Gotcha covered. 1918 to 1961 is 43 years. I’m, um, older than that. Damn, even using 1914 it still works.
I posted this over in the ebook bargain thread, not sure how long this set has been this price, but if you don’t already own it:
$4.99 each
Glantz’s Barbarossa Derailed Trilogy
I don’t know if I could read Glantz on my Kindle. I use my Kindle for fiction, and love it, but the few times I’ve tried to use it for military history it just doesn’t do it for me. I tend to want to flip back and forth, look at maps and illustrations, etc. and the Kindle is less intuitive than, well, dead trees.
And Glantz’s stuff is good, but I no longer have the patience or the interest really in such a detailed exploration of battles. I bought it anyhow though :).
vyshka
7719
The maps in his books are usually so hard to read that I’m not sure it would make a difference.
heh, yeah, they kinda suck anyhow
Ah, those were maps! It makes sense now…
vyshka
7722
I was excited at one point when I was able to order a world war 2 east front atlas booklet from him, even signed. Unfortunately the whole thing was the usual quality of his maps, which like it has been photocopied a million times instead of having some professional redo them nicely.
They sort of look like, I dunno, someone spilled some ink and rested their elbow in it.
Agree. Glantz maps are really poor imho. His scholarship overcomes this but I find I need someone elses maps by my side when reading Glantz to figure out exactly where and what he is talking about.
My copy if his altas I ordered from him smells of cigarettes’, so I guess he is/was a smoker :)
vyshka
7726
I have my 28 volume Illustrated World War II encyclopedia set in my office now, I should see how decent the maps are in there and use that. I haven’t looked at them much since I was a kid.
I wish someone would do some project that would take maps and overlay it on google earth or a site like one of the topographic map sites.
Got mine as well, don’t smell any smoke anymore:)
SamS
7728
WitE2 is out tomorrow and I will buy it, play for a few hours, get exhausted by the game and put it down again.
War Plan Pacific however is out 29 April - that looks more my speed.
Spock
7729
I’m giving WITE2 a miss for now, even though I usually gobble up Grigsby games on day one. I’m saving bandwidth and wallet for OOTP22 on Friday. But also I’m still playing my World in Flames solo playthrough, and I’ve had my fill of invading the Soviet Union.
Speaking of WIF, it’s now May/June 1944 in my game. The Americans and Brits have expanded their bridgehead at Bordeaux; they’re now pushing into central France and the Loire Valley.
The Soviets are finally pushing the Germans back, but the Russians are far behind schedule. Germany still holds Rostov and Leningrad. In the Far East, both Chinese factions have pushed Japan back, toward Shanghai and Canton. In the Pacific, the Americans have seized Guadalcanal and, just this last turn, Kwajalein.
Work has finally started on the AI for Matrix Games World in Flames. I hope I will long enough to see it implemented. However, I am not sanguine. The license was acquired by Matrix in 2005. The game was released in 2013 sans AI. I am 64. If we see the AI in six years I will be pleasantly surprised.
Spock
7731
I have been a beta-tester for Matrix World in Flames since 2006, I think. If I’m not mistaken, the developer thought the AI would be one of the most interesting parts of the project. (In my limited experience coding games, coding the AI is the most fun bit.) Even so, I share your view that 6 years would be a pleasant surprise!
vyshka
7732
Have they been continuing to work on the game these past 8 years? I figured it was basically just abandoned like the Empire in Arms project.
If Rowland wasn’t a crazy-person tinkerer who can’t resist adding another layer of unnecessary chrome to a finished design every week, you’d have reason for mild optimism.
Hey, nothing wrong with that truck! It’s just a basic semi!
Spock
7735
Yep, Matrix has worked on it continuously. Just very slowly. There’s only one programmer, who is a very nice guy, but my impression is he prefers to work alone. Other people have worked on art assets in the past. (Including me! I helped position ship names and silhouettes on counters.) But the coding is all this one fellow. It’s a bit like the Distant Worlds situation: one guy there, Elliot, has been coding that project, and it’s been 10 years since DW1.
Anyway, Matrix WIF has improved a lot since launch. I enjoy WiF even without an AI, but if possible I still prefer to get away from the PC. Hence my solo play of the Collector’s Edition! On to May/June 1944…
