Talk me into it, or talk me out of it.
What I really want is a medieval, turn-based, hex and counter game. Lacking that, this seems about as close as I'm going to get, or else I have to go to ancients, which I prefer not to do.
I know that Field of Glory is an alternative, but I've heard too much negative about the AI.
I'm pretty n00by re: the 30 Years War, and I'd prefer something set more 1100-1400 or so, but a man has to make do.
Anyway, like I said, talk me into it, or out of it, whichever you prefer.
I had it, but I just can't get on with the HPS games somehow. I don't think I have the patience to work with the interface. Personally I would vote FoG as I enjoy it a lot more having tried both. I personally wouldn't knock the FoG AI as its beaten me before -although I'm sure if you play it enough there will be areas that it is found lacking in. From what I have heard HPS are no better AI wise though -both titles are better played as PBEM games apparently - unless you're rubbish like me!
I guess if you are prepared to learn HPS's system if you haven't used it before and take the time to play it, it will give a better representation of the conflicts modelled - more units representing the forces involved and therefore greater depth. FoG on the other hand is easy to learn and hard to master -it gives you enough units but not so many that moving them and watching combat results etc becomes an exercise in patience. It's also prettier! ;D
I dont have it but i would like to get it - its one of the few games out there that give lot of attention to the Renaissance - long have i wanted to play a game with Landsknechts! i like that it looks t have a lot of scenarios.
I like the HPS interface, granted its nothing new but once i started using i found it pretty easy. I have alot of the napoleonic battles HPS games and i love them. They are great - heaps of scenarios, fine for average wargamer like myself in solo play and also superb and easy to play PBEM.
Best of all, the Renaissance game does now also have 3d units. I like playing the tiller games from all the display levels. The addition of 3d units comes in a patch for the game. I think it is worth getting if you have the money free to do so with.
Like agathosdaimon, I don't own Rennaissance but I do play and enjoy HPS's Napoleon and American Civil War games. Playing with the 2D counters and with turned based gameplay with hexes, they are very much like playing old board games but without having to refer to charts and rolling dice. They are not everyone's 'cup of tea' for sure, and though many think their AI is lame I find it otherwise, they give me a good challenge and victory is never a sure thing.
I have it and I love it, though to be fair I do love the HPS engines in general. You can also find PBEM opponents to play against at theblitz.org
Your eyes will bleed
lol, yes the graphics do not appeal to all but i dont mind them and there are a few graphics mods around. I use one on the campaign leipzig game that makes it much nicer and with a more distinct autumn look.
here is a screen shot of the 3d view i found on google
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ftrauth116.com%2Fgallery3%2Fvar%2Falbums%2Fhist-sdc%2Fimage353.jpg%3Fm%3D1309595105&hash=b34851fc283cb6f98e61657a5cd050202462baa3)
Buy it. It's great.
I actually think with the 3D units it looks quite good - I just wish there was an easier way to set strategies etc than literally moving every single unit, then attack with any relevant units, then watch the AI do the same. I guess I don't have the patience having been spoilt by games like Battles from the Bulge and Scourge of War etc where the engine doesn't expect me to hold the hands of every single unit. I have a feeling that the HPS games DO have something similar, but when I tried it, the system felt clunky and slow. Anyone got any tips as how to enjoy the HPS games to the fullest?
Looking at that screen shot, is Tiller is still using the same graphics from the old Campaign Series? :o
Actually, it's not Tiller so much as Joe Amoral.
It's a great game, even if the 3D graphics aren't wonderful. The early period scenarios ought to scratch your itch for medieval armies, since that's essentially what they are. There's a really nice unit mix. The game definitely captures the feel of that period in terms of tactics.
Ren is one of my favorite Tiller engine games. However it must be noted that like most Tiller titles the AI is not the strongest in large or campaign scenarios. If you PBEM, the game really shines.
actually regarding the micro-management of units, i thought that would make the massive 363 turn leipzig battle scenario in the napoleonic battles games a tiresome task but actually no there are in that game several ways to minimise this:
If i have units that all in the same division/corps etc linked, i can just select the destination and hold alt key and all will move - and usually they will fall into an order of highest ranking first. I like the challenge of trying to maintain cohesion while putting a plan to work as roads can get quite choked up with converging armies of infantry cavalry artillery supplies etc.
Another option is to just move the units i want to int he turn and then activate ai to do the rest, or one can switch the command level they are playing and just give more general orders to whole organisations of forces.
Do these types of options exist in the Renaissance game i am not sure, but in any case it looks great and worth getting definitely. I think i will get this soon and perhaps query if someone wants to PBEM with me
Honestly if you want to PBEM the Tiller games theblitz.org is one of the best places to go. There are also several clubs that exist for specific eras Nappy, ACW, and the EAW.
I appreciate the feedback guys.
I have several HPS games and I'm not in love with the UI, graphics, etc. Bleeding eyes is a good description. And I don't think I've ever really gotten my full money's worth out of any of them.
However, my options are pretty limited here. I'm going to think on this a bit more. $40 isn't going to break the bank, but I don't want to just flush money down the toilet, either.
Really it's the scale of the battles and the campaigns that have me leaning towards REN over FoG. I probably ought to just pony up the cash for both, but that's a lot of clams for two games I might not even like.
This is tough. ???
I doubt this is what you want, but if you want Medieval battles, from Middle Ages to the Rennaissance, Jeff Lapkoff has this quite old title. Graphics are very basic, interface very quirky/homebrew, but I believe he's working on an updated version (Vengeance: Medieval 3.0) .
http://jlssg.com/medieval.html
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjlssg.com%2Fimages%2Fgarig.jpg&hash=10b1e2570266307735b5cf5eae14f6f854448da4)
Quote"Next up for JLSSG is a complete update of the Medieval 2 game system entitled 'Vengeance'. Vengeance will offer stronger command and control modeling, more detailed armor and weapon handling (including horse barding), a wider range of scenarios including the Dark Ages, a more powerful scenario editor (with army presets), an updated look and feel, and last, but not least, direct head to head play via the web. No projected release date has been set for Vengeance. "
Here's a sneak teaser peak at the Vengeance Scenario Editor
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjlssg.com%2Fimages%2Fbpvng01.jpg&hash=ab071022fb7fbe1767401e8cfa07379fb12b8bd7)
Quote from: Bismarck on August 13, 2013, 02:32:35 PM
Actually, it's not Tiller so much as Joe Amoral.
Technically Dean Beecham did the 3D graphics for REN, and what gets me thinking is how do you show pike units and then retain the larger scale? I don't think that you can, namely because the pikes themselves have to fit in the confines of the hex itself too.
Add to that, in a perfect world when in block formation (which I am sure would have to be abstracted) -even with pikes down (or not marching in other words) -you still have to show them within the hex.
If I were doing it too I would want to change around the bases (not a big fan of the two colour schemes) -there is a complication with those too, aside from not being entirely sure all of the alignments are correct -that is the base for block formation... something happened to those ones and they are not in the same order as all of the other bases so you have to watch yourself after going through all of the other bases ... all of a sudden things are in a different order ( my guess is it was not intended that way - but they just went with it.... still, it can throw you off ;) ).
Personally I am more inclined to show scope as opposed to individual graphics (which I guess makes me more of a 6mm (or smaller) miniature gamer than a 15 - 25mm (or larger) gamer... that being said I have no idea how it would come out ... so I might have to start playing around with it... and mind you the sole reason is to fit pikes into the defined space -you cannot really do it and retain the same scale given that the entire image has to fit in an exact spot (well not without some guys looking like Wilt Chamberlain next to some very small in stature pike guys).
I saw the more 'recent' (quotes for the relativity of the term) screenshots -those are all well and good but the thing is - the Jeff Lapkoff title if you look at his one artillery guy all the way to the right - that basically is a 2d map with some 3d-esque attributes. The Vengeance scenario editor image --same sort of thing - the hex dimensions are not the same (but then again it is an interesting approach since the hex dimensions are already going to be known in JTS), I'll have to grab one of those and see how many pixels there are to work with -although offhand it looks like the hex dimensions in that shot are significantly larger than what you will have in a JTS title (at this point and unless they add another native resolution), which is probably not going to be possible -assume that you have to work with the dimensions that you have got.
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This is sort of interesting and semi-related to HPS' Ancient Warfare series (not a Tiller developed title -as that gets chucked out there all of the time - it is wrong). The same sort of discipline might apply there as well (actually I think it would) -although I only ever really thought about reworking the 2d maps to something more 2d (as they stand right now the 2d res for that series is basically using 3d style graphics as well)... I never got around to it but I guess I could use more graphic challenges.
Quote from: southern_cross_116 on January 18, 2015, 05:34:47 PM
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This is sort of interesting and semi-related to HPS' Ancient Warfare series (not a Tiller developed title -as that gets chucked out there all of the time - it is wrong). The same sort of discipline might apply there as well (actually I think it would) -although I only ever really thought about reworking the 2d maps to something more 2d (as they stand right now the 2d res for that series is basically using 3d style graphics as well)... I never got around to it but I guess I could use more graphic challenges.
The Ancient Warfare series could desperately use some 2D terrain to replace the "3D" mode's terrain. I think the units look great in 3D mode but any tall terrain (trees, huts, etc) just blocks out anything behind them. Not good when you can't see units in trees or on the other side of certain terrain without having to constantly rotate the map.
Or at least shortened versions of said view blocking terrain.