How will the static front be solved

[pzrshrek]

Hi!

I will get this title since i am an history buff of the great war, but i wonder how the game will handle the trench warfare? I take it frontlines will be pretty much locked during most part of the war? Thinking of the million dead at Verdun 1916, where ground gain/loss were nonexistent during 11months of grinding.

With best regards,

Pzrshrek

[Myrddraal]

It depends which frontline.

The game mechanics capture the stagnation of fronts, it isn't enforced through artificial high level rules though.

If there aren't many units but a long front, the frontline will generally remain more fluid, such as the eastern front and the western front to a certain extent at the start of the war.

If on the other hand the front gets saturated with units and there is little room for maneuver, units will entrench and it becomes very difficult to advance. Winning the war then becomes more about technology, support units (artillery and aircraft of various forms), as well as just plain attrition if you go down that path.

[alex0809]

How will the Central Powers be able to defeat the Entente if the war doesn't go some weird a-historical direction though? I don't know much about WW1, but if I recall well I read somewhere that the manpower ratio was more than 1,5:1 favouring the Entente. And were the Entente extremely exhausted when the Centrals were defeated? I don't think so, maybe Britain+France would have had problems, but with the USA entering the war... Since it's WW1, a war mostly of attrition, I don't see how the Centrals could keep up with the Entente simply regarding manpower?

[Myrddraal]

Maybe the right tactic then is to not anger the USA by holding off on attacks on shipping? Or maybe not...

We will make sure it is possible to win with either alliance. This is a game after all

[doc99]

Can you give us an up-date as to the status of the game?

[adherbal]

Can't such much other than that we're getting closer to finish. More public news about the game should appear some time in februari.

[doc99]

Thanks--while we wait, I saw a great PBS doc on the American Volunter Service in WW1 title, "Model T'S Go To War"---worth recording

[alex0809]

Maybe the right tactic then is to not anger the USA by holding off on attacks on shipping? Or maybe not...

I hope it's not as simple as that though
I mean, this is a big problem often with such games, we players know the historical mistakes and won't make them again

[lotharr51]

It's a good question. I hope this game is prepared for a longer struggle than 4 years. It would also seem the real action is going to have to happen in other theaters. Can't wait to find out....

[teamgene]

The real question is can you send telegrams to Mexico?

[ElIndio]

Or can the Central Powers invade the US ala "Gallipoli" amphibious style?

"It is a game after all" and is obviously possible in Panzer Corps...

[adherbal]

Invading them certainly is possible. Conquering them is virtually impossible though, due to supply difficulties.

[Myrddraal]

To be honest, invading them is going to be difficult to achieve as well. After an Atlantic crossing, any troops you manage to land will be exhausted and out of supply.

[ElIndio]

The fact that it is possible to invade the US mainland within the structure of the game is encouraging, as it should give the player the option of grander strategy, as opposed to being permanently confined to the European Theatre (allowing for Europe being the primary front) etc.

Whether it is sensible or practical to attempt to invade the US is another discussion....

[kommandant501]

Following the history of WW1, i need to ask, how will you handle a defeat situation that happened to Germany in 1918, with a surrender caused by the lack of food, attrition warfare and the surrender of the ottoman empirer folowed by the initial talks of the A-H governament for surrender. It's a surrender caused becasue of the home front, and not by ground taken, as the case in WW2.

So, how is the entente player supposed to defeat the CP forces via attrition, only?

[alex0809]

Yes, good question. The game that handled this best yet was the game Strategic Command The Great War. I really enjoyed that one, even though it was quite expensive and the performance was miserable.
Anyway, how they handled it was a national morale metre, where each major nation has a morale value (so for example Russia's value is lower than Germany's or France's) and you lose morale by losing units, destruction of cities by bombing, raiding of ships etc, and also if one of your allies exits the war (eg. the Ottomans as you said). This was a great idea, because it changed how you had to play the game. For example, you couldn't just waste your navy, because destruction of your navy was a huge morale loss.

[kommandant501]

Yes, good question. The game that handled this best yet was the game Strategic Command The Great War. I really enjoyed that one, even though it was quite expensive and the performance was miserable.
Anyway, how they handled it was a national morale metre, where each major nation has a morale value (so for example Russia's value is lower than Germany's or France's) and you lose morale by losing units, destruction of cities by bombing, raiding of ships etc, and also if one of your allies exits the war (eg. the Ottomans as you said). This was a great idea, because it changed how you had to play the game. For example, you couldn't just waste your navy, because destruction of your navy was a huge morale loss.

I would put as an example SC: The Great War, I became a huge fan of the this game, let's just not enter in the dicussion of your overall opinion about the game. I agree that this system is one of the best created for a WW1 game, so I would like to know how Commander: The great war will handle this situation, I have Commander: Euroupe at War and if this one comes out to be a good game of WW1 I will buy, because it's really hard to find good WW1 strategy games in the market.

[generalbuttercup]

Really looking forward to exploring Eastern strategies in this game. There is so much going on all over the world during WWI that the options could be endless. Waiting is painful!!

[Wodin]

The USA had little impact in actual fighting, however their entry forced Germany onto the offensive which is where they impaled themselves. USA wouldn't have really had a huge impact in combat until spring 1919.

[Aryaman]

I agree about actual fighting, but the Financial support the Allies and especially Britain got from the US was key to avoid defeat in 1917-1918