Is this game still worth getting?

[FOARP]

Have enjoyed Commander: The Great War, and since this game is going at a pretty low price, I'm wondering if it's still worth a spin. How does it compare to CTGW. Also thinking about getting PzC, although they say they may be releasing PzC + all DLC as a package so I may wait for tha. Anyway, my main constraint is time, not money, so:

1) Is this game easy to win compared to CTGW? The harder the better.

2) Do the turns go quickly?

3) How's the replay value? Do you have completely different games each time due to diplomatic factors or do they generally turn out the same once you know how to play the game?

[GogTheMild]

I have not played CtGW, although I have been following the AARs with interest and am considering purchasing it. I have also only been playing CEaW since August and the current version, 2.1, since December. That said:

The AI in CEaW is useless - see recent thread. It is ok for learning the basics, but not for honing your skills. The real strength of the game is in the PBEM. Played this way it is extremely difficult. (This is off the back of 40 years of obsessive war gaming of all sorts.) I would guess more so than CtGW, possibly considerably so. (In one game, planning my DoW against Russia I have 5 screen dumps printed out and annotated, a forces list, a reinforcement schedule and a Gannt chart; but I may be a bit obsessive.)

Some turns take five minutes or less, eg the Allies in the winter of 1940-41. Others can take quite a while, eg the Axis later in the game whilst trying to fend of a Russian offensive, Allied operations in the Med, an invasion of France and strategic bombing whilst hip deep in partisans and still running a sub campaign.

My experience is that there is a lot of variety. I have 'finished' (not counting early surrenders) 6 games and of my 5 current ones 3 are far enough advanced to see how they are going. These nine are all wildly different. I should think that there is very considerable replay value. If you think that you have a strategy down pat, try it against a more experienced opponent . My first two finishes are reported here and give a feel of how wildly things can vary. I played the Axis in both against the same opponent.
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[Cybvep]

It's a MP-focused game. It's worth getting if you want to play via PBEM, but the AI wasn't updated in a while, so it cannot even use or "understand" the newer features of the game. Also, there is no real diplomacy here - you can DOW other countries and there are scripted events which make country X or Y join the Allies or the Axis and that's it.

Early turns can usually be played quickly, as it's mostly just build-up and war on a limted scale, but later on, especially in 1942-1944, you will have your hands full and one turn can take ~15 minutes (or more) to complete. It's the most fun part of the game, though, and the most challenging one. Also, CEAW a TBS game, so no pressure.

In general, it's a fun corps-level grand strategy game. The learning curve is not steep, it's much less complex than Hearts of Iron 3, for example. You should check some AARs.

As for PzC, IMO it's more about tactics than strategy.

[Morris]

yes , it is the best strategy game I have ever played especially when you play pbem or hotseat with a player not AI . It also need tacs & skills ,but the strategy is the most important . If your strategy is wrong , you won't win a game even you have good skills . It is quite replayable . It does like a complcated chess which you can play it for many years .

[Samhain]

Have enjoyed Commander: The Great War, and since this game is going at a pretty low price, I'm wondering if it's still worth a spin. How does it compare to CTGW. Also thinking about getting PzC, although they say they may be releasing PzC + all DLC as a package so I may wait for tha. Anyway, my main constraint is time, not money, so:

1) Is this game easy to win compared to CTGW? The harder the better.

It's much easier.

2) Do the turns go quickly?

It depends on how many units are on the map. The turns can get pretty long from 1942 on.

3) How's the replay value? Do you have completely different games each time due to diplomatic factors or do they generally turn out the same once you know how to play the game?

Against the AI things go pretty much the same but there's always some sort of new strategy to think of.

[FOARP]

Pretty epic AARs I think I'll give it a shot.