Re: What to do with Xconq

[EastnFront at aol dot com]

Hi Stan,

<< > How about a 2 scale campaign game where all battles are fought at
 > a tactical level and strategic movement, resupply etc. take place
 > at a much higher level.   I have always thought that the coolest
 > computer wargame would be multi-scale and would have lots of people,
 > each w/ distinct roles.  Like SPI's monster game "Campaign in North
 > Africa" w/ (iirc) 3 people per side, 9 hex maps and tons of paperwork.
 > We never did play the game, we just kind of boggled at the complexity
 > of the whole thing.  W/ a computer to take care of the tedium of
 > bookkeeping it would be much more enjoyable.  Perhaps xconq "clans"
 > would pop up and battle out WWII.
 
 That's like the Holy Grail of wargaming, eh?  ww2-42.g is only corps-level,
 but already pretty unwieldy! >>



I have been a lurker for some time, to see where all this is going.

And, thought I would comment when I saw you talking about CfNA... 
I had looked over Xconq some months ago for Win95. And, frankly it just 
didn't interest me. I have no clue what it takes to put together something 
like this, and I am sure you have invested a lot of time and effort. I am not 
a programmer like it sounds many of you guys on this list are.

Here is a dilemma with several computer wargamers that I am in contact
with. We are the grognard boardgame types (a few of us have even played 
CfNA). We keep waiting for that great computerized similar version of 
the better boardgaming designs. Details (especially at operational-level) 
like command & control, detailed supply rules, divisional/regimental 
integrity, armor superiority bonuses, that sort of thing. That computer 
wargaming companies have either never seen, or wouldn't know how to 
properly portray anyway. 

The graphics and sound are really secondary. As long as the graphics 
are functional, and the interface isn't clunky to use under Win95+. It has 
some kind of an editor to make units or text files that can be assembled 
that would be I guess OK too. So, that monster games could be made 
like 500X500 hexes and be played PBEM. So, no A/I is necessary.

Right now the commercial software that we are stomaching just isn't
cutting it. I have heard you say Xconq is no TOAW. While I like many 
of TOAW's ideas most of them are poorly implemented. So, not being 
like TOAW in many ways is a good thing IMHO. What I would like to 
see more is the World at War series done back some years ago on 
a bigger scale. So, can Xconq be the engine that we could make 
these kind of sim-games with? Or, am I just completely asking for the 
proverbial moon?

Regards,

Greg Allen