For War game players or WW I enthusiasts - CTGW

[BYU 14]

Matrix recently released their WW I game Commander: The great war. I am not a huge wargamer, but fall under the WW I enthusiast tag.

I have played GOA and WW I Gold and liked both, but neither had that "one more turn" feel and didn't hold me. Plus, neither fell into the niche I was looking for. GOA, while challenging enough from a tactical standpoint was a bit too shallow and WWI Gold had almost too much at times and also ran erractically.

CTGW fits right in between the two, with a very challenging (and smart) AI and just enough in terms of management, never boggin the player down, but requiring attention to detail.

Very immersive and a nice sound track and battle ambience add to that. So, for those that might interested thought I would mention it here.

Matrix Games - Commander - The Great War .

[DaddyTorgo]

Cool thanks.

[Apathetic Lurker]

I was a playtester..Think this is going to be a good one...at least a lot better than the Napoleon game....

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Apathetic Lurker

I was a playtester..Think this is going to be a good one...at least a lot better than the Napoleon game....

Be interested to hear your thoughts.

[BYU 14]

Just finished my first campaign as the Entente and definitely LOVE this game. One of my litmus tests for a good game, is it fun enough to keep me in one more turn mode for hours. Very immersive and challenging.

As others have said on the Matrix forums I would like an undo button and something in either future mods or a patch that changes the AI opening war plan at times, though the CP does execute the Schlieffen Plan nicely. What I like though is after that opening the AI does a great job reacting to the player and makes very solid decisions......Now to my futile attempt to save the world.

I was defeated and made four major mistakes that the CP exploited each time.

1 - Really under estimated the speed and precision of the implementation of the Schlieffen Plan. I reacted slow and then made an error in my first deployment of the BEF. Result, Calais fell quickly and before I could stem the tide Rouen was occupied. It took until midway through 1915 to retake Rouen and never did get close to Calais. Because I had to scramble and the area around the Siene became such a meatgrinder early on I lost Verdun in early 1915 and it stayed in CP hands the rest of the war. Most of the front lines were on the doorstep of Paris the entire game, though I did do a great job defending the city until my second major mistake caught up to me.

2 - Came out too aggressive on the Eastern Front and stubbornly fought for Warsaw when withdrawing to Brest Litovsk and digging in would have been far more prudent. This is where the front lines ended up after warsaw fell anyway and I held it for a long time, but could not extend the line and after Serbia fell AH forces ran free in the west and the resulting chaos triggered the Russian revolution in early 1916. By March of 1916 Russia had surrendered and I was left to fight in the Alps and on the Western front against the entire CP army. Speaking of which, how was this early demise of Russia hastened along???

3 - From some stupid reason I can't explain I declared war on Bulgaria before they would have entered the conflict....Again, no explanation. I had AH at a virtual stalemate in Serbia with neither side blinking. Once I made this huge blunder I suddenly had a salient near Nis and there was no way I could defend Serbia from 2 sides, despite have dispatched a British unit there very early to assist. Once Serbia was gone, Russia became a mess.

4 - Once Italy entered I was able to bomb German cities and hit there PP reserve and I had quite the defensive line set up through the Alps. Again, I made one small gain and dug in, securing thingd to the point that I was able to dispatch Italian troops to assist France and Britain on the end of the front stretching to Switzerland. My mistake here cam in rotating troops (undo button, LOL) a replacement Garrison could not make it to the front and the AH and Germans poured in through the bubble. I eventually plugged the dyke, but to do so had to recall forces from France and as a result a CP offensive near the swiss border cut me off.

End result, Paris finally fell in early January 1918 and Britain and France surrended with Italy following suit 2 weeks later for a decisive CP victory. I was happy to have lasted that long after Russia surrended so early and made some good moves along the way, like taking full advantage of Britains Naval power, but it was truly an uphill battle from the jump. Also, America was never close to joining the cause as Germany was not doing enough to piss them off, not sure they would have even if I would have made it through more 1918. Can't wait to try again and rectify my errors, may do a dynasty after I finish the X-Com dynasty I have going.

[RainRaven]

I have been tempted to buy this all week. Do you think there is enough depth for variation in ai for replays?

[lungs]

I bought this as I haven't played any wargames in years. And I keep getting my ass kicked. Is there any tutorials out there? I haven't looked that hard.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by RainRaven

I have been tempted to buy this all week. Do you think there is enough depth for variation in ai for replays?

Definitely, the CP AI always employs the Schlieffen Plan as far as I can tell, but it adapts really nicely to however you counter it. I haven't played as the CP yet, but it seems the AI as the Entente is even more diverse and you have to really balance how aggressive you are.

The nice part is with all major fronts as well as the middle east in play you have lots of options. In my game I stayed entirely away from Gallopoli and wish I had at least made some noise there to occupy the Turks a bit longer.

Originally Posted by lungs

I bought this as I haven't played any wargames in years. And I keep getting my ass kicked. Is there any tutorials out there? I haven't looked that hard.

Check out the AA reports on the matrix boards for some tips. You would be surprised how little adjustments here and there help.

Also really focus on managing your PP's in balanced manner. I would suggest upgrading ammo production early so you have a stockpile when artillery comes into play. Artillery is a game changer when things bog down, especially on the western front. In fact it is tough to put togther any real offense without it.

Don't spend all your PP's when you get them as you need extra for upkeep and make sure to protect your merchant convoys if you are playing as the entente. If you lose them America gets involved sooner, but the British economy will suffer greatly.

Really, the key is patience. Get dug in, have reserves and stockpile ammo, then go on single large scale offensives each year, being careful not to overextend yourself.

[RainRaven]

Thanks BYU. I look forward to getting it now once the funds free up and hopefully at some point getting into PBEM games.

[saldana]

is there a demo anywhere i can try out before dropping the cash for the full version...i didnt see on on matrixs website

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by saldana

is there a demo anywhere i can try out before dropping the cash for the full version...i didnt see on on matrixs website

They haven't release one yet unfortunately. Right now the best way to see how it flows is probably read the after action reports.