Stumbled upon this link on Rock/Paper/Shotgun. On Steam, available today. Never heard of it before. Not sure what to think. http://store.steampowered.com/app/285130/
Just watched the video. Looks pretty neat. Not a huge ACW buff, but I can see the attraction.
looks interesting.
Where did that come from? It looks interesting and reminds me of an old PC game that I can't remember the name of right now.
More here:
http://www.battleplanseries.com/
Does look interesting.
Ultimate General just found a competitor.
This is interesting - For iPad and PC
If cheap I am in :)
It does look good, I had a waterloo game a bit similar to this once, can't remember what it was called though.
In theory this looks like it could be fun/interesting. We'll have to see how it pans out.
I applaud new approaches. I'm in.
Nice!
Hmm,
Reminds me of the UMS 3: War College from '95.
Might give it a go if it's budget.
RPS has a bit of a write-up under The Flare Path
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/07/04/the-flare-path-inspired-by-true-emergencies/#more-217997
My price point is $10 or less:)
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on July 04, 2014, 11:00:08 AM
My price point is $10 or less:)
Its full price is
£6.99 ($12.00) but has 20% discount for a limited time so is
£5.59 ($9.60)Seems reasonable :)
....actually Steam is showing it at $8 (through 7/11) which ain't too bad.
Sold. Hope it's a keeper.
Played tutorials & battle of Bull Run. Easy learning curve. The game speed is a little fast but the pause button is useful.
It DOES remind me of Universal Military Simulator.
TIP: You can drag & zoom the briefing map.
Bought it but can't play until tonight....better be good:)
Bought it...way too fast (for me at least). So there's a pause button - that's good, but without being able to give orders when paused - what's the point - the game goes back to pretty frenetic.
Also the combat is over waaaaay too fast...likely due to the speed. But no sooner have two armies(?) collided than one is bailing.
I did only give it a quick go - but I'm not nearly as impressed as I was with Ultimate General...mainly because of the speed
**edit**
You can give orders in pause
Some lets play videos to get an idea about the game
http://steamcommunity.com/app/285130/discussions/0/45350245279862596/
I think the game focuses on pre-planning. Difficult to change commands as it models command and control.
Judge, you can give orders while paused based on the video above.
You definitely can give orders while paused, I think JD also mentioned it after he realized it...only been through tutorials so far, but does seem really nice for what it is....certainly can be very fast though. One thing I really like is the couriers giving orders and you see them being sent out...sometimes commanders ignore them, which adds some unpredictableness to the game.
Played my first quick battle and I brought home a union victory:)
Battle of Bull Run...
Union Casualties: 7669 (historical was 1982)
Confed: 6771 (historical was 2896)
What a blood bath!
Couple other observations...
1) Really like the ability to just plan the moves and let the AI do the rest for this type of game.
2) HATE HATE HATE the unlock system....you can only play battles you unlock....gosh darn it, I bought the game and should be able to play them all as I see fit...I HATE UNLOCKS in games!!1
3) Neat how the names of the battles will change depending on the side you play...for example its Anietam for the Union, but Sharpsburg for the Confed...
For those interested, here is the official page on the game and the forums (besides steam)....according to their moderator, doesn't appear the developers have been very active in the community....hopefully that changes and they listen to feedback...otherwise this game won't go far.
http://www.battleplanseries.com/
For a change, here is a Game I see absolutely no reason to buy. If I want something quick, I'll play Ultimate General. If I want something complex and real time, I'll play SoW. If I want something complex and turn based, I'll play Civil War II. Little colored blocks, though? No thanks.
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on July 04, 2014, 10:29:43 PM
For a change, here is a Game I see absolutely no reason to buy. If I want something quick, I'll play Ultimate General. If I want something complex and real time, I'll play SoW. If I want something complex and turn based, I'll play Civil War II. Little colored blocks, though? No thanks.
Completely understandable...I am just an acw nut so nearly buy everything related....I personally think it will have a short shelf life and won't receive the care and feeding as ultimate general. It is a little different, little more strategic (less options), courier system, and does have 10-11 battles included versus one. But likely won't be something I'll play long tier and if not for the low price, likely wouldn't have jumped in right away.
I thought we where told wargaming was a niche so had to be expensive? Yet lately we have had some good little wargames coming out on steam for a very decent price.
Quote from: TacticalWargames on July 05, 2014, 08:57:59 AM
I thought we where told wargaming was a niche so had to be expensive? Yet lately we have had some good little wargames coming out on steam for a very decent price.
It has been nice for some casual fun and I will get some use out of them...however, would still like to see a step up in complexity (and more turn based without having RTS/pause) without turning into a monster wargame. But it is nice to have these options since maybe it will turn some casual fans into wargame fans, making a larger demand on wargames.
Certainly wasn't going to pass for less than $10.
Interesting that it's Osprey and yet not Slitherine...I thought they were friends.
It's very much what it seems to be on the tin -- a quick, light wargame that couldn't replace SoW and doesn't want to. Worth what you pay for it -- well worth it, actually -- but it really wants MP.
Best,
Jim
"Cyrano"
:/7)
Developers are already looking into patching a slow down speed to make it more manageable....that will help it a little as well.
Grabbed it today and am about to give it a try. It does remind me of the old UMS. I played that thing to death.
Admittedly, it was the Osprey name that drew me in.
Interesting ideas. It feels like an Osprey map, animated. I have to agree that it plays too fast right now. I also think the combat resolution results in WAY too high casualties.
Fun for the price.
Quote from: panzerde on July 05, 2014, 07:59:19 PM
Interesting ideas. It feels like an Osprey map, animated. I have to agree that it plays too fast right now. I also think the combat resolution results in WAY too high casualties.
Fun for the price.
yep, I posted the same thing in the steam forums....I was seeing casualties 3-4 times the historical numbers. The developer did respond with this:
"As for casualties, we've weighted the game difficulties to enable a variety of unit effectiveness - in a nutshell your units when playing on Militia (Easy) level, will be more able to rip through enemy units. This *might* explain why casualty rates seem excessive (even when compared to The American Civil War)!
Saying that, a unit that's militia grade should always find a veteran grade unit a challenge."
Just a heads up that there is a demo available on Steam
http://store.steampowered.com/app/313290/
They are hoping to get their first patch out by Thursday, with the biggest improvement is the gamespeed slider.....that was fast of them, assuming it works:)
Major Tweaks
- Add Speed Slider
We're going to provide a simple slider in the Options Menu that enables you to dictate how fast you want both normal gameplay and fast forward gameplay to be (as chosen by the button in the centre of the timer).
- Add undo order button to units building pontoons
Pretty self explanatory - allows a general to call an emergency halt to pontoon building, though messengers still have to arrive for the order to be acted on.
Minor Tweaks
- Ensure Confederate Flag assets show the correct number of stars
Great example of working too hard on small details and missing big ones! This will be sorted!
- Slow down the speed at which the credits roll
We know, we know... fascinating stuff (just being thorough with these notes)!
reminds me of a very old game called War College except that this seems to actually work.
I broke my computer gaming teeth on UMS II. I got to correspond with it's creator, Doctor Sidran a couple of years back and he sent me a copy of War Collage. I couldn't get it to work either and he actually told me "You might not be able to get it to work".
it worked for a bit but hell if it did anything well.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on July 08, 2014, 12:03:54 PM
- Add Speed Slider
We're going to provide a simple slider in the Options Menu that enables you to dictate how fast you want both normal gameplay and fast forward gameplay to be (as chosen by the button in the centre of the timer).
Wait, there's a
fast-forward mode to this game? Who is this targeted at, meth addicts with ADD?
The speed slider is much needed and appreciated.
Tried the demo and it was way to fast so I think I'll hold off on this one until I can demo it with speed control.
My concern is that this developer does what many developers do...mask a weak or inadequate AI by increasing the pace of the game.
Making the game so fast that you can't keep up doesn't make it a better game, it just makes it more likely that you will lose.
Don't mistake losing the game due to this crazy fast speed with losing the game due to a wonderfully competent AI.
THIS is why I like turn-based games. You can't run, you can't hide, and you can speed up the game so much that you confuse the issue. You have to have an idea on what you're about.
Let me know when this one is slow enough to play.
Quote from: DennisS on July 08, 2014, 06:12:14 PM
My concern is that this developer does what many developers do...mask a weak or inadequate AI by increasing the pace of the game.
Making the game so fast that you can't keep up doesn't make it a better game, it just makes it more likely that you will lose.
Don't mistake losing the game due to this crazy fast speed with losing the game due to a wonderfully competent AI.
THIS is why I like turn-based games. You can't run, you can't hide, and you can speed up the game so much that you confuse the issue. You have to have an idea on what you're about.
Let me know when this one is slow enough to play.
Should be before Thursday according to the developer....I don't expect a completely competent AI in a low budget game, but hopefully a good enough AI for the small price paid.
Is anyone else suffering really badly from not being able to select units sometimes - regardless of how many times you click on it?
I also have problems selecting units.
Given how fast the game plays - it's murderous when you can't select units. There's a selection issue I'm sure - unless there's a "limit" I guess...meaning you can't select a unit because you can't give them orders because all your dispatch riders are out or something - that might be the cause.
Quote from: JudgeDredd on July 09, 2014, 02:26:53 AM
Given how fast the game plays - it's murderous when you can't select units. There's a selection issue I'm sure - unless there's a "limit" I guess...meaning you can't select a unit because you can't give them orders because all your dispatch riders are out or something - that might be the cause.
I sometimes had an issue but I then changed to quickly double clicking on the unit I wanted to select and seemed to work better for me. Pretty sure the developer said no limit to the riders so I don't think that is the issue. Maybe once the slowdown patch is released that will help too.
Hello people,
Maurice here - one of the designers.
With the selection problem - can I check - is this happening while units have no orders? (They won't accept new orders if they already have one.)
It's possible that this is related to the click-able area around the unit - which we had to make relatively small due to the large number of units.
Quote from: [TMC] Maurice on July 11, 2014, 05:52:47 AM
Hello people,
Maurice here - one of the designers.
With the selection problem - can I check - is this happening while units have no orders? (They won't accept new orders if they already have one.)
It's possible that this is related to the click-able area around the unit - which we had to make relatively small due to the large number of units.
My issue has to do with not being able to physically select the unit...takes multiple clicks. So likely has to do with how small you made the selectable unit. As battles get bigger, can only imagine this will become more frustrating.
Ok, thanks.
I'll add this our list of things to look into some more.
While your here, any chance slowdown patch released today:)
Yes - a good chance. We're testing it now.
If it comes through ok - and it looks to have come through well so far - then we'll push it through to Steam.
I expect it's going to be at least four or five hours from now, though.
Quote from: [TMC] Maurice on July 11, 2014, 06:31:53 AM
Yes - a good chance. We're testing it now.
If it comes through ok - and it looks to have come through well so far - then we'll push it through to Steam.
I expect it's going to be at least four or five hours from now, though.
Excellent..
It's going to be on the Game Options menu screen - there'll be a slider where you can set your preferred game speed. The timer on the HUD will work the same way - allowing for Pause and Fast Forward.
We wanted to match the iOS version so we didn't put the slider on the HUD itself.
:smitten:
Quote from: [TMC] Maurice on July 11, 2014, 06:42:47 AM
It's going to be on the Game Options menu screen - there'll be a slider where you can set your preferred game speed. The timer on the HUD will work the same way - allowing for Pause and Fast Forward.
We wanted to match the iOS version so we didn't put the slider on the HUD itself.
We'll have to see how it works....was kind of hoping it would be on the HUD so you could easily speed up or slow down the game depending on the situation. But we'll see.
Yeah, I'm hoping the Fast Forward/Normal speed modes on the HUD will allow enough control for most people most of the time over the course of a battle. As you say, we'll see...
^ I would've thought a half speed, normal speed and fast forward would've been a better combination on the hud ;)
Just downloaded the latest patch with slowdown feature added....going to give it a try.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on July 11, 2014, 02:46:48 PM
Just downloaded the latest patch with slowdown feature added....going to give it a try.
Looks like the demo was updated with the speed slider as well...
It's a nice add, but really needs to be placed on the HUD, not in the preference screen so you can easily change the speed ....still a welcome change.
With the speed slider all the way to the slowest setting, the speed seemed about right to me. I set it too about 1/3 speed, and it felt like it was a dramatic speed up. The slider is much appreciated.
The casualties still seem out of whack to me. The AI at slower speeds also seems to struggle. Playing 1st Bull Run as the Union I was able to mass troops and defeat the Confederates completely - took something like 1900 casualties to their 20,000+ or something of that order.
But hey, it was entertaining. I like the "draw a movement path with the mouse" orders scheme of this and Ultimate General. I get that this isn't a Tiller Civil War game and ultimately probably not targeted at me. I really can't complain for the price.
And hey, it looks like an Osprey map, which is still cool to me.
Looks like another patch on its way in the near future......
Patch 1.2 Notes
Hi All
Thanks again for all your feedback!
We're ready to announce Patch 1.2, which we're aiming to submit to Valve (and Apple) on Monday 4th August.
- Various bug fixes (we'll try to be more specific closer to the time)
- Enable + and - keys on keyboard allow players to speed up and slow down the game speed, bypassing the pesky Game Options slider
- Enable dashboard tab to centre screen for CinC and supply wagons (making them easier to locate)
- Allow players the option of using arrow keys to move instead of the WASD keys
- Adding on-screen clock timer to edge of battlefield to count down arrival of friendly reinforcements (messengers will instead simply tell player that reinforcements will be arriving soon)
Naturally this is a work in progress so this list remains flexible :)
The BP Team