FANTASTIC NEWS...on gog, they just released the Great Battles!
I am so happy!
http://www.gog.com/news/release_great_battles_collectors_edition
Quote from: Anguille on April 30, 2013, 06:13:22 AM
FANTASTIC NEWS...on gog, they just released the Great Battles!
I am so happy!
http://www.gog.com/news/release_great_battles_collectors_edition
Still the best ancient wargames ever. For that price they are a certain buy.
Oh thats a result! Sold!
Hoary Shiite! Wasn't I just pining over having this at GOG with some other people in the last couple months?!
8)
Quote from: Nefaro on April 30, 2013, 08:48:23 AM
Hoary Shiite! Wasn't I just pining over having this at GOG with some other people in the last couple months?!
8)
Jeez - what with Matrix reducing their prices - now gog doing what their told - this place is becoming very influential ... ;D
Bought! Thanks!
Fu** The What!!!
I've been waiting for this to reach GOG for a long time now! :)
Now the gorgeous very visible units in these games, are what Tiller should be aspiring to in his Napoleonic/ACW games! There I've said it!
Quote from: spelk on April 30, 2013, 01:01:51 PM
Now the gorgeous very visible units in these games, are what Tiller should be aspiring to in his Napoleonic/ACW games! There I've said it!
Not to mention his naval games.
Bought!!! I love GoG ;D
Did they fix the stupid "can't center the leader" problem under OSs beyond Win98?
Quote from: DoctorQuest on April 30, 2013, 02:23:31 PM
Did they fix the stupid "can't center the leader" problem under OSs beyond Win98?
Nope.
I too loved this series...however, I have my concerns. How does the game hold up? i know its turn-based and not real time, but with games like Rome Total War, etc., is it still really worth playing?
Man, I hate to be an eye-candy snob, but I don't know if my eyes can take that.
Not to mention, as JH alluded to, with games like Rome Total War available, I'm not seeing the value in a game like this.
Glad you guys are stoked, but I'm just not seeing it.
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on April 30, 2013, 03:02:42 PM
I too loved this series...however, I have my concerns. How does the game hold up? i know its turn-based and not real time, but with games like Rome Total War, etc., is it still really worth playing?
It's not an RTS and there's not really a dual-layer grand strategy side to it.
It's based on an old tabletop hex-based wargame. For the most part, a direct port. So if you're not into the hex map & counter style of wargame with specific historical battle scenarios, then you're not gonna like it.
Personally, I often find it difficult to get into hex wargames based in more modern periods for very long periods but the ones covering WWI or earlier are more to my liking. So maybe the period covered is just as important. Especially dig the Classical period stuff, so it adds to my enthusiasm with this one.
I had recently picked up some of the Ancient Warfare series from HPS, and they're fine games in their own right. But the AW series' interface is also a pain in the ass and I have to run it in 2D counter view because the 3D terrain (trees) blocks the view of too many units. :'( So this old set is a nice alternative and the battles play out faster.
Quote from: Toonces on April 30, 2013, 10:12:26 PM
Man, I hate to be an eye-candy snob, but I don't know if my eyes can take that.
Not to mention, as JH alluded to, with games like Rome Total War available, I'm not seeing the value in a game like this.
Glad you guys are stoked, but I'm just not seeing it.
I love chess and history...this combines both. You've got all the major battles with almost historical placements and number of troops. To be able to play these battles without stress is what i like. That's why i also still play Civil War 2: Generals. Rome Total War Gold has also it's place on my computer but i need more time to play that one.
Cheers
Leaving aside the point that R:TW doesn't even run correctly on my PC any longer (even at the slowest speeds, the soldiers sprint), I don't think this is a serious contest.
That said, i know my preferences lie strongly towards the world of hex-and-chit so it's not terribly surprising I prefer the GB approach. This is an easy purchase for me.
As to those who have questioned the graphics choices of the HPS series, i will confess to wondering why a game of GB's antiquity can manage to balance a crude simplicity with visibility and the great talents in the HPS/JT shop cannot. Given my poor contrast vision, the naval series (other than AoS) is a real challenge...
And as someone who cannot get into the old "eye-candy" games like Freespace and Wing Commander, I couldn't be happier to see GOG ferreting about in wargames!!
Best,
Jim
"Cyrano"
:/7)
This game predates my interest in wargaming. What makes it different/great?
^^ The system does a pretty good (if slightly ugly) job of getting across a pure-tabletop feel, with the advantages of having a computer arbitrating the rules and providing a campaign structure. Nifty little touches like the figures having bases, and a hand moving around to place and remove them. :)
Edited to correct myself: Sorry, I was thinking about Tin Soldiers from Matrix, and vainly wishing RockPaperShotgun's "Indecent Proposal" had been accepted. :)
(Although it kind of was, as Matrix has finally started Deals of the Week. Now they need to market it, and that's what having distributors is for.)
Quote from: tgb on May 01, 2013, 09:23:48 AM
This game predates my interest in wargaming. What makes it different/great?
You get to play all the major battles of Alexander/Hannibal/Caesar with historical forces & setup in a turn-based tabletop wargame format.
Although it's easier to handle than the Ancient Warfare series, I still recommend reading up on how to give group orders & such. It's far easier to move large lines of soldiers via group orders, at least until things get chaotic.
Surprisingly enough, these old games from ~1997 have more combat animations & feedback than the newer AW series, too. Instead of having to switch the color indicators over to "losses" or click on each individual unit to see how many men it has left, you can actually watch the units fighting each other and see the casualties drop as it happens. It may not sound like much, but this makes it much easier to see the ebb & flow at a glimpse (another thing AW from HPS does poorly).
Tempted...just not sure I could get over the graphics.....
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on May 01, 2013, 05:26:28 PM
Tempted...just not sure I could get over the graphics.....
It's really not that bad...there are a couple of videos on youtube you might want to check.
Quote from: Anguille on May 01, 2013, 05:56:07 PM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on May 01, 2013, 05:26:28 PM
Tempted...just not sure I could get over the graphics.....
It's really not that bad...there are a couple of videos on youtube you might want to check.
Sort of looks lke field of glory...are you able to compare the two?
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on May 01, 2013, 06:13:31 PM
Quote from: Anguille on May 01, 2013, 05:56:07 PM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on May 01, 2013, 05:26:28 PM
Tempted...just not sure I could get over the graphics.....
It's really not that bad...there are a couple of videos on youtube you might want to check.
Sort of looks lke field of glory...are you able to compare the two?
Yes. It's more complex than FOG, though.
Also, FoG costs all your money. :)
Quote from: Anguille on May 01, 2013, 05:56:07 PM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on May 01, 2013, 05:26:28 PM
Tempted...just not sure I could get over the graphics.....
It's really not that bad...there are a couple of videos on youtube you might want to check.
My youtube google-fu is weak, can you post some links?
Quote from: GJK on May 01, 2013, 09:32:51 PM
Quote from: Anguille on May 01, 2013, 05:56:07 PM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on May 01, 2013, 05:26:28 PM
Tempted...just not sure I could get over the graphics.....
It's really not that bad...there are a couple of videos on youtube you might want to check.
My youtube google-fu is weak, can you post some links?
Here's a couple:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omxc8aJaiqY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omxc8aJaiqY)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ripJJdTBOx0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ripJJdTBOx0)
Cheers
Damn, that looks much better than I was expecting!
Now I may have to get a GoG membership....
(I note that the games appear to be ports of an actual tabletop series.)
Quote from: tgb on May 01, 2013, 09:23:48 AM
This game predates my interest in wargaming. What makes it different/great?
The game was put together by a couple of the best wargame designers alive today. The research is superb, and because the designers come from the boardgame world they carry around vastly more experience and sophistication when it comes to constructing a simulation than a computer game designer could acquire in several lifetimes, simply because you can create new game engines with a wave of the pen and not worry about programing glitches and crashes to desktop. The design drives (and actually creates) the engine and game system, rather than the other way around (Tiller games are a case in point).
The drawback is the game and its game system are a bit old, and date back to the time when people hadn't fully digested the different character and capabilities of board and computer wargames. Don't expect it take full advantage of what a computer can actually do, and remember that it dates back to a time when PC's were still kind of delicate.
Quote from: Anguille on May 02, 2013, 12:49:39 AM
Quote from: GJK on May 01, 2013, 09:32:51 PM
Quote from: Anguille on May 01, 2013, 05:56:07 PM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on May 01, 2013, 05:26:28 PM
Tempted...just not sure I could get over the graphics.....
It's really not that bad...there are a couple of videos on youtube you might want to check.
Ranks with Field of Glory graphics.
My youtube google-fu is weak, can you post some links?
Here's a couple:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omxc8aJaiqY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omxc8aJaiqY)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ripJJdTBOx0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ripJJdTBOx0)
Cheers
I don't think it's fair to compare the series to R:TW. R:TW has a real time combat system, for starters and when unmodded has only limited historical accuracy. You also don't have any leader failure, which to me is one of the interesting aspects of the series: you never know when a leader will activate. The leader advantage that Caesar can employ is also nice (not sure if it's in all titles, it's been a while since I played Alexander, the only one in the series that I have a boxed copy of, and I don't have Hannibal in my collection).
One reviewer on GoG thinks it's rock, paper, scissors, but it is more complex than that. I was way too young, about 10 or so, when I got Alexander, but I still really enjoy the series. More than I enjoyed vanilla R:TW, for that matter. I haven't played any of the newer Slitherine Antiquity titles.
Hey!
Comrade, you've been scarce lately. What's up in Arnhem?
Quote from: ComradeP on May 02, 2013, 01:43:09 PM
One reviewer on GoG thinks it's rock, paper, scissors, but it is more complex than that.
Yeah, that made me wonder if the guy knew which game he was talking about. Haha!
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on April 30, 2013, 03:02:42 PM
I too loved this series...however, I have my concerns. How does the game hold up? i know its turn-based and not real time, but with games like Rome Total War, etc., is it still really worth playing?
Apples and Oranges. I haven't got this on my hard drive ATM, but have the original disks somewhere around.
Back when I was playing it, I recall it being turn based and dominated by command initiatives - a bit like tabletop DBM. I liked it and it plays very differently to Total War. Perhaps being turn based, you'd find it more deliberate and slower paced.
If I had to choose a computer game that is broadly similar, I'd suggest one of HPS' Ancient games by Paul Bruffell - although his games are much more complex in execution and detail than Great Battles.
My concern would be Windows 7/8 compatibility. IIRC the game was a fun one.
GoG tests their games on modern systems before (re)releasing; I saw it rated for Win7/8. (Also for Win 7. ;D )
The only issue I have had under Win 7 is the slightly annoying issue of the "center on leader" function not working. This creates a little more work to find the active leader but he does wave his flag/standard to help you find him. Otherwise the game was written to use your desktop resolution so it will take advantage of wide screens and higher resolutions. The gog install was flawless and I've encountered no other issues beyond the known "centering" problem.
Here is a link to a site dedicated to GB. Since the GBCE scenario editor is included with the GOG package you can install user written scenarios.
The site has not been updated in a while but has a decent amount of information.
http://www.ianm1.plus.com/index.html
Bought it...graphics not as bad as I thought...however, have had a number of system crashes. Hopefully, just initial bad luck.
Quote from: DoctorQuest on May 03, 2013, 11:16:18 AM
Here is a link to a site dedicated to GB. Since the GBCE scenario editor is included with the GOG package you can install user written scenarios.
The site has not been updated in a while but has a decent amount of information.
http://www.ianm1.plus.com/index.html
After a casual inspection I haven't managed to locate the editor yet, but some of the scenarios on that site look really interesting.
One must request the editor from the site DoctorQuest indicated.
^No. Sorry. I should have been clearer. It is in the GBCE\Data folder in whatever install folder you used for the GOG GB install. GOG just does not build a shortcut to it. The executable is scenario editor.exe.
Place any scenarios you create or download into the GBCE\Data folder. They can be played by running the GBCE.EXE in the GBCE folder
I am probably just being an idiot, I see the various scenarios discussed on this site, but can't figure out how to actually download them Anybody?
Nevermind, figured it out:)
Ok. I found the scenario editor, and I've downloaded a couple of scenarios.
Now I'm not sure what to do with them.
Specifically, I'm not sure where to put them before I unpack them, I'm not sure where they should go after I unpack them, and I'm not sure what to give commands to play them. And I'm not even sure why they need to be unpacked, though I'll take it on faith.
Which game do they go in, and do I play them from one of the games or do I play them from the editor (that can't be right).
Any insight would be appreciated.
I just noticed a post after my last one two posts back that probably answers all of my questions.
Please disregard my last post. I'll pretend I think the scenario editor data file is named scenarios.
The lightbulb has finally gone off.
In spite of what it says on the website with the scenarios, you apparently don't have to unpack anything if you put the scenarios in the scenario editor data folder.
One of the things that was confusing me was that there is a shortcut to the editor in Gog's Caesar program, but it's the program for editing things, not for playing programs that you've edited.
Easily fixed.
QuoteHey!
Comrade, you've been scarce lately. What's up in Arnhem?
Everything is fine over here. I read the Groghead main page and browse the forums at least 4 times a week, but there are often not many topics I can comment on as they concern games I don't own or am not all that interested in. I guess I'll be a bit more active as soon as the next batch of wargame releases comes along.
Have you gotten interested in any of the tablet based games?
They look nice, but I don't own a tablet, just regular Windows PC's and a mobile phone from the era where they were still mostly a phone, with limited internet connectivity.
Quote from: Philippe on May 04, 2013, 07:32:05 PM
Ok. I found the scenario editor, and I've downloaded a couple of scenarios.
Now I'm not sure what to do with them.
http://www.ianm1.plus.com/html/playing_scenarios.html
Quote from: site
So I've downloaded the .psf scenario file. Now how do I play it ?
Ensure you have the GBCE and GBCE Scenario Editor loaded on your machine
Suggest you drop the downloaded scenario file into a directory under your \Scenario_Editor directory eg \scenarios
Open the GBCE Scenario Editor
Select File and choose Unpack
Browse to the your \scenarios directory under \Scenario_Editor and select your downloaded scenario
This will unpack your .psf file to a number (4 usually) of files.
Close the Scenario Editor
Copy these new files to your \Scenario_Editor\data directory
Open the GBCE program
Select your new scenario to play
EDIT:
Sorry.. I now see your post about just unzipping them.
I have not found the actual GBCE scenario editor manual included in the GOG install (which is pretty bad on GOG's part.) If you happen to find it, let me know.
You can download it from this page ( http://www.ianm1.plus.com/html/scenario_editor_download.html ) on Ian's site. (I will not post a direct link to the manual for a variety of reasons.) It is a zipped PDF.
Quote from: DoctorQuest on May 05, 2013, 08:54:53 PM
I have not found the actual GBCE scenario editor manual included in the GOG install (which is pretty bad on GOG's part.) If you happen to find it, let me know.
You can download it from this page ( http://www.ianm1.plus.com/html/scenario_editor_download.html ) on Ian's site. (I will not post a direct link to the manual for a variety of reasons.) It is a zipped PDF.
The GOG version
does have the scenario editor. It installs to
..\The Great Battles Collectors Edition\GBCE\Data folder. The exe is is in the middle of those files, named "scenario editor".
Got it. Thanks.
Quote from: Nefaro on May 05, 2013, 09:21:53 PM
Quote from: DoctorQuest on May 05, 2013, 08:54:53 PM
I have not found the actual GBCE scenario editor manual included in the GOG install (which is pretty bad on GOG's part.) If you happen to find it, let me know.
You can download it from this page ( http://www.ianm1.plus.com/html/scenario_editor_download.html ) on Ian's site. (I will not post a direct link to the manual for a variety of reasons.) It is a zipped PDF.
The GOG version does have the scenario editor. It installs to ..\The Great Battles Collectors Edition\GBCE\Data folder. The exe is is in the middle of those files, named "scenario editor".
Correct. They install the editor (as I think I posted before) but not the manual. Sorry for the confusion.