Attn Mindfield

[Greybeard]

[Weasel]

I don't even think there are any mentored players left here. I was teaching Davillian, we were on game 6 or something but then he went silent too.

If any players here underwent the mentor system please pipe up here and state your experience candidly. Please do not mention your mentor's name, I don't want this to turn into a love fest or player bashing.

Right now I am leaning towards scraping the mentor program (about 80%).

[Greybeard]

Hello Chris,

Yep - I understand.. I would imagine that the number of boots that never make it out of boot camp far out number those who do.. the one's that wnat to play will stick around.. those that are having a look-see won't..

I think our list of mentors is getting rather thin also?

Scrapping is OK by me.. but it's too bad that so many new players go by the wayside..

It's not HALO, and perhaps that's what some expect..

Maybe a poll would be good to see if we bag it?

Greybeard

[junk2drive]

I just surrendered my game with Greybeard.

I have played the various SPs since 2001 but haven't played much the last couple of years.

Valid or not, here is my opinion of our battle.

Greybeard select the battle, WG vs EG 1964. I did see some Soviet flags though.

The map seemed to favour my opponent.

I was outpurchased. I have no idea what most of the units are that I purchased. I soon found out that I was no match for what I was up against.

GB purchased some helos. That gave him spotting advantage and my units with AA ability didn't seem to have much effect.

Lastly, the map and forces were to large for my experience level. I'm not an old time boardgamer and the large battle planning only baffles me.

Thanks for the time and trouble. I did get some very good advice on how to play the game. I think I need to spend a while playing small generated battles vs the AI and get a feel for purchasing and ROE before I take on any more PBEM opponents.

[Thor]

I never actually joined the Mentor program so i'm not sure i'm qualified to comment on whether you should scrap it or not, but i have been shown the SP ropes so to speak by a few of the more active board members who i believe are Mentors....no names.

All i can say is that i'd be totally lost if it wasn't for all their help and advice, you'd be amazed at some of the dumb questions i've asked or the even more stupid moves i've made and yet every time without fail they have taken it upon themselves to explain (sometimes at great length) the answers to my questions.

I think many Bootcampers are from the 'sound bite' generation where a decent PC/console game is considered long and good value for your money if you can complete it in about 10 hours flat. It must be a shock to them when they find a game that they can't get the hang of and beat in a long weekend, where as i remember games that took months to finish and indeed i even have a few i still haven't finished. :rolleyes:

Many thanks to all my current oppo's, your time and effort is much appreciated by this newb at least.

[RedDevil]

Junk, try playing a few small scenarios and get a feel for the units a little bit more. This is a better way to grasp things and understand why things happen and how. Another thing, is ask questions, even the dumbest things bring on unexpected answers.

Personally, I'm a victim of the Weasel, GreyB and Grumbler school of hard knocks :)
They are tough and very good, but playing them pays off if you pay attention to what they tell you.. (just ask czerpak about our games LOL)

It sucks getting your arse handed to you... but if you take a minute or 2 each turn to see just how they did the dirty work, it applies nicely when you put your own twist to it.
Expecting to win in this arena is a lesson in futility, however losing a few games will get you a few wins later as it comes together.



Chris,
I would stay the course on the mentor program, it's summer time and things are slow. Don't let your frustrations beat down the program you've done well with in the past.

Endeavor to presevere.

[Grumbler]

Not sure if I am a mentor or not. I do try to help the FNG's out.
SP is about as complex as a game gets.
There is no way to pour a decade worth of learning in the school of hard knocks into someone in a few games. Add to that the fact that the game system changes on a regular basis and the problem is obvious.
I have some experience with training ( teaching, whatever) in the real world. I know about formal schooling , lesson plans and the rule of seven. Not sure any of that really applies to something like SP. Formal schooling is designed to get everybody to a certain minimum level of competence. I think that can be covered in SP by explaining the interface, how terrain driving and it's cousin terrain masking works in our little flat 3D world.
If the FNG cannot visualize 3D terrain when they look at lines on a flat map, or have the basics of tactics ( flanks, fire and movement, etc.) then no amount of training will help them.
I more or less try to answer questions, figuring that way I can provide what the FNG thinks they need the most. Sometimes I will expand my answers to cover what I think they need to most, but I try to watch out for that. My way is not the only way, nor even the best way.

[Greybeard]

Hello All,

I was pretty stoked after winning/drawing my first souple of games of H2H/WAW.. and then I moved to try a game with Hawks in MBT.

I was unprepared for the slaughter.. I think he lost maybe 5 or 6 units, and cleaned me out to the last man.. and then he apologized for hammering me so badly..

lesson learned.. and he taught me alot in the process.. by the 3rd game that we played, I actually finished with some combat units on the map and held a couple of flags..and I began to enjoy the features of WW2/MBT so much over H2H/WAW that I now hardly ever play a WAW based game..

I find teaching the game, explaining basics, and just general conversation to be the most enjoyable part..

Oh, and did I say anything about having been a board wargame nutter since I was 15 years old - Panzerblitz was the first (I think I still have a copy) with Squad Leader as my all-time favorite.. so similar to SP in many repsects.

;)

I think the general observation is correct.. too many kids/people now-days are looking for instant results, and RTS games are so similar.. teaching players how to react, rather than plan and think things out..

In SP some reacting to your opponents actions is to be expected, but if you find that you are doing little 'acting' and alot of 'reacting' then your plan has gone down the crapper, and it's time to regroup, and make a change..

j2D.. you hang in there, and post your questions.. I agree with grumbler, the game set can be a suprise in today's world of X-box mania.. it is far more complex than when you last played not many years ago, and the MBT/WW2 games of today are a far cry from SSI's original creations.

the blitz is a good community.. and no matter how silly one might think a question might be, IMHO, it's far more silly to never ask the question.. nobody here will scream 'knucklehead'..

The blitz home page says it all:

Mission: To help the rookies, connect the regulars and honor the hardcore!

We all started at a beginning point

Best Regards

Greybeard

[junk2drive]

FWIW, I'm over 50 and haven't played a video game in over 10 years. Too old, too slow, too blind.

[retired from gaming]

The map seemed to favour my opponent.

I was outpurchased. I have no idea what most of the units are that I purchased.

The map always seems to favour your opponent. At least it does for me :)

As for purchasing :
I have 200+ games recorded here, and many off ladder. All of them PBEMs of course. And I still find purchasing the most difficult part of the game. And the part which can give you greatest advantage/disadvantage, espacially in modern era MBT. Even in WW2 it still can be the major factor, when you play the hardcore.
Last game with Greybeard was a good example - I could not make a breakthrough mainly because I lacked the transport and Steve didnt.
I hate purchase so much that I practically skipped playing such battles anymore. However there was a time when I played Poland mostly in MBT games. After few battles I knew all the ins- an outs-of PolishOOB for the 80's-90's period and was able to play practically anybody, against any nation, even Russia or US, and still was pretty sure the worse which could happen was a draw.
So to cut long story short : you cant learn everything at once. Learn tactics and game mechanics first. Play battles with computer purchase, or pick up your favorite nation and master it. I can bet you that you will feel completely different after 3-5 battles. And remember - never play Hawks. Nothing works there. Absolutely nothing (in case he comes back to gaming, that is).