First Impressions

[MacDonald]

One complaint is that I feel like the maps looks comparatively bland compared with ACW maps. I know however that is the reality of the Waterloo battlefield, lots of empty, wide open green spaces.

Having played a bit more of the game last night, I take back what I said about the bland parts of the map. The more easterly part of the map (east of la Haye Sainte) looks great. I'd say it is the more westerly part of the map that looks a little less interesting, which is just the reality of the battlefield.

I noticed also that you included Wellington's tree (the tree he stood under during the battle), which is a very nice detail that not everyone would notice.

[con20or]

I didn't even notice that - must check it out. I think the map is great - I love the view fromt he start of WL04.

[MacDonald]

Accidental or otherwise, I noticed it during WL05 (I think, it was D'Erlon's attack). There was Wellington standing under his tree, just north of La Haye Sainte. I think after the battle some part of the tree was made into furniture as a souvenir.

[tc27]

Firstly would like to congratulate the developers of the game - having visited the battlefield and often imagined what certain parts of the battle would have looked like I can see you guys have captured it really well.

I fired up the D'Erlon attack scenario last night a and it was truly epic watching those massed French columns advance towards me....like Pickets charge on steroids.

I wonder if it would be possible to think about the way large formations work - the French 1st Corps columns at waterloo were arranged in a one battalion frontage with successive battalions behind as a means of battering through the allied line...in game there seems very little incentive to do this is in confers no advantage (that I know about) in moral or meelee ability that I think it should.

Also the AI doesnt seem to use this formation very well - most of the French troops advanced to the bottom of the slope and them muddled around in a aesthetically displacing mess of multi-directional lines before advancing a few battalions up one at a time to get shot to pieces....

[Grog]

I played out the D'Erlon attack and Alten's defence against the french cavalry in 1:3 scale.

ABSOLUTELY BLOWN AWAY!!

Thank you NSD team for a work of real beauty.

:cheer:

[tim]

Wellingtons tree is deliberate - Matt and Jolly did an amazing job on the maps. Matts research was incredible. I have walked the battlefield a number of time over the years - most recently in 2007 and he has got it spot on.

[Willard]

I have a problem with the Grog Toolbar. One block of the commands sits in the middle of the screen, right in front of the action. There's a blank brown-wood space down on the bottom bar where these commands are probably supposed to be, but they're up near the middle of the screen instead.

I'm using Win 8.1 (Win7 compatibility set) at 1920 x 1080 with standard 96 dpi.

___________________________
Grab it at the top with your mouse and slide it out of the way. I think I read someplace if you slide all the way down, behind the menus, you will lose it forever...............

Bill

I think it disappears for the game. When your restart it will pop back up in the middle of the screen.
I generally slide both pop up command bars just above the large command bar.

[mitra76]

Let see who of you people found before the other the particular structure in the woods area south-west of Waterloo map

[Saddletank]

I noticed also that you included Wellington's tree (the tree he stood under during the battle), which is a very nice detail that not everyone would notice.

Knowing it should be there I specifically went looking for it. Pleased to see its planted in a fixed position.

What I noticed about the ground north-west of La Haye Sainte is the team have used the correct ORIGINAL 1815 ground contours before the Dutch-Belgian Lion Mount memorial bulldozed so much critical soil off that ridge in the 1820s.

Going down to HITS level its scary how steep and high that ridge is. Wellington sure chose a superb position to hold, it's more obvious in the game than the ground is today.

You can really sense the mountain that Ney's cuirassier charge and the Moyenne Garde had to climb.

EDIT: SoW:WL is probably the finest depiction of the Waterloo battlefield outside of the best academic book - and maybe including the books. It really feels right. I was galloping around Frischermont, Pappelotte and La Haye last night (perhaps the most neglected and least-documented area of this critical battlefield) and I was delighted at the buildings, houses, woods and streams that seem exactly right. I think this area of the field is now my favourite location. It has a mood and atmosphere all its own. It does credit to the brave Nassau brigade that defended it all day.

[MacDonald]

I noticed also that you included Wellington's tree (the tree he stood under during the battle), which is a very nice detail that not everyone would notice.

Knowing it should be there I specifically went looking for it. Pleased to see its planted in a fixed position.

What I noticed about the ground north-west of La Haye Sainte is the team have used the correct ORIGINAL 1815 ground contours before the Dutch-Belgian Lion Mount memorial bulldozed so much critical soil off that ridge in the 1820s.

Going down to HITS level its scary how steep and high that ridge is. Wellington sure chose a superb position to hold, it's more obvious in the game than the ground is today.

You can really sense the mountain that Ney's cuirassier charge and the Moyenne Garde had to climb.

You're spot on, I noticed that you really get a feel for the undulations and dips in the terrain that caused problems during the battle. What particularly struck me was the almost enfilade artillery fire of Wellington's cannons (on his right wing) aimed at French infantry advancing just west of La Haye Sainte towards Wellington's centre. Wellington's right wing had a slight bend in it that made this possible.

It's difficult to envisage this just from a map or text book but it really comes alive in this format.