have an underlying system of some type for plotting movement and combat. Some wargames use hexes while other use squares. In some wargames this grid is actually visible, while in others it is hidden from the player in order to create the appearence of a seemless battlefield. But it is always there, whether you see it or not.

DA uses squares for this. They are hidden by defaul, however, you can turn them on with the click of a button. This allows you to view exactly what type of terrain you are moving through.

I plan to use it mainly as solitaire. Is the solitaire mode challenging?

The AI in DA is fairly basic is does what the scenario designer told it to do. Having said that, it is capable enough to follow basic attack and defense plans. But like all wargames DA's AI opponent is unable to really compensate for a skilled human opponent. But is does well enough in most situations. Fortunately, there is a decent PBEM mode that is a snap to use.

During scenario creation: you give the OPFOR AI comprehensive and precise orders and waypoints as in ATF? I know that you can set the AI into "destroy enemy forces" or "capture objective" modes. Does this means that during scenario creation you give the OPFOR an objective and the AI can figure out a path or attacking plan?

It's more basic than ATF in that regard. You can assign an initial and final waypoint to each AI unit and the computer will basically move there by a direct route. It doesn't have the sophisticated AI "tracks" like TOAW does.

Does the enemy AI reacts dynamically to threats? In other words: if the AI plans go bad, will it reasses the situation to try to pull out a victory? Or it will stubbornly continue into it's original (and now doomed) plan?

In theory perhaps, but not in practice. The AI will usually just attempt to move to the waypoint the scenario author input. In other words, the AI's units tend to be relentless but it just can't do the things a human opponent can. If you really want to be surprised when you play, you are going to need to play a human opponent. But that is not to say the scenarios are no fun at all against the AI--some of them are decent that way.

 

[mike_w]

Nice to meet you here Mike!
The thing that's turning me off FPG is the low challenge in many scenarios. Hopeful for the next patch and user-created scenarios though.
Thanks for your answers.
So far DA looks like an outstanding game. I see some things that make me very eager to play it (like the control you have over your brigades with user-created lines). It is some commentaries in Wargamer.com regarding that the AI in DA is weak that have me worried. What do you think of the single player experience?
Cheers,

Well, I'm certainly not a great DA player but I find the AI very challenging. It does what it is "supposed" to do. That sounds funny, but there are so many games where the AI will not stay in a good defensive position, or will attack understrength against my strong points, etc. The AI here seems to understand good defensive positions, attacking my logistics (unfortunately for me, i didnt see that one coming :surprise: ) and using Psyops.

Like Don said, its not a human player, but it is challenging and you will get beat a few times before you win :dead:

unless maybe I'm just....bad

 

[Chelco]

Don and Mike: Thank you for the details!
It's a winner. Have to get this baby.
Cheers,