Should I order DA

[amrcg]

Dear all

I'm starting to think about ordering DA. How does it compare with other operational level sims? Do you consider it to be the best right now?

Best regards,
Antonio

 

[Dr Zaius]

DA is so different from any other wargame that it's hard to make valid comparrisons. IMHO, DA is closer in mentality to what you would find if you walked into a real military command post. The concepts modelled in the game attempt -- at least at a basic level -- to replicate the decision making process that a real life modern military commander faces.

You may find that there are certain aspects of the game that seem somewhat simplistic compared to something like TOAW. For the most part, this is intential. The sim really focuses on the issues facing a commander at the brigade-corps level. Anything higher or lower than that is really outside the scope of the simulation. DA does what it does well, but it makes no attempt to to model small tactical-level engagements nor can it replicate large campaign-style games within the bounds of a single scenario.

Is DA the best? I'm not sure there is such a thing as there are too many variables. Although it is very different, it is probably closer to BCT Commander in scope than it is TacOps, ATF, or POA2.

 

[amrcg]

Is DA the best? I'm not sure there is such a thing as there are too many variables. Although it is very different, it is probably closer to BCT Commander in scope than it is TacOps, ATF, or POA2.

Well, when I wrote "best" I meant operational level only, of course. Thank you very much for your answer.

Best regards,
Antonio Grilo

 

[KG_Norad]

I just got the game so it's difficult to give an opinion just yet. It seems like it is a fun game so far. I would like to see more scenarios. If the community truly is rejuvenated I think it is probably going to be a worthwhile purchase. I picked it up at Chips n Bits for 34.95 + shipping and think for the price it will be a worth while addition to my digital arsenal.

 

[amrcg]

Towa

By the way, TOWA is a WWII only sim, not supporting modern warfare simulation, right?

 

[Dr Zaius]

By the way, TOWA is a WWII only sim, not supporting modern warfare simulation, right?

You mean TOAW, right? The original TOAW was mostly WWII. Talonsoft then released a sequel called TOAW II which also had some modern stuff in it. There were several add-on disks and sequels after that which let to ACOW (The Operational Art of War: A Century of Warfare). ACOW contains everything in all the previous modules plus some additional refinements to the game engine. This module covers WWI-today. There are a lot of modern battles (300+) available for the system.

ACOW is only available from the Take2 webpage.

 

[amrcg]

ACOW vs DA revisited

Dear Don,

Sorry to bother you again.

>DA is so different from any other wargame that it's hard to >make valid comparrisons. IMHO, DA is closer in mentality to >what you would find if you walked into a real military command >post. The concepts modelled in the game attempt -- at least at >a basic level -- to replicate the decision making process that >a real life modern military commander faces.
>You may find that there are certain aspects of the game that >seem somewhat simplistic compared to something like TOAW.

So, could please make a list of the features/capabilities/advantages/flaws that you think ACOW has and DA has not and vice versa (besides OOB/scenario scale, of course)? Do you know of any comparative review of the two sims anyware on the Web?

Regards,
Antonio

 

[Alkiviadis]

Dear all

I'm starting to think about ordering DA. How does it compare with other operational level sims? Do you consider it to be the best right now?

Best regards,
Antonio

Outside of TOAW, HPS simulations publishes 3 games that simulate division / corps level combat: Fulda Gap 85, North German Plain 85, & Middle East 67. They are fun to play but dated, & one can apply gamey tactics to them to "Win". Almost all aspects of a scenario are fixed. What they are in fact are computerizations of '60s style hex based paper wargames. They are dated. D.A. seems much richer & more flexible. I've only played it twice but it just sucks you right in.
Go for it.

 

[Dr Zaius]

Dear Don,

Sorry to bother you again.

So, could please make a list of the features/capabilities/advantages/flaws that you think ACOW has and DA has not and vice versa (besides OOB/scenario scale, of course)? Do you know of any comparative review of the two sims anyware on the Web?

Regards,
Antonio

Okay, let's start with scale. TOAW is variable in scale and this is set by the scenario author. Hexes can be as little as 2.5 kilometers/per hex or as much as 50 kilometers. Turns run from 6 hours to several weeks each. This gives TOAW unprecedented flexibility. The system has a huge database of weapons and can simulate any conflict from WWI to present. But what really sets TOAW apart from any other wargame is the event engine. This is a really powerful tool in the hands of a capable scenario author. The event engine is quite complicated and can alter or manipulate virtually every aspect of the game. It can set complex victory conditions, changing weather, news items, and a huge assortment of other things. In short, TOAW is capable of doing truly epic-sized confrontations in addition to smaller division-sized engagements. It is turn-based and the maps are similar to hex-based boardgames. There is no other system like TOAW on the market. It can do things that are unique, that's why is has such a huge following.

Decisive Action does not seek to model these larger battles, nor battles that last for more than 1-2 days. That is outside the scope of what DA tries to do. What does DA do? Well, it models modern combat at this scale in a way that is closer to how real life commanders see it. Combat is controlled with phase line boundaries and task organization of subordiante units plays a key role in tailoring forces to meet mission requirements. Perhaps more than any other wargame on the market, DA clearly demonstrates the need for combined arms planning and execution. A "tank rush" will simply not work. Failure to employ your combat support and combat service support elements properly will result in failure and a high casualty count. DA does abstract certain elements of warfare, but most of this is appropriate to the scale of the simulation. There is really no reason that DA couldn't be used to simulate combat from the Arab-Israeli wars or the Korean War as long as the scenario author was careful how he set up the OOB and unit capabilities. Having said that, DA's main emphasis is modern combat.

DA does not have anywhere near the following that TOAW does. TOAW has more things going on behind the scenes and this means it can take a while to truly understand why things are happening the way they are. On the flip side, since DA puts such strong emphasis on recreating the flavor of real life modern warfare, a baisc understanding of how things work in the military and familiarity with acronyms doesn't hurt.