• I’m curious as to why more people prefer Battlemap over Triple A. With AAA, you don’t have to do as much work with all the “flags” and land changes and such. It seems there are problems with Battlemap in that regard. Anyway,  I’d like to hear your reasons why you use either or and what makes each so good in being your map of choice.


  • TripleA is the best there is, today. Hopefully, something better will be made in the future.

    I have not tried battlemap, I saw a picture of battlemap on their website, I can’t understand why people actually use it.

    Gametableonline also have a working version of AAR, the current version should be considered beta.
    It is not near the “quality” of TripleA yet…

    If someone made something like TripleA, only different, but with same or more features (gametable :roll:), then I think many players would play both games to compare, and player preference would determine the winner.

    For practical issues, TripleA lets you connect PC <-> PC, battlemap does not, so I checked out gametableonline, but there’s a lot of work that has to be done until gametableonline is good enough to play against humans.

    How can anyone stand to play AA without seeing the opponents movements, as the are being made?

    A duel of battlemap vs TripleA ??? that would be a complete mismatch…  -->  Alien vs human  :-D


  • There is no duel for me… AAA doesn’t work on my PC , battlemap does…

    … the end ! :mrgreen:


  • @The:

    I’m curious as to why more people prefer Battlemap over Triple A. With AAA, you don’t have to do as much work with all the “flags” and land changes and such. It seems there are problems with Battlemap in that regard. Anyway,  I’d like to hear your reasons why you use either or and what makes each so good in being your map of choice.

    No Mapview in your poll?

    I guess everyone has their favorites.
    It’s like everything else in life: trade-offs.  Pros and cons for each.


  • @axis_roll:

    @The:

    I’m curious as to why more people prefer Battlemap over Triple A. With AAA, you don’t have to do as much work with all the “flags” and land changes and such. It seems there are problems with Battlemap in that regard. Anyway,  I’d like to hear your reasons why you use either or and what makes each so good in being your map of choice.

    No Mapview in your poll?

    I guess everyone has their favorites.
    It’s like everything else in life: trade-offs.  Pros and cons for each.

    Sorry A_R, I had forgotten about Mapview. But considering so few people use it around here - based on the fact in League games people always say they use in-house dice and Battlemap, followed by a small amount of Triple A’ers - I didn’t bother to include it in my polling.

    But since you use it, why not explain/extol its virtues and why you use it.


  • I have been looking for ways to play A&A online, and I must say, Triple A seems like the best.
    There’s no stuff with dice servers or whatever, just download, and play, easy as 123.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    Triple A does not work on my system either.  Actually, it has not worked on the past three systems I’ve owned, which to me says it is an inferior product because I am the goddess of radiance and therefore can never be wrong.

    As for functionality, I find Battlemap much easier to work with.  You don’t need an edit feature, you just move the pieces around like you would on the game table, right down to the chip level!  You don’t have that feature in TripleA. (I’ve used it some on the school computers.)  In TripleA you move each piece individually or you can open up a completely new menu and fuss around with that.

    Likewise, none of the movement rules are broken in Battlemap.  No need to move your carriers around and then undo their moves thus confusing everyone to what’s going on.  You just move your pieces where you need them.

    Also, in Battlemap, AA Guns don’t have 97% accuracy rates like in TripleA. (This could be an exaggeration, but honestly, why is it like all the time that frazzin AA gun scores perfectly in TripleA anyway?)

    Also, in Battlemap, opening a map is as easy as 1, 2, 3. (Open Battlemap, go to file, open.)  In TripleA, if it works, it takes more steps and that’s IF it works, as I said.  It does not always work…I won’t even go so far as to say it usually works.

    Finally, in Battlemap, you can see much more of the board than in tripleA.  My battlemap, for instance, shows everything without scrolling, but I have a widescreen display.  On a normal display I still see roughly 80% of the map.

    This is not to say that battlemap does not have it’s own faults.  But rather that the problems in battlemap are so much more insignificant when compared to TripleA it’s a wonder anyone ever uses it except as a method to try out a new bone-head strategy (if TripleA wins, then it’s such a bad strategy that even a dog would know better than to try it.)

    As for Mapview, it still has long load up time problems.  Fix that, give me a notepad section to just type instead of those one liner note things, and give me the functionality to move units like in Battlemap and mapview would be far superior.  (I guess it would be easier to just put arrows in battlemap…)


  • I actually tried to install Battlemap a while ago using win xp, couldn’t do it  :-o

    Now I’m using linux. TripleA worked on both my systems, except it would freeze to many times.

    There are so many players using TripleA, if dice was skewed then someone would notice it.

    There’s a zoom feature in TripleA, no problem in seeing the whole map if you want to. The AI is not really an AI, is just for testing out custom maps etc. The AI in gametableonline is not good either. Not much better than the TripleA AI.

    If Battlemap would let me play realtime like TripleA and gametableonline, then I would try it  :wink:

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    Subotai,

    The problem you had, I believe, is that you tried to INSTALL battlemap.

    Battlemap is such an awesome program you do not need to install it.  You just double click the executable and it opens.  No installation necessary. (Okay, it’s so OLD that it’s just an executable.  I have many such programs from ages past that are similar.  No load time, very low demand on system resources.)


  • @The:

    @axis_roll:

    No Mapview in your poll?

    I guess everyone has their favorites.
    It’s like everything else in life: trade-offs.  Pros and cons for each.

    Sorry A_R, I had forgotten about Mapview. But considering so few people use it around here - based on the fact in League games people always say they use in-house dice and Battlemap, followed by a small amount of Triple A’ers - I didn’t bother to include it in my polling.

    But since you use it, why not explain/extol its virtues and why you use it.

    The thing I like most about Mapview is it’s ability to keep game history all in one file represented by different tabs on the bottom of the map.  this can be very helpful in planning out the next few turns, or even just your own turn.

    I also personally like the arrows to identify unit movement. 
    I dislike typing the cryptic combat / NCMs like 3 inf, tank, ftr (eeu), 2 inf (arc), 2 inf (weu) via tpt in sz5 > kar

    Plus all your moves are on the map so you don’t have to look at the map and look at your typed combat moves and look at the map and look at your typed combat moves to make sure you didn’t forget to move a 1 inf walk in to an empty spot!

    Mapview has more realistic looking pieces/icons, so there’s the ‘coolness’ factor.

    Cons I have heard…
    Jen rails against the mapview start-up of approx 10 seconds… so there is a slight delay.

    The files can get large since they hold history.  Who doesn’t have broadband these days though?

    Unless you have a larger monitor or a great video card to pump up the screen resolution, you can only see portions of the map.  Although there’s been a recent release of a smaller map, so I think I’ve read.


  • Likewise, none of the movement rules are broken in Battlemap.  No need to move your carriers around and then undo their moves thus confusing everyone to what’s going on.  You just move your pieces where you need them.

    Eurh….care to elaborate? what movement rues are broken in TripleA?

    Also, in Battlemap, AA Guns don’t have 97% accuracy rates like in TripleA. (This could be an exaggeration, but honestly, why is it like all the time that frazzin AA gun scores perfectly in TripleA anyway?)

    Yes. That indeed was an exaggeration :P
    Both my German and Japan bombers managed to survive the entire game throughout :D.

    Also, in Battlemap, opening a map is as easy as 1, 2, 3. (Open Battlemap, go to file, open.)  In TripleA, if it works, it takes more steps and that’s IF it works, as I said.  It does not always work…I won’t even go so far as to say it usually works.

    Hmm, I click TripleA.exe, click Start Local Game / Find Game on the Lobby, and I am off to go.

    Finally, in Battlemap, you can see much more of the board than in tripleA.  My battlemap, for instance, shows everything without scrolling, but I have a widescreen display.  On a normal display I still see roughly 80% of the map.

    Zoom, increase unit size, etc.

    Wow. And here I was. Getting rid of gaming console-discussion boards to get away from Playstation and Xbox fanboys, and now I am right here stuck in a Battlemap vs TripleA flame war! ;)


  • I find to me Abattlemap is like having a handy electronic game board. Heck it beats the real board in that it tracks IPCs itself whereas the IPC chart in real games seems to get mysteriously out of whack about once a turn. I really don’t see what the arguments against the Flags are. Ya put one in a territory you take just like the country markers you use with the real game board. You use them just like the money you get and toss them in Saudi-Arabia. You also use them to track what turn it is in the Sahara.

    AAA really dose nothing for me. Yeah the little unit icons or cute, so what. The carrier movement crap is irritating enough to pull my hair out. The countries change color with possession, big whup.

    As far as head to head play I would rather play with both players posting in the forum at the same time as that way I am not completely tied to the computer. While they make their turn I can wander of to smoke a cig, surf other sites or watch tv.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    @Woodstock:

    Likewise, none of the movement rules are broken in Battlemap.  No need to move your carriers around and then undo their moves thus confusing everyone to what’s going on.  You just move your pieces where you need them.

    Eurh….care to elaborate? what movement rues are broken in TripleA?

    I did, re-read that.  You have to move your carriers, then your fighters, then undo your carrier moves if you don’t want to actually move your carriers there.  In Battlemap/Mapview, you do not have to do that.

    Also, in Battlemap, AA Guns don’t have 97% accuracy rates like in TripleA. (This could be an exaggeration, but honestly, why is it like all the time that frazzin AA gun scores perfectly in TripleA anyway?)

    Yes. That indeed was an exaggeration :P
    Both my German and Japan bombers managed to survive the entire game throughout :D.

    yes, well, I’m not the only one in history to complain about the inaccurate accuracy of AA Guns in TripleA. :P  I think you’ve just been lucky, or only had one game where both bombers survived because you avoided the guns. hehe.

    Also, in Battlemap, opening a map is as easy as 1, 2, 3. (Open Battlemap, go to file, open.)  In TripleA, if it works, it takes more steps and that’s IF it works, as I said.  It does not always work…I won’t even go so far as to say it usually works.

    Hmm, I click TripleA.exe, click Start Local Game / Find Game on the Lobby, and I am off to go.

    Yes, you double click TripleA (step 1), click start a game (step 2), find an opponent (step 3), synchronize games (step 4), then load the bid (step 5), confirm the bid (step 6) and then you are off.

    In battlemap you find an opponent, start the game.  2 steps vs 6

    Finally, in Battlemap, you can see much more of the board than in tripleA.  My battlemap, for instance, shows everything without scrolling, but I have a widescreen display.  On a normal display I still see roughly 80% of the map.

    Zoom, increase unit size, etc.

    I don’t need the unit size increased.  I need the units to be placed in the territory where I want them, I need them to move in groups as easily as in battlemap, I need the map to show me 80-100% of the board at a time, not 10-15% of the board at a time, on a WIDE FRAKKING SCREEN MONITOR!

    Note:  Yes, Mapview has the miniature map that allows you to see more of the board, and that’s frakkin awesome, except, you have to get your opponent to use it too.  I too like the arrows, but I don’t like the notes process and I hate the movement of units.  I prefer when my units auto-stack and when I can shift/click, control/click, shift/control/click or just click and drag the number of units I want without going through two sub menus first.

    Battlemap is all about the ease of use.  It’s the Linux of Map programs vs Mapview (the OS version) or TripleA (the busted old Microsoft version) imho.


  • @Cmdr:

    @Woodstock:

    Likewise, none of the movement rules are broken in Battlemap.  No need to move your carriers around and then undo their moves thus confusing everyone to what’s going on.  You just move your pieces where you need them.

    Eurh….care to elaborate? what movement rues are broken in TripleA?

    I did, re-read that.  You have to move your carriers, then your fighters, then undo your carrier moves if you don’t want to actually move your carriers there.  In Battlemap/Mapview, you do not have to do that.

    Also, in Battlemap, AA Guns don’t have 97% accuracy rates like in TripleA. (This could be an exaggeration, but honestly, why is it like all the time that frazzin AA gun scores perfectly in TripleA anyway?)

    Yes. That indeed was an exaggeration :P
    Both my German and Japan bombers managed to survive the entire game throughout :D.

    yes, well, I’m not the only one in history to complain about the inaccurate accuracy of AA Guns in TripleA. :P  I think you’ve just been lucky, or only had one game where both bombers survived because you avoided the guns. hehe.

    Also, in Battlemap, opening a map is as easy as 1, 2, 3. (Open Battlemap, go to file, open.)  In TripleA, if it works, it takes more steps and that’s IF it works, as I said.  It does not always work…I won’t even go so far as to say it usually works.

    Hmm, I click TripleA.exe, click Start Local Game / Find Game on the Lobby, and I am off to go.

    Yes, you double click TripleA (step 1), click start a game (step 2), find an opponent (step 3), synchronize games (step 4), then load the bid (step 5), confirm the bid (step 6) and then you are off.

    In battlemap you find an opponent, start the game.  2 steps vs 6

    Finally, in Battlemap, you can see much more of the board than in tripleA.  My battlemap, for instance, shows everything without scrolling, but I have a widescreen display.  On a normal display I still see roughly 80% of the map.

    Zoom, increase unit size, etc.

    I don’t need the unit size increased.  I need the units to be placed in the territory where I want them, I need them to move in groups as easily as in battlemap, I need the map to show me 80-100% of the board at a time, not 10-15% of the board at a time, on a WIDE FRAKKING SCREEN MONITOR!

    Note:  Yes, Mapview has the miniature map that allows you to see more of the board, and that’s frakkin awesome, except, you have to get your opponent to use it too.  I too like the arrows, but I don’t like the notes process and I hate the movement of units.  I prefer when my units auto-stack and when I can shift/click, control/click, shift/control/click or just click and drag the number of units I want without going through two sub menus first.

    Battlemap is all about the ease of use.  It’s the Linux of Map programs vs Mapview (the OS version) or TripleA (the busted old Microsoft version) imho.

    ~~Once again, I have to bow my head in defeat.

    • is off to check out Battlemap *~~

    Scratch that. After reading this topic, I’ll stick to TripleAAA. It is indeed just an electronic board, whereas TripleA seems more like the entire game, to which you sit down, play, watch the opponent etc etc.
    Me and my friends like to do that, so I guess it’s a matter of personal taste.


  • When I think about it, Battlemap and TripleA is so different that they really shouldnt be compared. TripleA is GAME (engine), Battlemap is just a map…

    I think the single most important reason why I prefer TripleA is because I don’t have to think about anything except strats and tactics. TripleA controls all the rules. Now, TripleA is still not 100% revised, but it’s very close, close enough for most players.

  • 2024 '22 '21 '19 '15 '14

    I’ve been playing and contributing at the tripleA site for about 4 years now, and the main reason why I like it is its ease of use. By that I mean that you can take a new person, who’s never played A&A (or maybe they’ve only played a few times), and its relatively easy to teach them the broad strokes. The computer does all the stats tracking, so all the player needs to think about are things like purchasing strategies, and combat tactics. Just earlier tonight for example, I was coaching two newbies on some of the standard openings, and even though neither of them had played Revised online before, they were both able to pick up on the basic principles and strategies right away. After one practice round, and some minimal explanation and discussion, they were able to launch into a pretty effective game against each other afterwards. I think that’s one of the things you can do in tripleA thats sort of tricky to do via email, or on a forums posting.

    The problems as far as I’m concerned are mainly with the user interface being a little cumbersome (right click drag to scroll, unit selection etc.) and to a lesser extent the lack of good path finding logic.  Many people prefer LL to dice, which isn’t really my style, but I’ve also met a lot of people who enjoy the same type of gameplay that I do. For the most part it works pretty well, and now that you can edit mistakes, corrections or house rules, it has a lot more functionality than it used to. Also, I’ll admit, I do like watching the colors change on the map. :)

    Anyway, I guess that’s chiefly why I use tripleA. Its not particularly convenient to install or customize, and harder still to set up your router and such, but once you get it working its pretty simple to manage. Also its nice to just find a quick pick up game in the lobby. I get in a good 3-4 games a week if I’m having a solid run, and its still pretty easy to find a multi game with a decent crowd even at obscure hours of the morning.  :-D

    I haven’t used tripleA for PBEM play in a while though, not for any of the official A&A games anyway. I find Revised a little slow going PBEM and much prefer to play in real time, with the ability to chat or talk strategy. I feel its a little closer to the boardgame in that respect. I don’t have much experience with Abattlemap though. How do you guys set up games usually? Is it like in a IRC chat room, and email style?  If its PBEM exclusive, then I don’t think you can really make a comparison. TripleA can handle PBEM play reasonably well, but its definitely geared more towards games in real time. If you prefer email play, then the other things that set tripleA apart probably won’t matter as much to you.

    I’ll likely stick with TripleA for now, at least until someone makes an official game engine for A&A that has more functionality and a larger player base.


  • Most games here are 1 vs 1 so there is no need to talk strategy. Although for multiplayer games there is always the option of various voice and type instant messengers. As far as the play goes players post their purchases and moves in the forum. Then they roll the dice on the server here. The rest of the moves are posted out and then the map file uploaded. I would recommend checking out the league section for a better example of what I am describing. Play can vary from PBEM type where it is a day or so between moves to real time if both players are online.


  • @Cmdr:

    I don’t need the unit size increased.  I need the units to be placed in the territory where I want them, I need them to move in groups as easily as in battlemap, I need the map to show me 80-100% of the board at a time, not 10-15% of the board at a time, on a WIDE FRAKKING SCREEN MONITOR!

    The zoom feature is probably the least problem of TripleA…

    Here is my zoom levels, about 40% to 50%, and 100% unit size.

    edit: I have a laptop, 17" widescreen.

    try this link:  http://img58.imageshack.us/my.php?image=92252397yt3.png


  • So Jen (and anybody else), what would make you use Triple A if you already don’t? What features would you want to see added/fixed/taken away for it to improve?

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    Make TripleA work like Battlemap.

    If it was as easy to use, was as reliable, and had the same features as Battlemap, but with AI and automated dice, then I would switch.

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