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War on the Sea

First impression is that its not as great as I hope for but not as bad as the negative reviews in steam shows. I think they jumped the gun to beat TFA in the maritime market but it's not a good start. Hopefully the next patchs are gonna bring it home.
 
I found (I think) a common thread(s) in the naval/air games in the last 5+ years or so.
- Lots of pre-release hype.
- When released graphics look good to terrific.
- Then initial, and sometimes permanent similar issues.
- The UI is "clunky" and not intuitive.
- Game play is overly complicated, lots of clicking to micro manage combat. Becomes more work than fun.
- AI is awful rising to mediocre with patches.
- Graphics still look good though.
 
I found (I think) a common thread(s) in the naval/air games in the last 5+ years or so.
- Lots of pre-release hype.
- When released graphics look good to terrific.
- Then initial, and sometimes permanent similar issues.
- The UI is "clunky" and not intuitive.
- Game play is overly complicated, lots of clicking to micro manage combat. Becomes more work than fun.
- AI is awful rising to mediocre with patches.
- Graphics still look good though.
There is some validity to what you say, but there are some ways this game works that alleviate some of the micromanagement. For example, you can take personal control of attacks....or you can set up a formation, both air and sea and issue an "attack" command. The AI is competent enough to execute attacks and fairly competent to defend itself. If you are watching gameplay videos (I am pointing at "The Historical Gamer" here) he is not well versed in the game mechanics and is making a hash out of some of it. He couldn't figure out where the sub he was prosecuting went ( below the inversion layer) for the longest time, even though that aspect of the game is amply explained in the manual. It's not perfect, but it's apparent that they are going to add to it because there are provisions in the campaign menu for both Med and Atlantic campaigns. It ain't a bad game.
 
Yes, THG gets into these games to give us an "early look". I understand his POV. And I completely disagree, but it will get him <clicks>.
Unfortunately, it is usually an "early look" for him as well. He usually does the game a disservice as a thrashes about trying to figure out how to play it.
Best to just watch his vids for an "early look" and then go elsewhere later on for a fair review/play through.
A great example is his "early look" at FoG II Medieval. He's hilarious in his ineptitude. I quit watching when he whined about being unable to tell how far his archers could shoot.
 
Yes, THG gets into these games to give us an "early look". I understand his POV. And I completely disagree, but it will get him <clicks>.
Unfortunately, it is usually an "early look" for him as well. He usually does the game a disservice as a thrashes about trying to figure out how to play it.
Best to just watch his vids for an "early look" and then go elsewhere later on for a fair review/play through.
A great example is his "early look" at FoG II Medieval. He's hilarious in his ineptitude. I quit watching when he whined about being unable to tell how far his archers could shoot.
Yeah, it's clear he just jumps right in, instead of taking the time to read the manual and play the tutorials. His frustration with his own lack of knowledge about how the game works is 1. annoying and 2. detrimental to a player's perception of the game. The game is good, not great, but pretty good. I have been saving my pennies and plan to invest in TFA as well. I can never get enough of WW2 carrier combat. Did I ever tell you AH's Flat Top is my all-time favorite board game?

What I find hilarious is people who bitch that it's only set in '42. Duh, why not, that's when all the "this issue is in doubt" battles took place. Face it, after Midway the IJN could still do some damage until mid-'43, after that the IJN was like a boxerr barely hanging on while the greatest armada in history was plying the Pacific, but the greatest challenge to the USN was '42. So it makes sense to me that a game should focus on '42. What I am interested in seeing is if they release DLC's for the Med and the Atlantic.
 
Flat Top!? Awesome. Played it twice, never finished either as we nearly came to blows over the "rules."
I nominate that game for one of the most complicated/large rules manual ever.
Granted the minimum/normal/maximum launch rules need to be read through a couple of times, but once that is figured out, it's a piece of cake. My favorite tactic....launch CV-based search but keep your planes off the board until you reach the hex where your turn back, then put them on the board to search on the way back. that totally screws with your oppo's head...
 
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I got this the minute it was released. It was definitely in a pre - release state, but it showed promise. Made my comments on what I thought, but also encouraged the dev to keep improving it as many of us really want it to succeed. The interface is not the best IMO and simple things like deleting and changing a path on the mini map is not a simple affair. I would also like to see some automation of some aspects of the game and a realistic number of aircraft. Aircraft should be grouped into squadrons with the option of dividing them.

For all the warts at launch this shows great promise and dev is putting out patches. It obvious that this was designed with adding the Atlantic and Med in the future so we can expect German, British, Italian ships as well as more campaigns.
 
I wishlisted this one but then, once it was released, I watched a few videos and decided to pass. I'm holding my hopes for Task Force Admiral.
Take this Solomon Sea Skirmish, for example. The first question is what is a Japanese surface force doing in waters dominated by U.S. aircraft in broad daylight.
The second question is what is the USS Reno doing there - August 1942 is almost two years too early for her.
The third question is why didn't the Japanese attempt an evasive maneuver against the torpedo bomber attack. It was coming from only one direction... it would be as simple as turning their bows or sterns towards the threat.
 
I wishlisted this one but then, once it was released, I watched a few videos and decided to pass. I'm holding my hopes for Task Force Admiral.
Take this Solomon Sea Skirmish, for example. The first question is what is a Japanese surface force doing in waters dominated by U.S. aircraft in broad daylight.
The second question is what is the USS Reno doing there - August 1942 is almost two years too early for her.
The third question is why didn't the Japanese attempt an evasive maneuver against the torpedo bomber attack. It was coming from only one direction... it would be as simple as turning their bows or sterns towards the threat.
All legitimate points. To the dev's credit, they have issued at least 2 updates since release. Not sure if they address all the concerns that people have. Clearly ship captain AI needs work, as well as the aircraft attack AI. I have never understood why developers just don't replicate the training guides and doctrinal guides for each nation in the AI. You would have thought in the case of the aircraft executing the attack that once the attack issue is ordered they would maneuver for an Anvil attack, that the ships would have turned into or away from the attack, etc.
 
All legitimate points. To the dev's credit, they have issued at least 2 updates since release. Not sure if they address all the concerns that people have. Clearly ship captain AI needs work, as well as the aircraft attack AI. I have never understood why developers just don't replicate the training guides and doctrinal guides for each nation in the AI. You would have thought in the case of the aircraft executing the attack that once the attack issue is ordered they would maneuver for an Anvil attack, that the ships would have turned into or away from the attack, etc.
Yes, and I shouldn't be too negative. It looks like a fun game and it is certainly a step up from World of Warships :) Just different from what I am looking for.
Also it is fair to say that making an AI that works is a challenging task.
 
Hello folks! I have been playing War on the Sea for only a week now, but even with some bugs I find it very enjoyable. I created a unit database with main info attached here for those that are interested.
 

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