WitP/AE now on SALE

[Currahee]

You can save any time, and continue later; except when you're watching the "combat resolution movie replay". But that doesn't take long; once that's over, and you start your move, you can save any time, and any number of times.

There is a lot of micro-management, and you can avoid some of it, but not all. You can automate shipments of supplies and fuel to needy bases; and you can let the computer pick commanders for TF's, send replacements (both ground elements, and aircraft) to units with vacancies, automatically upgrade to newer equipment, and handle pilot replacements; or, you can step in and micro-manage those, but the computer does a pretty good job. For example, if you have a critical squadron that's not getting replacement aircraft because you have so few replacements in the pool, you may need to go in and set some of the not-so-critical squadrons to "no replacements". But really, that happens rarely. Oh, and the computer can handle all your submarine ops.

But what you absolutely cannot get away from, and cannot afford to ignore, is loading your assault units onto transports, picking their destinations, making sure they will have surface escort and air cover going in, making sure the necessary naval auxiliary ships are where you need them, diciding where to base your bombers, giving detailed orders to your combat TF's, making repair-priority decisions for damaged warships, setting patrol routes for your anti-sub forces, setting search vectors for search aircraft (altho it's easy enough to search 360 degrees, it's usually better to concentrate on a narrower vector); and many other things.

So AE is definitely not a game you can set on "computer assist" for 20 turns, and expect to survive. With practice, you can get a standard-scenario move down to 30 minutes, and a mega-game scenario move down to an hour (except maybe for the first move, if you're the attacker; those always take longer). You'll develop a little mental checklist you go through, so you don't forget anything. Or, write it down! But remember, and this is really important, not everything has to be done every turn (as in TOAW). What I mean by that is, most of your orders take multiple moves to carry out; say you organize and set a bombardment TF to go bombard Truk; well, it does it, and then sails home, without any need for more input, unless you want to change its orders; so basically you don't worry about that TF for a couple of weeks; supply and fuel TF's unload themselves without being told; and then return home, unless you've set them to go elsewhere. Aircraft will keep on flying their vectors and attack orders until you change them... So although there's a LOT of micromanagement, it's not tedious, or repetitive, and if you've played several well-thought-out turns, your side will literally play itself for awhile, unless you're just an inveterate meddler. You can coast for 4 or 5 turns, but 10 or more would be pushing your luck; because it's war, things change, your opponent has a mind of his own, and some of your standing orders will have to be changed, TF's redirected, newly arrived units embarked for the South Pacific, etc.

You can opt the Chinese theater out of the game completely; but if it's included, it takes a little time, but not much, nothing like a big TOAW land war.