RH Lee

I loved UG Gettysburg at first, but I was very frustrated by not being able to truly continue from one day to the next with unit strength, positions and such unchanged "overnight" so that I could fight an entire battle with my forces and positions starting the 2nd day (and so one) from where I finished the just completed day. I asked about this repeatedly, but was told that the beginning positions in subsequent days were "close" to where I'd finished the earlier day. Sadly they weren't. I could take Little Round Top, end that phase of the battle & move to the next phase, and the blasted Yanks would be back in control of the hill. *sigh* While I greatly enjoyed everything else about the game (I have a masters in PolySci and History with a focus on the US in both so I'm a dedicated fan of the War for Southern Independence and have visited the Gettysburg battlefield repeatedly) but the inability to really & truly play the entire battle MY WAY with MY intra-game successes and failures eventually turned me off and I quit playing. So - here's the question: Is UGCW a true campaign game - or is it a series of related battles and such. If I can shatter the invading northern army at First Manassas can I then continue north with whatever my forces are, and against whatever the North has left, perhaps to take Washington - or will I start the next day with whatever the game decides I should have? If it's a true campaign with fully connected everything, I'm ready to buy today. But I'd be massively disappointed if it works the same way that UGG did. So, development team, which is it? Thanks, RH Lee

I'm not concerned with whether I win or lose, but as commented by Blueakomoon and David Fair it's not just that the units are in different positions, it's that the entire layout of the forces is different. It has nothing to do with whether I play difficult, medium or easy AI - when I end a battle controlling Culp's Hill, or in total control of Seminary Ridge, and then start the next stage of the campaign with all my troops far from either of those, or when I end a battle completely occupying all of the town of Gettysburg and then when the next stage starts all my forces are sitting outside of Gettysburg to the north or northwest it is both frustrating and inexplicable. I give great kudos to the devs for having created a game with excellent graphics, a very intuitive and facile interface, superb game mechanics, and all of that --- but right now this is NOT a game of the Battle of Gettysburg. It is a combination of piece meal battles which comprise various scenarios for certain parts of the battle - all of which are both interesting, well done, and enjoyable - but it simply is NOT the Battle of Gettysburg. What I'm saying is that if one were to rate UG:G as a simulation of various individual components of the overall battle - I'd give it a 10 rating - 5 stars out of 5 - whatever. Excellent, superb, etc. But if one were to rate it as a simulation of the Battle of Gettysburg (and forget the 4th day - there WAS no 4th day in 1863) then I couldn't give it more than 5 or 5 1/2 because it simply is not a full campaign game. I'll check back in a month or so - and will keep hoping for the full battle to become available. Because (to be redundantly repetitive) right now, as it stands - it is not. And Nick Thomas - what you posted is not even remotely a response to my complaint and the problem that I have pointed out. Hopefully you understand that your answer doesn't even begin to address what I'm discussing. Seriously. It's the game continuity and phasing differential flaws that currently make what could well be the best Civil War ever, and one of the very best computer game tactical battle simulations of all time...into "the one that missed the target."

I feel like I keep asking, but it never happens. Should I just give up and figure I have to be satisfied with a series of different battles none of which continues from where I left off in the last 1/2 day of fighting? I haven't played UG:G for nearly two months, because I keep wishing for a full 4 day campaign - but just popped in with my fingers crossed and a prayer on my lips -- to find that it's still the same sad old story. Morning of the first day draws to an end, the battle stops, then restarts in the afternoon - and the troop positions have completely shifted, aren't even close to the way they were at the close of the morning's battle. Not even close. New units have arrived, teleported in for both sides, both Union and Confederate forces that were on the field when morning ended are totally shifted around - it's just...horribly frustrating. *sigh* I can't leave a review on Metacritic, because the game system is so awesome, the graphics are so excellent (I love the new tilt 3D look) that I love playing. But I can't review it as it is, because it's so incredibly annoying to never be able to play a continuous and full Battle of Gettysburg from beginning to end that I'd probably only give it a 5 or 6. And that wouldn't be fair. :-( Ok - I'll shut up. Just had to - once again - complain that I really, really, REALLY wish I could just play the whole battle... *sigh*

Sorry - this is not even close to what I experienced. At nightfall on July 1, the confederates held Culp's Hill, had Archer and Davis' units in the town of Gettysburg, arrayed along the southern edge. Starting the next morning neither Archer nor Davis were even on the battlefield. I'll do as you suggested and send the data - but I did report a bug inside the game when I restarted the battle on July 2 - so you should have some data.

Hey, all. My first post in a bit. First let me say I really do like the game a lot! Gameplay is very smooth, the click & drag command protocal is excellent (simple, effective and easy to undo/redo, etc.). Graphics are excellent; I have to say I very much like the little extra touches like puffs of smoke as both rifle and cannon fire is executed, the bodies strewn all over the battlefield, and more. But I'm feeling very frustrated by not being able to just play through the whole three days. Of course there has to be a pause at the end of each fighting day. No one is suggesting that the battle continue 24/7 for 72 hours. But I find myself wanting to tear my hair out when dawn breaks on July 2 and my gray clad troops, who at nightfall of the 1st held Culp's Hill and occupied all of the town of Gettysburg, are now back on the left side of town, facing a re-constituted line of Yankees and have to start all over again to take Culp's and the town. *sigh* I admit I'm not a programmer, but I don't understand why the position of the troops can't be frozen at the end of each phase (ok, with a wee bit of cleaning up of the lines as could be expected in the non-combative darkness) so that the fight can continue from pretty much where it left off. It's very cool that we can play any of the days of the battle as stand alone scenarios - and even more that we can chose morning or afternoon of each day -- but... I WANT THE FULL BATTLE! *pout* *whine* *sigh* You guys have a fantastic product. It's on track to be perhaps the best tactical battle simulation ever. EVER!! Seriously! But give us a full three day battle without teleporting the *bleep*ing units around on us to change the entire face of the battle. Ok - sorry for the rant...but...I think you get my point, right?

There's nothing wrong in my mind with having the freedom to have an many saves as you wish, but to also offer an optional "iron man" or "hard core" mode. I've played Diablo 3 extensively on hard core and realize that when my character dies and I have to start all over from the very beginning it was my choice to take that path. But if D3 forced everyone to play "hard core" with any death being permanent, I don't think they'd have seen the success and sales that they have. Even if you do offer "hard core" there's no reason not to offer it as Choice 2 above - if someone's stuck and maybe frustrated but doesn't want to quit completely, why not let them relax with another game playing the opposite faction, then go back to their first game when they're ready. You do want people to play as much and as often as they can, right? You don't want frustration and annoyance with the restrictions of the system to chase people away, right? And as a famous game designer once said "If a feature isn't fun, and doesn't make playing my game more fun, then I don't need it in my game." I would suggest that the bottom line is as many have expressed -> there's no reason to force a "hard core" approach on anyone. Tarfman said it eloquently "Freedom is always best." But if your systems won't allow a dual option, then I hope you'll go with #3.

1 - I'm a total newbie to UG: Gettysburg, but a long time avid player of CIvil War games, Total War games (all of them), and especially the tactical battle parts of the TW series. 2 - I'm a lifelong devotee of the Civil War, having grown up in Northern VA and been a history buff all my life That said - this is an incredible work, a fantastic achievement, and could well become renowned as one of, if not THE, best tactical level battle game of all time. The graphics are superb, the game play is clear, clean, and simple to grasp and after only a brief (4-5 hours) in game, I'm so completely addicted that I nearly called in sick to work today so I could keep playing. My question/query/concern here is that at the conclusion of my first full day of battle, the end of July 1, as dark fell and the fighting ended I had masterfully (and playing at the least available difficulty level :-) ) surrounded and trapped a large number of the blue clad devils in Gettysburg with the rest fleeing for their lives to the south. My heroic forces had captured Culp's Hill and installed 4 artillery units on its crest to rain havoc and death down upon my foes. I looked forward to the coming dawn where my brilliant leadership and courageous forces would bring a glorious victory to the Southern cause. But when dawn broke, not a single unit bestrode Culp's Hill, there were no trapped (and well nigh helpless) Union forces struggling to survive in Gettysburg, and the overall deployment of both sides bore virtually no resemblance to the way it was as the night had fallen. Did I mess something up, somehow? It can't be (please!) the way the campaign game is supposed to work, right? I'm pretty sure that I did something to cause the overnight changes - but would love to have someone clue me in so I can avoid doing it again. BTW - one final glowing comment - my son and I just finished a 2 day visit to the Gettysburg battleground, taking the self guided auto tour and seeing every area in detail. This game was made even better as I can see everything on the map mirrored in my memory of what we saw mere weeks ago. For anyone who's never actually seen Devil's Den or Little Round Top in person, who's never stood where the Confederates began their advance from Seminary Ridge up towards Cemetery Ridge, never looked down from the north on the Union lines along McPherson's Ridge waiting for the oncoming southerners -- if you ever have a chance - go see it. It boggles the mind. And it makes a superb game like this even more realistic in the mind.

Outstanding game (more on that in my post elsewhere in the forums) but I have to agree that the "broken unit routing through my lines, then reforming and roaming around like a reincarnations of Mosby's raiders behind my lines" syndrome is a significant issue. That said - I have full confidence that the devs will fix it en route to completing this as one of the best tactical combat games of all time. I am sooo impressed! My intoxicated imagination leaps forward (well, ok -> leaps backwards?) to Antietam, Sharpsburg, Shiloh, Bull Run I & II, et al. Did I mention I really like this game & game system?