Is WIA a good place to start?

[FroBodine]

I want to try an AGEOD game for the first time. I was thinking about getting the new Civil War II, mainly because it is the newest version of the engine, and has been getting excellent reviews. Also, with the Bloody Road South expansion, it looks like there is a good amount of smaller scenarios now.

However, someone at the Matrix Games forums recommended I start with WIA, as he says Civil War II is a huge game, and will be tough to start with.

I value this opinion, but I wanted to get some more feedback from the folks on this forum. I am slightly more interested in the Civil War than the War for Independence, but I would rather have a very playable game that I can learn from. Is WIA too outdated now to enjoy, compared to the newer versions of the AGEOD engine?

My first preference would be a new Napoleonic game. But I know we have to wait for that one, and I think I read that the older ones don't really hold up well.

So, anyway, as my first post, I am asking for opinions on WIA as a good starting game, or should I just jump headlong into Civil War II and get dirty and learn it?

[Durk]

WIA is a very good place to begin for several reasons. The leadership, supply and underlying routines of prduction and such are more direct, that is, less complicated.
WIA has been well suported and is viable as a current game.

If you are a diehard fan of the Americn Civil War willing to face an intially high learning curve, ACW II is spectacular, but my recomendation, the advice to start with WIA is spot on.

[FroBodine]

Thank you. Are the tutorials and manual sufficient to get playing in WIA? I really like that there is a long list of video tutorials for Civil War II, by CharlesOnMission. Is there something like that for this game?

I think I will give WIA a try. I do love the Washington's War boardgame, so I'm sure I will like this too.

[Durk]

There are not videos equal to CharlesOnMission's work for the American Civil War, but several AAR tutorials are available and well done

WIA covers all American wars from the earliest Pequot War through the War of 1812. Great game covering a wide historical time span.

[Taciturn Scot]

I'd also say that WIA in the best introductory game to the AGEOD stable of games. I started out with WW1 Gold, then Rise of Prussia and thirdly Pride of Nations. Very, very steep learning curves. Then I picked this one up and it all started making sense. And it's a very, very good game too in spite of its age. The map is really beautiful and the AI will give you a good challenge.

FWIW, I reckon that Napoleon's Campaigns would be also make a good intro game if you like Napoleonics. I, too, am looking forward to a future Napoleonics game using the new engine and the battle planner but I doubt that we'll be seeing one until after the suumer this year at the earliest.

[FroBodine]

Ok, I bought WIA. The Matrix Games version is 1.01b. I see there is a 1.10e "official legacy" patch on these forums. Is this the version I should be using? From reading the thread on the patch, it seems there were some problems with it. Did everything finally get resolved?

Also, it looks like there is a quickfix to the 1.10e patch, to fix a problem with command points. There was also mention of a problem with the 1812 event file which caused the British to get reinforcements every turn. There is a zip file for that, too.

I don't want to hose my game before I have even played it, so I am confused as to exactly what patch version and what quick fixes etc. do I need?

Thank you.

[ArmChairGeneral]

I run 1.10e with the two QFs that are referenced in the sticky on a computer I bought new last summer, and have had no issues (Windows 7).

WIA is my favorite AGEOD game; it has a very well designed rule-set that accurately models the warfare of its day. CW2 is great, but it takes a LONG time to play, and thus to learn; the very small scenarios don't really do the game justice, but even the medium sized ones have hundreds of units on the (HUGE) map. The small scenarios in WIA are extremely well designed, and fun to play. The small scale of the conflicts WIA models means that the game progresses quickly, even in the long campaigns. The artwork is the best in the series, and the AI will give you a great game at whatever level of difficulty you choose.

WIA is perfect for learning the system and preparing yourself for CW2. I played AACW for a year or so before WIA came out, but didn't actually get good at it until I started playing WIA. All of the major mechanics (attrition, weather, combat, movement, cohesion, etc.) are essentially the same for all the titles with slight variations to better represent the conflicts and technologies of their day. The supply system is quite different between AACW/CW2 and WIA, because of the level of industrialization, but if you can stay supplied in WIA then you will have no trouble whatsoever adapting to the more complex system that AGEOD uses when railroads come into play.

The stickied threads in this forum are invaluable BTW, and many of the general concepts apply to all AGEOD games. I would wait until you get the hang of things in smaller scenarios before diving into the full Revolutionary War campaign; it can be hard to figure out what exactly you should be doing strategically in that one, even for experienced players. The others are more clear cut. IMO, the French and Indian War scenarios are the most playable and entertaining that AGEOD has ever published: satisfyingly big, but not so big you feel lost. I recommend playing with historical attrition right from the start, it isn't that difficult to learn, and you will find that it is actually easier to beat the AI when she has to use it too.

This game is "old," but don't let that fool you. WIA is one of the best games ever made, and is as playable today as when it first came out (assuming Windows 8 isn't giving it any trouble). I have bought two new computers since it came out and WIA was the first program I installed on each of them, even before my anti-virus software. I love, Love, LOVE this game, and am very happy that it is still attracting new players. You will not be disappointed, and when you do move on to CW2 you will hit the ground running.

This forum is less active than it once was, but there are still plenty of experts hanging around who can answer questions and give advice, so don't be afraid to ask, they are very helpful around here.

[FroBodine]

Thank you so much for the detailed response, ArmChair! I really appreciate it. I am determined to learn this game. I did set historical attrition on for player and AI, thank you for the recommendation. Any other settings I should pay attention to? I set slightly randomized generals, activation penalties to movement and combat (the middle setting), activation bonus easy, AI detect bonus in the middle, and everything else is set to standard/normal. What about delayed commitment? I have it on small delay, but I'm not sure what how this affects the game. And, I have the AI ranking at sergeant.

I started reading the excellent AAR of the French and Indian War between Narwhal and Loki. That is some great reading. Narwhal is an excellent teacher, and his beginner's corner articles are top notch and indispensable.

I also bought Birth of Rome today. I was deciding between AJE and BoR, and ultimately decided on BoR due to a few folks saying the scenarios were a little smaller in scale. I figured that would be good for me as a beginner.

Do you mean all AGEOD forums are less active, or just WIA due to its age? I am glad there are still folks on here to help answer my inevitable questions as I get over the learning curve. Do people still play PBEM in WIA? Are there folks willing to play a beginner, and if so, what is the best way to get a game? I don't plan on getting into a PBEM game for a while, but I'm just curious.

[Durk]

Thank you so much for the detailed response, ArmChair! I really appreciate it. I am determined to learn this game. I did set historical attrition on for player and AI, thank you for the recommendation. Any other settings I should pay attention to? I set slightly randomized generals, activation penalties to movement and combat (the middle setting), activation bonus easy, AI detect bonus in the middle, and everything else is set to standard/normal. What about delayed commitment? I have it on small delay, but I'm not sure what how this affects the game. And, I have the AI ranking at sergeant.

I started reading the excellent AAR of the French and Indian War between Narwhal and Loki. That is some great reading. Narwhal is an excellent teacher, and his beginner's corner articles are top notch and indispensable.

I also bought Birth of Rome today. I was deciding between AJE and BoR, and ultimately decided on BoR due to a few folks saying the scenarios were a little smaller in scale. I figured that would be good for me as a beginner.

Do you mean all AGEOD forums are less active, or just WIA due to its age? I am glad there are still folks on here to help answer my inevitable questions as I get over the learning curve. Do people still play PBEM in WIA? Are there folks willing to play a beginner, and if so, what is the best way to get a game? I don't plan on getting into a PBEM game for a while, but I'm just curious.

The forums are less active. But lots of people are still active.
Also, a number of forum members like PBEM with beginners. Just post in the opponents wanted section or pick one of the forum member you kind of like and send a Private Message. PBEM is good to do as soon as you are brave enough. AI is very good in these games, but PBEM is the tops for learning. Most forum members love to chat and suggest other ideas, go back a turn and make learning fun.

[ArmChairGeneral]

FroBodine,
Those settings are pretty much exactly what I would recommend for starting off! Delayed commitment means that it takes a bit longer for your forces to receive and act on their orders. It can sometimes take your forces longer to decide to enter battle. It simulates command friction: orders getting lost, commanders hanging about in camp for a few extra days before marching, that sort of thing, and makes the game more unpredictable. I tend to leave it on small delay in all AGEOD games even though longer delay settings are more historical and realistic. You will find it easier to pick up the game when your troops actually do what you tell them to.

The Game Settings screen adds or subtracts rulesets, making the game "harder" by giving you more to think about on each move, or by introducing randomness and unpredictability for replay value. WIA and AJE are both small scale (in terms of the number of units on the board that you need to keep track of rather than in manpower) so these complexities shouldn't add too much of a burden even as a beginning player. The Hard Activation Rule can be tricky for the first couple of games in WIA because of the harsh weather and terrain common in WIA, so stick with your current setting for now. In AJE I would go ahead and play with Hard Activation even for learning, the consequences are't as dire when you get fixed in a region (the winters are a lot nicer in Rome than in Buffalo).

The AI Screen gives the AI advantages or disadvantages and is where you adjust how well the AI plays, what in other games would be called the "difficulty level." The Rank (Sgt, Lt.) helps Athena move faster and recover more quickly. The Activation Bonus (not to be confused with Activation Rule) determines how often her leaders are active and can carry out her orders. Detection Bonus helps her see what is going on so she can make more informed decisions, and is in my opinion the setting that increases the performance of the AI the most. (She is unable to scout as well as a human player can, so she needs at least the medium bonus or she is prone to doing dumb things that get her into trouble. This is the first setting to lower if you find the AI too difficult.)

I specifically meant the WIA forum is less active these days, some of the others seem busy to me, especially AJE and CW2. A lot of people have more than one of these games, and check in on multiple boards even if they are not actively starting new topics, so there are still plenty of people around to help. Narwhal's AAR will steer you right, it is one of the best out there. Once you have played a few dozen turns, come back and read the Supply sticky its the most important one.

Awesome that you got AJE/BOR, it is also a great way to learn the system and has newer features like regional decision cards that are in the more recent titles. It has many of the same qualities as WIA, and the scenarios are top notch also. Turns go really quickly in AJE and a lot of the scenarios can be played in just a couple of hours (as with many WIA scenarios). The two games are very similar in scope and in play, and use almost the same supply system. Once you get the feel for one AGEOD game you will adapt quickly to any of the others.

A small tip that you may have seen already but that is really useful: Use the E and R keys to jump to the next unit without an order. Keep cycling through your forces until all of your units have orders before ending the turn so that you don't forget any. Spacebar will skip units that you don't want to give orders to that turn, and T and Y cycles through naval units, although you won't have many.

[FroBodine]

One more question about options - what is Foreign Entry? The manual says nothing about it. What is the preferred setting, please?

[Durk]

Foreign Entry is when France and Spain come to the assistance of the Colonies. The Colonials can send ambassadors to Europe to speed up the process. Likewise, the British have a few options to delay foreign entry.
So no settings, per se, some options for EP spending, and very many French and Spanish troops and ships when it fires.

[FroBodine]

There are settings in the options for Foreign Entry. I forget exactly what they are, but there are four checkboxes - easy, medium, hard and disabled. I am wondering how this setting affects gameplay.

Thanks!

[ArmChairGeneral]

For most scenarios, not much if at all. It is important to the 1775 campaign (the Revolutionary War) since French intervention eventually proved decisive. Increasing foreign entry makes the scenario more difficult for the British, and decreasing it makes the scenario harder for the Colonials because the French will enter on the side of the Colonials. For a first game try the middle settings or make it easier on your faction. Alternatively, set Foreign Entry to high so that you can gain experience with what happens when Foreign Entry is triggered. It will not trigger until several years into the war, no matter the settings.

Most scenarios do not have a foreign power that can intervene, so unless you are playing the Revolutionary War scenarios, the setting will not affect the game. (1812 may use FI, I can't remember off the top of my head.) In CW2 the Indians are considered a foreign power and use some FI and diplomacy rules, but WIA has an on-map mechanism to bring Native Americans onside in the scenarios they are present. Bottom line, FI is only an important setting in a few scenarios.

[Mickey3D]

it can be hard to figure out what exactly you should be doing strategically in that one, even for experienced players.

I agree, especially for the English player, it is very difficult to understand what to do without going through the whole game once or two to know when, where and which reinforcement you will get.