War in the West worth getting?

[Pete Dero]

[ArizonaTank]

I found the air model in WITW to be incredibly tedious.  Also the A.I. is awful.

Maybe not exactly speaking to your criticism, but I find the whole 'setting air directives' mechanic incredibly confusing. In theory I like the added sophistication over WitE, but in truth I find WitE much easier to play and enjoy than WitW exactly because of my confusion over how to use airpower in WitW.

...also finding TOAW IV incredibly hard to fathom right now.  Must be getting old and addled....  ???

The air system is incredibly confusing. Last time I was playing the game I managed to finally figure it out. And it is easier then the WITE system for assigning the massive amounts of Allied planes but I liked the WITE system better. It was easy to use and didn't feel as clunky.......

I agree that at first the air system is hard to figure out.  But once I got it, I really grew to appreciate it.  WitW air war reminds me of a sports management game when you play in the owner mode.  You are just setting the directives for the next week, but rarely micro-managing the actual execution (the great thing is that you can micro-manage when you want to).  The Western Front and Eastern Front air wars were so different, and IMHO GG has adjusted the game play in WitW well. 

I think a better contrast is GG's own "Bombing the Reich", that has a much more traditional approach to the Western Front's air war.  But it is so detailed and in-depth, it becomes a way of life and not a game....I could play it for the next 10 years and never finish.  WitW's air war can actually be finished in a reasonable timeframe.

As far as the other issues you raise...I am just grateful that the AI is minimally competent.  I play a monster game like WitW to "get into history" and not so much as a game.  For that purpose, the AI is good enough for me.

[Rayfer]

I found the air model in WITW to be incredibly tedious.  Also the A.I. is awful.

Maybe not exactly speaking to your criticism, but I find the whole 'setting air directives' mechanic incredibly confusing. In theory I like the added sophistication over WitE, but in truth I find WitE much easier to play and enjoy than WitW exactly because of my confusion over how to use airpower in WitW.

...also finding TOAW IV incredibly hard to fathom right now.  Must be getting old and addled....  ???

The air system is incredibly confusing. Last time I was playing the game I managed to finally figure it out. And it is easier then the WITE system for assigning the massive amounts of Allied planes but I liked the WITE system better. It was easy to use and didn't feel as clunky.......

I agree that at first the air system is hard to figure out.  But once I got it, I really grew to appreciate it.  WitW air war reminds me of a sports management game when you play in the owner mode.  You are just setting the directives for the next week, but rarely micro-managing the actual execution (the great thing is that you can micro-manage when you want to).  The Western Front and Eastern Front air wars were so different, and IMHO GG has adjusted the game play in WitW well. 

I think a better contrast is GG's own "Bombing the Reich", that has a much more traditional approach to the Western Front's air war.  But it is so detailed and in-depth, it becomes a way of life and not a game....I could play it for the next 10 years and never finish.  WitW's air war can actually be finished in a reasonable timeframe.

As far as the other issues you raise...I am just grateful that the AI is minimally competent.  I play a monster game like WitW to "get into history" and not so much as a game.  For that purpose, the AI is good enough for me.

It reminds me a little of Distant Worlds in that you can drill down as deep as you want  into micro-management, from basically letting the AI do most the work all the way to doing it entirely on your own, and of course everything in between.  It really is accessible to those who love to micro-manage everything as well as those who don't. 

[jamus34]

I'm still learning the game / system but I've found you can let the AI set up the initial plan then tweak it to your hearts content.

[Father Ted]

To reply to the OP - yes.

My caveat would be one that I've mentioned before about this game - it's best to accept that learning the game is part of the entertainment you're paying for.

[RyanE]

"it's best to accept that learning the game is part of the entertainment you're paying for"

That is incredibly insightful.  I see forums for complex games like Command, Steel Beasts, DCS, WITX, etc. where people buy the game and don't want to put any effort into actually learning the game.  They want to jump right into the largest most complex scenario then when they can't figure it out, barrage a forum and the devs with basic questions.