strategy game

[djconklin]

Anyone playing a good strategy game by email?

[GKC_fan]

No, but Panzer General 2 is a great turn-based strategy game: one I'd like to play by email, but never have.

Cheers!
GKC_fan

[TheAnalogman]

No, but Panzer General 2 is a great turn-based strategy game: one I'd like to play by email, but never have.

Cheers!
GKC_fan

Hmmm. Sounds interesting.

[GKC_fan]

No, it's awesome, eh!! (Love your new avatar and name, btw! :thumb:)

Here are some of the top sites for PG2. I've never played it online, but IGN has it, I know. (And yes, the other 'General' games are similar, and also from SSI. PG1 is excellent, but PG2 is better all around - with panzer overrun ability, for example. Don't waste your time with Allied General; the others I haven't played.

Of course there are bunches of free user-made PG2 scenarios. I downloaded the 'Waffen SS' scenario from one of these sites, and it kicks butt! But start with the basic game. You can find it on Ebay for $10 or so.

http://peachmountain.com/5star/PG2_Index.asp
www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Arena/5096/

Give me a buzz when you want to play!

Happy hunting!
GKC_fan

[TheAnalogman]

So how would one play via email? Does this only work on a PC (vice Mac)? I've never played an online game before soooo....:blush:

[GKC_fan]

So how would one play via email? Does this only work on a PC (vice Mac)? I've never played an online game before soooo....:blush:

Analog,

I'm pretty sure PG2 was made for either PC or Mac, but don't know if both are on the same CD; they probably are, it being an older, smaller game.

I've never played an "online" game either; never had a friend who got me into it, and didn't want to get hooked on it, which I thought a distinct possibility, what with other players (from around the world) available 24/7, etc... :stunned: :cheers:

Definitions: Although both (as far as I know) require you to have the game resident on your PC, "Play by email" is technically different from "online". "Online" means over the internet, each person's PC and game interacting with the central system controller or - with newer games - like a direct link. And that you can also do with PG2, like many others: go on a gaming or PG2-specific site that offers it, ask for a competitor, and play them, with the system managing and controlling everything. (At least I think so, I haven't done that; they may do it by email also, given that PG 2 wasn't planned as an internet game, being 10 years old or so)

Here is Play by email:
Turns are pretty simple, really. When you start the game you select 'play by email' and which player you are - agreed on beforehand, obviously, as well as the other options.

Depending on the scenario, say you go first. After you finish moving everything, you end the turn (there are special start/pause/save email control buttons that are enabled), and the game makes a sequentially-numbered text file of your moves and new positions. You manually email that file to the other player. They then place that file in the apropos game directory and press the 'load new turn' button. This then plays your moves on their PC (only showing them what their units can see) and then prompts them for their moves. After they finish, they press 'save' and send their new file to you. Etc...

Each turn file is encrypted with a password (each player has their own game-specific one that you set at the beginning) so that only the correct player can go into that play and see their units; i.e., the other player can't pretend to be you and watch your moves before they make theirs. Turn time-limits (to whatever extent we want them) are not built-in to the game; that we have to manage on our own.

So PBMail also allows for time-outs in the game, as many or few as we want, and it also allows for turns to be finished and replied to almost as fast as as online game. So it's not quite as cool and convenient as a direct-link or internet-link...but it's not bad at all. And since the game is turn-based anyway, there's not that much disadvantage to PBM. We could play several hours at a stretch, or a couple of turns a day, or skip days, or whatever.

And we could set up a private PalTalk room for sending inflammatory comments to each other during the game! :hehe:

Looking forward to it! And btw, I don't enjoy crushing newbies, and thus throwing away a potential friend and long-term gaming partner. I'll give you whatever advice you need and want, as you play your intro games, for example. There are also strategy and tactics tips on different PG sites.

Cheers!
GKC_fan

P.S. Hey Analog, send me an email when you have more questions or comments or post or anything...I don;t go on TWeb every day, and wasn't realizing you were so interested..else i would have responded sooner. Just put "Panzer General" in the subject line so I know it isn't spam.

[mathnerd]

Are you familiar with Axis and Allies? It's a classic WW2 strategy board game, and there are several ways to play by email. I do most of my online gaming at the TripleA War Club (TripleA is an open source program that enables online Axis&Allies play); check out tripleawarclub.org as well as triplea.sourceforge.net