OFFICIAL Strategy Gaming Thread

[DeathtoGnomes]

Northgard trailers

Those look incredibly like a mild modded version of Banished with combat addon.

 

[Kursah]

I bought it a couple of weeks ago. I like it for sure but it does feel basic. I know better but was hoping for a more battle oriented Warcraft 3 experience with more city building/management baked in. It isn't that and I knew that going into it.

What I will say is that several months ago I decided not to invest because of major complaints about lack of content. Now it seems they've added more in all areas and have updated the game since I've purchased it adding profile stats, tactical map details, etc.

It sure has a lotta buzz around it. But for now it isn't keeping my attention as much as Ashes of the Singularity Escalation, Total War Warhammer (vanilla), and Rimworld.

I like action...so what happens is I play Northgard and enjoy its design, ui, graphics and mechanics...then I want more flavors of battle so I load up Warcraft 3. Lol! It works well...now if I had more time to really sink my teeth into all these games I'd be set!

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

Thats such a roundabout way to load up WC3... LOL.

I bought the MS empire series back with, I think XP, I didnt know anything about Warcraft back then, but from what I gathered they similar in nature. Build then go to war conquering land and expanding, putting together the storyline, etc. . So I never tried the warcraft series, prolly never will now with Empires coming out with a "definitive edition".

 

[Kursah]

WC3 is an excellent experience IMHO and I absolutely recommend it even today. I'd even wager to put it above StarCraft and definitely SC2 and I'm a sci-fi fan. It is just so well designed and entertaining IMHO. I play it yearly and have since release.

Blizzard patched of recently to allow for higher resolutions and a few other comparability things iirc. Worth it and plays at 1080p which is as high as I got sadly. Not sure if it goes up to 4k or not.

Interestingly enough I never got into Microsoft's Empire series. Though I know they're pretty damn good!

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

WC3 is an excellent experience IMHO and I absolutely recommend it even today. I'd even wager to put it above StarCraft and definitely SC2 and I'm a sci-fi fan. It is just so well designed and entertaining IMHO. I play it yearly and have since release.

Blizzard patched of recently to allow for higher resolutions and a few other comparability things iirc. Worth it and plays at 1080p which is as high as I got sadly. Not sure if it goes up to 4k or not.

Interestingly enough I never got into Microsoft's Empire series. Though I know they're pretty damn good!

Ha, forgot about StarCraft too. Its like you seen one you seen them all, but I do admit I never really tried to look at what the differences are other than a theme. Not knocking any of them. Wonder if any are streaming on twitch.

Edit: Starcraft 2 has a LOT of viewers

E2: Warcraft3 has maybe 100...

 

[Dethroy]

Edit: Starcraft 2 has a LOT of viewers

E2: Warcraft3 has maybe 100...

Yet still Warcraft 3 is the better game.

Thats such a roundabout way to load up WC3... LOL.

I bought the MS empire series back with, I think XP, I didnt know anything about Warcraft back then, but from what I gathered they similar in nature. Build then go to war conquering land and expanding, putting together the storyline, etc. . So I never tried the warcraft series, prolly never will now with Empires coming out with a "definitive edition".

Warcraft 3 is very different from the typical 'build your base, tech/upgrade, and raise an army" RTS that was popularized by C&C...

 

[Kursah]

True, but C&C is still the classic RTS that I know and love. I keep going back to Tiberian Sun like a bad habit. I should check out C&C 1995 tho...been a while since I've burned through the SP campaign there. CnCNet's version is pretty decent, and seems fairly stable. If you want to get the version that includes the SP Campaign and movies, scroll down and look for Single Player in bold, then expand the menu, choose Single Player Campaign (windows). That will download the newest installer. The nice thing is this applies all the patching to make Tiberian Sun play nice with Windows 7, 8 and 10. And it is FREE!

I most recently have gotten pretty far into my WC3 campaign run, having a lotta fun as this is one of those games that just holds up really well IMHO. Sure it has some limitations that I've grown used to with modern games, like WASD panning. But really that is a small price to pay for such a sweet classic piece of RTS gaming. For $10 even today, I'd say it would be money very well spent. Keep in mind I've always enjoyed the Warcraft lore, but really never had interest in WoW. This game is the best in the WC RTS series IMHO.

Next I've been playing back through the Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation campaigns since the recent 2.3 patch and tune. Being a more casual player, I tend to stick to the easier and normal AI varieties...and being time limited, this game I always end up having to save a skirmish or mission, and return at a later time. I really do enjoy this game the more it unfolds and the more it gets developed. Going to be one of those long-term RTS's that is played for years. Especially with Stardock's support.

Lastly, I re-installed Homeworld Remastered, and started a new campaign in the remastered HW1. I was going to play classic...but dammit I want the new snazzy graphics and seeing that it has been so long since I was die-hard classic HW...the change to HW2 RnG combat and formation handling doesn't bother me. The game plays and looks amazing. I modified the control scheme to allow for WASD panning and using the R and F keys for vertical panning. This did remove some hotkey assignments...and I'm undecided if I even care. So far I use Guard more than anything hotkey wise...otherwise I'm all mouse controls. Playing through the campaign has been quite fun and challenging as ever. I forgot how fun tactics could be in this game and how saddened I was to see Shallow Space devs fall off the radar since HW was such a strong inspiration for them.

Regardless... HWR is a solid release now...I know there are still a lot of folks upset about it. At release it was buggy and I played it where I could, but never could stay hooked into it very long. Now I can't wait to get home to play another mission....several times...save scumming to minimize losses and make the best decision and strategy moves. LOL! Not many games are fun to play over and over...but HW nails it and thankfully that wasn't lost in Remastered.

 

[Ahhzz]

I might or might not have installed access to a private WoW server to relive the glory days...

 

[peiN]

Reinstalled Warcraft 3 last week just before Blizzard announced they would be releasing a remastered version. Looking forward to that and it feels good to be playing this again. Mixing it up with some AotSE, Rimworld and SW Empire at War.

The fact that WC3 still plays on modern systems, supports 1080p resolutions, and is still entertaining speaks volumes. This and Tiberian Sun were my main RTSes for years back in the early-2000's.

Today the Steam Summer Sale hits... and I see that Total War: Warhammer is on sale, so is all the DLC (still $$$$$ tho...). I'm fairly broke but am tempted to get this. I've generally steered clear of Total War though, no real reason why though...I'm sure Rome and Rome 2 would've consumed my time for eons. But I am very tempted to pick up at least the base game. Any suggestions here? Is the vanilla game worth it?

I enjoy the Warhammer games, and this does look like it could be quite fun. I'm generally more of a sci-fi and modern warfare kinda gamer, but Warhammer's fantasy works fine for me.


I have been enjoying Rimworld on and off...I kinda want something more combat oriented, though admittedly I've only played it for 20-30 minutes at a time. I do gotta say it is pretty damn cool and I'm getting the hang of managing my peeps. Just doing easy starts with 3 survivors. Working on tuning their tasks to meet their qualifications then specialties and interests, getting the basics down.

WC3 I covered above...I haven't modded yet but would like to find a good HD texture mod but at the same time I don't really feel the need to do either. I also need to work on my APM and rush tactics...my first couple skirmishes against the AI and I got my arse handed to me LOL! Embarrassing as that is, I cannot deny it.

Ashes has been pretty damn good but the new campaign is challenging...but I'm mostly playing skirmishes against the AI. I still love the battles in this game and the balancing and map polishing is just awesome IMHO. I am really quite excited for the future content and moddability of this game.

Now I wonder if I should add TW: Warhammer to the mix...

It's an official announcement? I didn't see it anywhere, hmm...

 

[R-T-B]

It's an official announcement? I didn't see it anywhere, hmm...

That's because you just missed the sale entirely.

 

[Artas1984]

These are the RTS games i am used to play on LAN TCP/IP: Starcraft Brood War, Warcraft III Frozen Throne, Red Alert 2 Yuri's Revenge, Company of Heroes, World in Conflict, Heroes of Might and Magic 3, Battlestations Midway.

Starcraft and Warcraft 3 will never die on LAN and they are good in vanilla modes. Starcraft II does not even work on LAN, so that was a huge disappointment!
Red Alert 2 is immortal, but it's very difficult to get it working properly without lag; also Red Alert 2 must be played with with a Mental Omega mod or something else, otherwise it is not challenging and lacks variety. CNC2 and CNC3 Tiberian games were never so fun for multi player as Red Alert 2. Red Alert 2 is an upgrade from Tiberian Sun in terms of what you can do in MP, but Tiberium Wars just does not cut the mustard in MP, it feels like a totally different game, so "alien", clunky, rushed. I don't even like how ground units move in that game, although the single player missions were awesome.
World in Conflict is a bit boring in multi player... It's strength was surely it's superb missions!
Company of Heroes is a masterpiece! It is so good in MP, that i don't even care what Company of Heroes 2 has to offer.
Battlestations Midway is a very versatile naval combat strategy game with great simulation elements and it is very friendly for LAN MP; unfortunately support is dead for this game.
Finally, all Heroes of Might and Magic games are total garbage compared to Heroes III, and that is the game if you want to play for 12 or more hours with your friend and have a simple relaxed time listening to your favorite music while gaming.

Don't care about medieval/ancient/classic era RTS games, never liked them, especially was never a fan of those massive army games like "Rome Total War"... Also, all those "robot orc warrior" type games like "Dawn of War" piss me off for whatever unknown reason... Sorry.

 

[Vayra86]

These are the RTS games i am used to play on LAN TCP/IP: Starcraft Brood War, Warcraft III Frozen Throne, Red Alert 2 Yuri's Revenge, Company of Heroes, World in Conflict, Heroes of Might and Magic 3, Battlestations Midway.

Starcraft and Warcraft 3 will never die on LAN and they are good in vanilla modes. Starcraft II does not even work on LAN, so that was a huge disappointment!
Red Alert 2 is immortal, but it's very difficult to get it working properly without lag; also Red Alert 2 must be played with with a Mental Omega mod or something else, otherwise it is not challenging and lacks variety.
World in Conflict is a bit boring in multiplayer... It's strength was surely it's superb missions!
Company of Heroes is a masterpiece! It is so good in MP, that i don't even care what Company of Heroes 2 has to offer.
Battlestations Midway is a very versatile naval combat strategy game with simulation elements and it is very friendly for LAN mutliplay; unfortunately support is dead for this game.
Finally, all Heroes games are total garbage compared to Heroes III, and that is the game if you want to play for 12 or more hours with your friend and have a relaxed time listening to music.

Don't care about medieval/ancient/classic era RTS games, never liked them, especially was never a fan of those massive army games like "Rome Total War"... Also, all those "robot orc warrior" type games like "Dawn of War" piss me off for whatever unknown reason... Sorry.

Careful what you piss on... Games Workshop has written more and probably also much better lore than Tolkien and JK Rowling combined. You'd be surprised how much is derived from Warhammer / 40K, and that includes Starcraft too. Go put Marines and Space Marines side by side, or Zerg and Tyranids

Only one issue and that is the lack of great games in that setting, but Dawn of War, TW Warhammer and BF Gothic Armada are all very very well done, both immersive and well built. Shame to miss out on!

 

[Kursah]

I still have a couple of missions to finish in HW1 Remastered. Then I'm going to start Deserts of Kharak, and then move onto 2. Eventually. Got kinda burned out at the moment and am taking a short break. I was stepping away from the campaign to play some skirmishes...but totally suck at skirmishing in HW lol. Just haven't dedicated enough time.

Got back into testing the Ashes of the Singularity Escalation beta 2.4 patch, so far I'm really liking the adjustments. This is turning into one helluva game IMHO, and hopefully some announcements made for future additions to the game will come true soon.

Also picked up a $5 game off of Steam that just released called Battlefleet Engineer. It is pretty damn entertaining, and so far have got my money's worth out of it. The combat and ship design remind me of StarDrive 1's, also the game uses newtonian-ish physics like SD1 did. For $5, it is pretty damn entertaining and a nice break from the other games I've been playing. I would like to see more RTS and 4X elements added to what I consider to be good and entertaining space combat and ship/fleet design. Even if not, there's plenty for $5 worth of fun even for an EA title.

Edit: I forgot to add the dev has a free demo on their website, worth checking out if you're not sure the game is for you.

On that note, StarDrive BlackBox Mod developers have been working quite a bit on their Texas-arm of the mod, which is re-working the code of the game. Those that aren't familiar with SD1, I consider it a Distant Worlds Universe-Lite with better graphics. Even though it is from 2010 (same as the original DW iirc), it was never finished by the dev and due to the game engine limitations a lot of issues remained. But it had a lot of promise for an RTS 4X with module/block-based ship design and damage models and newtonian physics models.

The lead dev, CrunchGremlin has been posting regular alpha updates that you apply directly to your StarDrive game directory. Each new patch contains all the previous work so you don't have to incrementally upgrade at this point. These are pre-alpha releases, but do make some good changes, especially with game performance. That was one of the biggest issues with medium-to-large battles with the game engine and the block/module based ships and damage. If you own SD1, re-install it and try this mod to see where SD1 BB Texas is going, or even go try the most recent official mod pack to see where the game has been for the past year with these mods.

 

[Ahhzz]

Games Workshop .... much better lore than Tolkien . ....

Bite your tongue, sirrah, or meet me on yon field of honor!

As to the rest, yeah GW makes an excellent depth and breadth of knowledge

 

[Vayra86]

Yet still Warcraft 3 is the better game.

Warcraft 3 is very different from the typical 'build your base, tech/upgrade, and raise an army" RTS that was popularized by C&C...

Basically Warcraft 3 planted the seeds for the MOBA just by virtue of its superb engine and mechanics, while still being one of the best balanced RTSes in the world. Still.

 

[Ahhzz]

Basically Warcraft 3 planted the seeds for the MOBA just by virtue of its superb engine and mechanics, while still being one of the best balanced RTSes in the world. Still.

http://kotaku.com/5060234/warcraft-modders-create-league-of-legends/
Didn't plant the seeds, they harvested the forest, planed it to lumber, and made boats. Then, showed everyone else how to make their own boats.

I still have a couple of missions to finish in HW1 Remastered. Then I'm going to start Deserts of Kharak, and then move onto 2. Eventually. Got kinda burned out at the moment and am taking a short break. I was stepping away from the campaign to play some skirmishes...but totally suck at skirmishing in HW lol. Just haven't dedicated enough time.

Got back into testing the Ashes of the Singularity Escalation beta 2.4 patch, so far I'm really liking the adjustments. This is turning into one helluva game IMHO, and hopefully some announcements made for future additions to the game will come true soon.

Also picked up a $5 game off of Steam that just released called Battlefleet Engineer. It is pretty damn entertaining, and so far have got my money's worth out of it. The combat and ship design remind me of StarDrive 1's, also the game uses newtonian-ish physics like SD1 did. For $5, it is pretty damn entertaining and a nice break from the other games I've been playing. I would like to see more RTS and 4X elements added to what I consider to be good and entertaining space combat and ship/fleet design. Even if not, there's plenty for $5 worth of fun even for an EA title.

Edit: I forgot to add the dev has a free demo on their website, worth checking out if you're not sure the game is for you.

On that note, StarDrive BlackBox Mod developers have been working quite a bit on their Texas-arm of the mod, which is re-working the code of the game. Those that aren't familiar with SD1, I consider it a Distant Worlds Universe-Lite with better graphics. Even though it is from 2010 (same as the original DW iirc), it was never finished by the dev and due to the game engine limitations a lot of issues remained. But it had a lot of promise for an RTS 4X with module/block-based ship design and damage models and newtonian physics models.

The lead dev, CrunchGremlin has been posting regular alpha updates that you apply directly to your StarDrive game directory. Each new patch contains all the previous work so you don't have to incrementally upgrade at this point. These are pre-alpha releases, but do make some good changes, especially with game performance. That was one of the biggest issues with medium-to-large battles with the game engine and the block/module based ships and damage. If you own SD1, re-install it and try this mod to see where SD1 BB Texas is going, or even go try the most recent official mod pack to see where the game has been for the past year with these mods.

Just gotta say, I may not agree with your take on some other threads, but every time I see you post about RTS or games, my mouse moves to "Thanks" by default

 

[Drone]

I haven't played Mental Ω mod but I've heard people say it's a good balance mod

 

[Artas1984]

I haven't played Mental Ω mod but I've heard people say it's a good balance mod

Mental Omega 3 just does not look like Red Alert 2 anymore.

If you want to really experience Red Alert 2, try the later MO 2.0 mod first before going 3.0. The campaigns are very challenging in 2.0, and the A. I. in multi player is very competitive.

 

[Drone]

Iron harvest first trailer! 1920s atmosphere/art/style is pretty amazing

 

[Ahhzz]

Iron harvest first trailer! 1920s atmosphere/art/style is pretty amazing

looks interesting

 

[Drone]

@Ahhzz yup It's based on art by Jakub Rozalsky


And now this .... Age of Empires IV officially announced. What?

 

[yogurt_21]

never played AoE III, too many long time AoE players said they hated it. Turned me off to even trying it. Loved the original and the second. Hopefully IV brings things back to basics.

 

[Ahhzz]

Speaking of Ashes, half price this weekend...
http://store.steampowered.com/app/5...on&utm_campaign=ashes-escalation-sale-aug2017

 

[Vayra86]

Hyped to the point of being on the brink of a pre order, which I NEVER do.

The four races they'll add on release, and combining the part 1 and part 2 maps/campaign is just a wet dream really

Some porn below

 

[Kursah]

Got a few recent updates coming soon, in beta or already released.

Dawn of Andromeda is now at 1.2.

Ashes of the Singularity is at 2.4 with an opt-in for 2.5.

Galactic Civilizations 3 is at 2.33 with an opt-in for 2.5.

I've been playing my fair share of Starsector and Cosmoteer lately. Both are pretty damn fun. Starsector is more serious than I took it for, and it is one of those games that will make you pay attention and is rewarding when you do. It is a pretty damn awesome game and worth it for those that like micro-tactical action. You can only control one ship at a time but you can give orders to your fleet. There's trading, bounty hunting, being a pirate, and various missions along with a pretty decent sized universe to play in that I've seen so far. I've only scratched the surface...haven't tried any mods yet.

Also not sure if any of you noticed, but Star Wars: Empire at War just got a new patch (well actually 2) for the Steam version that allows for multiplayer (has been down since 2014) and Steamworks mod support. That's pretty damn amazing and exactly what the game needed. For an RTS 4X in Star Wars theme, and a still very active mod scene this is damn well worth picking up.

Those are just the ones that caught my attention.

I really liked what I am seeing with all these updates, now...where do I find the time to actually play these? LOL!