American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

_________________
Gen. Blake Strickler
Confederate General-in-Chief
El Presidente 2010 - 2012

<Salute> Sir,

"This might seem like a mundane topic, but I know some people out there (me included) would refuse to play the game until the interface was set up "properly" to their preferences."

So... where do you put the Hex Info Area?


Not a mundane topic at all I suggest, very pertinent indeed. If the 'interface' is not set up correctly, to my preference, the battle is lost before it is even started ! You are absolutely correct Sir. The devil is in the detail and you take out what you put in

_________________
Karl McEntegart
Major General
Officer Commanding
Army of Tennessee





Make my enemy brave and strong, so that if defeated, I will not be ashamed.

Wrong again Rebel.

The correct answer is the TOP. Only lice and dysentery come from the southern part of the map. I keep my hex info area at the more Godly and honorable top of the map.

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Gen. Mitch Johnson
GENERAL IN CHIEF
ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE COMMANDER

It all depends upon how important you consider the Hex Info Area (HIA) to be and how often you may access it. This claim is based upon design principles and often referred to as the Gutenberg Diagram. [Such principles only apply to people who are educated in a language that reads from left to right (most, not all) and from top to bottom (all modern languages to my knowledge).]



I do not frequently need to consult information about an empty hex so have the HIA on the left (as most people do according to the poll at the time of writing this post). That means that if I do need to consult information about an empty hex then the HIA appears near the top left (same if you select top) which is the key focus area. Selecting the bottom would be the worst option for such a thing and selecting the right the second worst.
If I more commonly desire to view information regarding units in a hex then, again, it is best to have the HIA located at the left or top as that puts the units in the area of primary focus. Selecting the bottom for the HIA would be the worst option for obtaining such information. Again, selecting right for the HIA would be the second worst option.

Due to the design of most monitors for computers, I find it best to have the HIA of the left (as opposed to the top) simply because the toolbar is already located at the very top which decreases the vertical view area of the battlefield, the thing I most want to see.

_________________
Paul Swanson
Lieutenant-General
First Division
First Corps
Army of Northern Virginia

General Johnson <salute>

Suh,

We Gentlemen of the Southern States refer to and treat, even our enemy, honorably, therefore I will desist from addressing this to a Yankee Dog.

The correct answer is the LEFT and where I keep mine. In keeping with the Godly theme, We shall not set ourselves over others, for the Lord said "Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you."

You have a long way to fall from the Top I respectfully suggest, Suh !

_________________
Karl McEntegart
Major General
Officer Commanding
Army of Tennessee





Make my enemy brave and strong, so that if defeated, I will not be ashamed.

General Swanson <salute>

I was mesmerised by your technical treatise on the HIA and in no little way highly impressed with your ability to enlighten lesser mortals, such as myself. In terms of the 'simple man', I 'simply' find it more comfortable viewing from left to right



Your servant Suh,

_________________
Karl McEntegart
Major General
Officer Commanding
Army of Tennessee





Make my enemy brave and strong, so that if defeated, I will not be ashamed.

Exactly, because that is the way you were taught and visual images (television, movies, packaging etc.) are presented in the same way. It's mostly only some middle eastern and subcontinent languages that go from right to left.

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Paul Swanson
Lieutenant-General
First Division
First Corps
Army of Northern Virginia

This brought back an old memory about my little brother. When he was being taught to write like all of us he was taught to write from left to right. The nun sent a note home telling our mother she could not understand why his writing was fine on one side of the paper but the other side was unreadable. My mother took one look at the paper, held it up to a mirror and you could read it fine. She asked my brother why he was writing backwards on one side and he told her the teacher told him to always start from that side so that's what he did.

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Gen. Ken Miller



The McKeesport Union Guard

3/1/II
Chief of Staff
AotP

General Strickler, suh. {Salute!}

It does not in any way surprise me that tha Yankees are deluded and lost. Such would seem to be their miserable lot in life. It is distressin' that our western comrades also seem ta be lackin' in thar understandin' of tha art of war. I suppose that goes a long way in explainin' tha superiority that our Army of Northern Virginia holds over all others.

A battle is chaotic even in tha best of times, but it still has a definite structure to those who intimately understand its nature. As such, it is critically important that the structure of the engagement rests on only the firmest of foundations. Any other approach is sheer folly which invites disaster. One cannot place the foundation at the left or the right, and certainly not at the top. The foundation that leads to victory has only one proper place.

That is decidedly at tha bottom, suh. {Salute!}

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Brigadier General Denny Holt
5th Bde, 2nd Div, II Corps
Army of Northern Virginia

General Holt <salute>

A most excellent post Suh. As expected of a CSA Officer of your distinction I believe you hit the nail on the head about battle being chaotic etc etc. Indeed I could not agree more with the points you made, with the exception however of the unwarranted comment about "our western comrades" The Army of Tennessee is a rightly proud and distinguished body of tha finest to be found in all of the 'true' Southern states. Thar be no lack of understandin of the art of war, the real art of war, in the snake and gator infested bayou's, swamp and other harsh and unyielding terrain in which I suggest the Army of Tennessee excels. I further suggest the Army of Northern Virginia would not merely lack understandin of such conditions but tremble at the prospect of doing battle in them.

Your most respectful servant, Suh

_________________
Karl McEntegart
Major General
Officer Commanding
Army of Tennessee





Make my enemy brave and strong, so that if defeated, I will not be ashamed.

With all due respect Colonel, tha Army of Northern Virginia does not "tremble at tha prospect" of doin' battle anywhere.

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Brigadier General Denny Holt
5th Bde, 2nd Div, II Corps
Army of Northern Virginia

I like my setup like I like my women - with the good stuff at the bottom. Chalk one up for the Bottom.

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LtC Thomas "Tex" McSwain
Kansas Raiders