Project to save AWBW knowledge, history, and culture.

You've probably noticed that I spammed a lot of old articles here today, and that's because the AWBW forums have finally reopened after almost a year of being down, so I spent a little while on there just saving every page that I thought was important before it goes down again for possibly forever - in a way I'm trying to put out the fires burning down Alexandria's libraries!   

If anyone has any articles they've saved let me know, or post them yourselves.

Strategy:
https://isndev.forumotion.co.uk/t670-attention-newbies-read-this-first-by-castina
https://isndev.forumotion.co.uk/t672-why-hachi-colin-grit-broken-and-thus-typically-ban-by-juigi
https://isndev.forumotion.co.uk/t669-official-awbw-tier-list-by-hellraider
https://isndev.forumotion.co.uk/t671-taz-s-strategy-guide
https://isndev.forumotion.co.uk/t676-taz-s-strategy-guide-part-ii-co-usagelast-updateandy

Design Maps:
https://isndev.forumotion.co.uk/t679-upload-map-feature-guide-by-funkychunk
https://isndev.forumotion.co.uk/t681-intro-to-mapping-101-by-fugue
https://isndev.forumotion.co.uk/t680-fta-extended-by-smackcakes
https://isndev.forumotion.co.uk/t673-list-of-common-map-imbalances-to-watch-out-for-by-smackcakes
https://isndev.forumotion.co.uk/t674-map-making-guide-aesthetics-and-terrain-variety-by-smackcakes

Great work! Someone has to save the library

Hopefully, it'll help out all the new guys, and the community will grow. It does seem though that it's a good thing I did it since the old forum is completely dead again.

It is sorta sad to me that out of almost 10 years since AWBW has been up there's been only 10, or so articles that were worth saving with a number of the best ones coming from smackcakes, and Taz; if AWBW had masters I think they would be it.

Nah, neither Smacky or Taz were anywhere near masters. Hellraider was the closest thing to an AWBW master.

I honestly never played against either Taz, or smacky, or seen them play - by the time I joined AWBW back in 08 both players pretty much stopped playing, but the point is that they contributed to the game more overall than most others, and helped it advance.

No one will know who the real best players are if they don't write anything down, but in a hundred years from now someone can log in on this forum, and learn how to design a good map by reading smackcakes articles for example, lol.

Hellraider is the exception with her tier list, but most other top player i.e benbever, kam, and ultrastorm never really wrote that much.

In the past there were military theorists and there were generals. They rarely come in the one package, like sun tzu.

Basics
The foundation for the beginner is knowing the mechanics of the game – troop functions, terrain, CO, how to capture, how to attack – and all those are well covered in our existing strategy guides.

I would class this as learning how things work - which is important - but not the differentiating factor in deciding the winner and loser in high level play.

Strategy

The principles of the game - imho - are simple:
1. Build income by capturing more cities than your opponent (if possible)
2. Maximise damage and minimise loss – through appropriate use of terrain, troop mix, local critical mass etc

By looking at the board can you size up the situation, see the intention behind the opponent’s moves and formulate and put a plan to action?

The strategy guides (textbook) are there to guide you on the basics if you need reference, but battles are won and lost on strategy and perspicacity, and that is not so easy to transfer.

The best way to learn is to play the game, learn from your mistakes and build your foundation step by step. There are no shortcuts

Great idea to save some of that stuff from Old Forum and stimulating to check over.  

Nontheless

Iordor wrote: out of almost 10 years since AWBW has been up there's been only 10, or so articles that were worth saving

needs some qualification.
Certainly these large "articles" contain much good stuff worthy of saving but often are  overly long and occasionally with misleading/erroneous info and they were not "peer reviewed" and rewritten, they were like first drafts and only the first few chapters. Also Many jewels are contained in the replies that readers posted. .  

Most topics have very significant additional points scattered widely across the old forum.  A good distillation would be a nice to see one day, though i think a lot of issues are somewhat tentative still. ( how many centuries development of chess theory took in the hands of very dedicated geniuses and professionals, and AW is exponentially more complex).

Also in old forum were/are hundreds of shortish topics raised regarding many diverse issues which could be just as important, or even more important for future development of AW game.  A few examples.. fog of war, heavy predeployeds, high funds, heavy naval and air battle maps, eliminating spam (particularly infantry), use of misile silo and black bombs and pipe controversies, strategical positional play versus greedy grab cities strategy dilema, no-power game, no luck modality, pre-expansion(capture phase) maps, how to use max, how to use whatever CO, is adder the best, how to best use apc or transport..are they worth the investment, comparison of chess with AW, issues of time control, different competition types, how to improve as a player, making unusual maps... etc (these are only my personal favs, sure to be more)

For anyone new and serious about AW a good browse around the old forum would be illuminating, there are hundreds of important issues scattered around though yes theres plenty of chatter and chaff mixed in too.



ps The Old Forum is currently readable but doesnt seem to allow new posting.
pps "Chaff" is the stuff thrown into the air to distract homing misiles away from their target (probably made of metal foil?)