Hello All!
Let me express my gratitude for being accepted onto the beta team.
In the first 30 seconds, I was impressed with the intuitive layout of the main and scenario screens. I was able to find everything I was looking for quickly. The library was a nice touch, and the unit descriptions and cut away drawing are excellent, although I feel there should be many more.
I chose a scenario to start things out, SeaLion 42. Once in game, I was greeted with a thorough and easy to understand UI. I was able to start playing immediately and be competent without even referencing the manual. The controls are very easy to understand, and I was surprised at how easy it is to just start playing.
The graphics are an improvement over previous Panzer General versions. There isn't much graphical need in a game like this, and it is not overdone. The fire and explosion animations are well done. Not to much, not to little, just right IMHO. The only oddity I noticed with the graphics is that occasionally, during air combat mainly, the animations for firing guns would show up several hexes higher then where the units were. I played through the scenario and for the first time in my life, I WON!!! I generally don't fare well in games of this scale, so I set the AI on the lowest setting. This is one thing that is incredibly important to me, when I set the AI to easy, it should be easy. This is not so with many games, but in this one the setting was spot on to what I encountered. I will try higher settings later, to see the difference between them all.
The game ran very well on my modest system, as a game like this should.
I will have more impressions as I continue with the testing.
First Impressions by Stryker
Moderators: Slitherine Core, The Lordz, Panzer Corps Moderators, Panzer Corps Design
Thanks for your first feedback, get a bit used to the deeper gameplay, try the shortkeys!
Tim van der Moer - CEO The Lordz Games Studio
http://www.thelordzgamesstudio.com
http://www.panzer-corps.com
http://www.commander-games.com
http://www.thelordzgamesstudio.com
http://www.panzer-corps.com
http://www.commander-games.com
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Sakai007
- Private First Class - Wehrmacht Inf
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Sun Jan 16, 2011 1:43 am
- Location: Maine, U.S.A.
- Contact:
10 days later
So, here it is, ten days after my initial exposure to PC.
I took your advice to heart, and really started paying more attention as I played. My weakness in PC and in PG before it is thinking that since I know what the r/l capabilities of a certain unit are, I know what it can do in game without even looking at the stats. This is not so, as I have discovered that the units represent more of an abstraction to what an Army or Corps of these units would be capable of. So, with this in mind, I started the 1939 German Campaign in Poland. The Poles put up a stiff fight for the first few turn, and delivered me some surprises and some heartache as I advanced. After I gained the momentum and started to push them back, it was a matter of isolating garrisons in town. Blasting them with Artillery, and moving infantry in to mop up. Sometimes it wasn't that easy, most often it was. I earned a decisive victory in Poland and was off to Norway.
The Norwegian troops are of a different sort then the Poles it seemed. Just as tenacious in the defense, if not more so, and capable of organized counter attacks. I had several veteran troops from the Poland campaign and used them to good effect during the landings. I hit the coast of Norway in two spot, driving a pincer behind the entrenched enemy so they could not escape not receive reinforcement from the North. In the sea off Norway, battle raged and I was forced to retreat from the northern seas to allow my fleet to regroup and reorganize. I then sortied back north, with my battleships and cruisers, and proceeded to smash the English fleet in detail, not a single unit survived. I learned during all this that Naval units can only be reinforced at friendly ports, the same with aircraft and airfields. This saved a sub unit that had been the rear guard while two Destroyers and a Cruiser escaped south. The British DDs mauled her badly, taking her down to 2 strength, but in return she heavily damaged a battleship and tied up the enemy for a decent amount of time.
After the landings, things went smoothly, using my Navy to support the troops moving overland up the western coast of the peninsula. Sadly, one of my veteran infantry units ran into entrenched enemy troops halfway up the map and were destroyed. But, as the battle unfolded, a similar story to the Polish campaign unfolded. Momentum shifted to my forces, with the help of two daring airborne raids behind enemy lines. Speaking of which, I also learned that I can embark/debark airborne units at airfields. Didn't know this until halfway through the Norway campaign, but I learned as I went so to speak.
All was well until I hit the BEF forces in the north. This lead me to stop advancing and consolidate my gains. Supplying and reinforcing existing units, and buying new units with the crazy amount of built up prestige I had
It was at this time my fortress episode took place. This is also written in part in the fortress thread:
At this point I saved, and then you all had to go and come out with a new RC, so I will be restarting from Poland, perhaps on a higher difficulty setting. I was using the second to lowest one, which is an improvement for me as I stated in a previous post, I was playing on the lowest setting and found it a bit too easy, and I suck a PC
These are my impressions and ramblings thus far. I think you've got a real solid game here. Many have called it a PG 'clone' and I can see why. I do not agree however, thinking a more accurate phrase would be, 're-imagining the Panzer General game engine for the 21st Century' It feels like a brand new game, and plays like one too. The only carry over from PG is the style of play, style of the UI, and the updated PG game engine. I am impressed so far, and will be starting my new campaign as soon as I finish this post and send my PBEM files back for the 'Few Good Men' gaming club ladder. I hope something I've said proves to be encouraging or useful, keep up the good work!!!
I took your advice to heart, and really started paying more attention as I played. My weakness in PC and in PG before it is thinking that since I know what the r/l capabilities of a certain unit are, I know what it can do in game without even looking at the stats. This is not so, as I have discovered that the units represent more of an abstraction to what an Army or Corps of these units would be capable of. So, with this in mind, I started the 1939 German Campaign in Poland. The Poles put up a stiff fight for the first few turn, and delivered me some surprises and some heartache as I advanced. After I gained the momentum and started to push them back, it was a matter of isolating garrisons in town. Blasting them with Artillery, and moving infantry in to mop up. Sometimes it wasn't that easy, most often it was. I earned a decisive victory in Poland and was off to Norway.
The Norwegian troops are of a different sort then the Poles it seemed. Just as tenacious in the defense, if not more so, and capable of organized counter attacks. I had several veteran troops from the Poland campaign and used them to good effect during the landings. I hit the coast of Norway in two spot, driving a pincer behind the entrenched enemy so they could not escape not receive reinforcement from the North. In the sea off Norway, battle raged and I was forced to retreat from the northern seas to allow my fleet to regroup and reorganize. I then sortied back north, with my battleships and cruisers, and proceeded to smash the English fleet in detail, not a single unit survived. I learned during all this that Naval units can only be reinforced at friendly ports, the same with aircraft and airfields. This saved a sub unit that had been the rear guard while two Destroyers and a Cruiser escaped south. The British DDs mauled her badly, taking her down to 2 strength, but in return she heavily damaged a battleship and tied up the enemy for a decent amount of time.
After the landings, things went smoothly, using my Navy to support the troops moving overland up the western coast of the peninsula. Sadly, one of my veteran infantry units ran into entrenched enemy troops halfway up the map and were destroyed. But, as the battle unfolded, a similar story to the Polish campaign unfolded. Momentum shifted to my forces, with the help of two daring airborne raids behind enemy lines. Speaking of which, I also learned that I can embark/debark airborne units at airfields. Didn't know this until halfway through the Norway campaign, but I learned as I went so to speak.
All was well until I hit the BEF forces in the north. This lead me to stop advancing and consolidate my gains. Supplying and reinforcing existing units, and buying new units with the crazy amount of built up prestige I had
It was at this time my fortress episode took place. This is also written in part in the fortress thread:I also had some difficulty with forts. The first time was in the Norway battle in the German campaign.
SPOILER ALERT************SPOILER ALERT*********SPOILER ALERT******************SPOILER ALERT
I approached the fortress about halfway up the map on the eastern side. I figured, "hey, I have some infantry, this will be no problem" and they took like 7 damage on the spot and were finished off by hidden British units coming from the north. My doctrine is to kill mobile units first, then any static or garrison type units. I beat the British and turned my attention once again to the fortress. This time, I attacked with a unit of assault Pz IVD or E infantry support tanks. Again, heavy losses. I was stymied at this point, but I had two 10.5cm and one 15cm motorized arty units near by. I put them into position, and fired upon the fort. Now, they only took 2 actual strength points away, but the defenders must have been shell shocked, as I used regular airborne troopers to finish off the strength 7 fort in a single attack. I now believe my SOP with fortresses will be this:
Air attack if possible and defending AAA is not to strong
Heavy Artillery next, or first if air attack is not feasible
Maybe two turns of arty if no air support available
Infantry attack, minimum of two units, preferably pioneers but any leg infantry will do
How does this sound? I believe I am finally (after a week and a half) getting a grasp of the mechanics of this game. This is what I was asked to do in my initial impressions thread, and this is what I have done.
At this point I saved, and then you all had to go and come out with a new RC, so I will be restarting from Poland, perhaps on a higher difficulty setting. I was using the second to lowest one, which is an improvement for me as I stated in a previous post, I was playing on the lowest setting and found it a bit too easy, and I suck a PC
These are my impressions and ramblings thus far. I think you've got a real solid game here. Many have called it a PG 'clone' and I can see why. I do not agree however, thinking a more accurate phrase would be, 're-imagining the Panzer General game engine for the 21st Century' It feels like a brand new game, and plays like one too. The only carry over from PG is the style of play, style of the UI, and the updated PG game engine. I am impressed so far, and will be starting my new campaign as soon as I finish this post and send my PBEM files back for the 'Few Good Men' gaming club ladder. I hope something I've said proves to be encouraging or useful, keep up the good work!!!