Whats it like?

[bobkatfan]

I've played the american civl war, and was just wondering how boa2 compared to it.

[Hobbes]

I like it a lot. It is simpler to play than AACW but still has a lot of depth and strategic choices. A huge number of scenarios as well which I expect to be added to.

I also enjoy reading up about the periods portrayed as I play the game.
Cheers, Chris

[GlobalExplorer]

I also came from ACW. Turns are not so much overkill as in ACW, the setting is new and interesting and will quickly draw you in if you're a Civil War player. Games contains historic research and detail in spades, graphics are superb, even better than ACW.

An important difference is that large parts of the theater are still wilderness, so attrition and supply trains play a larger role than in ACW, which is nice. I thought I would miss recruitment and economy much more, but as the game allows you to "order" Artillery units, ships, and replacements at certain intervals it does not feel restricted while it keeps the balance.

On the down side, the game needs some more polish, AI is not yet so finely tuned as in ACW, and there is no chain of command, stacks can get very large. However, I learned new methods to stack management after my first campaign, and now it doesnt bother me at all.

An important fact is that you get even more replayability now. There are two huge 104 turn campaigns, plus 3 medium one's between 28 and 40 turns, plus a shitload of short ones (which however I dont need). I have just finished the Independence war with both factions and if this was ACW I would be through now with WiA I still have to see the complete French Indian War, Pecot War, Galvez, and 1812 scenarios ..

I wholeheartedly recommend this game to anyone who like ACW. You might even prefer it because it is not so much overkill at times.

[ArmChairPres]

I bought AACW about 3 days ago and played it for a bit. After reading through the forums here, I also decided to purchase WIA. Wow is all I have to say, I am totally engrossed in this game. I think, for me, it is nice to cut my teeth on a game that has a little less micro-managing.

I am glad I bought both games, and after playing WIA I think that ACW will be much easier to master. Now if I could just get off this computer for a bit I could get some other things done.

Jordan

[Rafiki]

Glad you're enjoying the game, ArmChairPres (and welcome to the forums, too)

[ArmChairPres]

Thank you, am very much enjoying it and glad to have a great community here on the forums.

Jordan

[Stwa]

I also came from ACW. Turns are not so much overkill as in ACW, the setting is new and interesting and will quickly draw you in if you're a Civil War player. Games contains historic research and detail in spades, graphics are superb, even better than ACW.

An important difference is that large parts of the theater are still wilderness, so attrition and supply trains play a larger role than in ACW, which is nice. I thought I would miss recruitment and economy much more, but as the game allows you to "order" Artillery units, ships, and replacements at certain intervals it does not feel restricted while it keeps the balance.

On the down side, the game needs some more polish, AI is not yet so finely tuned as in ACW, and there is no chain of command, stacks can get very large. However, I learned new methods to stack management after my first campaign, and now it doesnt bother me at all.

An important fact is that you get even more replayability now. There are two huge 104 turn campaigns, plus 3 medium one's between 28 and 40 turns, plus a shitload of short ones (which however I dont need). I have just finished the Independence war with both factions and if this was ACW I would be through now with WiA I still have to see the complete French Indian War, Pecot War, Galvez, and 1812 scenarios ..

I wholeheartedly recommend this game to anyone who like ACW. You might even prefer it because it is not so much overkill at times.

Nice observations of the scenarios. This game rocks, basically because of this I think. I don't really play the smaller scenarios either, but in some ways, these are like "study" scenarios, as they help show a particular campaign or battle, which can make them fun to re-visit from time to time.

I have played the Saratoga scenario a million times, and I always find it enjoyable, plus you would be surprized how some crazy stuff CAN actually happen in a 6 turn scenario, sometimes making you laugh.

Also, the 20-30 turn scenarios are just right in my opinion. Plus you get 4 Grand campaigns if you count 1812.

Regarding graphics, I have imported some of the original 1812 BOA unit graphics into WIA to replace some of the British and also Americans that looked a lot like Prussians to me.

Its really easy to download the mod tools and at least modify some of the scenarios to make alternate examples. This is much easier to do because you have a dirth of small and medium size scenarios for modding.