OFFICIAL Strategy Gaming Thread

[Kursah]

I've been watching it...sounds like they might allow a little further zoom out. I do like the old AoA and I enjoyed the Wargames series too. I'm eager to see how this one takes, just no more monies for games yet. You have it?

 

[Delta6326]

I do Not have it, I'm waiting to see more info and reviews. I'm in the same position saving money, and need to finish the Games I already have. Just spent like $2k On gaming table with racing Sim gear.

 

[hellrazor]

I was starting to play Endless Legend yesterday, but then I found out that somebody made an HD mod for Diablo 1.... soo.... yeah.

 

[Kursah]

Been bouncing between SupCom 2 and PA: Titans with my youngest, having a blast. Then recently....Grey Goo went on sale on Steam and I had to snag it...after a handful of reviews and videos...I was sold. This one flew under my radar as it is not often I'll pay full retail for a game...and this one rarely went on sale. But being developed by Petroglyph (of Westwood post-EA buyout fame...), this earned my attention repeatedly over the months.

I've spent a couple hours between skirmishes and the sp campaign. Needless to say I had to buy two copies because my youngest loved it too. It brings a fresh face to a more classic-RTS style that plays super well. It doesn't feel like your APS happy Starcraft 2...and isn't huge like SupComFA. Honestly to me, it feels like a what C&C3 or Tiberian Sun 2 could've been. Though admittedly I'd love to see a true C&C....especially of the tiberian dawn/sun lineage get a modern treatment beyond what 3 received....I digress. This is good. There's the Beta, Humans and Goo. Grey Goo, is an end of the world by micro/nanobots that self-replicate...honestly before this game I didn't know that description was legitimate...but it seems to be.

Regardless, the graphics are good, the gameplay is great, the CGI cutscenes are first rate, the design is solid, there's DLC and patches, online tournaments, and more. I feel this game was a late bloomer only because it was so unknown and awkardly named. The name makes more sense...but the fact that many may have to look it up to understand that the name is truly relevant to the situation and game probably throws many off when they don't know in the first place. Maybe I'm naive...

Either rate...if you have browsed passed this or glanced at it, I ask that you take another serious look. So far it has been a lot of fun and in Skirmishes the AI is pretty good...granted I suck so take that with a grain of salt. But this title and the occasional Ashes run through to see how it plays are what have been new in my RTS game-time. The kids still prefer SupCom2, and it is a great RTS for a family environment and getting kids into strategic thinking imho. It has worked thus far...one likes Star Craft 2, the other loves this.

http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/grey-goo

http://store.steampowered.com/app/290790/

I should've posted this days ago...when the free weekend and sale started. My apologies!

 

[Mussels]

i kickstarted PA (and therefore got titans free) and just cannot stand the fucking game. those tiny ass planets shit me to tears with the way things rotate. up needs to stay as up, even with orientation locked it drives me mad.

 

[Kursah]

Ya I got Titans free as well being an original backer. And I gotta agree the planets should be much larger...but for a quick fun burst with the kids it is been great. Especially with the titan units, we'll dominate a small system and usually have a good time with it. Orientation-wise...I hit space bar or whatever to set north, there's another setting in options you can set to help keep orientation as well iirc. PA could've been better, and could've better lived up to the hype...but overall I still find it is fun for a couple rounds.

 

[Mussels]

i have it locked to the set orientation, but scrolling around in a 1v1 vs the AI still ends up rotating things on me. i'll look into grey goo, but having low hopes i may be surprised.

 

[Kursah]

Depends on what kind of RTS you want, Grey Goo is more old school..not much zoom...so if you've gotten too used to SupComs and such and can't stand limited zoom with the likes of StarCraft 2, C&C 3, etc...then avoid Grey Goo. It has been surprisingly entertaining and thus far has been a well polished experience...something I haven't experienced in RTS in a while. Wish this and other games would have demos or trials...makes it a risk. I usually review, read and watch streams till my eyes burn before I buy games anymore tho. This one hasn't been a disappointment for me yet. And I got over the zoom limitation quickly because of the game's design and style.

Good to know on PA..I got used to it in alpha/beta/gamma and never worried too much about it...though I do recall it was uber annoying at times.

I'm also keeping my fingers crossed for Ashes of the Singularity...that game as a lot of potential to be a good SupCom successor for modern hardware. Still seems like more of a tech demo now than a game tho...

 

[Mussels]

supcom FA and SC2 player here, zooms not an issue.

 

[Kursah]

Well got a few more missions into the SP campaign, digging the very well done CGI videos that tie the story into the missions. Also plays surprisingly well on my Dell 3540. I wish they allowed for a little more zoom in and out...in to appreciate the detail and shadow and lighting work a little closer and also a little further out to get a better "vista" view. Oh well beyond that I can't really complain. Haven't had a SP campaign get me as involved since SC2 WoL's. It is enjoyable, and how GG works is entertaining as well.

I will say the Beta and Humans play similarly but have some tactical differences, though I have primarily played the Beta thus far in Campaign and Skirmish modes. The Goo are something totally different altogether and I think it's friggin awesome!

Dammit, can we get these guys back the IP to Command and Conquer so we can get a true sequel to Tiberian Sun?!?! Not saying this is the best RTS or anything, some probably won't like it...but it is really well polished, plays great, looks great, has great sound, the music really reminds me of C&C with its bassy electric mixes and beats, overall is a very enjoyable experience that has been hard to walk away from.

 

[Kursah]

Well if it weren't for a certain rebellious galaxy game I'd be back into finishing my Grey Goo campaign...coming back soon though.

With that said, Ashes of the Singularity is looking mighty promising...might be worth a look for those of you want want the 2007 SupCom feeling on your modern PC...that is bring it to its knees in performance with some epic scale strategy action thrown in for good measure! Now that some beta action is happening, and so far my experience has been pretty damn good...I hope to see some of you guys that are huge RTS and Sci-Fi fans getting involved as well. I don't care so much about it being the DX12 benchmark, though the bench is pretty fun to watch, the gameplay is important and has been much improved so far. No it's not Supreme Commander, but it is sure not hiding its attempt to be a true modern successor to the grand scale idea.

Would I love to see a commander stomping around? You bet your ass I do...but I won't bank on SupCom3 happening anytime soon. If SupComFA is getting long in the tooth, and your back is out of alignment because your wallet is full of spare cash, you should take a look at what this game has to offer!

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/201...otgun/steam+(Rock,+Paper,+Shotgun:+Steam+RSS)

http://www.ashesofthesingularity.com/

Are you drooling yet? I hope so! Stay tuned!

 

[Drone]

Miss Westwood Studios. A new Dune or C&C would be awesome. Great devs always fade away.

 

[Kursah]

Miss Westwood Studios. A new Dune or C&C would be awesome. Great devs always fade away.

Yep...I miss Westwood too. But Grey Goo has a definite Westwood vibe to it...the music was created by the same guy that did the C&C music, the gameplay is very similar, it has a very C&C-esque feel while still feeling modern and unique. Especially the Goo faction.

It is about as close as you can get to a new Westwood Studious game. And so far I really have enjoyed it!

 

[Drone]

Yep...I miss Westwood too. But Grey Goo has a definite Westwood vibe to it...the music was created by the same guy that did the C&C music, the gameplay is very similar, it has a very C&C-esque feel while still feeling modern and unique. Especially the Goo faction.

It is about as close as you can get to a new Westwood Studious game. And so far I really have enjoyed it!

Didn't know that. That sounds really good, I'll check it out!

 

[Kursah]

Didn't know that. That sounds really good, I'll check it out!

Definitely do. It was on sale a couple of weeks ago, but I've only ever seen it go on sale one time.

Here's an excerpt from the Gamespot review:

This is an impressive if deeply traditional game that is both a blast to play and a walk down memory lane for old timers who played Dune II and the first Command & Conquer..

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/grey-goo-review/1900-6416017/

Metacritic: http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/grey-goo

Petroglyph developed Grey Goo, and that's where a lot of Westwood employees went post-EA buyout.

http://www.petroglyphgames.com/aboutus (Read under: We Work Hard, and We Play Hard)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroglyph_Games


I did forget they developed SW: Empire @ War... I might have to get that back out too. Been about a year since I last played it!

 

[ShiBDiB]

Well if it weren't for a certain rebellious galaxy game I'd be back into finishing my Grey Goo campaign...coming back soon though.

With that said, Ashes of the Singularity is looking mighty promising...might be worth a look for those of you want want the 2007 SupCom feeling on your modern PC...that is bring it to its knees in performance with some epic scale strategy action thrown in for good measure! Now that some beta action is happening, and so far my experience has been pretty damn good...I hope to see some of you guys that are huge RTS and Sci-Fi fans getting involved as well. I don't care so much about it being the DX12 benchmark, though the bench is pretty fun to watch, the gameplay is important and has been much improved so far. No it's not Supreme Commander, but it is sure not hiding its attempt to be a true modern successor to the grand scale idea.

Would I love to see a commander stomping around? You bet your ass I do...but I won't bank on SupCom3 happening anytime soon. If SupComFA is getting long in the tooth, and your back is out of alignment because your wallet is full of spare cash, you should take a look at what this game has to offer!

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/10/23/ashes-of-the-singularity-early-access-review/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+rockpapershotgun/steam+(Rock,+Paper,+Shotgun:+Steam+RSS)

http://www.ashesofthesingularity.com/

Are you drooling yet? I hope so! Stay tuned!

Played the ashes beta/alpha whatever it is in now. It's very rough around the edges in its current state but definitely has potential.

 

[Drone]

Age Of Empires 2 Will Be Getting A New Expansion This Week

 

[Kursah]

So who here plays World in Conflict? I still do from time-to-time and still use it for system benchmarking and GPU stability testing. The massage servers were slated to be shut down a month ago, but petitioning kept them open.

I wanted to share this news here because I feel WiC is one helluva hidden gem of a game, and when you had friends in MP that could coordinate, it was one of the most fun and engaging MP RTS experiences imho.

http://www.pcgamer.com/ubisoft-postpones-world-in-conflict-server-shutdown-after-outcry/

Now it appears they are researching supporting community solutions so they can take the main servers offline, I'm also hoping this means we might be lucky enough for open source (yeah...right...I know I know. But I can hope!). If they at least give the users a chance to host their own servers, I feel that would be a great step forward for this game. I know it has had its fair share of issues, but can be had for cheap, $10 on GoG and Steam too iirc.

I've had 0 issues in Win10 recently for those curious.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/21760

http://www.gog.com/game/world_in_conflict_complete_edition

Petition:

https://www.change.org/p/ubisoft-massive-entertainment-save-world-in-conflict

 

[SaltyFish]

So who here plays World in Conflict? I still do from time-to-time and still use it for system benchmarking and GPU stability testing. The massage servers were slated to be shut down a month ago, but petitioning kept them open.

WiC's benchmark is awesome. The number of graphics options is huge. When I first installed it, I probably spent about an hour and a half tweaking with the settings and seeing how it turns out in the benchmark. Didn't know about the server happenings though. Haven't played it in a while; I do wish there were more squad-based RTS games.

It's also a bit quiet here despite Legacy of the Void being out. Could be due to the 11/11 release date being Armistice Day, Veterans Day, and Singles Day (and probably a bunch of other holidays) but I suspect more pragmatic reasons.

 

[Kursah]

Honestly I have little interested in LotV (blasphemy!!!). Grey Goo captured my attention and I'm still enjoying that here and there (in between space sim jaunts and Mordor ). I never did finish the SP story from the last SC2 RotS (iirc that's what its called).

Really I found I enjoy RTT's like WiC and WH40K: DoW 2, WiC more than any. I played beta and it was my favorite beta still to this day.

Not many mention the Wargames series either, ALB was probably the most fun for me. I bought the sequel on sale but haven't gotten around to it yet. That game really took attention, and time, and a lot more trial and error (or taking advantage of an unpatched bug).

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

Man i feel weird in this thread. People talking about Supcom / SC2 and I am over here playing Rome II / Atilla Total War / Mount and Blade Warband with a bunch of mods. Oh and Nobunaga's Ambition.......

 

[rooivalk]

WiC's benchmark is awesome. The number of graphics options is huge. When I first installed it, I probably spent about an hour and a half tweaking with the settings and seeing how it turns out in the benchmark. Didn't know about the server happenings though. Haven't played it in a while; I do wish there were more squad-based RTS games.

It's also a bit quiet here despite Legacy of the Void being out. Could be due to the 11/11 release date being Armistice Day, Veterans Day, and Singles Day (and probably a bunch of other holidays) but I suspect more pragmatic reasons.

Fallout 4 haha.

I'd wait for Black Friday. Blizzard usually has nice discount at that day. I want StarCraft 2 complete collection and Diablo 3 RoS.

 

[Kursah]

Haven't played Rome in a while, haven't tried Rome 2. Never got into Mount and Blade, but know plenty whom are! Feel free to share what you like...no need to feel weird. I like all sorts of strategy games. Some I tend to default to I suppose more than others.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

Well weird isnt the right word for it I suppose. I never got into the micro manage units thing of stuff like Star Craft etc. Also been the Total War / Mass Battle thousands of troops type. Sadly Total War has Co-op campaigns but finding people to do it with is rather hard and rare due to the time sink. As such I moved on to Nobunagas Ambition.
Its a bit quirky not as epic as the trailers show but it did in fact hold my attention well especially with all the story scenarios.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/392470/

 

[Kursah]

I'd never heard of that until now, looks pretty cool. I'll have to spend some time researching that and seeing if its something I might be interested in. Appears to be well polished too at least from the couple of videos I watched from your link.

Honestly I've gotten back into World in Conflict with all the recent hubub about it losing MP servers (it's really good in MP too sadly). But it has a pretty entertaining SP campaign...nothing really historical. But I do enjoy the old-school RTS style too...build bases, build armies, build economy, expand, research (sometimes), war.

Thanks for sharing Nobunagas Ambition though, seems like something unique enough to be pretty interesting. I might have to get back into Total War, or try to again...I had my time with it just never kept me quite as entertained I guess. I know I've been missing out though and I've heard Rome II is badass.