THEATRE OF WAR

[kane1]

Just got this game from Amazon(Great Sale). My tips for ToW2 work for this game. Played the first Polish mission on hard. Gave myself more points and a IS-2 Tank.

[kane1]

This game is great! The Infantry seems to have more of a role in this game other then cannon fodder. The first USA(Allies) mission is just infantry assaulting a town and holding it. Based on my experience with ToW2, I was thinking "this is going to be a slaughter". I was wrong. I've already played that mission 6 times. I know this game is "Dated" but the amount of Units available is what I find lacking in the newer games. The King Tiger, Jagdtiger, Elefant. There's over 60 Tanks and SPG's. You don't get to use them whenever you want(unless you tweak it) but having them in the game is cool. I feel kind of bad getting this great game for $5.00(kind of).

[gooana]

I've spent more time on ToW1 than on any other other in the series, possibly cos of the mods & missions for it. (eg Uchronic campaigns are good fun.)
It needs the JSH mod to run at it's best but I guess if you are already tweaking units you know that.;)
Defending Poland is possibly the hardest ToW campaign in any of the games.
There is a lot to enjoy in the game even if it's not quite as full of eye-candy by modern standards as the later games.
Definitely worth $5, IMHO a better buy than a lot of the latest games, at any price. :)

[kane1]

I've spent more time on ToW1 than on any other other in the series, possibly cos of the mods & missions for it. (eg Uchronic campaigns are good fun.)
It needs the JSH mod to run at it's best but I guess if you are already tweaking units you know that.;)
Defending Poland is possibly the hardest ToW campaign in any of the games.
There is a lot to enjoy in the game even if it's not quite as full of eye-candy by modern standards as the later games.
Definitely worth $5, IMHO a better buy than a lot of the latest games, at any price. :)

Yeah, it seems like I'm going to be putting in a few hours myself. I keep playing the Polish missions over and over. That JSH mod sounds cool. I don't have a great track record when it comes to mods. Right now the game runs pretty good. I was hoping that the whole game was like the Polish missions.
I agree this games has so much to offer. It's so much fun. I don't know how many times I almost bought it. I'm really into eye-candy but the way this game plays it really doesn't matter.

[gooana]

If you use JSGME to add the mods / missions it is very easy to roll-back if you don't like the changes. You shouldn't have any problems that mess up the install with that tool.
I am used to manually modifying files but that tool makes it soooo easy I'd be crazy not to use it. :D
I think you will find the missions improve once the JSH mod is installed. Not to mention extra units & some improved mission scripting.

On JSGME
Looks like the authors site is down so I'll add a Mirror (http://depositfiles.com/files/zbnw0a41j) of the setup & user guide. FYI I use separate installation direct to the game root folder.

Info on installing :-
IMPORTANT!

If you intend installing over any previous version of JSGME, you MUST disable all enabled mods first. Not doing so will corrupt JSGME and hence your game. Once you've disabled all mods, you can install the new version over the top of the old version and resume using as normal.

INSTALLATION CHOICES

==1. CENTRAL INSTALLATION==
You can install the JoneSoft Generic Mod Enabler (JSGME) to a central location and point it to each of your games through creating shortcuts. To do this:

1. install JSGME to a central location (for example, “C:\Games\Generic Mod Enabler”). Keep the “Create a desktop icon” option selected in the installer

2. once installed, DO NOT RUN! Copy and paste the newly created JSGME desktop shortcut as many times as you have games and change the “Start in” folder of each shortcut to point to each game’s base folder. To change the “Start in” folder, right-click the shortcut, select “Properties” and then the “Shortcut” tab

3. rename each shortcut to something meaningful, such as “JSGME - GameName1”, “JSGME - GameName2”, “JSGME - GameName3” and so on. To rename a shortcut, simply right-click the shortcut and select “Rename”

Using JSGME with subsequently installed games is simply a matter of copying, pasting and editing an existing shortcut (steps 2 and 3 above). And whenever JSGME is updated, you only need to install it once.

==2. SEPARATE INSTALLATION==
If you prefer, you can install separate copies of JSGME into each of your games. To do this, simply install JSGME to the base folder of the game that you would like to mod. The base folder usually contains the game’s main executable file and usually has a name unique to the game. If in doubt, consult the game’s online community. If you keep the “Create a desktop icon” option selected, the installer will add a uniquely named shortcut to your desktop.

& one other free tool that is useful for a lot of games - Gamesave Manager (http://www.gamesave-manager.com/)

[kane1]

Thanks Man! I might give that a try. +rep

[gooana]

Thanks Man! I might give that a try. +rep

Hope you figure out the mods/JSGME OK.

.....& In case you haven't noticed I've mirrored what I can find in the way of mods here (http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2561555) ;)

[kane1]

I'm surprised there aren't more gamers posting their thoughts about playing this Gem for the first time. The $5.00 price tag(and the $5.00 credit) was really a steal for this game. I almost bought games that I already have just to take advantage of the low prices.

[gooana]

@Kane1 I know what you mean.
I think a lot of people have been put off by the learning curve & the fact that it isn't like a 'normal' C&C-type RTS.
Add the bad publicity related to the devs not sorting the slow-downs on newer hardware & win7 & you kill your customer base.

How many people want to dig about for a fix? (which now seems easy when you read about the tests with process lasso. The problem with Win Thread Boost should have been quickly detected by the devs...)

Hate to admit it but this series made me a fanboi it is that good !! :eek: :rolleyes: :p
Possibly the best $ spent in a long time. So many memorable moments even when getting thrashed.

E.g.
In ToW 1 in the German campaign, I attached the cam to a Panther which I had sent uphill to flank some guns, 1 squad infantry escorting.
Suddenly a shell explodes nearby killing 2 & injuring others who hit the dirt. I pan the camera round to spot a hidden AT gun in the wooded area @ my 3 o'clock. Bad, as it's got my flank exposed & the road I'm on won't allow me to turn because of trees & a bank which will expose the weak underside armor.
Trees do aid the infantry tho, who I get to attempt suppression fire.
As I see my turret moving to bring my main gun to bear, I'm counting the seconds & swearing at my virtual crew. It's just a little too slow & the AT fires again.
But I see a yellow streak whizz past my face, narrowly missing my turret. Finally my Panther fires & the enemy gun crew is shredded by a direct hit. (Thankfully I had used the exps to promote my gunner after the last battle ;) ).

Easily as tense & exciting as an FPS with the camera used like that. & I could play that scene a hundred times & never get the same result, that's another strength of this game.
How can any wargamer resist? :)