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Moose 4075 · New Recruit Joined: 07 Jun 2004 Posts: 3

I have recently become interested in playing games about Normandy again so I got out my copy of Panzer Campaign Normandy '44. After getting very used to Uncommon Valor, Highway to the Reich and Combat Mission, there seems to be a lot of tedium in running a Panzer Campaign game. So I was wondering do the Decisive Battles games run smoother, with less of the Tedium?

I really like all that I see, except for maybe the colors in the screenshots look a little bright.

Lee Elmendorf · Lieutenant-Colonel Joined: 25 Dec 2003 Posts: 532

What constitutes tedium in this case?

Moose 4075 · New Recruit Joined: 07 Jun 2004 Posts: 3

I think what I'm finding aggravating in Panzer Campaigns right now is choosing artillery targets one by one, and how long it takes the AI to execute its turn. I think I could cook dinner eat it and have a little dessert while the computer is taking its turn.

I am really liking how the Highway to the Reich system handles these details, but prefer turn-based. Highway to the Reich is really the first real-time game that I've ever found enjoyable, unless you count Combat Mission's system as real-time.

Lee Elmendorf · Lieutenant-Colonel Joined: 25 Dec 2003 Posts: 532

Arty is handled differently in the two games. Arty can't cause losses directly in Decisive Battles (DB) like it can in PzC. It adds to the odds instead. In general there are fewer arty in DB and you can let the game pick which ones to add to your attack if you want so that will probably be less tedious for you.

I play exclusively PBEM in DB and can't compare the speeds of the AI. Are you familiar with the hot keys to speed the AI up significantly in PzC? Each time you press F7 it speeds up the AI processing, and hitting F8 once puts it in a super fast mode.

Moose 4075 · New Recruit Joined: 07 Jun 2004 Posts: 3

Thanks for the PzC tips.

So do folks here think that BiN will compare favorably with Normandy '44 in PzC. The detail in PzC is definitely a double edged sword. It's cool to see the detailed results, but certain elements become very tedious, as I mentioned. Another element tedious in your giant stacks of units that happen in PzC is keeping the divisions organized such that when you start heading inland you have unit cohesion and don't have the different units all mixed up. This is one feature that I much prefer in HttR.

hank · Major Joined: 28 Aug 2003 Posts: 405

Trying to compare PzC and DB (KP/TAO) is like comparing an elephant and a lion. They're both magnificent mammals but they are different.

I play both equally. PzC has a lot of tools it appears you have not used to keep divisions together and speed up play. You can turn on the division colors and there's also highlighting tools that help you keep fighting groups together. This is much more obvious in DB. I think of the two systems as one being more strategic (larger scales in geography and time) and the other being more tactical. In PzC you have more to be aware of and control (fatigue, moral, supply, etc.) to be effective. DB is of a larger scale so much of what you call tedious PzC are simply factors you have to be aware of in DB. It was easier for me to learn Pz than DB because there's a lot of subtle factors that affect your attacks and gameplay that you don't have hands-on control of like you do in PzC.

Personally I like them both equally. I'm a gemini so I guess my split personality leads me down these paths.

hank