American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

While living in dreamland I thought I'd throw this idea out there.
I know it's "impossible" to make major changes to the engine... but...

Wouldn't it be interesting to have limited field of view in a multiplayer game. A general would only be able to see what units in his command could see. Major changes needed I know. You'd have to actually assign a command to each player. Depending on size of battle, could be Corps or mulitple corps, division or even brigades.
Replay would have to ask which commander is watching, maybe passwords there. Then would show only what he could "see". Then you also could not see the rest of your own army that you do not command.
This would go well with limited communication, like we have in our 5x5 Gettysburg MP game, with a delay in mail depending on distance between commanders. Player honesty required here. Hmmm, I guess designated leaders positions would have to be visible.

But how much fun would that be??

Anyway... back to work...



Major General Thompson
Chief of Staff
AoS

Sir,

I think that would be fun! Not sure how it would be set up with the current games. I had an idea that I feel still could be interesting is to play a game but both players do not watch the replay? That way it could be possible for units to vanish without a trace - an isolated cavalry regiment or supply wagon say, if the other player came upon it and ZOC'd it their own turn. We would certainly have much less information though.

Not sure I'd find an opponenet wanting to go down this road though.

Regards



Brig. General P. Kenney
3rd Division
Cavalry Corps
Army of the Mississippi, CSA

This has been suggested often, and I do think it should be possible; at least HPS Jutland etc. work this way.

Gen. Walter, USA
<i>The Blue Blitz</i>
3/2/VIII AoS

West Point Class of '01

The answer, in the past, has been difficulty having CAMPAIGN information passed forward, when passwords are used. So, passwords have not been implemented in CAMPAIGN games.

<b><font color="gold">Ernie Sands
General, Commanding, Army of Ohio

ACWGC Cabinet Member
ACWGC Records Site Administrator
</b></font id="gold">

Passwords...
Well, I guess it would go back to player honesty again. With a campaign, that's all there is. I guess I was thinking about passwords more as a "key"... for the engine to determine fow for the replay... So, it could just ask what replay to show, somehow keyed on commander. Again, player honesty.

How does HPS Jutland work?

Again, I was just picturing how fun this would be in my big Gettsburg MP game. You could even add at long distance, say 35+ hexes, you see troops, but don't even know if they are union or rebel. Of course that follows the idea that in FOW in these games, making identification at 35+ hexes just a question mark instead of as much info as currently availible...

Just thoughts...

Major General Thompson
Chief of Staff
AoS

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by P.A.T.</i>
How does HPS Jutland work?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Not very well ... [;)]

It's an online game, obviously. There is a dialogue to assign formations / ships to players. A nearly infinite number of players is possible, though after eight or so one runs out of unique colors (and the connection and stability problems multiply).

But in any case, what you suggest is kind of there. Each player sees only what his own ships "see". I once was in a large game (it ran seven hours straight) in which I had overall command for my side but had only the single flagship assigned, which was in the center of the battle line. I had to rely on written communications (there is an ingame dialog, but it's tiny, so we used messenger software) to understand what was going on and give my orders. It was a unique experience in command ... sometimes frustrating, but very enlightening.

Gen. Walter, USA
<i>The Blue Blitz</i>
3/2/VIII AoS

West Point Class of '01