review
Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2020 11:25 am
OMG, a turn-based strategy game! WWII! Dog-fighting! Strategy! Where do we start?
Well, as every game very well should do, this one here starts with the manual... as it should be! I mean, I mean, board gamers do rtfm... right? Right? Well, don't do it in this case. Seriously, just don't. The pathetic PDF pamphlet that comes with the game simply points "the player" in cringeworthy English(?) to the in-game help to learn more about the actual game rules. Well, that's what I did. BEFORE I turned to the PDF in the futile attempt to understand what was going on. Cause the in-game help certainly doesn't explain anything, at all.
The in-game help (Main Menu -> Game Rules) looks like this:
SPEED LEVELS
There are eight speed levels in the game ranging from 0 to 8. The speed level can increase/decrease by varying amounts depending on the Maneuve rType (sic) and Turn Code executed (see Move Charts).
Um, thank you very much. There is no definition of Maneuver Type or Turn Code or Move Chart anywhere in the in-game help. The text seems to be directly taken from some booklet (by somebody who positively HATES linebreaks), and seems to be _constantly_ referring to something that wasn't or isn't included in the manual and/or the PC game. So what, let's just play, surely it will become perfectly clear once we get some battle experience! Well, sorry ace, it didn't. The computer rolled some dice, that much became clear, but why these were rolled, what rolls were needed for success or failure, and why those were rolled, those puny details only the well-informed board gamer of CY6! will truly understand. And appreciate.
And that's it. That was the end of my adventure. Cause I don't own the board game. And I didn't understand what was going on. How should I play this game again? Or should I play randomly? Just guess the best maneuver type? Or speed? Or altitude? But even then, as a computer game, gameplay-wise, there just isn't very much there. The only thing that is offered is the conversion of a board game's rule set to a computer screen (without properly including the rule set, of course).
Why was my playing experience so atrocious? I tried to wrap my head around it.
There is a fundamental difference between board games and computer games. Board games are played over a board. It seems trivial to point that out, but in my humble opinion most board games only work because they are played with friends who are in the same room, who are looking at the same board, who are physically present, who are on the same page, and who have been theory crafting their strategy for the last couple of days since there came into existence the actual plan to play said board game together on that particular afternoon, from whenever everybody has time until however late it will get. If you play Check your 6! in real life, you probably have your own plane miniatures, or have plans to get some. You may even have your own little paint workshop for your miniatures, and you most certainly know how glorious your precious planes look when they just shot down the enemy.
Board games are a very personal, passionate thing. You know which dice can be trusted. You know you deserved to be lucky on that particular, critical roll. You can taste the sweetness of victory (or the bitterness of defeat) directly, with no screen to alienate you. And maybe that's why many board games can get away with some crazily complicated (or insanely simplified) shit, and still be as fun as they are.
Anyway, all of that drama is missing here. Check your 6! takes away the board and puts it on the computer screen. The rolls of the dice are now little text messages at the top of the screen. If you love the board game, but hate to do the manual tasks of actually playing it (handling various templates, figuring out which rolls are needed for success or failure, inviting those pesky people over, finding a big enough table, etc.), by all means, go for it. The game looks good enough. But if you are looking for a nice computer game, better head another direction, cause I don't think it's there at the moment. At least it wasn't for me.
It's a solid and valiant effort though. And I am sure some people may want to shoot me for not liking it. And that, even that, is my point.
0 or 10/10
Well, as every game very well should do, this one here starts with the manual... as it should be! I mean, I mean, board gamers do rtfm... right? Right? Well, don't do it in this case. Seriously, just don't. The pathetic PDF pamphlet that comes with the game simply points "the player" in cringeworthy English(?) to the in-game help to learn more about the actual game rules. Well, that's what I did. BEFORE I turned to the PDF in the futile attempt to understand what was going on. Cause the in-game help certainly doesn't explain anything, at all.
The in-game help (Main Menu -> Game Rules) looks like this:
SPEED LEVELS
There are eight speed levels in the game ranging from 0 to 8. The speed level can increase/decrease by varying amounts depending on the Maneuve rType (sic) and Turn Code executed (see Move Charts).
Um, thank you very much. There is no definition of Maneuver Type or Turn Code or Move Chart anywhere in the in-game help. The text seems to be directly taken from some booklet (by somebody who positively HATES linebreaks), and seems to be _constantly_ referring to something that wasn't or isn't included in the manual and/or the PC game. So what, let's just play, surely it will become perfectly clear once we get some battle experience! Well, sorry ace, it didn't. The computer rolled some dice, that much became clear, but why these were rolled, what rolls were needed for success or failure, and why those were rolled, those puny details only the well-informed board gamer of CY6! will truly understand. And appreciate.
And that's it. That was the end of my adventure. Cause I don't own the board game. And I didn't understand what was going on. How should I play this game again? Or should I play randomly? Just guess the best maneuver type? Or speed? Or altitude? But even then, as a computer game, gameplay-wise, there just isn't very much there. The only thing that is offered is the conversion of a board game's rule set to a computer screen (without properly including the rule set, of course).
Why was my playing experience so atrocious? I tried to wrap my head around it.
There is a fundamental difference between board games and computer games. Board games are played over a board. It seems trivial to point that out, but in my humble opinion most board games only work because they are played with friends who are in the same room, who are looking at the same board, who are physically present, who are on the same page, and who have been theory crafting their strategy for the last couple of days since there came into existence the actual plan to play said board game together on that particular afternoon, from whenever everybody has time until however late it will get. If you play Check your 6! in real life, you probably have your own plane miniatures, or have plans to get some. You may even have your own little paint workshop for your miniatures, and you most certainly know how glorious your precious planes look when they just shot down the enemy.
Board games are a very personal, passionate thing. You know which dice can be trusted. You know you deserved to be lucky on that particular, critical roll. You can taste the sweetness of victory (or the bitterness of defeat) directly, with no screen to alienate you. And maybe that's why many board games can get away with some crazily complicated (or insanely simplified) shit, and still be as fun as they are.
Anyway, all of that drama is missing here. Check your 6! takes away the board and puts it on the computer screen. The rolls of the dice are now little text messages at the top of the screen. If you love the board game, but hate to do the manual tasks of actually playing it (handling various templates, figuring out which rolls are needed for success or failure, inviting those pesky people over, finding a big enough table, etc.), by all means, go for it. The game looks good enough. But if you are looking for a nice computer game, better head another direction, cause I don't think it's there at the moment. At least it wasn't for me.
It's a solid and valiant effort though. And I am sure some people may want to shoot me for not liking it. And that, even that, is my point.
0 or 10/10