Steel Division 1944 (by wargame red dragon devs) in game trailer and unit stream

[sandman2575]

Anyone else finding that (irrespective of what speed setting you're using) Steel Division plays 'slower' than Wargame? I'm finding that things develop more slowly, that units are more robust (esp. infantry) and in general just seem to last longer. For me this is *excellent* news. I find the pace of Wargame pretty difficult to handle. But I feel more in control so far in SD -- able to respond to situations without constantly hitting bullet-time/pause. I don't feel like I'm constantly on my heels, constantly trying to hold back the AI on multiple fronts.

Full disclosure though, I've been playing on "Easy" so far. Will bump that up to "Normal" later.

The Point-du-Hoc map is fantastic. Love all the tactical possibilities it opens up. And love that controlling major roads is essential.

[jomni]

Anyone else finding that (irrespective of what speed setting you're using) Steel Division plays 'slower' than Wargame?

WW2 tanks are slower than modern tanks.

[Destraex]

Yes it plays slower than wargame in some respects. Faster in others due to the short map distances. I am finding that most things have less strategy and more immediate reactive counters. For instance I can have a fighter in as a counter for a bomber instantly and be attacking it.

[MikeGER]

i saw some YT  let's-play footage and it looks great, love the setting :D, and i also like the bullet times as a semi-pause option for giving orders. :)
  ...i have the other Eugen games (steam sales :-[) but coudn't stand the hectic pace

also i saw a battle recorder replay in use! :)
where you can analyze (and surly marble, while zoomed-in) at your fight
and watch all the little details impossible to marble at when the overall battle has to be orchestrated zoomed-out

My question to those who already have it:
I know its meant and balanced for RTS fun and not a study sim, but does the different units stays close enuf to their well known real life counterpart and real life tactics, so it can be enjoyed by a Grog?

for example: does a MG and a group or two of riflemen plink away at a tank (if this is a good idea without AT capabilities on hand anyway) and just slowly wear down the 'health bar' of the tank ... which finally explodes from a hails storm of rifle bullets.
or do they just make the tank buttoned-up (spotting malus), the crew gets uneasy, and the tank might stop at max range engaging the now spotted juicy targets and even pull back a little because it fears possible closer range AT assets in the group.         

Is there a bit of unit-AI of selfpreservation visible, so a (recon)unit don't open up on a overwhelming force and just spot and don't give away its position to be instantly annihilated
Does Infantry 'get attracted' by near cover when getting under fire and fall back when pressed to hard, or do they die in the to the pixel pinpointed spot they where send to like dumb robots (4example in the middle of the street close to a house)

If you watch a Steel Division 1944 battle between a handfull WW2 units when closer focused on a hot spot of the battlefield does it feel right what you see?
or does it get it too much of Halo Wars 2 in WW2 skins when zoomed in on a unit and observing the action.

[Destraex]

i saw some YT  let's-play footage and it looks great, love the setting :D, and i also like the bullet times as a semi-pause option for giving orders. :)
  ...i have the other Eugen games (steam sales :-[) but coudn't stand the hectic pace

also i saw a battle recorder replay in use! :)
where you can analyze (and surly marble, while zoomed-in) at your fight
and watch all the little details impossible to marble at when the overall battle has to be orchestrated zoomed-out

My question to those who already have it:
I know its meant and balanced for RTS fun and not a study sim, but does the different units stays close enuf to their well known real life counterpart and real life tactics, so it can be enjoyed by a Grog?

for example: does a MG and a group or two of riflemen plink away at a tank (if this is a good idea without AT capabilities on hand anyway) and just slowly wear down the 'health bar' of the tank ... which finally explodes from a hails storm of rifle bullets.
or do they just make the tank buttoned-up (spotting malus), the crew gets uneasy, and the tank might stop at max range engaging the now spotted juicy targets and even pull back a little because it fears possible closer range AT assets in the group.         

Is there a bit of unit-AI of selfpreservation visible, so a (recon)unit don't open up on a overwhelming force and just spot and don't give away its position to be instantly annihilated
Does Infantry 'get attracted' by near cover when getting under fire and fall back when pressed to hard, or do they die in the to the pixel pinpointed spot they where send to like dumb robots (4example in the middle of the street close to a house)

If you watch a Steel Division 1944 battle between a handfull WW2 units when closer focused on a hot spot of the battlefield does it feel right what you see?
or does it get it too much of Halo Wars 2 in WW2 skins when zoomed in on a unit and observing the action.

With regard to your question about rifle fire at tanks. I do know that weapons that cannot harm the tank do not penetrate or kill it but do cause the tank "stress". If the tanks gets stressed enough it retreats.
As  for self preservation, I think everything opens up unless expressly told not to open up on anything. You can switch the different weapons in the squad on and off iirc. So maybe turn the rifles off and leave the piat on for instance.
I cannot answer the last question properly without playing more. Suffice to say you are still rushing around while you learn it..... but after I learn it properly I don't know... guess that means slow it down with bullet time. With only a few games under my belt I am able to zoom and enjoy it although I don't like the camera angles particularly. I find myself adjusting it again every time I zoom in.

[Surtur]

Picked it up yesterday and played two games. One game versus AI and a 10v10 online, both were great fun.

The game does feel a bit slower paced than Wargame, and I like that, though still a bit too fast for my tastes. Regardless, they are off to a nice start!

[Jarhead0331]

With the multiple speed settings I just do not understand how anyone could complain that this game is still "too fast". Just say you prefer turn-based over real time, because it seems that is what you must really mean. Both bullet time and very slow barely friggin move! Slow and normal I find are perfect under most circumstances, but sometimes are also too slow. As far as real time mechanics go, the multiple speed settings create the perfect balance during periods of intense action, light contact and positioning or maneuver.

[Surtur]

With the multiple speed settings I just do not understand how anyone could complain that this game is still "too fast". Just say you prefer turn-based over real time, because it seems that is what you must really mean. Both bullet time and very slow barely friggin move! Slow and normal I find are perfect under most circumstances, but sometimes are also too slow. As far as real time mechanics go, the multiple speed settings create the perfect balance during periods of intense action, light contact and positioning or maneuver.

While this holds true for singleplayer ("slower" is a nice speed for me), in multiplayer, normal will be the standard, and this is a multiplayer focussed game. Still having a blast though, the 10V10 was really interesting and the frontline mechanic felt natural.

[Jarhead0331]

With the multiple speed settings I just do not understand how anyone could complain that this game is still "too fast". Just say you prefer turn-based over real time, because it seems that is what you must really mean. Both bullet time and very slow barely friggin move! Slow and normal I find are perfect under most circumstances, but sometimes are also too slow. As far as real time mechanics go, the multiple speed settings create the perfect balance during periods of intense action, light contact and positioning or maneuver.

While this holds true for singleplayer ("slower" is a nice speed for me), in multiplayer, normal will be the standard, and this is a multiplayer focussed game. Still having a blast though, the 10V10 was really interesting and the frontline mechanic felt natural.

Very good point about MP. I didn't think about that. How do speed settings work in MP matches? Is a single speed setting selected by the host?

[Apocalypse 31]

for example: does a MG and a group or two of riflemen plink away at a tank (if this is a good idea without AT capabilities on hand anyway) and just slowly wear down the 'health bar' of the tank

It's not a health bar. It's a stress bar.

[Apocalypse 31]

I bought it. I'm not sure if I will refund it.

It's not my thing.

I've fallen from Wargame.

I dont enjoy micromanaging squads & teams
I have an entire Battalion / Battlegroup to worry about. I want to focus on tactics of my entire element - flanking and maneuvering - not whether Johnny and his Bren team need to move 5 meters into cover or not. The game just feels like Company of Heroes on steroids.

This is not a good solo game - the AI is just able to react much faster than a human.
There were times when I was trying to balance my focus on my entire force. I had a Rifle platoon, a section of M18's, and a 17lber. The infantry was getting hammered by tanks, my M18's were getting hammered by AT guns, and the enemy was firing 2x rocket halftracks worth of munitions at my 17lber.

The AI can attack you, while simultaneously coordinating ground - air - artillery. No human can react to all of that. I was spending very little time on any specific unit because I was bouncing back and forth too much. The end result was - everything was destroyed.

Things I DO like:
-Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful game. Eugen never fails to amaze me with their IrisZoom game engine. This is my favorite, asethetically looking game engine on the market.
-Command Units are cool
-No more victory locations - Conquest mode now takes the entire map into account. So the winner is the guy who controls the majority of the map - through a frontline

[RyanE]

But can't you slow it down to help you manage all that.  Its the same reason I hate CM real time...but you have no real-time features with CM.

[RyanE]

Can someone list some specific differences to Red Dragon from a game play standpoint?  I loved building decks but hated playing, mainly because it seemed so gamey to me and was a complete departure from reality.  Once passed building your force, it was just boom, boom, boom.

[Apocalypse 31]

But can't you slow it down to help you manage all that.  Its the same reason I hate CM real time...but you have no real-time features with CM.

You can, but its still a crap-ton of units, and the AI is still making decisions at full speed.

Can someone list some specific differences to Red Dragon from a game play standpoint?  I loved building decks but hated playing, mainly because it seemed so gamey to me and was a complete departure from reality.  Once passed building your force, it was just boom, boom, boom.

-Front lines - especially relevant in Conquest mode
-Unit Leaders (increase the experience level of nearby units)
-Unit unlocks by phase (Phase A, B, C) - Units are phsed in over time, so you dont get steamrolled by a division of Panther G's at start of a match.

[acctingman]

I bought it. I'm not sure if I will refund it.

It's not my thing.

I've fallen from Wargame.

I dont enjoy micromanaging squads & teams
I have an entire Battalion / Battlegroup to worry about. I want to focus on tactics of my entire element - flanking and maneuvering - not whether Johnny and his Bren team need to move 5 meters into cover or not. The game just feels like Company of Heroes on steroids.

This is not a good solo game - the AI is just able to react much faster than a human.
There were times when I was trying to balance my focus on my entire force. I had a Rifle platoon, a section of M18's, and a 17lber. The infantry was getting hammered by tanks, my M18's were getting hammered by AT guns, and the enemy was firing 2x rocket halftracks worth of munitions at my 17lber.

The AI can attack you, while simultaneously coordinating ground - air - artillery. No human can react to all of that. I was spending very little time on any specific unit because I was bouncing back and forth too much. The end result was - everything was destroyed.

Things I DO like:
-Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful game. Eugen never fails to amaze me with their IrisZoom game engine. This is my favorite, asethetically looking game engine on the market.
-Command Units are cool
-No more victory locations - Conquest mode now takes the entire map into account. So the winner is the guy who controls the majority of the map - through a frontline

Thank you for this. This makes me think I'll buy it down the road when it's 50% off O0