Steam version hits tomorrow (http://store.steampowered.com/app/365560/). I remember a lot of people raving about the IOS version when it came out a couple of years ago, so I'm looking forward to seeing it. Especially if the price is right.
My biggest gripe with it, is its a boardgame. The restrictions placed on activations and movement really hamper your choices early on, and games start to play out similarly in the early stages - so there becomes a known way of doing things. The random sized time interval between turns can put more pressure on you to move forward and complete the objective in a given time frame, and areas can become simply blocked/locked up, and with limited activations you can't do all you want to. Maybe interesting decisions, but the game always felt like it was tying you up in a straight jacket from the off, and the ability to do something with any operational/tactical flair escaped me.
Board wargamers will just soak it up, and playing against an opponent is where the real thrill is at. Apparently, but if the opponent knows the game inside out, they'll already know a list of successful "opening moves" to use a Chess analogy, and you'll be on the back foot with little ability to change things unless you also know the appropriate counter-moves.
I guess I wanted something that looked like that game, but with more operational/tactical freedom.
Considering what a sucker I am for board and card games on the PC, that's actually good news.
Oh yeah, this has been on iPad for ages. I have it and their Battle for Moscow game (can't recall the name offhand). I've had an easier time winning as the Germans in the Moscow game and no luck doing so in the Bulge game.
Quote from: spelk on September 17, 2015, 04:00:14 AM
My biggest gripe with it, is its a boardgame. The restrictions placed on activations and movement really hamper your choices early on, and games start to play out similarly in the early stages - so there becomes a known way of doing things. The random sized time interval between turns can put more pressure on you to move forward and complete the objective in a given time frame, and areas can become simply blocked/locked up, and with limited activations you can't do all you want to. Maybe interesting decisions, but the game always felt like it was tying you up in a straight jacket from the off, and the ability to do something with any operational/tactical flair escaped me.
Board wargamers will just soak it up, and playing against an opponent is where the real thrill is at. Apparently, but if the opponent knows the game inside out, they'll already know a list of successful "opening moves" to use a Chess analogy, and you'll be on the back foot with little ability to change things unless you also know the appropriate counter-moves.
I guess I wanted something that looked like that game, but with more operational/tactical freedom.
That's an interesting comment about being a board game. I have actually found myself drawn back to board games as I can't seem to find a computer war game that offers the systems and chrome that board games do. I am not talking about all computer war games here - combat mission is still the best thing ever made just ones that mimic board games such as the tiller series. I found I was trying to find something in computer war games that board games have given me back. Take the grand tactical series for example, the rendition of market garden is just fantastic and with chrome that makes it feel like market garden. I don't think being like a board game is bad at all
I had a little bit of an opportunity to play the tutorial and a couple of turns of the starter scenario. So far I like what I see.
It is very board-game like and very, very beer-and pretzels. There are three kinds of units - infantry, armor, and elite armor. Everything else like air or arty support is abstracted into the combat results (which have no luck element, by the way), and being in supply is just a matter of being able to trace occupied areas all the way to one of the edges of the map. It's even more of a gateway game than Unity of Command and almost makes Panzer Corps look like a Gary Grigsby game in comparison.
None of this means it isn't fun. It is. What surprised me was the level of polish. Not only is all the information you need to make strategic decision easily acceptable, but it comes with a full manual, a quick start guide, tutorial, several background articles on the historical battle, and strategy guides for both the Axis and Allied players.
With all that documentation I'm hoping that means that there's a lot more depth under the hood than first meets the eye.
My only complaint is that AI turns process so quickly it's sometimes difficult to follow, and I can't find a way to slow them down. Other than that minor point, it seems quite good, and well worth $10 (currently on sale for $9)
Quote from: Zulu1966 on September 17, 2015, 01:55:36 PMI don't think being like a board game is bad at all
Oh yeah I didn't mean it being a board game was a bad thing. Just that it wasn't what I was after, when I originally took the plunge.
If you like board wargames, you'll like this.
@tgb, if there are any nuances to the game, theres no doubt they've been discussed in this mega thread on QuarterToThree
http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?71544-Battle-of-the-Bulge-iOS-Tournament-and-Thread
Read anything by Brooski (Bruce Geryk) in particular. :)
Yeah, I need to find time to read all the stuff on q23, including the articles on the front page.
One thing that I forgot to mention is the way BotB handles difficulty levels. I'm sure they correspond to easy, normal, and hard, but framing them in terms of commanders with different tactics is a stroke of genius and really adds to the immersion.
Two days ago I would have said Pike & Shot Campaigns had a lock on my WotY, but now it's a toss-up.
Slitherine is really on a roll right now - Ravenmark:Scourge of Estellion is a good little tactical game, Star Hammer - The Vanguard Prophecy is the game Sid's Starships should have been, and their upcoming board game conversion, Heroes of Normandie, which is due to come out on the first, is also looking pretty sweet.
I received an email from Slitherine today about the games you mentioned, tgb. Here's the Battle of the Bulge link (http://slitherine.com/games/battle_of_the_bulge_pc) that was in Slitherine's email.