RS: Terror on Tarakan Almost Ready!

[Kool Kat]

I enjoy historically accurate CS scenarios and admire those designers who strive for strictly historical accuracy... but if the actual battle was one-sided... with one force having no chance at any level of victory... why design such a scenario?... and why would players invest their limited gaming time in such a scenario knowing that no matter what tactics were adopted... the outcome would be the same?

In a word, education. Nothing like generaling an army through the same situation, albeit within gaming limitations. Especially when reading a book on the battle at the same time.

I agree Dave from a players' perspective - you learn from "doing" even in a pixel virtual way? :chin: But, from a "pure" scenario designer perspective... I would not want to invest the required amount of time and effort into the research, development, and play testing of a historically one-sided battle. :smoke:

[Mr. Guberman]

...indeed, and so here we have it. One must remember, as I admit...I to, so often, forget...that when we communicate amongst ourselves, here...that we are speaking to a multitude.

For me...a practicing scientist (not academic...but an application moron...sheesh...)...my hobby is history, WWII and American Civil War. "Going through the labor of map designing, OB research and scen deployment"...let alone, the preliminary research prior to...I love it. Personally, the rewards are immeasurable...

If no one likes the resultant scen, great. If it is a "fun and balanced" scen, good, but not better (in the rare event, my curiosity does become piqued, though). For real, some of the most exciting scens I have played were hopelessly one sided...and I was the loser. Ladder points are artifacts of this site alone...they do not, in any way, measure the enjoyability of CS as a simulation...or for that matter, any particular scen. Again, the Blitz community is a multitude...as I have, personally, discovered.

As part of the multitude...I don't look at CS as a "game" (solely)...but as an incredible tool. Consequently, I practice "sculdugery". I'm not looking to find popularity...or to coax the gullible. Egad, I hope, only, to possibly educate the ignorant (by the definition). To be sure, I know hardly anything of the scope of the English Civil War...as here, some "avid players" are not aware of the scope of WWII.

No offenses meant from here...and cheers to all
Curt

[Herr Straße Laufer]

Some good points Curt.

I think we differ on aspects of the game and the club.
The club is based around gaming "ladders" which promote playing the game?
It's that spirit of competition which comes from playing the game that drives designers to make balanced scenarios. Historically accurate and challenging can promote the "fun" in playing, along with balance.

At it's heart CS is a game. We all play it for varied reasons? All have been stated their reasons over the past months.

Combine the game with the gaming Ladders and you have heart of the club?

I do laud those who use the game to create historically accurate scenarios. In no way is it a put down to say that "fun and balance" should be considered for game submitted to H2H?
Isn't that the purpose of H2H? Making scenarios that are balanced for PBEM?

Like the candy bar. Some people like chocolate on their peanut butter. Others like peanut butter on their chocolate?

We have room for all?
I believe that historically accurate and unbalanced scenarios can be uploaded directly to the dBASE. A designer can post up a thread to announce it.
H2H is there for designers who want to actively create a balanced scenario.

"Fun" would always be in the eye of the beholder?



HSL

[Crossroads]

Just want to say thanks to all for working this one up. I have been reading about this rather tragic 'sideshow' battle, fought at the whim of High Commands for no purpose but their own politics, over the past year. Am looking forward to playing this one when released.

Just a few notes to offer my thoughts (as someone quite new to these boards) on the general topic of scenario design...

I believe diversity should be the name of the game here?

Personally I am a great friend of recreating historical battles to get a feeling of how the commanders of the time saw the odds and how they reacted to them. For these battles, I do not really care about how balanced the scenario is. While one can tweak with VP objects, some of the scenarios just do not work that way.

From playing point of view, some of the old Panzer Leader situations went to quite complex victory conditions: "Allied player controls all the town hexes by the end of turn 8 without loosing more than 12 combat units: decisive victory". Made that up but you see what I mean. Turning these situations into JTCS engine just do not work out. But as long as the assumed JTCS version would be an interesting situation, fun to play, and that what can be done about making it as balanced as possible has been done, I am as happy as can be.

At the same time I thoroughly enjoy the balanced battles as well, whether historical or not. Having a time of my life (well, from the JTCS point of view) with Festering Wound team game, which is all that.

I've been happy at the Blitz, ladders are not that important for me, but I definitively want to be seen as a trustworthy opponent, and if the ladders one day show that I can hold my own , all the better. But ladders as such are not the key for me.

I do have a few ideas about creating some scenarios from the late war Finnish front, and I would definitively have them go through the H2H for the reason that I would need all the help I can get to make them fun to play and as balanced as possible. Having said that, some of the Russian armoured breakthrough battles might shift more towards Panzer Leader victory conditions, but if they would be fun to play I believe they would earn their place in the shelf. One can alway play them as mirror games to balance the outcome from the ladder point of view, yes?

I would strongly encourage everyone to keep creating their scenarios exactly as they see fit And if H2H does not add anything to your particular scenario, do not use it? I believe those active in scenario design will have a reputation that will make their scenarios attractive even if they do not have the H2H quality stamp on them.

The audience is waiting

[Mr. Guberman]

Just want to say: CS is the heart of The Blitz.

The Blitz is not the heart of CS.

It is something to be considered.

Cheers
Curt