12 year customer reward Matrix, help me Choose!

[RyanE]

God - their Coming Soon section looks paper thin.  :'(

CMANO
DC Barbarossa
It might be a good time to get World in Flames at 40% off

I'm afraid my love of Matrix stuff took a bit of a dive years back...there seems to be very little that interests me since a specific event took place there. Too many tablet oriented games for my liking. I remember a time when their Coming Soon was brimming with anticipated games.

Keep in mind that "back in the day" stuff would sit on that Coming Soon list for literally years with almost no progress.  I think they are now more disciplined about what is on it.

[JudgeDredd]

Yes, but alot of those were on the list for "years" because they were deep, involved games. That's not the impression I get now. They're either additions/expansions to existing games or tablet games ported (which always screams being on the lite side).

[Yskonyn]

Thanks for the input guys.

I already own CMANO and I like it a lot! I dont have the LIVE dlc's, but with the tiny price they are I feel it would be a waste of a nice discount coupon if I order those.

@GJK: Actually I have never gone beyond watching the tutorial video's ! :) But it does not matter; its one
of those games I keep for a rainy holiday to bite into.

@Toonces: I do own WitP as well, hence my plea for help.

The campaign series look interesting, as does DC: Barbarossa.

[Philippe]

Whatever you do, don't get DC:Barbarossa.

It's probably the leading candidate for winning the Matrix desert island test ("if I had to spend x years on a desert island with only one game from Matrix..."), and its approach is so genre-busting that it will ruin you for normal wargames.

I recently watched Gary Gallagher's Darden Leadership Ride lectures about Gettysburg on Youtube, and one of the things I took away from it was how good a subject the ACW would be for the DC:Barbarossa role-playing treatment because of the strong political content and the personality clashes (don't even think about it, because Vic's engine works for WW II but is inappropriate for the nineteenth century).

Sadly, I don't think we're going to see any more games like it any time soon because Cameron's envelope-busting vision seems to have been overtaken by economic reality.

[PanzerFaust]

Yes, but alot of those were on the list for "years" because they were deep, involved games. That's not the impression I get now. They're either additions/expansions to existing games or tablet games ported (which always screams being on the lite side).

No, they just don't put it in the Coming soon section...

For instance, they have said they are working on Field of Glory 2, Panzer Corps 2 and Distant Worlds 2. But they haven't put them in the Coming Soon section as it's too early. They probably will once they are a few months away from release.

[FarAway Sooner]

I'll put a plug in for Polaris Sector, if you're looking for a combat-oriented space 4x that does a few innovative things.  I'm fairly choosy about what I play these days, but that one's devoured 30 or 40 hours of my playing time in the month or two since I got it!

[Dimitris]

Get DC: Barbarossa if you dont have it, it is a must.
Also Flashpoint Campaign Red Storm is essential.

I second that.

There should be a law voted to make it mandatory to own these two if you're wargaming. Like car insurance if you're driving.

[MikeGER]

i second: Flashpoint Campaign Red Storm is a must  ...especially with the new patch out O0

beside that
Yskonyn, don't become a victim of a perfid (and so very smart) marketing scheme, with a expires in 30 days 'pressure',
and the lottery if your 30 days hit one of the seldom release dates you were waiting for, or not.
Its not a 'gif to an old long time friend' at all, its just marketing, a personal gift would not expire (so fast) ...wouldn't it?
(go tell a friend or a date: I invite you to a nice dinner but only this upcoming Saturday eve or ...F#%& You) 
   
As a customer of 12 years i bet you have already bought those games that where important to you,
and i am sure you have a list of 'nice to haves' also to get when on sale.

If there is still a title on your Matrix/Slitherine wish-list it make sense if your actual personal discount triggers your threshold on a title on that list
But if your wish-list has run dry atm, don't use the 'blackmailed to buy something now'-discount and better save that money for those games or DLCs that you really want when they get released in the farer or nearer future.

Personally i felt victim to Steam sales (which also expire even faster) so often that i can found a selfhelp group  :-[
and bought titles that i actually only 'collected' and always postone to play until there are so old and there are so many news toys in my library on priority that i had them never played and finally uninstalled to free space on the HD. 

[Toonces]

Well, do you have Scourge of War?  I prefer the Gettysburg pack to Waterloo, but many prefer it the other way around.

SoW is one of my favoritist games evar, so I highly recommend it.

[Toonces]

I believe there's a demo direct from Norbsoftdev so you can try it first, see if you like it. 

[GJK]

Well, do you have Scourge of War?  I prefer the Gettysburg pack to Waterloo, but many prefer it the other way around.

SoW is one of my favoritist games evar, so I highly recommend it.

+1 for the SoW series.  I think it and TOAWIII are about the only games from Matrix that I have gone back to over the years.

[Yskonyn]

I probably sound like a spoiled brat, but I can't change the fact that I do own Flashpoint already as well.   :nerd: Indeed a terrific game.
Actually I own TOAW3, CMANO, WitP:AE, WitW + Expansion, Distant Worlds, Flashpoint Campaigns, Harpoon series, Panzer Corps, Advanced Tactics: Gold, Armada,

@MikeGER: Sure, I know its all marketing, BUT eventhough the email stated the coupon is valid for 30 days, I discovered I still might have my 35% coupon available for usage. It's listed in my account page as one of two anniversary coupons; that one and the new 41% coupon I just got this year. So, perhaps its an error in the e-mail, or I misinterpreted and you only have 30 days to activate it to store in your account.
Haven't tried using the 35% one to see if I am correct, but if so, it would be a nice gesture from Matrix without it being a marketing scheme. :)
Still, if the discount coupon does run out, it would be a waste of a fine 41% discount; I don't recall seeing such high discounts in their normal sales?

@Toonces, I have no experience with either of those games. Thanks for the pointer.

I must say that DC: Barbarossa does look quite interesting. Been watching a few YT videos and there's a roleplaying element to an otherwise conventional wargame. Pretty interesting!

What about the Field of Glory series? Is that still being played?

[Barthheart]

...
I must say that DC: Barbarossa does look quite interesting. Been watching a few YT videos and there's a roleplaying element to an otherwise conventional wargame. Pretty interesting!
...

Have you read through Jason and my DC: Barbarossa AAR's. It really is a great game.
http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=15498.0

[Rayfer]

With a coupon like yours why not go for something different and outside your comfort zone, something you would normally not get into. I don't know what that would be for you.

[bobarossa]

Why only one game?  I got 3 with my anniversary discount last year.  Even better, it overlapped with the Matrix Christmas sale and the discount was off the sale price!