The Collectors Showcase

I am in constant awe of morale settings. Its just amazing. Union units running off the map after 10% casualties, morale blown out after force marches to destinations in the line. Wa Huh? So now how is this a game? Ahhh its a movie sorry. My bad. I love REB's they have cement in their boots. Once on a hill that's were they stay. Nick: you love them Rebs! Overbaked lines, massive overthought. Keep it simple silly, your not sending rockets to the moon.

Its simply a lack of code. You really see the limitations of the off the shelf software. My opinion is there is very little custom code in the game. The effort is great but there's no budget presently for the title. God bless Nick, you just know he's working his heart out, but the game tries to do way too much and fails in the end. Sure, so much fun to play! But I find myself winning as Union 10 minutes in and my units are spent anyway, no morale boost whatsoever. My troops should be fired up at repelling Rebs, but instead they win and then flee he he its a joke really. You see this across the board with all the titles. A few huge titles and then so many smaller developers trying to make it. Sad really. The end of big as they say. But now no one has the dough to develop correctly. For max revenue Nick should have simply issued the game with a gui for changing VP's around think of how long one could have played this title. But its so so stale. Nothing coming soon:clearly not enough dough to move the series along. Its a tough game ( developing ), I don't envy Nick: your a brave soul my friend!

I can tell Nick went in and fooled around again! Unbelievable, he really doesn't want anyone to play the game! Ha ha what a joke, took down union artillery: now Union's got nothing, unbelievable. What a novice game designer, truly. Get a clue fella.

I love surrounding REB troops. Instead of surrendering they all sprout wings and fly away. What a great reward for luring enemies into a well devised trap: none! No tactical reward whatsoever. What a joke. Oh ya Confederate troops never surrendered, my bad.

The game of course in multi-player is broken. the morale setting for Union are absurd. Nick refuses to address it and I think I finally know why: The code is the same for AI and multi-player. Nick knows that most folks are AI REB players and its an effort to please the market that provides the most revenue? This is the only conclusion I can come to. I play but if I play say extremely adept players that have conformed their game play to the Super REB capabilities its a disaster. There is no tactics for a lot of these folks. I just played a game ( Ambush66 ) and he employed the "Ball Of Rebs" strategy. Simply balling up the REBS and bulldozing onto Round Top. Now keep in mind he left all other areas of the map undefended. After all my Union routed and he destroyed all of the artillery on the mountain he simple marched to the remaining VP's and the game was over. Not his fault, he is simply using a broken piece of code to win, its no longer a game at that point. Nick plays the game in an elegant way as it is tested, instead he should test play the game with these goofy game styles in mind and figure out how to disallow not playing the game as intended. As a final note, as I've described exhaustively, the morale setting for Union are absurd. The UberReb is such a bizarre creation. Strange indeed.

Nick, Well put, and again your championed by so many of the above. But Its too easy to type out a few sentences by those that would not set you off in a self critical direction, so takes those with a lump of salt. I win as Union plenty trust me. Many of you probably played me, I use my sons account Benukis alot, so you know I've done fine as Union. And why do I insist on Union? Because REB is just too easy to play and win now. You see I like a challenge. But currently the game is pretty much unplayable in Multi mode, the Union morale is just set too low. But lets move on: You tuned it just right some builds ago. But you listened, perhaps too much, and know the game has dissolved into a lopsided contest in multiplayer. But hey, I'm far more productive at my company for it! As I have stopped playing the two hours a day I was devoting to the game. Nick, you live and you learn, and I am so sure that the next game will cause the appropriate consideration promulgated by so many critical voices that have been put forth here. I would only recommend that as you synthesize the data and move forward: 1. No need to noodle too much with both armies, better for game play that the behave more alike ( gets the players to really think about tactics more ). 2. Don't listen to too many voices! Keep the armies simple and elegant! Focus on maps and options for a myriad of different scenarios. And yes, if you can tell I was a game developer for about 15 years: EA mostly, NAMCO and yes I'm that old 3DO! I and others eagerly await your next great game! Cheers Nick!!!! Best regards, Brian: The Collectors Showcase

Nick, The criticisms you've received as of late have you closing off. Don't do it! Keep your mind open and your passion will be rewarded. Locking the most recent thread you have added is the opposite of what you must do. Now is the time to listen to your customers. I've played Koro, he plays a very methodic game as though he is on the ground in an ACW battle. He's very nice to play. But very few players use the software that way. They play to win! They look for all of the oddities in the system to tailor the game to their needs: not your expectations on how they will play. There are two roads for you to go down: 1. The first is atypical of most Humans, and poor business people, that of the defensive posture, clinging to managements ill conceived reasoning even as their customer base slowly disappears. 2. The second is to acknowledge the folly of the past ( too much noodling, keep it simple!) and watch players that are on the ground playing 10-15 games a day. This is your customer. These are your average guys that find all the loopholes in the software and use them. I will tell you this my friend, simply look to the drain of players in the last 6 months, not from the view that the game has aged but from the revisions. Acknowledge this, see this, change paths. Nick, what you created incited the greatest of passions, you should be proud of this! You have mastered so much, greater than so many other games. But transcend the urge to tune out. Listen to your worst critics, embrace them. They bring the truth. Huzaah Nick! Good Luck! Brian

I've stopped playing as well: RIP UGG. The game doesn't even work anymore. The best answers are often the simplist ones. The endless noodling with troop ratings was absurd. Trying to create two separate armies that had so many differences made no sense at all. Also I would hope you would reach out to me or others that might seem like tough customers to help beta the new game. At the very least you'll get straight talk that you need for success. Will of course check out the new game when it arrives, for now UGG multiplayer is no longer a viable game between two opponents. Always a supporter even though it might not seem so, just loved playing the game when both sides were better matched. Cheers! Brian

The more I play the more I am just astounded at: 1. How far Union units retreat 2. Union morale is ludicrous 3. I can win half way through but my troops behave as though they have just been routed! No morale boost for success whatsoever. 4. The Union seems to have a sort of leak, the morale just saps and saps no matter how well they do. Way to go Nick! {You'll be hearing from my lawyer on the carpal tunnel syndrome I get from constantly pushing blinking union units forward.}

Hey Nick, Why make scenarios no one would want to play? Why in the world would I want to be Union on the Ewell map? I mean tell me. why? Its a GAME right? Two folks have the chance to win? So you simply tease the sides out a bit. Grow Union on that map so that it can be played. Right now you have maybe 4 maps that are like a chess game. The others are some strange movie like historical re-creation. You've missed the point my lad. Its a game not a movie. I have so much fun losing on he Ewell map against hords of Waffen Rebs: NOT. Do this approach on the Antietam game and you better be a good short order cook my friend.

The divergence of both sides is simply too great Union simply cannot attack reb formations. In some cases they can barely advance without blinking. Ewells advance round top scenarios etc, the game isn't longer a tactical excercise it's about Union slowly retreating. It's so sad. Have two players play that are from the forum and just watch the outcome. People are playing differently than what you imagine.

God damn what's wrong with the game? Union loves to charge, backwards! Nick, truly what's the problem? Are you kidding. Ok listen artillery for Union is their asset but what good is it if Union retreats all the fu!€ing time! I mean are you kidding. I advance excelsior brigade, it doesn't fire a shot and it immediately starts blinking: huh? And then moving backwards. Dude you have too much time on your hands. Union ratings are a joke. Union had 27% more troops at Gettysburg yet your multiplayer maps often have more Rebs! I give up man. Just make both sides even so it's a game. Your tinkering this game to death my man. What's up with the alien cyborg rev legions and the Iraqi conscript Union, I mean really?

The new patch is excellent and brings both Union and Reb back in line. Great even games, I'm impressed. Good job Nick! Huzzahhh! Now time for a new game with custom code added and leveraged out to different genres! Time to cash in on all the hard work you've done. Compliments, Brian

We played plenty, and you lost. Here's another idea: lets play marbles: you get five I get two. Then when I lose lets switch and then you get two and you lose. Isn't that fun? What a great analogy for Ultimate General. My turn I lose your turn you lose. And that's a strategy game? Are you kidding? Poor Union they had no idea they were so inept, I guess that's why they won. The game is completely broken, you know it and others do too. Sad was fun some patches ago: even a challenge. What a joke.

Ahh just the Man I wanted to talk to: rumor has it you partially responsible for the present mess. Someone lent too eager an ear to you during the myriad of patches? What we have here gentleman is a mess of a game now. Now don't get me wrong I'm going down with the ship out of sheer love for the game, but damn Union is hosed almost all of the time. Archer goes from 1200 to 400 fellas and hardly budges an inch while Iron Brigade rushes to the rear for a hardtack break if Davis sneezes. You seem a bit defensive to me. Guilt? Knowing that the game has been reduced to such a state. Was fine a couple of patches ago, Rebs had to work to win, wait a second, you prefer Rebs right? Ahhhh got it now.