The grand strategy gaming thread

[Scottyboi]

Love the Civ series and despite it's flaws Civ 3 is the best of the bunch. Couldn't get on with Civ 4. Civ 5 is ok but still not as playable as 3. I might try some of those you mentioned. I miss the old style rpg when the battles were tactical(Vandal Hearts, Shining Force 1&2) instead of just hack and slash. For all the plaudits it gets, FF7 was not a patch on those games where combat is concerned.

Suikoden 1 and 2 are the best games i have ever played ff7 has nothing on them. The only thing better than rts is classic rpg :)

 

[In the land of Barcodes]

Whats a good online strategy game that you gamers play??

I used to play Grepolis like a demon - every minute virtually was spent on there - I actually was a member of an alliance that won a world (Ithaca) - it requires a load of time and forethought - plus you need good Alliance teammates with a clear strategy.

I stopped playing simply due to the time and effort - plus the odd tenner here and there - were mounting up

Still, I enjoyed it though

 

[GazC]

Crusader Kings 2 has stole my life - it's been out a fair while, but the Charlemagne DLC comes out imminently; well worth picking up if you like other games by Paradox.

Albeit not quite 'grand strategy', Prison Architect is well worth the £7 or so it costs via Humble Bundle too.

 

[Damocles]

CK2 is a great little game though it's hard to go back to after really getting into EU4, or at least that's what I've found.

Still attempting a world conquest with Ryuku to match DDRJake, still failing miserably

 

[Shaggy]

For me, played

Medieval Total War
Rome Total War plus Barbarian Invasion and several mods
Medieval Total War II plus Kingdoms and several mods

Warzone 2100, its freeware now for PC, https://wz2100.net/

 

[DruntBlunt]

My first impressions of Civilization Beyond Earth. Build on very similar game mechanics as Civ V so anyone with familiarity with that game should feel right at home. Some have said it should have been released as a super-mod but I disagree. Plenty of things IMO to give it a 'new game' feeling. Biggest change is research where they have ditched the traditional tree and replaced it with a very cool web where you can go in any direction. Add to that many mini-quests and choices as to what additional effects your buildings should have and you have the most flexible game of the series so far. Resources, military upgrades and ideologies are simplified, virtues are very powerful. AI is pretty thick but that will hopefully be mended. Graphics takes some getting used to but I like them. The nostalgics seem to prefer Alpha Centauri but to me the hex grid is so immensely much better I would never consider wanting back to the 'square' days.

Happiness is replaced with health and this is meant to hinder you from growing too fast. But by abusing the Prosperity virtue you can easily outgrow the AI and steamroll them in mid-game. I'm sure this will be corrected to some degree. The biggest gripe is the trade system which is very profitable but becomes a micro-management hell when you get more than 10 cities. Wonders aren't that big a deal, but a few ones giving you free virtues and health are essential.

I've clocked more than 50 hrs and have a good 'one more turn' buzz still. With some patches and DLC's this will be a solid game I'm sure.

 

[Alex - City Matters]

Get this thread bumped! Any of you guys who play EU4 get back to it now, it's been transformed with the Cossack and Common Sense DLC's.

 

[BimboBob]

Anyone playing Total War: Arena?

It's free, and in beta at the moment but still good fun.

 

[Summerbuzz]

I sank a few months into a grand campaign of Medieval TW2. Ahh. the twists and turns of those 300 years. At the end, it did feel like I could write a book on how it had all played out. Everything played a part - land, culture, religion, populations, a wide range of individual characters who exhibited bravery, cruelty, stubborn resistance, guile... heirs who grew on the battlefield... twists of fate, misunderstandings, vendettas, revenge, stubborn resistance to the last, the plight of nations sealed by the unforeseen outcomes of seemingly straightforward actions. Like me attacking a pirate fleet in the med. Unbeknownst to me, they were hiding a fleet from the HRE. Decades of détente went out the window and the two nations entered a war that lasted half a century and ended it their being wiped from the face of the earth. I remember my king sending his three sons out... their first fights small scale affairs where all three fought together... then they split up, grew up, and between them took Northern Europe. They thought it would be a nice touch to let the king himself dust off his armour and take Prague, which would be the capital of Europe, his new seat and final posting until his death. The boys cleaned out the streets in a dawn raid. The king comes up from the back to take the square..... and is promptly killed by a stray arrow from an inn or something.

Anyway, there's me ruling half the world and never getting a pope. My guy on the council was far too nice. So I rigged it. I waited for the moment, then used an experienced assassin (who, as it happens, had a 10 year old boy working for him) to poison a newly elected pope. I got away with it. My guy, as expected, was his replacement. I was now not only ruling most of Europe economically and militarily, but my kingdom had god's blessing, cleansing us from guilt and conscience over the many crimes committed in taking so many nations under the Vatican. Well, that was the plan. Next turn, he died. Poisoned. I never got another seat on the council.

Then there's the first time I meet Genghis Kahn and his whirlwind, nay, his cat 5 tornado of cavalry, making a mockery of my battle lines whilst I was still forming..........that turned the game on it's head alright. I was routed for the first time in a hundred years. I used another force to take Acre - held it - held it again - held it yet again, ending up with about thirteen men manning the barricades until the second army arrived to see off whoever it was. I reinforced heavily and looked to Jerusalem. Taking it from the Monghuls would be one thing, holding it quite another. Then for some reason Genghis decided he didn't like it there and upped sticks. Victory! Well, almost. All I had to do was hold it and rid the holy land of the barbarian scourge.

Yeah. About that. It decided now would be a good time to corrupt my save game.

TBH I haven't enjoyed a TW game since. Empire's map was too complicated for human and AI. Didn't try Napoleon. Everyone bangs on about Shogun 2 as being a major return to form but whilst the AI put up a good fight I thought the units and factions lacked variety. I didn't invest in any of the characters, either, for some reason. Part of that is the setting - I have a lot of time for Japanese period dramas but I don't think the story of the period suits a TW game - there isn't the grand clashes of different ways of life (and fighting) of Rome or Medieval. Most of all it lacked the 'I can't believe that just happened' followed by 'actually, that sounds exactly like how history works' moments, the twists of fate that the old games seemed to throw up.

Apart from that, I was very much into Company Of Heroes and the expansions. Not so much the sequel, although the expansion featuring a grand campaign map looks OK. It's weird how adding more leaves you with less. Someone pointed out that the early TW games mapped their units differently - even if you couldn't see every last individual acting realistically, it felt like the unit had 'weight' - in the later games, the relationship between individual fighter and unit is wonky, and both end up behaving unrealistically. There's a good video about this somewhere.... anyway, COH2 had a similar problem with squad behaviour, in particular cover, and use of the environment. One thing the original COH did brilliantly was to make the landscape and buildings a central part of the battle, something you could interact with and often alter to suit your purpose. This is one reason that SC2, as fun and well balanced as it is, seems utterly sterile to me, just build orders and micro.

Yes, I know full well I would fall head over heals into CK2. I just can't bring myself to do it, for some reason. I think those memories of TW2 are pretty precious, I'd be worried about losing them. I understand they're doing a sci-fi project, Stellaris and that'll be a good place for me to jump onboard.

Looking forward, I can't say I've got much interest in Total Warhammer or whatever it's called. But I hear tell there's a new Age Of Empires this year.. and I might have a look at Halo Wars 2, as Creative Assembly are involved. Also intrigued by Offworld Trading Company and Riot Control.

 

[Tricky Dickys Right Foot Shot]

XCOM 2 is out next month on the 5th, I can't wait!

XCOM is probably the best RPG/Strategy game I've ever played and I've played my fair share!