Histwar interface

[bloody bill]

Hey gents,  I just wanted to start by saying I have owned Histwar fo about  a year and a half now.  I love the game for what it is and what it can become.  I am a member of a Napoleonic community that has well over a thousand members and over a couple hundred that play regularly.  I ask these gentleman why only a small handfull have Histwar.  I always get the same reply:  The interface is to hard to use for beginners and puts alot of people off of the game.  I would have to agree the interface is a pain to use esspecially in the beginning.   People for the most part want a quick to learn hard to master game. 

I believe Histwar with a Scourge of War style interface would be an amazing game that people could grasp faster in the demo and get people interested on a larger scale.  My claose community would bring a considerable amount of game sales just for the clan I am part of but the interface turns people away. 

That being said I am always going to be a faithful friend to Histwar and would love to see the community grow.  I just point out the interface because that seemes to be a major problem for potential cusomters.

[[NBC]Friant]

Knowing and being part of the Napoleonic community you are speaking of BB I find it absolutely bizarre there are so few people of that community who have so little interest in histwar. I will agree this is a very hard game to master but hopefully you will agree if you like anything enough you will persevere with the game until you do indeed master it. I have been playing regularly now for well over a year and find this to be a Napoleonic masterpiece on a strategic level. I agree there are some aspects about the interface that could be better, but on the whole does its job well. I think the problem is more comparing the two games you are talking about, both Napoleonic but so different when it comes to game play. I think a lot of people lose sight that these battles are played in fast forward, ie 10 hour battle lasts 2 hours real time, therefore some animations can look weird etc., I do wonder if the interface was different whether this would change the fact that far fewer people play this than I would expect considering we come from a community of 'Napoleonic' enthusiasts.
Quite a while ago someone posted on this forum about making a better interface but alas nothing else was heard, from what I have seen on this forum and JMMs pursuit of the perfect game, perhaps you could post any suggestions you may have, I know of the SOW interface you talk of and agree it is good for individual unit orders, but the big problem is playing in fast forward, there will not be many takers for a real time 8-10 hour battle, although the option is there?
Perhaps for small sized engagements maybe, but hw is a corp based strategic battle simulation is it not?
Still would be interested to hear your suggestions though, but the main problem is going to be the fast forward speed as I see it.

[bloody bill]

Like I said, I have been tryng to get members of the gaming community I am in to get this game.  Almost all have the same reply.  They just do not like the interface.   I absolutly love giving orders and watching my Corps advance to combat, that is a great part of this game.  The interface is a bit dated though.  I love the 3d aspect but with Histwar the 3d combat interaction leaves you wanting.  I think it would be very easy to keep the game at realtime and fight the battles with the AI interaction being better.  I play NTW3 which is graphically wonderful but that is about the end of the Napoleonic feel.  I also play SoW and its Napoleonic mod which is wonderful but still it is not Histwar.  I absolutly love Histwar and think it is an amazing game.  That being said with an improved Interface and graphic improvement for the combat Histwar would be the best Napoleonic game ever and would draw a much larger audience.     

I really enjoy making videos of my battles, I have made alot of them for NTW3 and a few for SoW but what I would love to do is have Amazing vids of the HW battles because they are on a scale that no game comes close to.  The downfall is the AI combat interaction which is just not apealling for a vid. 

I just wanted to give my opinion as a person that truly loves the game and would love to see it better.  If I am in the mimority then that is fine, I do feel the game could grow a community of massive scale if it had a more user friendly interface.  Like I said that is the main complaint i hear when I try and get people to buy the game.

[Gunner24]

If people say they don't buy it because of the interface, well, we have to accept what they say, but for me, I think there is another reason as well, and that is to do with HW APPEARING to be being VERY complex to play.

But in reality it is a simple as any game you will ever buy........click, draw a line, select a order, it does not come any easier than that to operate..........once you learn the basic commands for a few games, not worrying about what is happening in detail, then you can move on and play it for real.

I suspect a lot of people are looking at it and thinking what does this mean, what happens if I do that, why does this not happen etc etc etc and expecting all the answers in the first hour.......it takes months and months to understand all the minute details of what is happening and why......not a few hours.....but a few hours is all it needs to get things moving, then learn the finer details as you progress deeper and deeper - that is maybe the problem, people don't want to invest that time, when they can smash and crash their way though NTW.

There are two interfaces to chose from, not many games offer that.

If there was a third one, would people rush out and buy it ?.....maybe, but maybe not.

I still use the OLD interface and it gives me everything I need to know.

[Gunner24]

Ops, I forget my screen shot.....I particularly like the drop down menu at the top that allows all kinds of info to be displayed.....I don't think I will ever get used to the new one, no matter how I try, and I have just about given up trying........for me this is just right.

[bloody bill]

Well Gents, just thought I would put out the info on my recruiting efforts.  I have been pushing the game hard within my clan and community with no success.  The reason is what I have stated with the interface. 

[[NBC]Friant]

Hello BB, we managed to get 5 or 6 people to buy this game and give it a try, most of the complaints were based around the graphics and the fact that not everything happens instantly and there wasn't a lot to do...

'I love the 3d aspect but with Histwar the 3d combat interaction leaves you wanting.  I think it would be very easy to keep the game at realtime and fight the battles with the AI interaction being better.'

I think some of the problem is playing the battle in fast forward gives some graphical glitches, I couldn't imagine anyone playing this is real time, on a 15k map it can take up to 2 and half hours just to get into range/action.
I'm just glad to see your enthusiasm for hw, I think hw2 may well surprise us all and could be the turning point?? Some of those new screenshots look awesome, we all know about ntw3 looks, but for me this is THE Napoleonic game, gunner24 has been playing this game for a long, long time, a lot of patience is needed and nine times out of ten can give a good reason why something has gone wrong or not happened, even now some times the ai does some brilliant things and other times not so good, but, being such a fan I put those problems rightly or wrongly down to the fact that not every subordinate acted perfectly during a battle in real life....

[bloody bill]

@Friant, I agree with alot of what you say.  HW2 looks and sounds wonderful.  Im glad you got some people to get the game it is an amazing game.    Ntw3 is a pretty game but as for Napoleonic it only is in name and unit looks.  NTW is very lacking in the way of Napoleonic warfare.  Histwar has dated graphics, at the same time the scope of the game is just ueequaled.  I honestly wish my Clan gamed with HW as I truly love the game and all it is.

[Gunner24]

gunner24 has been playing this game for a long, long time

Only since day 1...I fought MP within a few days after I first got it, and my order number was 8 I think. 

Two very well known NBC members both tried it, their main complaint was that there was not enough for them to do, give orders and wait, it was basically "too slow" for them.......even on the fastest speed.  Others tried it but faded away, mainly because of the time to play I suspect......an 8 hour battle at fastest speed = 2 hours real time needed, not that much really when you think how much time people spend logged onto steam playing all kinds of weid games.

Anyone not playing HW just because of the "interface" is making a serious error in my opinion, there has to be better reasons to NOT play it than that ???????.

BB, your welcome to join with NBC MP and PBEM games, although our time zones are 5+ hours different.

[bloody bill]

I am currently in my first pbem with Lancier.  I perfer to just play the game against somebody all at one time so ill see how this goes.

[Gunner24]

Good luck BB, Lancier is getting better and better at HW......in our IOR series he is the leader :
http://napbc.freeforums.org/ior-leadrerboard-13-8-12-t4697.html

[bloody bill]

I am not sure about PBEM, every file I get from Lancier I open and it says not my turn.

[[NBC]Friant]

1. Are you definitely pasting and overwriting the new files to your PBEM folder?.
2. Make sure Lancier is sending the right files back, he has been very consistent in our game.
3. He has got a lot of games on the go he may have made a mistake?
4. Just for your info make sure you play the file all the way through before sending it back as this can sometimes lead to problems.

I take it from your post this has happened more than once?

[Gunner24]

PBEM is 100% stable, I have played 1,000s and 1,000s of turns..........it will be some kind of user "admin" error I expect.

[bloody bill]

@Gunner I am sure the issue is on my end.  I have never played them before.  Lancier and I have tried twice but for some reason two or three tuns in I get the same error that its not my turn.