Pacific Storm review

Onkel Neal · 12-26-06, 10:30 PM

Jason just posted his review of Pacific Storm, read it here.

cheers
Neal
Subsim

Dowly · 12-26-06, 11:22 PM

Hmm... seems like a good candidate for my next game.

Apeboy · 01-07-07, 03:34 PM

Neal, I'm a little taken aback at your "A" rating for the strat map. In PS you are completely at the mercy of a inneffective AI when it comes to forming fleets and supplying bases. Not to mention vessel upgrades.

If you attempt to meddle with this, things go awry in a hurry. There is no way to setup your own supply lines or fleets. Heaven help you if you lose a transport(s) during the war. You can't replace one ship without a major undertaking in the science of spreadsheet management. That goes for pretty much the entire strat portion of the game. The amount of drilling down spreadsheet after spreadsheet to find the most generic information is ball-busting. There is no sane way to manage base,fleet or monetary needs. While you can manage dozens of provences in games like M:TW, trying to manage a handful of bases in PS is just not worth it. Unfortunately you cannot trust the AI do it for you either.

Not to mention the 20+ CVs buried in transport fleets scattered throughout the Pacific for the US at the outset of the game. This is just one example of the too numerous to mention bugs in this game. My favorite so far is Japan declaring war on me at Guam with 2 CLs vs. 15 fully escorted CVs and subs too numerous to count. These vessels were given to the US player at the start of the game.

-Apeboy

Onkel Neal · 01-08-07, 06:45 AM

Oh, I didn't review the game, Jason did.

Hunter · 01-12-07, 03:16 AM

Thanks Jason! Very nice review

GlobalExplorer · 01-13-07, 10:15 AM

Well, well, why does PS keep getting those great reviews .. I did not enjoy PS one bit - it has the most horrible user interface I have seen.

Don't get me wrong, the game is very complex, and the concept is great, but to me it doesn't feel like playing a game, rather like doing a very tedious work.

It could work out if the user interface and AI were completely redone and released through a patch. But instead the developers started working on a sequel when PS wasn't even released, and it still looks like it's more or less the same. That's very bad if you ask me, and a good example that start to kepp me from wanting to buy software if it's from Russia - a lot of ambition in the beginning, no real understanding of QA, add a bit here, a bit there and when they find out it doesn't work they will always start a new project before they fixed the last one.

Actually I am quite fed up with that.

Hunter · 01-17-07, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Don't get me wrong, the game is very complex, and the concept is great

Many people just got tired from empty, historically inaccurate and meaningless games

Thus, WWII magazine anounced Pacific Storm among top 5 WWII games of 2006.

nikimcbee · 01-17-07, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hunter

Thanks Jason! Very nice review

Thanks, although I have no idea who this "Jason" is

.

The game does have its issues, but I found it fun to play. Global is right about the QA though. My biggest issue with the game, is that they are (in my opinion) relying on the MOD community to fix it.

Hunter · 01-18-07, 03:28 AM

Quote:

relying on the MOD community to fix it.

Not exactly, we have made a really hard and complicated work. Many of our team are enthusiasts of war games for many yars. And experience proves to us that all addings made by community improves depth and interest of such games greatly. That is why, we welcome every initiative that comes from modding community.

New screenshots are availible now at http://pacificstorm.net/en/art6.php You may see new British and dutch units along with new hit-location interface

timetraveller · 01-19-07, 02:29 PM

New update to the 3rd party PS Mission Editor is out, Jan 19, 2007---

Another small but important update/bug fix to the mission editor has been released. Just install over top of your existing mission editor version. Previously created missions will be saved.

This may be the last until Allies comes out.

http://www.delraydepot.com/tt/ps.html

=================
Build 795.

Bug Fixes-
1. Fixed problem with camera path profile adjustment. New profile was not being applied.

Additions-
1. Added the ability to save a created OEModifications file to the game folder.

Notes-
Now the camera run elevation can be changed, like originally intended.

Now the OE Mod file for any of the three war eras (early war, 1943, 1945) can be saved directly to the game folder so your units are set up automatically for that period when you start the mission.

TT

GlobalExplorer · 01-20-07, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hunter

Quote:

Don't get me wrong, the game is very complex, and the concept is great

Many people just got tired from empty, historically inaccurate and meaningless games

Thus, WWII magazine anounced Pacific Storm among top 5 WWII games of 2006.

I actually praised you (and Russian teams in general) for the concept and your ambition. But I also said I found the end result not satisfiying, and I stick with that. Btw, I would have problems to even name five decent WWII games coming out in 2006, that's why I bought PS. So, yes it belongs in the top five, but that doesn't say if it's good.

As a customer of your product, may I feel entitled to ask you one question: What prompted your decision to start working on a sequel before the game even came out? Do you realize there are customers who will not understand or tolerate this?

Good luck with PS:A though.

GE

Hunter · 01-22-07, 04:47 AM

It is Ok. Inspite of the exicting problems, we had a good feed back after original PS was relesed in Russia. The game has gained back investments into its development. We wanted a lot of things to be done, added and improved and this is why we made the second part that was planned just as expancion for the original PS.

12-26-06, 10:30 PM	#1
Onkel Neal Born to Run Silent Join Date: Jan 1997 Location: Cougar Trap, Texas Posts: 21,385 Downloads: 541 Uploads: 224	Pacific Storm review Jason just posted his review of Pacific Storm, read it here. cheers Neal Subsim

01-13-07, 10:15 AM	#6
GlobalExplorer Admiral Join Date: May 2005 Location: Berlin Posts: 2,015 Downloads: 165 Uploads: 0	Well, well, why does PS keep getting those great reviews .. I did not enjoy PS one bit - it has the most horrible user interface I have seen. Don't get me wrong, the game is very complex, and the concept is great, but to me it doesn't feel like playing a game, rather like doing a very tedious work. It could work out if the user interface and AI were completely redone and released through a patch. But instead the developers started working on a sequel when PS wasn't even released, and it still looks like it's more or less the same. That's very bad if you ask me, and a good example that start to kepp me from wanting to buy software if it's from Russia - a lot of ambition in the beginning, no real understanding of QA, add a bit here, a bit there and when they find out it doesn't work they will always start a new project before they fixed the last one. Actually I am quite fed up with that. __________________

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12-26-06, 11:22 PM	#2
Dowly Lucky Jack Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Finland Posts: 25,054 Downloads: 32 Uploads: 0	Hmm... seems like a good candidate for my next game.

01-07-07, 03:34 PM	#3
Apeboy Watch Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 25 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Neal, I'm a little taken aback at your "A" rating for the strat map. In PS you are completely at the mercy of a inneffective AI when it comes to forming fleets and supplying bases. Not to mention vessel upgrades. If you attempt to meddle with this, things go awry in a hurry. There is no way to setup your own supply lines or fleets. Heaven help you if you lose a transport(s) during the war. You can't replace one ship without a major undertaking in the science of spreadsheet management. That goes for pretty much the entire strat portion of the game. The amount of drilling down spreadsheet after spreadsheet to find the most generic information is ball-busting. There is no sane way to manage base,fleet or monetary needs. While you can manage dozens of provences in games like M:TW, trying to manage a handful of bases in PS is just not worth it. Unfortunately you cannot trust the AI do it for you either. Not to mention the 20+ CVs buried in transport fleets scattered throughout the Pacific for the US at the outset of the game. This is just one example of the too numerous to mention bugs in this game. My favorite so far is Japan declaring war on me at Guam with 2 CLs vs. 15 fully escorted CVs and subs too numerous to count. These vessels were given to the US player at the start of the game. -Apeboy

01-08-07, 06:45 AM	#4
Onkel Neal Born to Run Silent Join Date: Jan 1997 Location: Cougar Trap, Texas Posts: 21,385 Downloads: 541 Uploads: 224	Oh, I didn't review the game, Jason did.

01-12-07, 03:16 AM	#5
Hunter Commander Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: St.Petersburg, Russia Posts: 474 Downloads: 166 Uploads: 0	Thanks Jason! Very nice review

01-19-07, 02:29 PM	#10
timetraveller Beach Leaf Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Atlantic Shipping Lanes Posts: 287 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	New update to the 3rd party PS Mission Editor is out, Jan 19, 2007--- Another small but important update/bug fix to the mission editor has been released. Just install over top of your existing mission editor version. Previously created missions will be saved. This may be the last until Allies comes out. http://www.delraydepot.com/tt/ps.html ================= Build 795. Bug Fixes- 1. Fixed problem with camera path profile adjustment. New profile was not being applied. Additions- 1. Added the ability to save a created OEModifications file to the game folder. Notes- Now the camera run elevation can be changed, like originally intended. Now the OE Mod file for any of the three war eras (early war, 1943, 1945) can be saved directly to the game folder so your units are set up automatically for that period when you start the mission. TT

01-22-07, 04:47 AM	#12
Hunter Commander Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: St.Petersburg, Russia Posts: 474 Downloads: 166 Uploads: 0	It is Ok. Inspite of the exicting problems, we had a good feed back after original PS was relesed in Russia. The game has gained back investments into its development. We wanted a lot of things to be done, added and improved and this is why we made the second part that was planned just as expancion for the original PS.