DruntBlunt
Well-Known Member
Let's hear from the blues who like myself love to waste large amounts of life in front of the computer screen playing strategy games. What are your all-time favourite games? Which one(s) are you currently playing? Recommendations to other gamers or to people curious about strategy gaming. Anything else you want to share.
Football Manager have its own threads so although a brilliant strategy game we leave that one out.
I'll start by telling a little bit about my own love-affair which started in 91 with the release of Civilization. I was caught absolutely off-guard and before I knew what had happened my four week holiday was over without me seeing the sun at all. I seem to remember establishing some sort of 28 hour rhythm with gaming and sleeping. No girl-friend at the time and a small grocery shop in the same building. Bliss.
Since then I played most of the major 4X (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate) turn based titles: Civilization (+ Colonization and Alpha Centauri), Master of Orion, Galactic Civilization, Total War series, Master of Magic, Heroes of Might and Magic, X-Com, Age of Wonders, Fallen Enchantress and more. Real time games can be fun but are usually more about tactics than strategy and for me doesn't get me into the same sensory deprived state that a good TB game can.
I am currently playing Europa Universalis IV from the small Swedish developing and publishing house Paradox. They also have excellent titles like Crusader Kings and the hard-core Hearts of Iron series. Brilliant games. These are all hybrid RTS/TB games in the sense that they feel like TB but have a clock that runs continuously but can be stopped at any time for orders and adjustments. EUIV is a historic game that can be played from 1444 to 1821 and you have more than 200 playable nations from all parts of the world. The game has a complex economic model with a clever trading system where historic trade routes can be harvested or redirected in order to fund your empire. The traditional tech-tree is made much more interesting by being integrated with a set of ideas that can shape your nation. These ideas are rooted in the history of that nation but can be tailored to suit your playing style. The "currency" that is used for development of tech and ideas are split into three categories: administrative, diplomatic and military. These points must be used wisely and you also need them for a whole lot of other situations in the game, recruiting generals, calming people, spreading religion and culture and so on. A highly recommended experience for anyone who want a bit more complexity than Civ or Total War can give you.
Lastly I will mention a silly little game that i have clocked more than 700 hours in according to Steam: Warlock - Master of the Arcane. It's a simplified fantasy Civ game with hex board, tech tree, heroes, cities and monsters. Not a lot of depth but played on the hardest setting it has just the right balance of easy fun and immersion that keeps me coming back for more. Made by some Russian developers I think and published by Paradox. Great fun.
Football Manager have its own threads so although a brilliant strategy game we leave that one out.
I'll start by telling a little bit about my own love-affair which started in 91 with the release of Civilization. I was caught absolutely off-guard and before I knew what had happened my four week holiday was over without me seeing the sun at all. I seem to remember establishing some sort of 28 hour rhythm with gaming and sleeping. No girl-friend at the time and a small grocery shop in the same building. Bliss.
Since then I played most of the major 4X (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate) turn based titles: Civilization (+ Colonization and Alpha Centauri), Master of Orion, Galactic Civilization, Total War series, Master of Magic, Heroes of Might and Magic, X-Com, Age of Wonders, Fallen Enchantress and more. Real time games can be fun but are usually more about tactics than strategy and for me doesn't get me into the same sensory deprived state that a good TB game can.
I am currently playing Europa Universalis IV from the small Swedish developing and publishing house Paradox. They also have excellent titles like Crusader Kings and the hard-core Hearts of Iron series. Brilliant games. These are all hybrid RTS/TB games in the sense that they feel like TB but have a clock that runs continuously but can be stopped at any time for orders and adjustments. EUIV is a historic game that can be played from 1444 to 1821 and you have more than 200 playable nations from all parts of the world. The game has a complex economic model with a clever trading system where historic trade routes can be harvested or redirected in order to fund your empire. The traditional tech-tree is made much more interesting by being integrated with a set of ideas that can shape your nation. These ideas are rooted in the history of that nation but can be tailored to suit your playing style. The "currency" that is used for development of tech and ideas are split into three categories: administrative, diplomatic and military. These points must be used wisely and you also need them for a whole lot of other situations in the game, recruiting generals, calming people, spreading religion and culture and so on. A highly recommended experience for anyone who want a bit more complexity than Civ or Total War can give you.
Lastly I will mention a silly little game that i have clocked more than 700 hours in according to Steam: Warlock - Master of the Arcane. It's a simplified fantasy Civ game with hex board, tech tree, heroes, cities and monsters. Not a lot of depth but played on the hardest setting it has just the right balance of easy fun and immersion that keeps me coming back for more. Made by some Russian developers I think and published by Paradox. Great fun.