Questionnaire for all WF players

[Von Luck]

West Front Scenario Questionnaire


Scenario designers might create more desirable and higher quality products if they knew what most players desired. This is a survey to find out what characteristics players desire the most in scenario design.

Size
1. What is the size of force that you most enjoy in a two-player game?
Two Divisions or more
One Division
Large Task Force (Brigade Sized)
Regiment
Battalion or less

2. How large of a map do you most enjoy playing?
100x100 hexes or larger
Between 70x40 to 100x100
Between 60x30 to 70x40
Between 30x30 and 60x30
Smaller than 30x30

3 How many turns do you prefer?
10 to 20
20 to 30
30 to 40
40 to 50
50 or greater

Theatre and Operation Type

4. Which theatre do you most prefer?
North Africa
Normandy and Northern France
Ardennes
Italy
Germany
Netherlands and northern Belgium

5. What operation type do you prefer?
Amphibious landings
Parachute landings
Predominantly infantry
Armored attack
Heavily fortified defenses
Bridgehead
Commando raids

6. What kind of terrain is your favorite?
Desert
Mostly open with some forest and towns
Urban
Mountain
Heavy forests
Major river


Weapon and Unit Preferences

7. What kind of weapons/forces do you most enjoy playing?
Tanks
Very good anti-tank weapons, eg. 88mm FlaK
Elite infantry
Heavy artillery eg. 155mm Howitzers
Specialty weapons, such as late-war tank hunter squads
Reconnaisance vehicles such as motorcycles or armored cars

8. What type of battle accessories do you prefer most?
Smoke
Engineers
Air Assaults
Starshells

9. Would you be less likely to enjoy games with wagon transport?
Yes
No

10. Which specialty transports would interest you the most?
Pack horses
Rafts
Bicycles
Motorcycles

11. Have you strong objections to having some fixed units, with later releases?
Yes
No

Historical Situations

12. What is your preference regarding the scenario’s historical background?
Prefer historically accurate scenarios.
Rather have playable and balanced scenarios that are less historical.
Prefer hypothetical scenarios that explore alternative outcomes from historical.
Prefer exciting scenarios with powerful weapons and lots of action.

13. Do you like to have many historical officers in the scenario? Choose one.
Few or no officers
Historical commanders at battalion level and above.
Many officers, including company commanders of key units. (Tank companies.)
Officers at all levels to include NCOs and/or historical medal winners. (Panzer Aces)

This could also apply to EF.PS The above was suggested by David Galster not me.

[Huib Versloot]

1. Size. All
2. Map size. Again all
3. Turns 20-30 with but depends on scn.
4. Ardennes, Germany, Netherlands
5. Parachute landings
Predominantly infantry
Armored attack
6. Mostly open with some forest and towns
Urban
Heavy Forests
Have not come across a good mountain scn yet, perhaps in the Korea game later.
7. Elite infantry (paratroopers)
8. Engineers, especially in ME
9. No
10. Rafts (well the new crewed boats actually)
11. Depends (I hate late releases of units very close to the front)
12. Prefer historically accurate scenarios, question implies a bit that there would be friction with playability with historical scenarios. IMO there is not.
13. Many officers... if their names are historically accurate or they bear the names of Blitz members

[Herr Straße Laufer]

West Front Scenario Questionnaire


Scenario designers might create more desirable and higher quality products if they knew what most players desired. This is a survey to find out what characteristics players desire the most in scenario design.

Size
1. One Division or smaller (though I lean toward smaller Brigade or higher)

2. Any size that fits the scenario

3. 12 to 25

Theatre and Operation Type

4. Which theatre do you most prefer?
North Africa early and later and East Africa
Normandy and Northern France & France '40
Ardennes - both '40 & '44
Italy
Germany
Netherlands and northern Belgium and Norway
I guess I prefer a balanced game regardless of where, or when, it is fought.

5. Depends on the scenario.

6. Any and all

Weapon and Unit Preferences

7. Really does not matter much. Anything that fits a scenario.

8. *see answer for #7

9. *see answer for #7

10. * see answer for #7

11. No

Historical Situations

12. Balance is the key when playing by e-mail.
First, Rather have playable and balanced scenarios that are less historical (or close to historical). Than an historical scenario that is unplayable from one side.
Second, Prefer hypothetical scenarios that explore alternative outcomes from historical (as long as they are not hysterical). Don't put Tiger II's and JagdPanthers on the Eastern front in July '43 and call it a Kursk scenario.Overall wouldn't the winner gaining a non-historical result already be creating a non-historical outcome?


13. All depends on the scenario design.

This could also apply to EF.PS The above was suggested by David Galster not me.

Thanks to both. This should be thought provoking discussion and aid to any WF scenario designer.

[Von Luck]

The reason this was put up and i totally agree with your reply to 12.They dont all have to be purely historical if that was the case then one side would have a distinct advantage all the time unless you altered the victory points.A lot of what if scenarios would be more than welcome.

[Huib Versloot]

Do not all historical scenarios turn into 'what if' situations as soon as the player moves his units? By historical, my perception is an accurate map, historical order of battle, objectives and positioning at the start of the scenario. There are many ways to balance things out and you have knowledge of the historical outcome to align with. For example force one of the sides to perform better than his historical counterparts to if he is to achieve a victory. Most historical objectives were too ambitious anyway so there is plenty of "room" between those and what really happened to make something balanced.

[Herr Straße Laufer]

I think we are all on a similar page? :smoke:

Though, I appreciate a historically, topographically accurate map, I would not fault a designer who did not have precise maps (if the scenario was both visually appealling and playable from both sides).

Setting victory conditions to bring about balance is almost an art form? :chin:

But, remember this is what the players would want from new WF designs? I was commenting as a player who has dabbled in scenario design. :cool:

[Jason Petho]

Scenario designers might create more desirable and higher quality products if they knew what most players desired. This is a survey to find out what characteristics players desire the most in scenario design.

Good idea!

Size
1. What is the size of force that you most enjoy in a two-player game?
Two Divisions or more
One Division
Large Task Force (Brigade Sized)
Regiment
Battalion or less

Two Divisions or more.

2. How large of a map do you most enjoy playing?
100x100 hexes or larger
Between 70x40 to 100x100
Between 60x30 to 70x40
Between 30x30 and 60x30
Smaller than 30x30

100 x 100 and bigger

3 How many turns do you prefer?
10 to 20
20 to 30
30 to 40
40 to 50
50 or greater

50 or greater

Theatre and Operation Type

4. Which theatre do you most prefer?
North Africa
Normandy and Northern France
Ardennes
Italy
Germany
Netherlands and northern Belgium

Europe

5. What operation type do you prefer?
Amphibious landings
Parachute landings
Predominantly infantry
Armored attack
Heavily fortified defenses
Bridgehead
Commando raids

Predominantly infantry
Heavily fortified defenses
Bridgehead
Amphibious landings
Parachute landings
Armored attack
Commando raids

In that order.

6. What kind of terrain is your favorite?
Desert
Mostly open with some forest and towns
Urban
Mountain
Heavy forests
Major river

Historically accurate terrain!

Weapon and Unit Preferences

7. What kind of weapons/forces do you most enjoy playing?
Tanks
Very good anti-tank weapons, eg. 88mm FlaK
Elite infantry
Heavy artillery eg. 155mm Howitzers
Specialty weapons, such as late-war tank hunter squads
Reconnaisance vehicles such as motorcycles or armored cars

Historically accurate units.

8. What type of battle accessories do you prefer most?
Smoke
Engineers
Air Assaults
Starshells

No preference

9. Would you be less likely to enjoy games with wagon transport?
Yes
No

No

10. Which specialty transports would interest you the most?
Pack horses
Rafts
Bicycles
Motorcycles

No preference

11. Have you strong objections to having some fixed units, with later releases?
Yes
No

No

Historical Situations

12. What is your preference regarding the scenario’s historical background?
Prefer historically accurate scenarios.
Rather have playable and balanced scenarios that are less historical.
Prefer hypothetical scenarios that explore alternative outcomes from historical.
Prefer exciting scenarios with powerful weapons and lots of action.

Prefer historically accurate scenarios. AND
Prefer hypothetical scenarios that explore alternative outcomes from historical.

13. Do you like to have many historical officers in the scenario? Choose one.
Few or no officers
Historical commanders at battalion level and above.
Many officers, including company commanders of key units. (Tank companies.)
Officers at all levels to include NCOs and/or historical medal winners. (Panzer Aces)

Officers at all levels to include NCOs and/or historical medal winners.

Jason Petho

[Cole]

I prefer a larger scenario; a la Von Earlmann; as opposed to the smaller ones where a lot depends on the first move or two. A larger scenario one can come back from mistakes, get to know your opponent's play style, and also become more "emotionally" attached to you command.

On the flip side smaller scenarios are needed, especially for online play; of which I am a big fan.

My two cents. Answers to questions below:

Size
1. What is the size of force that you most enjoy in a two-player game?
X = Two Divisions or more (for PBEM)
X = Regiment or below (for Online play)

2. How large of a map do you most enjoy playing?
X = 100x100 hexes or larger (PBEM)
x = Between 30x30 and 60x30 (online)

3 How many turns do you prefer?
X= 10 to 20 (online)
X= 50 or greater (PBEM)

Theatre and Operation Type

4. Which theatre do you most prefer?

X= Netherlands and northern Belgium (would like to see more scenarios with minor allies; thanks Huib. Norway would be a great campaign).

5. What operation type do you prefer?

Armored attack (combined arms)


6. What kind of terrain is your favorite?

Mostly open with some forest and towns
with
Major river


Weapon and Unit Preferences

7. What kind of weapons/forces do you most enjoy playing?
Tanks


8. What type of battle accessories do you prefer most?

Engineers


9. Would you be less likely to enjoy games with wagon transport?

No

10. Which specialty transports would interest you the most?
Pack horses


11. Have you strong objections to having some fixed units, with later releases?

No

Historical Situations

12. What is your preference regarding the scenario’s historical background?
Prefer historically accurate scenarios.

13. Do you like to have many historical officers in the scenario? Choose one.

Historical commanders at battalion level and above. ALONG WITH historical medal winners, Panzer Aces, personalities, etc.

[Don Fox]

West Front Scenario Questionnaire

Size
1. What is the size of force that you most enjoy in a two-player game?
One Division

2. How large of a map do you most enjoy playing?
100x100 hexes or larger

3 How many turns do you prefer?
30 to 40

Theatre and Operation Type

4. Which theatre do you most prefer?
Ardennes

5. What operation type do you prefer?
Predominantly infantry
Armored attack

6. What kind of terrain is your favorite?

Mostly open with some forest and towns



Weapon and Unit Preferences

7. What kind of weapons/forces do you most enjoy playing?
Tanks

8. What type of battle accessories do you prefer most?

Engineers


9. Would you be less likely to enjoy games with wagon transport?

No

10. Which specialty transports would interest you the most?
Rafts


11. Have you strong objections to having some fixed units, with later releases?

No

Historical Situations

12. What is your preference regarding the scenario’s historical background?
Prefer historically accurate scenarios.

13. Do you like to have many historical officers in the scenario? Choose one.

Officers at all levels to include NCOs and/or historical medal winners. (Panzer Aces)

[kellski1]

How about taking some of 1 player scenarios and editing them to be more balanced