New guy looking for some advice

Started by LoganismyHERO, August 03, 2019, 11:07:00 PM

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LoganismyHERO

Hello

Good friend of mine told me about this site and said that this is a good place to get some excellent advice. So, here I am!

I don't have a ton of PC war gaming experience. I've played Battle Academy 1 & 2. Enjoyable, but it got pretty easy. I've dabbled with Theater of War. I don't remember how much I played, but I found the UI/controls to be lacking AND, I don't care for RTS. Tried Company of Heroes, but that didn't last long since it's RTS. RTS are out for me. I LOVED Steel Panthers, but when I fire it up these days it looks like the Pong game I played back in the late 80's (yes, I'm old) so while graphics aren't everything, something newer (ish) would be nice. I tried World of Tanks and while it's a gorgeous game, I don't care for shooters and I prefer to game vs AI.

The newest game I've tried is Steel Divisions and it's a neat game. I die a lot, but I'm getting better at it. Love the graphics, but the game seems pretty stale, even after 20+ hours into it.

Not into the Combat Mission games. They are pretty as hell, but I tried a demo and it's just too complicated for my tastes. Also, I've tried a few of the Close Combat games and they we're "ok", but I'm looking for a bigger scale game. I'm looking for something more strategic. I've tried HoI4, but that game gave me a headache after 10+ hours and I'm not into building/production/diplomacy elements.

Also, it would be nice to find a game that can keep track of losses as the campaign/war goes on.

I hope that's enough of a background into what I've played and what I'm looking for.

Appreciate any suggestions.

Thank you

mikeck

Take a look at the Graviteam tactics games...especially Mius Front. It is complex but it all of the tactical battles take place inside of a larger campaign system. It is RTS but is very slow
Paced...like Combat mission
"A government large enough to give you everything you want is strong enough to take everything you have."--Thomas Jefferson

nelmsm

Look at the Panzer Campaigns for John Fuller Software.  Each game will have a campaign scenario of several plus many smaller ones. Of course the AI is usually only good for the smaller scenarios but you can not seat play them and they will all track losses since they figure into the victory calculations.

-budd-

Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must.  ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Be Yourself; Everyone Else is Taken ~Oscar Wilde

*I'm in the Wargamer middle ground*
I don't buy all the wargames I want, I just buy more than I need.

The_Admiral

If you want something that has a... erm... Friendly learning curve, is pretty straightforward, emphasizes a larger scale and has an acceptable AI (that is, that might beat you at the beginning at least), I might have two recommendations to make, both available at Matrix :

- On the somewhat intuitive and easier side of things : Strategic Command World at War, pretty popular these days. A few very good graphic add-ons have made it nice to the eye, and you can play it with counters instead of sprites, which gives it less of a gamey feeling and more of a Wargamey vibe.
http://www.matrixgames.com/products/777/details/Strategic.Command.WWII.World.at.War

- Might be a bit tougher but not by much, might be quite challenging depending on the way it was scripted, and definitely on the variety side of things: The Operational Art of War IV, with a great emphasis on maneuver at any scale above tactical throughout the 20th century on a well-proven, reliable generic engine.
http://www.matrixgames.com/products/product.asp?gid=587


Yskonyn

#5
I'll echo TOAW 4 . Seems like something you would enjoy.

It's a shame you don't like CM. That was my first suggestion until you stated you already tried it. :)

Oh and, even if its real time, do check out Command Ops 2!

Decisive Campaigns Barbarossa gets good rep as well, but I havent played it.

For a cold war setting I'd say Flashpoint Campaigns or VASSAL (1985 or Less than 60 miles boardgames)
"Pilots do not get paid for what they do daily, but they get paid for what they are capable of doing.
However, if pilots would need to do daily what they are capable of doing, nobody would dare to fly anymore."

Pete Dero

Quote from: The_Admiral on August 04, 2019, 12:55:02 AM
- On the somewhat intuitive and easier side of things : Strategic Command World at War, pretty popular these days. A few very good graphic add-ons have made it nice to the eye, and you can play it with counters instead of sprites, which gives it less of a gamey feeling and more of a Wargamey vibe.
http://www.matrixgames.com/products/777/details/Strategic.Command.WWII.World.at.War

And currently on sale (only on Steam) : -50% for World at War and -63% for the bundle (World at War and War in Europe for only € 26)

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/9537/Strategic_Command_World_War_II_Complete/

The_Admiral

#7
Quote from: Yskonyn on August 04, 2019, 01:13:07 AM
I'll echo TOAW 4 . Seems like something you would enjoy.

It's a shame you don't like CM. That was my first suggestion until you stated you already tried it. :)


My thoughts exactly ^^
Besides, TOAW as a series has a genuine educative value. The sheer number of ops and conflicts covered is all the more interesting now that we are all a few clicks away from Wikipedia. If the OP finds himself to develop a specific interest for a conflict or a theater, I suppose it will always be time to help him dig further in that direction.

Another recommendation, especially if the OP is to play solo, would be to pick Unity of Command. Easy to find, always cheap these days, and a memorable experience in solo. Easy to learn, hard to master, and certainly a good intro to the second volume that should soon hit our digital shelves.

Tripoli

#8
Quote from: The_Admiral on August 04, 2019, 12:55:02 AM
If you want something that has a... erm... Friendly learning curve, is pretty straightforward, emphasizes a larger scale and has an acceptable AI (that is, that might beat you at the beginning at least), I might have two recommendations to make, both available at Matrix :

- On the somewhat intuitive and easier side of things : Strategic Command World at War, pretty popular these days. A few very good graphic add-ons have made it nice to the eye, and you can play it with counters instead of sprites, which gives it less of a gamey feeling and more of a Wargamey vibe.
http://www.matrixgames.com/products/777/details/Strategic.Command.WWII.World.at.War

- Might be a bit tougher but not by much, might be quite challenging depending on the way it was scripted, and definitely on the variety side of things: The Operational Art of War IV, with a great emphasis on maneuver at any scale above tactical throughout the 20th century on a well-proven, reliable generic engine.
http://www.matrixgames.com/products/product.asp?gid=587

Logan-Based on your comments, I would echo the Admiral: Strategic Command World at War or Strategic Command Europe for a good starter strategic-level game (although I hate the naval part of the game, it remains a good game). The Operational Art of War for a good, all around ground game, with a huge number of scenarios (but read the manual: TOAW has some different gaming concepts).  Also, here is  a Twitch stream of a TOAW game that might show you how it is played (https://www.twitch.tv/videos/314891378?filter=all&sort=time). You might want to look at the "Order of Battle" series also.  An AAR using their Pacific game is here.  It might give you a flavor for the game: http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=23273.0

You indicated an partiality for WWII tactical games.  It really is hard to beat the Combat Mission (CM)series.  If you wanted to re-try it, a free demo is available (https://www.battlefront.com/battle-for-normandy/cmbn-base-game/?tab=demo).  Before doing so, watch some of the Youtube videos on CM by "Josey Wales" or the excellent tactics videos located here:  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ6dDlqye9Q&list=UUXk3iDAUw-wlESgqwOgdTOA&index=260)  However, CM it isn't cheap.   Graviteam Tactics has already been mentioned.  (https://store.steampowered.com/app/312980/Graviteam_Tactics_MiusFront/?snr=1_7_15__13) it is  excellent, but it is  deep, and the UI is a bit hard to grasp.  Although you mentioned the Close Combat series,  consider Matrix game's upcoming re-vamp of it, in the Close Combat-The Bloody First:
http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tt.asp?forumid=1254  .  Just an aside, the Close Combat series is on a 60% off sale until August 5 (https://twitter.com/SlitherineGames/status/1157270196001935362/photo/1

If you wanted to branch outside of WWII, consider Field of Glory: Empires.  It is a strategic level game  set in the ancient  world.  It is a lot of fun and has an excellent multiplayer interface, and does not take a lot of time to make a move.  It also interfaces really well with the Field of Glory tactical combat system, if you want to resolve your battles tactically.  I did an AAR here, that might give you a feel for the game: http://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=534&t=92523.  A Twitch video of the game is here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/460105335  and a Twitch stream of the "Field of Glory-Empires" using the Field of Glory  tactical system (Which is NOT required for Field of Glory-Empires) is here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/456893813
"Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?" -Abraham Lincoln

DennisS

Look at Advanced Tactics 2, on Steam. Turn based wargame, but pretty good for what it does. Randomly generated maps, and very customizable.

Crossroads

Quote from: LoganismyHERO on August 03, 2019, 11:07:00 PM
Hello

Good friend of mine told me about this site and said that this is a good place to get some excellent advice. So, here I am!

I don't have a ton of PC war gaming experience. I've played Battle Academy 1 & 2. Enjoyable, but it got pretty easy. I've dabbled with Theater of War. I don't remember how much I played, but I found the UI/controls to be lacking AND, I don't care for RTS. Tried Company of Heroes, but that didn't last long since it's RTS. RTS are out for me. I LOVED Steel Panthers, but when I fire it up these days it looks like the Pong game I played back in the late 80's (yes, I'm old) so while graphics aren't everything, something newer (ish) would be nice. I tried World of Tanks and while it's a gorgeous game, I don't care for shooters and I prefer to game vs AI.

The newest game I've tried is Steel Divisions and it's a neat game. I die a lot, but I'm getting better at it. Love the graphics, but the game seems pretty stale, even after 20+ hours into it.

Not into the Combat Mission games. They are pretty as hell, but I tried a demo and it's just too complicated for my tastes. Also, I've tried a few of the Close Combat games and they we're "ok", but I'm looking for a bigger scale game. I'm looking for something more strategic. I've tried HoI4, but that game gave me a headache after 10+ hours and I'm not into building/production/diplomacy elements.

Also, it would be nice to find a game that can keep track of losses as the campaign/war goes on.

I hope that's enough of a background into what I've played and what I'm looking for.

Appreciate any suggestions.

Thank you

Lots of good advice here already. I'd give a shout for TOAW IV as well, plenty of scenarios, with a varying scale, too. There's a ton of tutorials too, which might come handy as the turn resolution is a bit unique (I like it a lot, adds to the IGOUGO algorithm).

Also a shout for the Decisive Campaigns series, starting with Barbarossa, the latest. But Blitzkrieg (Poland '39 and France '40) are great fun, too. Case Blue is a bit on the large size, so that as the third option of the series, maybe.

Also, you can never have too many games. Buy them all! (this is the key advice from Grogs) O:-)
Campaign Series Legion | CS: Vietnam 1948-1967 | CS: Middle East 1948-1985

CS: Vietnam DAR: LZ Albany as NVA (South Vietnam 11/17/65)  
CS: Middle East AARs: High Water Mark (Syria 10/12/73) Me vs Berto | Riptide (Libya 8/6/85) Me vs Berto | The Crossroads (West Bank 6/5/67)  Me vs Berto

Boardgame AARs: AH D-Day | MMP PanzerBlitz2 Carentan | OSS Putin's Northern War | GMT Next War: Poland | LnL Against the Odds DIY

Sir Slash

I'm in the middle of ToAW 4's Italian Campaign: Sicily to Brenner Pass. It's a monster scenario at about 200 + turns but the scale is just about right for me, about 4-6 divisions for the Allies. With the Supply and Weather challenges it's a real fun fight, very manageable. Some of these fights are better for learning the game than the Tutorials I think.
"Take a look at that". Sgt. Wilkerson-- CMBN. His last words after spotting a German tank on the other side of a hedgerow.

Father Ted

One thing I'd suggest is watching a few Youtube tutorials of the games listed above.  The unofficial ones are sometimes the best as they show the games warts and all (and are often more in depth than the official ones). My favourite exponent is DasTactic, but there are many others out there.  What you'll get from these is a much better idea of the mechanics of a game than we can give you here - how much clicking you have to do, how long a turn takes, the graphical style, and so on - without even having to pay attention to the "tutorial" aspect.