Pay 40 now for HCE or pay 75ish for ultimate and get ANW too? I suppose it kind of comes down to what is available for this game now and what future development is likely?

 

To me HCE does not strike me as a high priority for the publisher to add too many new things to.

 

So is the current version of the game compatible with many databases and scenarios?

The current version of HCE is compatible with multiple databases, (if you check the downloads section, there are at least 9 listed that have been updated this year) and there are about 400 user-written scenarios for it in the download area, in addition to the 200-odd that come with the game. I haven't bothered to look up the numbers for ANW, but both it and HCE are still under active development, and both have new scenarios announced here on a regular basis.

How do I know which are compatible and which are not? Do I need to look at version numbers or anything?

 

Is it difficult to add new scenarios, databases, and battle sets?

 

Is there a thread that covers this somewhere so you don't have to rehash it just for me.

How do I know which are compatible and which are not? Do I need to look at version numbers or anything? Is it difficult to add new scenarios, databases, and battle sets? Is there a thread that covers this somewhere so you don't have to rehash it just for me.

 

Check out the FAQ section.

 

Scenario filenames and how they organize into the battlesets are explained here.

 

Scenarios and databases are also organized by battleset in the Downloads section.

 

If you have specific questions, fire away.