PzC recommendation for newbie

[Mr Grumpy]

Indeed history is not balanced but scenarios can be altered (using victory levels etc...) to make them a more balanced contest for H2H play on the assuption that both players are of equal ability, there are a number of H2H scenarios in the later titles (starting at EA42 i think) and the H2H testing area at this club has produced about 15 extra H2H scenarios (including one for S41) which are listed in the sub forum above this forum. ;)

[Philippe]

Disregarding the fact that real history isn't balanced for H2H play, ....

And of course Balanced for H2H Play is really changing Vic levels, and Judgements of things like FIXED and release times (based on what might have been known), Supply Percentages which in real life isn't a value from 1-100 - then YES you are correct - and real history and battles are not balanced period.

Finally in real history one side doens't move first while the other waits for their turn.

But if you can't accept factors like this involved in making a game, then you may as well not buy the game ...

You've just highlighted several weaknesses of the game engine in a single post, none of which were by any means inevitable or necessary.

Sequential turns are not realistic and should never have been part of the original engine. The old V for Victory series used simultaneous movement and combat stances, and managed to avoid most of the plinking away fire combat which doesn't add to realism (probably detracts) and slows the game down considerably. Layering on more chrome and more detail does not necessarily equate with more realism (and usually doesn't).

I have vivid recollections of the victory system used in the old SPI Destruction of Army Group Center. You would have a great degree of difficulty finding a more unbalanced situation, but because the range of possible outcomes was much more flexible than the one in the Panzer Campaigns engine there was a lot of replay value. It was always made clear to you to what extent you had done better and/or worse than the historical protagonists, and what effect (if any) that would have had on the overall situation. In effect you were getting a relative result score (vis-a-vis performance) and an absolute score (vis-a-vis actual outcome) at the same time. It's too bad something like this wasn't worked into the engine -- it would have made the need to balance scenarios a lot less pressing.