Panzer Corps?

[Flywheel]

I am indecisive over this game. It's on Steam for about £15 and it's appeal to me is the campaign games. But aside from that what do some of you think of it? I have looked over YouTube reviews but still left undecided. I would much rather trust opinions here, and what campaign DLC's do you think? I know I'm asking a lot of hand-holding on this but I am so undecided.
cheers.

[airboy]

Its a good beer and pretzels wargame.  There are reviews of both the core game and the add-ons here and at the wargamer website.  The reviews of the game are pretty consistent.  It is good for what it is.  But this is not a highly complex game and it does not attempt to accurately simulate either individual battles or campaigns.

Its fun.  Its a stable platform.  There is a lot of content out there for purchase add-ons.  The game does not lend itself to play against a human opponent.  The AI is pretty good.

[Flywheel]

this is not a highly complex game and it does not attempt to accurately simulate either individual battles or campaigns.

That helps me straight off. I do like a decent simulation element to my games. Good reply, thanks Airboy.

[Greybriar]

If you played and liked SSI's Panzer General, you wil probably enjoy Panzer Corps. I would suggest buying it and all its DLC when they are offered on sale as a package deal.

[Hancock]

Have been a big Panzer Corps fan for years, for all the reasons stated previously.  Just enough challenge to require some thought and strategy.  Purchased again the whole package when offered by Matrix several years ago.  Played it out again over a year or so.  Will probably reload in another year.  Fun times.

[Cyrano]

I want to like it.

I see all the WWII-sweeping scenarios.

I load it up.

I play through a few scenarios.

I remember that a large portion of the scenario "design" involves challenging you to capture VPLOCs within a certain number of turns or you lose.

I unload it.

I wait a few months.

When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide.

Whatever you choose, definitely wait for a Steam sale.

[FarAway Sooner]

The "race the clock to capture Objectives X, Y, and Z by Turns A, B, and C" formula has worked well for several decades now, and if you enjoy that sort of game, this should be right up your alley.  For myself, I eventually got a bit of fatigue there.

For a game that is still fairly simple, but not quite as simple, and offers a brutal AI, I'd enthusiastically recommend Unity of Command.  It doesn't have quite the continuity in the campaign game, but the individual scenarios are great little puzzles (enhanced significantly by the addition of supply rules and weather) and I found it deeply engaging.

Both games offer tutorials, so I'd try the demos before shelling out money, although the UoC tutorial barely begins to scratch the depth of the game play.

[Flywheel]

Wow some great replies and given me much to consider. I sometimes hesitate before posting as:

a) I am relatively new to computer wargaming.
b) I am female therefore 'indecisiveness' is a DLC nature gave me!  ::)

So much of my postings would be nooobie beyond belief. So I appreciate the input.
I would buy straight off Steam and try Panzer Corps out and send it back if I don't like it, but their conditions wouldn't be long enough to decide.

[FarAway Sooner]

Flywheel, Steam offers a demo version for Panzer Corps now.

The only dumb questions are the ones that don't get asked!

[JasonPratt]

I would say rather that UoC is simpler in many ways than Panzer Corps (or Korps, depending on German spelling ;) ). UoC still takes the basic Panzer General engine and runs a variation on it, but it's a much more focused variation whereas PC is basically remaking and expanding PG, so it's a proper successor to PG. UoC is great for what it's meant to do, but it doesn't have the unit complexity -- partly (or mainly) because the scale is MUCH MUCH larger.

That helps me straight off. I do like a decent simulation element to my games. Good reply, thanks Airboy.

Hm. The games do simulate tactical (for PG/PC) and strategic (for UoC) operational maneuvering, but I'm not sure how much sim you're looking for. From past experience I'd think the phrase "a decent simulation" is looking for at least a little more than Panzer Corps offers.

Can you give an idea of what level of granularity you'd like? Germany at War: Barbarossa 1941 (a remake of an earlier game by a similar title) takes the basic PG concept and adds more detail, but of course it only covers one operational campaign. Matrix has a demo.

John Tiller's Campaign Series takes the basic PG concept, dials down the scope in its missions somewhat (no bicycle troops in PG!), and adds a lot more detail. It also features a mind-bogglingly huge number of scenarios and campaigns on the Western, Eastern, and Pacific fronts, not counting any user-made content. The engine is almost as old as the original Panzer General, though, and a little... um... wonky? Quirky? I'm not entirely sure it doesn't go back to DOS days! -- but it's functional, a lot of people love the system and a team has been busy successfully upgrading it for modern Palestinian war scenarios recently. (You may have seen threads on it in the After Action report section here at the forum. The Middle Eastern campaign game is available on Steam, I think.)

For more detail than that, at a true sim level, you'll have to get into something like Command Ops or, at a much larger scale, major hex turn based games.

[Flywheel]

I couldn't find a demo and I've been back and forth from Steam most of the day. I might get it, I guess something not quite so hardcore might make a change. I looked at Unity of Command just now but meh...not liking it. Having brought the Ageod bundle just a while ago you'd think I'd be content with that!

[Flywheel]

Can you give an idea of what level of granularity you'd like? Germany at War: Barbarossa 1941 (a remake of an earlier game by a similar title) takes the basic PG concept and adds more detail, but of course it only covers one operational campaign. Matrix has a demo.

Now that does interest me, I've just had a look at a few YouTube vids and I quite like it, I think I will wander over to Matrix and take a serious look. I hadn't even heard of this game and it looks OK to me.

John Tiller's Campaign Series takes the basic PG concept, dials down the scope in its missions somewhat (no bicycle troops in PG!), and adds a lot more detail.

I have some John Tiller games as well as Grigsby, they are great. I wouldn't want any more to their depth of complexity, I want something quite lightweight. I am definitely going to look at Germany At War.

[Richie61]

I am definitely going to look at Germany At War

I have both and enjoy them both. PC has lots of DLC/ theaters of war. GAW is Eastern Front only, but goes into a tad more details that say PC. Either game system is worth it IMO.  :)

[Pete Dero]

I couldn't find a demo and I've been back and forth from Steam most of the day. I might get it, I guess something not quite so hardcore might make a change. I looked at Unity of Command just now but meh...not liking it. Having brought the Ageod bundle just a while ago you'd think I'd be content with that!

A demo can be found here : http://www.patches-scrolls.de/demo/3086/7/48299/download

(seems to be no longer hosted on the Matrix of Slitherine site ...)

[Flywheel]

Excellent, thanks Pete