Can I just ask the Grognati about my options when wanting to play 19th Century warfare wargames (operational/tactical more than strategic).
Napoleonics are covered mainly by HPS/Tiller stuff.
American Civil War are covered by HPS/Tiller and Scourge of War etc.
You know I'm kind of keen on the likes of the Anglo-Zulu War (and Jeff Lapkoff is just about the only dev serving that conflict), but what about the likes of the Boer war, Crimean War, Mexican War, Opium War, Boxer Rebellion etc.
Is Age of Rifles 1996 game just about the only option available to me?
I'm afraid that you're in the wrong forum for that, you need to drop done a few listings to the Board Wargaming forum. Victoria 2 is the only PC game that comes to mind to me that covers the 19th Century (that you haven't mentioned already).
You've got the Mexican War in American Conquest: Divided Nations as well as in HPS the Mexican-American War by John Tiller.
I also know there are some mods for Total War games (i believe it's for Empire) where you can play the Zulu Wars.
Cheers
Quote from: GJK on April 23, 2013, 05:37:19 AM
I'm afraid that you're in the wrong forum for that, you need to drop done a few listings to the Board Wargaming forum. Victoria 2 is the only PC game that comes to mind to me that covers the 19th Century (that you haven't mentioned already).
Bah, I don't want to play board games, unless they're on the PC, or mobile devices, and have an AI to fiddle with :)
Victoria 2 seemed a lot more about strategic management than I wanted.
Pride of Nations tickled on the Boar War with one of it's battle scenario's but I can't bear the thought of installing that beast, patching it all up, just to have a sniff.
Not sure how you feel about Total War he's but Shogun 2:Fall of the Samurai takes place around 1870 or so. Can fight with era western units, artillery and ships.
AI is the best of any total war, but it certainly is not a traditional turn based hex wargame...as you know
Quote from: Anguille on April 23, 2013, 07:35:40 AM
You've got the Mexican War in American Conquest: Divided Nations
Is that the 'Cossacks' style RTS? I'm sure I've bought that and played some of it.
Quote from: Anguille on April 23, 2013, 07:35:40 AM
as well as in HPS the Mexican-American War by John Tiller.
Yeah, I've got that one - but I find my taste for Tiller seems to come and go, mainly centred around the presentation (I've bleated enough about that previously). Jeff Lapkoff did The Alamo too.
Quote from: Anguille on April 23, 2013, 07:35:40 AM
I also know there are some mods for Total War games (i believe it's for Empire) where you can play the Zulu Wars.
I have downloaded and tried out the Khartoum/Zulu Wars mod for Total War Napoleon, it's not bad, but its a bit too RTS.
Essentially I want a more modern Age of Rifles, please.
There seems to be a glaring hole in PC wargaming coverage of this period, apart from endless iterations of Tiller's engine on the biggies (Nappy and ACW). I'd love to explore the 19th Century in more modern gaming terms, but there doesn't seem to be the games available for PC wargaming anyway. Perhaps theres just not the interest, and the majority of folks who want this era, are satiated by board games or tabletop miniatures?
I keep hoping Field of Glory will dip into the age of the rifle. But they're dragging their feet...
Yes, it's cossack style RTS though there isn't build up in the campaign nor recruiting. You have your army and you have to win the scenario. So it's just the battles.
- Battles for Texas
- Battles for Mexico
- The battle of New Orleans
The sandbox mode is a classical rts game.
I agree...it's a forgotten period in gaming...but probably one that wouldn't sell well too.
I for one would also love some 19th century stuff ending with the Boer Wars. I would love to play all the Flashman adventures from Afghanistan and India to the Crimea and the Mexican War. Not to mention the Zulu Wars and the Opium Wars.
Quote from: spelk on April 23, 2013, 03:58:11 AM
Can I just ask the Grognati about my options when wanting to play 19th Century warfare wargames (operational/tactical more than strategic).
Napoleonics are covered mainly by HPS/Tiller stuff.
American Civil War are covered by HPS/Tiller and Scourge of War etc.
You know I'm kind of keen on the likes of the Anglo-Zulu War (and Jeff Lapkoff is just about the only dev serving that conflict), but what about the likes of the Boer war, Crimean War, Mexican War, Opium War, Boxer Rebellion etc.
Is Age of Rifles 1996 game just about the only option available to me?
White dog games had one on isandlwana. Beyond that I am out.
It remains remarkable to me that Tiller her made no effort to:
a: Do a game based on Victoria "Little Wars".
b: Update Age of Sail.
Both seem, to me, like strong sellers in their niche.
I have predicted elsewhere that we'll never see another "Age of Rifles"...too much content for return.
Best,
Jim
"Cyrano"
:/7)
I'd love to see more from this time period as well, done right. I loved Age of Rifles.
Unfortunately, it may be that nearly everyone that would buy a game like that has already commented in this forum.
I have mentioned before that I think AGEODs engine would be perfect for a "wars of German unification". Would include the Prussian wars against Denmark, Austria and France. Like Birth of Rome, other scenarios could be added like the Franco Austrian wars in Italy and even Crimea.
Quote from: Cyrano on April 23, 2013, 09:28:21 AM
I have predicted elsewhere that we'll never see another "Age of Rifles"...too much content for return.
If Matrix or Slitherine are listening, make an Age of Rifles engine, then sell individual 19th Century era's as DLC! It'd be another Field of Glory expansion pack fest, only with rifles.
I'm sure Field of Glory is heading towards Napoleonics. So perhaps they could just keep going with that?
Quote from: spelk on April 23, 2013, 08:00:23 AM
There seems to be a glaring hole in PC wargaming coverage of this period, apart from endless iterations of Tiller's engine on the biggies (Nappy and ACW). I'd love to explore the 19th Century in more modern gaming terms, but there doesn't seem to be the games available for PC wargaming anyway. Perhaps theres just not the interest, and the majority of folks who want this era, are satiated by board games or tabletop miniatures?
I keep hoping Field of Glory will dip into the age of the rifle. But they're dragging their feet...
I think the basic problem is that the 19th century is not technologically easy to pin down. The American Civil War (for example) is crazily transitional in terms of weapons and transport and communications.
And there's a big black hole in the middle of the glaring hole: the Tiaping Rebellion, the biggest war of the 19th century probably isn't thinkable as a simulation in current terms.
In board gaming, the Russo-Japanese war is fairly well covered -- perhaps because the technology is pretty clear for once (given the technical chaos of the rest of the post-naploeonic 19th century). And of course, by then you are in the 20th century.
I could really use a new PC game set in the 19th century.
Right now I am modding Civ V to play as the Germans building a Middle Eastern empire in the late 19th/early 20th century.
Some aspects are cool and interesting like the Prussian mod I am using along with some others, but there is always a level of disbelief in Civ that I can't reach. I need something new.
Spelk I've never tried the game but this one is a strategic level game.
http://sillysoft.net/vox/maps/Crimean%20War
By...Sillysoft?
Yup The actually game is called Castle Vox, which is supposedly like Axis and Allies with diplomacy. The game takes up a number of historical eras to include the Crimean war.
I'm looking right now and its got a Great War map...9.99 to buy and it look like once you make that one purchase all the maps are free. Am I reading that correctly?
That's the way it reads to me too, but again I've never played the games. I just know they exist. So if anyone buys it, they will be the grogheads test subject.
Someone here must have played this...if it is good it could be the solution to this thread.
Imperialism 2 has been on sale at GOG. :)
I suppose that's more 17-18th century, though.
Quote from: MengJiao on April 25, 2013, 09:35:03 AM
Quote from: spelk on April 23, 2013, 08:00:23 AM
There seems to be a glaring hole in PC wargaming coverage of this period, apart from endless iterations of Tiller's engine on the biggies (Nappy and ACW). I'd love to explore the 19th Century in more modern gaming terms, but there doesn't seem to be the games available for PC wargaming anyway. Perhaps theres just not the interest, and the majority of folks who want this era, are satiated by board games or tabletop miniatures?
I keep hoping Field of Glory will dip into the age of the rifle. But they're dragging their feet...
I think the basic problem is that the 19th century is not technologically easy to pin down. The American Civil War (for example) is crazily transitional in terms of weapons and transport and communications.
And there's a big black hole in the middle of the glaring hole: the Tiaping Rebellion, the biggest war of the 19th century probably isn't thinkable as a simulation in current terms.
I find it reprehensible that we are in the midst of the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, and we have only seen a mere pittance of new ACW titles, with all of them being built on existing engines. The Sesquicentennial is hear and there isn't one new franchise being launched to my knowledge. What a disgrace.
I believe the real reason why the ACW and 19th Century warfare in general is ignored is because it violates the Holy Trinity of popular military history: no massed sword fighting, no tank battles, and no aerial dogfights. ::)
What are you looking for in your ACW gaming that the available games don't cover?
There are plenty to choose from, each with a different take on the same subject.
Quote from: Toonces on May 19, 2013, 09:20:07 PM
What are you looking for in your ACW gaming that the available games don't cover?
There are plenty to choose from, each with a different take on the same subject.
It's not a lack of options as much as a lack of attention by the industry. You could easily say the same thing about WWII wargames, but every year we get tons of new titles covering the same battles over and over again. If only the ACW was given such lavish attention. Where are the snazzy
Heroes of Stalingrad-esque board game conversions? The
Wargame: ALB-like real time strategy games with modern production values? A slick operational game along the lines of
Unity of Command? Nowhere. :'(
There are a number of fine ACW games out there, but all of them are built on aging engines, or with less than modern graphics/design. Certainly we can do better than that. And if not now, during the 150th anniversary, then when? Surely I won't have to wait for the 200th anniversary! I don't think I will still be interested in gaming by then! ;D
Quote from: Bison on May 19, 2013, 04:35:08 PM
Yup The actually game is called Castle Vox, which is supposedly like Axis and Allies with diplomacy. The game takes up a number of historical eras to include the Crimean war.
IIRC it's a bit like simultaneous Risk. I already have Castle Vox, haven't played the Crimean map. Will look at it again.
So how do you like Castle Vox in general?
Quote from: Gusington on May 20, 2013, 07:45:54 AM
So how do you like Castle Vox in general?
It's ok, if you like Risk variants then I suppose you'd be happy with it. The big change from previous Sillysoft titles (the Lux series) is that the turns are processed simultaneously. It's been a long while since I gave it a bash, so I'm struggling to give you much in the way of impressions to be honest.
Luckily, even though my memory is failing, my blog site come to the rescue, I apparently penned a few words a long time ago about the game!
http://sugarfreegamer.com/?p=937
I did love Risk but haven't played in a million years...thanks for the above link I will check it out.
Quote from: Zulu1966 on April 23, 2013, 09:12:40 AM
White dog games had one on isandlwana. Beyond that I am out.
Unfortunately they don't seem to sell it any longer. If I had known it was going to disappear I probably would have purchased it and a few of their other PC titles. At least Disney gives you a heads up when videos are only going to be available for a limited time. LOL
How accessible is Victoria II? Really want to get it because I love the era but I don't want to get lost and frustrated and feel like I wasted my money. Is it more accessible than the EU games?
If you didn't like the eu games I don't see you liking to play Vicky.
You got it? Is it streamlined in any way?
Posted wrong thread.
Quote from: Gusington on May 22, 2013, 07:45:37 AM
You got it? Is it streamlined in any way?
I do but it never really grabbed me so I quit playing. It's something that I encounter a lot with Paradox games. I don't like the feeling that I'm watching the PC process a "game" with little to no imput from me for a lengthy period of time.
Quote from: Bison on May 22, 2013, 08:18:42 AM
Quote from: Gusington on May 22, 2013, 07:45:37 AM
You got it? Is it streamlined in any way?
I do but it never really grabbed me so I quit playing. It's something that I encounter a lot with Paradox games. I don't like the feeling that I'm watching the PC process a "game" with little to no imput from me for a lengthy period of time.
I probably could've overlooked some of that but at the same time , playing as a Major Power or one who achieves that status at some point, you have to micro-manage your GP diplomatic influence with nations you're trying to get/keep in your Sphere.
It sounds like interesting Diplo play, but it's absolutely not in practice. More like playing Pop Goes the Weasel with allocation sliders. You have to regularly adjust to the AI attempts at elbowing in on your turf, and it moves it's own sliders back & forth regularly enough to make you constantly go back & adjust. Along with timing your Influence expenditures for each nation at the perfect time. The latter causes you to be constantly checking these totals and comparing them to everyone else's for each nation you're attempting to influence. >:( Slider wars. ::)
That stinks. Any of you play the new Heart of Darkness?