August 14, 2010 - 9:00 pm
I’ve been a fan of WW II strategy games for ages – my original introduction to the genre was through the old boardgames put out by Avalon Hill and SPI in the 1980s. Thus I’m fairly forgiving with computer simulations that allow me to dispense with the bother of unit counters on table top maps. MHC: Europe at War is not meant to be an extensive, detailed summary of the European theatre of WW II, but for what it is, does do a credible job of simulating the feel of the overall campaign.The control scheme is a bit cumbersome. It’s annoying to have to run campaigns on opposite ends of the map, using the keypad arrows to slowly move from one corner to the other. Certainly the DS buttons could have been used more creatively (say, as an alternative for confirming an attack outside of a double-click on the touch screen). The Zoom Out isn’t all that bad, however, if one knows how to read standard combat map glyphs (X for infantry units, O for armor, and so on – reminiscent of similar symbols
hipster scene punk locations in London?
where in london can i find cute little quirky stores, vintage clothing, or just Graffiti Generations things in general that would appeal to the new hipster/urban graffiti/underground art scene generation. I’m looking for neighborhoods that are comparable to San Francisco’s Haight/Ashbury, Chicago’s Wicker Park, San Diego’s Hillcrest, etc.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
Related External Links
Related External Links
Related External Links
Tags: 1980s, Armor, Arrows, Avalon Hill, Blog Archive, Board Game, Boardgames, Campaigns, Computer Simulation Conference, Computer Simulations, Control Scheme, Credible Job, Double Click, Download Reports, Generations, Genre, Graffiti, Infantry Units, Little Arrows, Maps, Space Strategy Game, Spi, Square Kiss, Strategy Games, Summer Computer, Times Square, Touch Screen, Tv Soap, Veneers, Ww Ii, Yahoo Ans, Yahoo Answers Posted Graffiti Generators |
Top Sources on Airbrush Graffiti T Shirt
Free Supportive Info on Graffiti Lightning Bolts
Graffiti Word Art Headline News
Hip Hop Graffiti T-shirts Route
Free Useful Roadmap for Authentic Louis Vuitton Graffiti Bag
Beneficial Guide on Urban Graffiti Belt Buckles
The Best Website on Graffiti T Shirt
Top Picks on Ebay for Lamb Graffiti Handbags
Free Useful Guide on Graffiti Shirts Clothing
Free Inviting Info on Graffiti Shirts Com
Accommodating Article on Coach Tattersall Graffiti Wallet
Free Useful Roadmap for Graffiti Shirt Toronto
Free Connected Guideline for Graffiti Bags to Buy
Free Supportive Tips on Coach Tattersall Graffiti Handbags
Related Knowledge on Graffiti Hats Cleveland Ohio
Graffiti Shirts Boys Truths
Assess About Graffiti Hats And Shirts
Graffiti Caps Tips And More!
Free Efficient Guideline for Tutorial Graffiti
August 14th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
Being a fan of DS hex strategy games, I was hoping to like Commander: Europe at War a lot more than the 2 stars I’m forced to give it. The reason? The terribly frustrating control scheme, clumsy interface, and the idiotic decision to turn OFF all the DS’s buttons. Even SELECT and START are disabled, forcing you to use the stylus for everything except scrolling the map, which is accomplished by the direction pad, or touching the stylus to the edge of the screen (more on this problem later). In other games like the excellent Panzer Tactics, usually SELECT toggles between map view and unit view for the top screen. CEAW has no such quick and easy view toggle. To see the map, you have to tap on one of the dropdown tabs and select either Zoom Out or World Map. Both options are worthless. In Zoom Out mode, the hexes become so small that they become a confusing mess of glyphs. Unit graphics are replaced by symbols representing each unit type (X, O, V, Y, [X], etc). Any unit that hasn’t moved yet blinks, making for a really distracting experience. In World Map, the entirety of Europe is shown, but each factory or unit is a small dot of 4 pixel. YES! 4. Blue dots are you and allies, red dots are enemies. This is more than useless for planning strategy.
Unlike most turn-based war games, CEAW is played on a continuous board, with no levels or intermissions. Personally, I like the mental break of levels, so I can feel the march of progress as I pass milestones. Here, it is one unrelenting assault. I’m playing the Germans and have conquered France, but now the Russians and Allies are coming at me from both fronts, with massive and overwhelming numbers. The Allies are storming Normandy, and I’m impeded by a Russian winter on the east. This may be historically accurate, but it’s quite unfair and unbalanced for the player. You can declare war on countries, but you can’t invite them to your alliance, so I can’t get other countries to join my side. You also cannot declare war on Switzerland at all and take them over. They just camp there with troops, doing nothing, like in real life.
In normal view, units that have moved don’t get greyed out, making them harder to distinguish. Their nation flag simply stops blinking. A whole screen of blinking icons is not pleasant to look at. You can’t use the shoulder buttons to cycle through the units. You must first tap on one of your units to bring up the menu, then the < - or -> button on the top of the screen. Often, it’s impossible to tell who’s attacking your unit during the AI’s turn. The screen doesn’t center on the attacker or the defender or put some sort of highlight outline around them. I’ve even seen the hour glass icon obscure a unit (in the lower left corner) being attacked, or have the attacked unit be partially out of frame. There’s no unit vs unit showdown animation screen of any kind, like in every other hex game I’ve played. All that happens is a red flash shape with a number in it if a unit takes damage. If no damage, you’ll hear an attack sound (machine guns, or bomb), but see nothing. Another major annoyance is that sometimes you can accidentally lose your attack turn if you tap too fast. Every move requires a second tap to confirm the destination or target. Tapping too fast causes the computer to sometimes think you are trying to scroll and will nudge the map slightly! I’ve missed several attack turns this way. Instead of attacking, all I’ve done now is placed my unit right next to the enemy’s. Also, you can’t use B to cancel a unit move or command. You have to tap something.
Next is the slow AI. During the computer turn, the screen can show the hour glass icon for quite a while — 3-4 minutes on average if there are a lot of computer-controlled units on the map like I do now with the Americans, British, and Russians attacking me. I’ve even had it think a turn for almost 7 minutes. This is quite unacceptable as its turn took longer than mine, not to mention being a big drain on the batteries waiting to play again. Enemy move perimeter and attack radius is not displayed by coloring the adjacent squares, making it hard to determine how far they can move (useful for planning retreats or attacks to stay out of the range of fire). Since moved units do not grey out, it’s impossible to tell which enemies can still move during the AI phase, making planning strategy more cumbersome than needed.
Defeating an enemy unit can also be a frustrating experience because units are allowed to repair up to +5 on their turn, instead of the traditional +3. This is too much and it can take many turns to destroy an enemy, when you’re doing -1 or -2 damage to it with each attacking unit. Another major complaint is that air and land units cannot occupy the same hex, limiting your attack potential. This is a big problem when the enemy is entrenched and healing each turn.
One thing I did like is the ability to research new units, but this too is confusingly handled and clumsily done. You can buy factories, but only up to 10 (this rises later.. I’m at 14 max now in 1944). There’s 5 different tech trees with 3 subcategories each, which you can prioritize, but it costs “Focus Points” to switch back and forth. Exactly what the tech upgrades do is a bit of a mystery. There’s no text accompanying the tech tree level diagram. Only a picture of the unit, an attribute icon, and a “+1″. When upgrades are available, I have no idea what upgrading them enhances. There’s no display that says, for example, Attack: 60 -> 65, or some other visual comparison of the unit’s values before and after. Lastly, the game automatically ends in 1945 without warning, whether you’re winning or losing, for no reason other being a stickler for historical accuracy! This is pretty stupid if you’ve invested many hours playing (and waiting for AI) and having no gratification other than a statistics screen at the end of it all. You can’t keep playing after 1945.
Overall, I would not recommend this game, unless you are a die-hard World War II military sim/hex gamer and willing to put up with major frustrations. It could’ve been a lot of fun, but it’s ruined by a terrible design. The controls are maddeningly frustrating and unforgivably cumbersome, coupled with a slow AI and confusing unit feedback/info design. I recommend the much better Panzer Tactics, but chances are, you probably already own it if you’re reading this review. The graphics in CEAW are better, but the interface is downright horrible and ruins the entire experience.
August 15th, 2010 at 10:10 am
I found this film very inspiring as a young creative myself. I think we don’t have to succumb to the western stigma of becoming an adult and stop pursuing music, art or just being open. I recommend this movie for everyone – if only they take even a little bit out of it.
August 15th, 2010 at 10:39 pm
Beautiful Losers is a touching piece. It gave me insight into these artists’ lifestyles. They seemed to believe they were outsiders, but they were the ones who shaped a whole new movement of pop culture. They continued to impress me through out the film with their ambitious, unique, similar minds and talent to create art. It was fun to watch and made me remember that I was once a creative person who can just as easily become creative again.
August 16th, 2010 at 10:36 am
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R317HSV6Z1OF0B
August 16th, 2010 at 10:30 pm
As others reviews have mentioned, Beautiful Losers is such an inspirational film! After watching the film, it made me want to go out and use my creativity to create something great. The lives of the artists were very interesting, and each of them has had such a huge impact in the art world and pop culture.
When I saw the movie, I wanted to watch it because I was interested in the subject matter, but my friend that I watched it with was not at all interested in art and artists, but she had an open mind and trusted my judgement. After the movie, she said that she really enjoyed it, and it was very moving. She even claimed that it was one of her favorite films that she has seen in a while.
I think everybody can take something away from this film! It’s put together so beautifully, and it’s just so inspiring.