Learning Curve

[jondoe777]

Ok guys, I have read the manual, done the tutorials and tried playing the game for about 8 hours now and I am hopelessy lost. Is this normal for someone having never played a game like this (coming for first person shooters mostly like Halo and call of duty) do I just lack the brain power to put it all together or is there something that can help me. Its almost as if I need to look over someone's shoulder and do a step by step walk through

[GShock]

Don't freak out this game IS complex. Figure me, i play it daily and have had it for a year and just last night i came to know something i didnt know!

I think you should start from the sticky 101 manual posted by runyon it's a GREAT thread: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?t=6823

The two checklists: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?t=6772
are also a good thing to keep in mind so you don't forget the important things.

Finally: Among wargamers there's a sort of unspoken agreement to always help one another. Everyone (and i repeat this also includes ME) has been in your same situation with the game at his beginning times. With great difficulties also come greater rewards.

do not hesitate to ask all the questions you need answers for.

You will see this community is full of nice and helping people.

[Chaplain Lovejoy]

Dying of curiosity: What was it you didn't know after a year of playing?

[Rafiki]

Hi jondoe, and welcome to the forums

Pay heed to the shouting man with the ugly haircut; he offers good advice. Especially the part about not hesitating to ask questions; there are no stupid questions and everyone around here has been in your shoes

If you're looking for a step by step walkthrough, I'm afraid that one hasn't been made for AACW. However, there is one for the "Napoleon's Campaigns" game, which uses many of the same mechanics for units and command structures as AACW does. You can find it at http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?t=7475 (to point out some large differences between NCP and AACW; NCP does not have the strategic element of rasing troops and taxes and suchlike, nor do you find railroads in it, so these elements of AACW aren't covered in the NCP guide (surely among others)

[jondoe777]

well actually ive already read the 101 manual but i cant get far enough to actually implement any of the strategies. The checklist doesnt really help either because, well im just to lost to check anything

[Franciscus]

Hello, Johndoe.
As GShock, I also feel that there are many things that I do not yet know or master, after more than a year of playing (not every day - some of us have to work for a living, you know... ). But that does not mean I do not have immense pleasure with it.
A piece of advice: Ty a scenario first. I would recommend Shiloh, either side. Play several times, rearrange your forces, make mistakes, enjoy yourself

[GShock]

Start with scenarios.

It took me 4 months to do my FIRST campaign...step up slowly and u ll enjoy the game a lot. The manual, the wiki, the forums, will tell you HOW to do something you want to do but the strategy is entirely up to you.

To answer to the question: I didn't know of the coefficient in NM. Essentially i had never seen the tooltip showing up and the explanation of this coefficient in the NM area. Rafiki told me last night (when i saw this tooltip in WiA and noticed the "NM" didn't correspond to the % shown in the tooltip).

So jondoe, use this very same thread. Ask questions one by one and let's see who answers first!

[jondoe777]

Thanks for all the advice guys. This seems to be a great community and probably a really great game if I could ever figure it out. I guess maybe my problem is trying to bite off more than I can chew at once. Ive been playing these scenarios and I do win sometimes, I just dont know why or how. Anyways, Thanks again and Ill hit yall up when I can come back with more specific questions.

[Primasprit]

Hi jondoe!

Ok guys, I have read the manual, done the tutorials and tried playing the game for about 8 hours now and I am hopelessy lost. Is this normal for someone having never played a game like this (coming for first person shooters mostly like Halo and call of duty) do I just lack the brain power to put it all together or is there something that can help me. Its almost as if I need to look over someone's shoulder and do a step by step walk through

AACW might be indeed a challenge for someone who never played this kind of games. Actually it is the most complex game done by Ageod.
The game that is most easy to learn (which doesn't mean that it is less challenging or fun) would be Birth of America 1 and 2 (Wars in America). I really recommend you to try the demo of BOA, or the demo of WIA, which will be released soon. While WIA is a greatly enhanced version of BOA, the older game is fun too and available for 10 EUR / 15 $. (Hope this doesn't sound too much like a try to persuade you to spend more money... )

Cheers
Norbert

[GShock]

Ehm Norbert...WiA has been released.

[Rafiki]

The demo for WIA hasn't been released yet, but will be soon, as Primasprit said

[Daxil]

I find it's always helpful tyo keep the pdf manual up in the background and use the "search" function whenever you have a question. If it's not answerable or unclear come here. I'm actually in the middle of a game and doing this very thing as we speak. I'm on day 8 btw and things are still hazy.. but improving! Great game!

[Primasprit]

I find it's always helpful tyo keep the pdf manual up in the background and use the "search" function whenever you have a question. If it's not answerable or unclear come here. I'm actually in the middle of a game and doing this very thing as we speak. I'm on day 8 btw and things are still hazy.. but improving! Great game!

Even better if you have a computer with two monitors.

[Primasprit]

Ehm Norbert...WiA has been released.

Really?!

I was, as Rafiki kindly pointed out, referring to the demo. Maybe my grammar was a bit confusing.

[Banks6060]

You can count me into the "formerly clueless club" when it comes to this game. And with you having been acclimated only to the more mainstream FPS titles...I can only imagine how overwhelming a game like AACW could be. FEAR NOT though.

The Napoleon's Campaigns walk thru is excellent. Read it all the way thru.

Also...read through the entire aacwwiki manual. There are many good topics covered there.

Begin practicing what you learn with the shorter "pre-fabricated" scenarios like "Seeing the Elephant" or "Shilo" or "Vicksburg".

ANY questions you have...ask them and, I think I speak for everyone in saying that we will be more than happy to help you. There's something very satisfying about helping along someone whose gaming mold I once fit into. This is a very complex game, but with a little patience and albeit some effort...you can REALLY get more than you payed for.

NOW...all that being said, and I've mentioned this bit several times before, this game is one that I've dreamed about my entire life. I've loved studying the ACW since childhood and have a deep interest and passion for the period. So I'm a little more paticular toward this game....but I'm sure you'll learn to enjoy it nearly as much if not just as much as me and the other "wackos" on here.

Cheers

[Chamberlain]

GShock,

Great link !!!!

Appreciated, real good stuff !!!!

Does anyone know if these 2 files are the latest, or have they been updated since Jazzbo created them ?

Thanks

Chamberlain

[GShock]

The checklists are up to date...as of the link don't thank me, thank runyon

[Bleedinbob]

I just picked up the ACW game the other day. I installed it and messed around with it for a few hours. Got frustrated then continued the next day for a few hours. Slowly I am getting a better feel for the game and am not as overwhelmed as I once was.

I can tell that this game has a lot of potential. The learning curve is particularly steep, but I know that once mastered, it will be worthwhile.

It is also good to see a great community is behind these games. I cannot believe that these games have been flying underneath my radar this long.

[Daxil]

It is also good to see a great community is behind these games. I cannot believe that these games have been flying underneath my radar this long.

It's because you go to places like Gamespot and they get absolutely terrible reviews from the mainstream crowds. Apparently a good game = bells and whistles and ADD fluff.

[Chaplain Lovejoy]

I confess that I am guilty of paying too much attention to Gamespot.

[Banks6060]

I quit gamespot after discovering Paradox and now AGEOD

[tagwyn]

johndo: Play the NCP tutorial suggested by Rafe! It is the best example of what the game allows you to ... which you must learn to do. Please, don't give up. Tagwyn apy:

[FM WarB]

My learning curve idea is this: I started with BoA1 which intruduced me to basic GUI and movement concepts. I am now into NCP, which has me dealing with Armies, Corps and divisions. I may soon be ready for ACW and its railroads, production, unit recruitment and building and economic aspects.
It is also a historically chronological approach, for whatever thats worth.

[Jbeoddy]

Welcome! And don't get too frustrated. I suspect everyone who has this game has gone through this feeling. In your case, if you're coming from the 'tactical' games this would be an especially difficult and steep learning curve, as this is primarily a strategic game. Bear that in mind and life will probably get easier. Someone on here, and I'm sorry, I can't remember who it was, or I'd credit them with it, said that the key to the game is to remember that you can't directly affect the battles, there's no way to 'move your joystick faster than the AI and pull victory from the jaws of defeat', (which is the object of most 'tactical' games); that what you strive to do is to put the best commanders in a position to win. (That's a paraphrase of the best description I've yet see about the object of the game.)

One thing you might do is look over at the 'AAR' section of this forum. These are the 'After Action Reports' (I think that's what 'AAR' stands for,) and some of them are OUTSTANDING! If I may recommend one, Turbo823's "April 1861 CSA Campaign AAR on Hard difficulty" is a very thorough and well organized one, well worth the time to plow through it. That will give you an idea of how a campaign might go, not to mention providing a bit of insight into how to plan the campaign, how to rework the plan when the inevitable happens and it all goes 'pear-shaped' (any battle plan will immediately do this upon contact with the enemy. That's why he's called the enemy. , and what sorts of things can and do happen. (There is also some excellent commentary by others in the thread, AND Turbo did some analysis of positions and probable actions which may give you some insight into the AI's thinking.)

Hope this helps.

[Rafiki]

johndo: Play the NCP tutorial suggested by Rafe! It is the best example of what the game allows you to ... which you must learn to do. Please, don't give up. Tagwyn apy:

Tag, he doesn't have NCP; he has AACW, so the walkthrough isn't a perfect match. Still worth looking through, though, which is why I recommended it

[SojaRouge]

The two hard lessons I've learnt over the time are cohesion (you may have 4 times his troops, if you have 0 cohesion, they'll lose anyway) and supply.
Since you don't directly manage it (except while moving constantly supply carts), you have to plan the supply receiving and sending points (build depots, get each troops pack at least a supply cart).
That is where I really discovered that this game, as said above, is far more strategical than tactical.

[Chamberlain]

The checklists are up to date...as of the link don't thank me, thank runyon

Thanks Runyon.............. and GShock too



Chamberlain

[jondoe777]

Ive been playing the scenarios and i win everytime on normal difficulty now, so I have moved on to the confederate campaign. Ive put the AI on passive. So time for the dumb questions.

1) Industrialization.....why when what where and how much... I put 3 in georgia because it said it had the best potential

2) Trains and river transports? build any of these from the start?

3) Training Troops from the start. It seems like you are having alot of them come on line by themselves. I trained a few divisional HQ's but thats it. should I train some arty maybe?
Anyways thats where I am at now. Putting a few stacks together getting rdy to make a thrust into the Northern Aggressors. O yea I almost forgot
4) how many supply wagons should i have. Say 1 per division or what?

[Rafiki]

Divisional HQs? You need to upgrade to the latest patch; 1.10d. You can download it from here: http://ageoddl.telechargement.fr/latest/AACW_Patch.zip

[GShock]

Putting the AI on passive basically disables its reactions....like you're playing against a dummy.


1) Industrialization produces more supplies and war supplies, the investment will be repeated as long as there's funds to sustain it, turn after turn. Of course, the highest potential is prized with highest rewards but also highest costs...what matters is that you use it when u see you need so you don't waste resources on things you don't strictly need.

2) Again as above, pay attention to the log which will tell you when there's a significant loss of rail/river transport points. In general though, the more troops you commit, the more points you'll need. It's also a good idea to leave always some points to spare because unused transport points will be employed by your supply network to deliver supplies to the front faster.

3)You mean army HQ. Build these troops as you need but pay attention to who's the highest seniority 3-star or 4-star before assigning an army to another one. Arty is always a good choice but the bulk of the armies should consist of infantry. Try to build balanced divisions as runyon's 101 shows.

4) That depends on where the troops are. As USA you'll need to buy plenty as you will need to build depots to attract supplies to your front lines. In general, small stacks can survive for longer periods without supply because their levels are replenished by foraging. When you have a big stack, not in supply, one wagon will not suffice and you may need more. Never forget to check that supply icon when selecting a stack and remember that in MC areas, wagons can also help supplying troops in neighbouring regions, they increase arty effectiveness and in bad weather absorb hits trading them with supplies.