Where did all the scenarios go?

Wyrd

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Hi all. I ordered this about a year ago, and i remember finding about a dozen scenarios online to download. Now, there only seems to be the single zipped file with three scenarios. What happened to all the rest? Anyone have a link?

Oh, and anyone still playing this game? I still like it :D
 

dhuffjr

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I bought it around a year ago but honestly have not had the time or inclination to really get into it. When I have the time other things are more interesting. I need to do some goofing around with it though.
 

pmaidhof

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I have a love-hate relationship with DA which manifests itself every 6-8 months or so. :mad:

It is one of the games that I really would like to enjoy.
 

Matrix33

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Pmaidhof, could you explain a little further why "hate"? I've ordered DA today and your statement confuses me littlebit.
Is there something wrong with this game? For first view juging from othe posters opinion, it is good and realistic game.
Maybe some bugs I guess?

Regards
Matrix33
 

Dr Zaius

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I like DA a lot, but it does have some issues I would like to see corrected.

  1. No zoom mode/no mini-map. DA uses an extremely simplistic programming technique to display the map to the player, and this is fine except for the lack of any type of zoom mode whatsoever. This can be a real hassle on some of the larger user-created scenarios.
  2. Restrictive unit limit. The unit limit is far too low for a civilian wargame of this scale and type. With a higher unit cap, scenario designers would be able to construct much more realistic units with nested subordinate formations, rather than just "shells" of units with generic values. Half of DA's charm is it's unique ability to build and task lower level units into higher echelon formations. But the low unit cap spoils much of this charm.
  3. Poor interface. DA's GUI interface is archaic and less than user-friendly. It would make the game far more enjoyable -- particularly for newer players -- if the interface were more polished and more reports available to the player. In its current form, players may find it cumbersome to determine exactly what is going on and get comprehensive information on the status of their forces, which can make planning operations more difficult than need be. I would like to see a variety of more detailed situation reports available to the player covering everything on the battlefield. As it is, DA's "reports" are nothing more than .txt files with a bare-bones unit information. This might be okay for a software utility or a training tool, but it's not really acceptable game design.
  4. No naval warfare. DA's emphasis is on land warfare, but just a tad more detail for the supporting naval forces could greatly enhance the overall value of the sim.
  5. Poor help system. There are some excellent tutorials and .doc files available for DA that explain the system and get new players pointed in the right direction. All this really ought to have been integrated into a help system like most other complicated simulations. DA's default help files are not very, well, helpful. There also ought to be a simple file built into the help system with explanations of military acronyms. This would go a long way toward helping players without a background in military operations understand and appreciate the game.
  6. No event system. It would be nice if DA had a programmable event system that could trigger in-game events, along the lines of what The Operational Art of War has. This is pretty standard for games of this scale and DA's scenarios feel more like training tools (which is what they are, truth be told) than wargame scenarios. It wouldn't need to be anywhere near as comprehensive as what TOAW has, but even a few basic triggers could make the scenarios far more interesting and add a lot of replay value to the system.
  7. Supply system woes. DA's original supply system was okay but simply didn't have the detail needed for a training tool (the US Army uses DA as a training device). The new version of DA was enhanced to suit the Army's needs, but its almost complete lack of integrated AI will not appeal to any but the most hardcore type of players.
DA is a unique and interesting sim that I personally find fascinating. But it is also glaringly obvious that DA was not developed using contemporary techniques today's game designers use. I'm not talking about the graphics as those are fine for the type of sim DA is. I'm talking about the lack of sophistication and polish that all too often goes hand in hand with indie game design. If DA's interface were enhanced and some polish applied here and there, the sim might very well find a much more receptive fan base among civilian wargamers. As it is, it will only appeal to the truly hardcore of the hardcore, and even most wargamers shy away from it.
 

pmaidhof

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Is there something wrong with this game?
Don has basically hit all points. Also while patches have come along here and there over the years, a general lack of interest/support on the commercial version of DA by the designer. With his support, apparently it hums like a bee Fort Levenworth. :)

I have had some good entertainment with DA, just usually Don's points and mine above cause me to look for other outlets for my modern operational gaming - usually not very successfully either.
 

Matrix33

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Thanks for interesting read Don. Lots of valuable and insightfull information on the subject.
Do you think there will be any further development of DA?
I have to go. Will be back on monday.
Thanks again!
Bye

Edit: And thank you Pmaidhof
 

Dr Zaius

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Thanks for interesting read Don. Lots of valuable and insightfull information on the subject.
You're quite welcome.

Do you think there will be any further development of DA?
Yes, but I'm not sure if there will be any further development as a wargame. Bear in mind that DA started out as a training tool for the US Army and that is where Jim Lunsford's efforts go, which is understandable.

But a training tool and a game -- even a very realistic one -- are two different animals. DA's current design is not entirely favorable for marketing as a civilian wargame, but with a few changes and some polish it might carve out a niche for itself among wargamers.

I would like to see a Decisive Action 2 at some point in the future, primarily geared toward the wargame marketplace. I have no idea how likely that is as I have not talked to Jim Lunsford in quite some time. Some of Jim's ideas are quite unique and I would like to see more of his work in the furture, but it may be that all of his time is consumed doing work for the government.

There used to be a small community of DA gamers here, but the action has pretty much dried up since there were no further releases for DA. It's a shame really as this is a very unique wargame.
 
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