Slitherine

From my experience the big difference of playing big scenarios vs the course of historical events is the players ability to solely and directly control absolutely everything, without any need for coordination & exchange of information, without any consideration for competence of intermediate and lower level commanders and so on.
I never heard of anything simulating the similar conditions in PC wargames. I think PBEM model can allow multiply players to consequently make their moves. "All you need is good men" - i believe this is pretty close to what Donitz once said, and even if he didnt - sums up the matter.
Technical proposal:
1) find a group of "good men"
2) agree on scenario (can be practiced on any scenario , but of course meant for something of at least "Stalingrad" size)
3) agree on general rules ("gentlemen rules")
4) split the group 50/50 or otherwise (in case of uneven number of participants 2vs3 or 3vs4 can also work)
5) set up in-group chats or e-mail correspondence
6) figure out in-group moderator
7) set up in-group rules, ierarchy, order of turns, so on
one player in each group shares his MP login and pw with others in group ( the pw can be changed by owner for his security after the game is over + trust grown men wouldnt do anything funny because of pixels on a screen going the wrong way)
9) via in-group chat members notify each other after they complete their part of commanding
For example only: one side can be split in 3 fronts + 4th player is higher commander. 4th player does renaming of units for each commander, or else makes a list of initial random unit names for each player on his side. For rest of the game 4th player does general strategy planing and allocation of prestige, reinforcements, new units etc. Other players only control their part of the forces and make do with it. I think extensive out of game communication will ruin the experience, however, for complete strangers still could be better than formal e-mail (report) exchange.

The core issue is trust. Trust in other people's good and responsible behaviour. And readiness to accept somebody else's commands or somebody else's mistakes, without turning it into a constant drama.

Welcome any thoughts. How much of utopia it is , do you think?

An excellent and well thought out/detailed idea. I do not know what % of players would enjoy playing along those restricted lines....

A very intelligent idea but I would assume (judging by YouTube and forum interactions) the majority of players want to control everything and be victorious. They do not think restrictions are fun (historical or otherwise).

Wow, it really is a profound concept. I like it but am too compulsive to play MP (it is a form of torture having to wait for the next move).

It is a great idea for a strategy game in general (maybe use a rank based system to assign roles). I love it, actually, and would enjoy seeing how everything came together (who gets assigned what assets in terms of Corps artillery or air power, did they waste it, what could we do better next time as a team, how well did we develop our overall strategy, how different teammates playing styles affected the overall battle, etc.).

Players would really have to enjoy military tactics and history (more than winning or being in complete control). It is an excellent concept.

LevV wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 6:52 pm trust grown men wouldnt do anything funny because of pixels on a screen going the wrong way

What surprises me most is how many grown men are absolutely governed by pixels today (from Construction Workers to Doctors to Politicians).

I guess the rise or the golden age of the Panzer Corps community is far behind and the game itself isnt really designed to encourage or even enable more communication between players. that could be the part of the problem with people delaying the play or misbehaving in MP, which i didnt see much, but it happens.

Players would really have to enjoy military tactics and history

I believe there are a number of players who want to see the realism in the game, you can see those enthusiasts who continue with mods and scenario design. part of reality is inability to control everything directly and necessity for communication with colleagues, performers, management...
I think this game is originally designed for small maps, where PzIV unit is a PzIV platoon or company, and not the regiment consisting of variety of different models (the top one being PzIVG for example, while still having some PzIIs or other early war tanks and support vehicles). At such tactical scale it is meant to be controlled by one person. But i see a lot of players leaning towards playing big global maps like 1941 and 1939 and some others. The Panzer Corps becomes overly-simplified arcade at that level, but there are still ways to improve the experience by simulating some communication situations that will require thinking on some other level.

I like it but am too compulsive to play MP (it is a form of torture having to wait for the next move).

i think the way this idea is welcomed by community you have maybe a year to overcome that besides, my idea is to setup some chats strictly for organizational matters; those can be both in-group and general. in that way it will be possible to let everybody know the process of making a turn, so people can control their compulsiveness. Also, i think it is possible to set time limit for each participant - for example max 24 hrs to make his part of a move. If some reasons prevent you from matching that - sorry, lets pretend this general called in sick, and the next general will take over for now. I believe if people agree to undertake such a big and unusual proposition they should be ready to accept some responsibility. and again, if we can simply send a quick message saying "sorry im not going to be available for next three days" or "24 hrs not going to be enough, dont wait, continue without me for now" or "please allow me couple more hours" everybody else can figure out proper adjustment.
the other part of game can be e-mail orders/reporting system for particularly in-game matters, with all team members in copy. ideally it should follow at least the looks of strictness of real orders and reports, without going to much in details. with team members in CC those who are forced to skip turns by their real life can at least follow the course of events...
lastly, to speed up the process, the turn order can be designed to more or less match usual play time of each individual.