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100 dollars for Steel Beasts and I'm sure that Flashpoint Campaigns ain't gonna be cheap either  Budget option: Armored Fist 3 and Wargame: AirLand Battle
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Oct 8, 2013 06:51
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I think I shall wait patiently for the day when one of these grognard wargame makers realises how to sensibly price their product and blows all the competition out of the water as a result. Until then this thread will be a source of entertainment.
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Oct 8, 2013 06:54
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Neruz posted:I think I shall wait patiently for the day when one of these grognard wargame makers realises how to sensibly price their product and blows all the competition out of the water as a result. Steel Beasts is a bit of a different animal; they sell a version to some European militaries for training purposes. It really is a professional level simulator. It's not really a Matrix-style game at all.
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Oct 8, 2013 07:17
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pthighs posted:Steel Beasts is a bit of a different animal; they sell a version to some European militaries for training purposes. It really is a professional level simulator. It's not really a Matrix-style game at all. I was more talking about the genre in general than Steel Beasts specifically; looking at those videos yeah I can see that it's an incredibly detailed simulator and the pricing point while high is probably justified. Based on what I'm seeing on the net if that level of fidelity interested me I would be willing to put down the dollars for Steel Beasts because it really does look like it's worth that much money just on the sheer technical achievements.
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Oct 8, 2013 07:20
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Alright folks, I went and played a nice easy battle and am here with war porn! Steel Beasts Is a Cold War tank simulator, and it is loving awesome. You can control anywhere from a single position in a tank(multi-crew tanks? Goon driver, gunner, and commander? Absolutely) to an entire battalion. Some of the sexy vehicles you get to drive around are M1, M1A1(HA), M1A2, Leopard 2A4, 2A5, 2E, STRV 122, Challenger 2, T-72M1, T-62, M2A1, and MORE! To buy the game is $100  However you can buy a monthly license to the full game for $9.50 . You can also request a demo but the wait queue can be rather long for that.The command UI is surprisingly not awful. Giving units orders is done through right click menus. If you order the AI to engage they will automatically seek hull down positions, you can have your driver/platoon do this by simply pressing e.  The tactical map, you can draw on it as you want, you can see the plotted orders moving my tanks up to their forward defenses.  The tank interiors are good, you can set switches on the gunners station and manually enter ranges in the 3D interior. Not DCS level of button switching, just the good stuff.  The world isn't bad either, the game even has shadows as of 3.0!  Oh god the combat, the combat is loving amazing. When you're engaging in a pitched fight you know it. Shells flying, turrets popping, ATGMs, smoke, ICM, it is chaotic and it is fun.   Reverse slope defense combined with heavy artillery made this hill particularly deadly for the attackers.  Hero Leopard, got immobilized early on and I had to pull back the rest of his platoon. Took manual control of him and kept him alive the entire game(Note the turret flying off in the distance). You can see all the damage he has taken on the top right.  Hero Leopard survived mainly due to this platoon of M1A1(HA)s covering the road on his right flank. This area was a slaughter.     Another cool feature of Steel Beasts is the AAR. After the game you can play the replay back and forth and see every shot, and the damage it caused. I have some more pictures here. apseudonym fucked around with this message at 08:29 on Oct 8, 2013 |
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Oct 8, 2013 08:27
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After years of playing Civilization games, I want to start playing things with more... well, war. I'm interested in Eastern Europe/Russia and Asia mostly, what would be a good game to start out with? I'm not scared of hexes and NATO symbols, but most of these games that I've tried (well, all I've tried really is War in the East on a friend's computer) are so inaccessible for people not familiar with the genre. Granted, I didn't have the manual with me to read, so that may be my fault.
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Oct 8, 2013 15:57
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QPZIL posted:After years of playing Civilization games, I want to start playing things with more... well, war. Have you looked into Unity of Command? It's a complex yet newbie-friendly take on the Stalingrad campaign. Also, it's rather older and simpler in some ways, but Panzer General 2 on GOG is also worth a look. Neither of these are hardcore NATO-symbol style wargames, though.
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Oct 8, 2013 16:09
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UOC base starts at Case Blue, Red Turn at Operation Uranus, and they are working on a new expansion for Barbarossa. The game is very user friendly, and the most complex thing you have to deal with is supply.
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Oct 8, 2013 16:13
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Riso posted:UOC base starts at Case Blue, Red Turn at Operation Uranus, and they are working on a new expansion for Barbarossa. Looks right up my alley. Thanks for the advice guys!
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Oct 8, 2013 16:35
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Seconding Unity of Command as a good beginner-type game centered on the Eastern Front. Combat Mission* and Close Combat: Iron Cross are also good Eastern Front games, but they're on the tactical scale rather than operational/strategic scale of War in the East, and the lack of geographic context may be jarring. Strategic Command covers a similar scale as WITE while keeping things very simple (basically move and attack with simple unit types and 1-10 unit strengths), but does throw in production and research to the mix. * Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord is at GOG and is cheap, but covers the Western Front. Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin covers the whole Eastern Front, but is old like Beyond Overlord. Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy/Fortress Italy and so on are the most modern, but again cover the Western Front and is more expensive.
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Oct 8, 2013 16:43
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I'd tell anyone new to wargaming to skip the original Combat Missions and go straight to the second generation games. They all have demos (so just go to battlefront and try them out) and are a lot more user-friendly what with the 3d Engine and the ability to play in real time and so on.
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Oct 8, 2013 18:22
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Alchenar posted:I'd tell anyone new to wargaming to skip the original Combat Missions and go straight to the second generation games. They all have demos (so just go to battlefront and try them out) and are a lot more user-friendly what with the 3d Engine and the ability to play in real time and so on. Also if you start playing CM Normandy (or Italy) now you'll have the system mastered by the time the East Front game comes out. You will also be familiar with the 1944 Germans. CMBB is still a solid game and I love it, but I wouldn't recommend it to a newcomer unless he was accustomed to 15 years old interface and graphics. On the other hand, if that's not an issue then CMBB/AK will do stuff that the newer games won't, or would be too cumbersome for. The original bunch are better geared for large scale tactical battles because they're more boardgamelike so you don't have to concern yourself with individual riflemen's placement and facing. The new series is a lot more detailed and realistic but will also take more attention and time to play a same size battle because there's more options to consider.
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Oct 9, 2013 18:17
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Right, Flashpoint Campaigns: Red Storm was released today at a pretax $49.99/€39.99 pricepoint, which I think is kinda fair. They've shipped with a pretty large number of maps and scenarios, the game is eminently moddable, and from what I could tell in the beta it should be pretty much bug-free. e: VVV let us know what you think! Koesj fucked around with this message at 19:22 on Oct 9, 2013 |
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Oct 9, 2013 18:34
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Koesj posted:Right, Flashpoint Campaigns: Red Storm was released today at a pretax $49.99/€39.99 pricepoint, which I think is kinda fair. They've shipped with a pretty large number of maps and scenarios, the game is eminently moddable, and from what I could tell in the beta it should be pretty much bug-free. $50 for a new game is a completely reasonable price tag for a release. I've picked it up. apseudonym fucked around with this message at 19:39 on Oct 9, 2013 |
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Oct 9, 2013 19:15
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Combat Mission: Market Garden was released today. $35 for the download version. The module contains some pretty spectacular "master maps" of the bridges and surrounding areas, has 20ish stand alone scenarios and 2 campaigns (with the 82nd airborne campaign having 16 missions!) Definitely worth it in my opinion.
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Oct 12, 2013 04:25
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apseudonym posted:$50 for a new game is a completely reasonable price tag for a release. I've picked it up. Do you like it? I feel like my biggest problem with the game is the scale it operates at. Squad-sized units in close terrain require way more fidelity than the vast levels of abstraction seen FPC if you ask me. Especially when you're coming off of something like Wargame: Airland Battle. If only someone with a lot of money would contract stuff like this out to Eugen Systems 
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Oct 12, 2013 17:30
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Koesj posted:Do you like it? I feel like my biggest problem with the game is the scale it operates at. Squad-sized units in close terrain require way more fidelity than the vast levels of abstraction seen FPC if you ask me. Especially when you're coming off of something like Wargame: Airland Battle. If only someone with a lot of money would contract stuff like this out to Eugen Systems For the most part I enjoy it. There's not enough Cold War wargames and I'm happy to have something that is pretty fun with a reasonable UI and not completely broken. There are some gripes though. First, you can't chain orders, I cant move hastily in an area I know is safe and then assault from friendly lines. I have to either move to the front and wait till my next orders time or assault all the way(wasting time). This can be infuriating if you need to rush someone to a gap and have them hold until more reinforcements show up. If you move them hastily they will be in screen mode and leave after a few shots, if you assault so they end in hold they take too long. Sometimes the accuracy of my units drives me mad, T-72s moving in the open at 1500m shouldn't be hit 1/20 times by my M1A1s. The ending on enemy forces below a threshold is sort of broken. Once it ends you get all VPs within 2km of your units, you were just rolling your counteroffensive to retake lost land? Nope those VPs belong to the enemy and you got a minor victory.
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Oct 12, 2013 18:20
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Is the Matrix Helpdesk the go-to place for tech support for C:MANO? Just got it and I'm having some serious display issues.
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Oct 12, 2013 18:56
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apseudonym posted:For the most part I enjoy it. There's not enough Cold War wargames and I'm happy to have something that is pretty fun with a reasonable UI and not completely broken. I believe the ability to mix orders is on the todo list.
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Oct 12, 2013 19:07
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apseudonym posted:Sometimes the accuracy of my units drives me mad, T-72s moving in the open at 1500m shouldn't be hit 1/20 times by my M1A1s. Based on my experience with Steel Beasts that seems about right. 
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Oct 12, 2013 19:58
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mllaneza posted:Based on my experience with Steel Beasts that seems about right. If you lase it twice the targeting computer will automatically calculate lead though! Right? VVV yeah I remember now. Koesj fucked around with this message at 21:00 on Oct 12, 2013 |
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Oct 12, 2013 20:23
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Koesj posted:If you lase it twice the targeting computer will automatically calculate lead though! For the Abrams you just hold a track on the target lase and fire. I want to find people to play Steel Beasts multiplayer with.
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Oct 12, 2013 20:36
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Kickass Harpsichord posted:Is the Matrix Helpdesk the go-to place for tech support for C:MANO? Just got it and I'm having some serious display issues. Also I'm going live in 30 minutes interviewing one of the developers on my stream at http://www.twitch.tv/baloogancampaign
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Oct 13, 2013 00:28
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I'm so torn about getting C:MANO. It looks good and I love the sandbox, make almost any conflict you want ideal, but I'm just worried-not so much about the price, just that it'd be too hard to get the hang of. The only similar game I've played is a few hours of Fleet Command. Plus I'm concerned that my dinky laptop may not be able to run it well.
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Oct 13, 2013 01:10
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apseudonym posted:For the Abrams you just hold a track on the target lase and fire. That really should have helped more than it did.
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Oct 13, 2013 01:39
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mllaneza posted:That really should have helped more than it did. Hold the cursor on a spot on the target for a second or so, hit lase, fire. If you have it indexed for the right round and they don't move you will hit.
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Oct 13, 2013 01:46
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Added myself to the doc, in for WINSPWW2 and MBT free versions, would love to learn the game properly vs human opponents.
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Oct 14, 2013 14:22
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Beating a dead horse, but Steam's weekly sales are now including the "professional commercial" tools and software they have. I've been tempted several times to get a DAW or other stuff I wouldn't terribly use to gently caress around with because they're on sale! These things cost hundreds of dollars and they're going on sale for $80 or so. I feel that this is the perfect allegory for niche software selling better at a more reasonable price!
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Oct 14, 2013 21:58
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Apparently the tools like Black Ink, RPG Maker and 3D Mark have been selling quite well on Steam; the community hubs for them are steadily growing (some more than others) with user content and whatnot. It seems like literally any kind of software at all can benefit from an increase in sales and user base by being on Steam.
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Oct 15, 2013 07:04
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Would there be any interest in a dedicated Steel Panthers MBT (or SPWW2) thread? The last one was all kinds of fun.
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Oct 15, 2013 09:31
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I'd have interest. I'm still slowly beating my way into wargaming, need to find more good things to play. On a related note, John Tiller's Panzer Campaigns has an android app if any of you want some mobile wargaming. I'm pretty bad at it to be honest, but it's fun.
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Oct 15, 2013 11:58
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I wouldn't mind trying to learn Steel Panthers. I'm so very terrible at that game - I think it's just the sheer number of units, but I always end up driving into all sorts of ambushes and missing shots and not really getting how to coordinate your forces, which is sad because I recognize the sheer versatility of the engine.
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Oct 15, 2013 12:09
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I'd suggest small points games for that very reason. Try to play the tutorials, particularly those with small engagements, and then just ask if there's something you're not clear on. Also, we had a very good SPMBT thread here in games, but I can't seem to find it 
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Oct 15, 2013 13:16
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Revolution Under Siege is on sale this week for $10 on Matrix. Anyone who enjoys AGEOD games have an opinion? I'm intrigued by the setting and I enjoyed the first civil war game, but I want to avoid it if it's a buggy mess.
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Oct 15, 2013 16:14
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Get it. I'm still unsure what happens in the game when I play it, but just as a tool for understanding the convoluted history of Russian civil war and the origins of Soviet Union it's well worth $10.
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Oct 15, 2013 16:28
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Oh cool, I remember looking at that game in the past and thinking about buying it, guess I'll do so now.
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Oct 15, 2013 16:28
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Dirt Worshipper posted:Revolution Under Siege is on sale this week for $10 on Matrix. Anyone who enjoys AGEOD games have an opinion? I'm intrigued by the setting and I enjoyed the first civil war game, but I want to avoid it if it's a buggy mess. They're all basically identical games with poor interfaces, slow engines, and all the complexity completely inaccessible to the player so all you can do is throw armies at each other and hope you do better than the enemy. Your money is basically better spent anywhere else.
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Oct 15, 2013 16:55
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Well I've enjoyed their previous games, American Civil War, Birth of America II and Rise of Prussia being the ones that I've played. The only real stinker was Pride of Nations as their engine was totally not suited to the task.
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Oct 15, 2013 17:09
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Strategic Command also has a Russian Civil War scenario, so Revolution Under Siege isn't as unique as, say, War in the East, but I won't outright recommend against RUS since I don't know how well the StratCom's civil war scenario plays out. Playing AGEOD's ACW game and Pride of Nations' battle-scenarios, I could see flashes of brilliance in the design: Commanders are very important, logistics needs to be tracked, the region-based maps produce more interesting battlefields than large swaths of hexes, and the WEGO movement makes actually forcing battles a more involved process than just smashing armies together ala Europa Universalis, but David Beatty's signal officer could convey info better than AGEOD's UI.
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Oct 15, 2013 17:26
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Tias posted:I'd suggest small points games for that very reason. Try to play the tutorials, particularly those with small engagements, and then just ask if there's something you're not clear on. Was it the LP?
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Oct 15, 2013 20:52
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