Strategy games

Martin · 27-05-2012, 06:45 PM

Hi all,

Me again asking for advice on stuff computery... I have just ordered my new PC which will be super mega able to deal with what I can currently throw at it. I want to use it more as a gaming platform, and as a result I need some new games.
It's taking me a long time to realise it, but the only games I enjoy are strategy ones. I get so bored playing everything else that it's pointless. I'm tempted to sell my X-Box and just get a load of strategy games for my PC.

They don't need to be "new" games, just good ones! I LOVE Age of Empires/Age of Mythology so something like that. I did have C&C once, but after lending it to a friend I never got it back. I think I enjoyed it, but there are several versions of them?
I also have Civ 5, it didn't run very well on my old PC due to lack of power, but I wasn't a fan of a turn based game... open to suggestion though.

Oh and Football Manager is a standard, I buy it every year so no need to comment. I'm thinking war/battle strategies.

Thanks in advance

CFalcon · 27-05-2012, 07:45 PM

Highly recommend the Anno series. I haven't played the new one (Anno 2070), but the previous one, Anno 1404, was awesome. Vaguely like age of empires, given the time period it's set in, that it's real time, and you gather resources, create buildings, and then units, but the emphasis is *massively* on the economics, trade and resources side. The military aspect is very much secondary; you can win games without even touching it.

My other major recommendation is Supreme Commander (1 and the expansion Forged Alliance). The absolute best real time strategy war game ever created, just perfect. SupCom2 isn't anywhere near as good as 1/FA.

Total War series always a safe bet, particularly Medieval II and Empire, and as far as C&C goes, I enjoyed the Red Alerts far more than the other 2 series.

If you don't mind torrenting, the Battle for Middle Earth games (1 and 2) are real gems, massively underrated (especially if you like the LoTR genre), but you can't buy them any more, so have to use more devious means.

Myself, DA and Lanky still hang out in the old Age of Empires channel (#aoc), and occasionally MattM and Hiuey drop in as well, so if you fancy a game it's possible.

Martin · 27-05-2012, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CFalcon

Highly recommend the Anno series. I haven't played the new one (Anno 2070), but the previous one, Anno 1404, was awesome. Vaguely like age of empires, given the time period it's set in, that it's real time, and you gather resources, create buildings, and then units, but the emphasis is *massively* on the economics, trade and resources side. The military aspect is very much secondary; you can win games without even touching it.

My other major recommendation is Supreme Commander (1 and the expansion Forged Alliance). The absolute best real time strategy war game ever created, just perfect. SupCom2 isn't anywhere near as good as 1/FA.

Total War series always a safe bet, particularly Medieval II and Empire, and as far as C&C goes, I enjoyed the Red Alerts far more than the other 2 series.

Myself, DA and Lanky still hang out in the old Age of Empires channel (#aoc), and occasionally MattM and Hiuey drop in as well, so if you fancy a game it's possible.

I'll take a look at them.
Re #AoC, I'll pop by, see if any of you are good enough to beat me yet, I think when that was set up a few years ago I remained unbeaten? BW was pretty good though, he may have beaten me once

Dimitar · 27-05-2012, 08:19 PM

I only played with Alevo and he utterly destroyed me (AOC)

Scorpio · 27-05-2012, 08:55 PM

Starcraft 2 is a nice RTS game (if you're into futuristic themes), used to play it a lot...
And yeah like CF said, Battle for Middle Earth is also very nice!

Alvestein · 27-05-2012, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin

Quote:

Originally Posted by CFalcon

Highly recommend the Anno series. I haven't played the new one (Anno 2070), but the previous one, Anno 1404, was awesome. Vaguely like age of empires, given the time period it's set in, that it's real time, and you gather resources, create buildings, and then units, but the emphasis is *massively* on the economics, trade and resources side. The military aspect is very much secondary; you can win games without even touching it.

My other major recommendation is Supreme Commander (1 and the expansion Forged Alliance). The absolute best real time strategy war game ever created, just perfect. SupCom2 isn't anywhere near as good as 1/FA.

Total War series always a safe bet, particularly Medieval II and Empire, and as far as C&C goes, I enjoyed the Red Alerts far more than the other 2 series.

Myself, DA and Lanky still hang out in the old Age of Empires channel (#aoc), and occasionally MattM and Hiuey drop in as well, so if you fancy a game it's possible.

I'll take a look at them.
Re #AoC, I'll pop by, see if any of you are good enough to beat me yet, I think when that was set up a few years ago I remained unbeaten? BW was pretty good though, he may have beaten me once

I'm utterly *****. Don't have time to play nowadays and aoe requires too much concentration/brain power

BW is a beast at the game though, he sent me some scripts to help me play better but I haven't seen him in the chan for ages since his last rage.

Garrett2 · 28-05-2012, 12:29 AM

stronghold legends was really fun if you want to add castle building to your strategies. i think they even recently came out with stronghold 3.

men at arms.. to the walls!

and blood bowl (legendary edition) is good for a laugh.

Max · 28-05-2012, 08:15 AM

As a big fan of Age of Myth, I'd also recommend the Battle for Middle Earth games, they are terrific fun

You'll love them!

Dark_Angel · 28-05-2012, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CFalcon

Highly recommend the Anno series. I haven't played the new one (Anno 2070), but the previous one, Anno 1404, was awesome. Vaguely like age of empires, given the time period it's set in, that it's real time, and you gather resources, create buildings, and then units, but the emphasis is *massively* on the economics, trade and resources side. The military aspect is very much secondary; you can win games without even touching it.

My other major recommendation is Supreme Commander (1 and the expansion Forged Alliance). The absolute best real time strategy war game ever created, just perfect. SupCom2 isn't anywhere near as good as 1/FA.

Total War series always a safe bet, particularly Medieval II and Empire, and as far as C&C goes, I enjoyed the Red Alerts far more than the other 2 series.

If you don't mind torrenting, the Battle for Middle Earth games (1 and 2) are real gems, massively underrated (especially if you like the LoTR genre), but you can't buy them any more, so have to use more devious means.

Myself, DA and Lanky still hang out in the old Age of Empires channel (#aoc), and occasionally MattM and Hiuey drop in as well, so if you fancy a game it's possible.

I'm going to echo pretty much everything CF has said.

If you do pick up Supreme Commander get its Forged Alliance expansion pack (me, CF and Lank have this) - It is available in a "gold" version containing both for about £15 I think.

We've got the multiplayer down to a breeze with a third party lobby application and the online play is immense.

Martin · 28-05-2012, 03:45 PM

I've ordered;

C+C Generals (with expansion): http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...=A18MMCFPGNUX2

Supreme Commander (with expansion): http://www.play.com/Games/PC/4-/3511776/-/Product.html

Age of Empires 2 (with expansion): http://www.play.com/Games/PC/4-/3321327/-/Product.html - bought for for AoE2 and the expansion, but this was the cheapest way to buy it.

Battle for Middle Earth: http://www.play.com/Games/PC/4-/185913/-/Product.html

Battle for Middle Earth 2: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...=AVXB5JQRCA15O

I have AoM already without the Titans expansion, but I don't think it really offered much, again the cheapest way to purchase that is the "combo" which is about £6.

I know I can download most of these games without paying for them but meh, with games I like having the actual disc and they're not too expensive. With my limited download capacity (yay for my dad throttling it as I moved back home).

Dark_Angel · 28-05-2012, 04:15 PM

Huzzah

You'll love SupCom, hopefully we can get a 2v2 going with CF and Lank at some point. Idle on #AoC whenever you've a chance, we're there a fair bit.

Scorpio · 28-05-2012, 04:18 PM

Damn, BFME 1 is still expensive O.o

Alcibiades · 28-05-2012, 05:45 PM

In terms of strategy games, you will never find anything finer than the Hearts of Iron series. (HoI 3 is the latest and greatest one, the others are horrifyingly glitchy).

You're running a country between 1936 and 1951 (i think) and you run EVERYTHING, elections, military, R&D, diplomacy etc. It's really remarkable and I've never played anything like it before.

It's got a learning curve like Mount Everest, and is nigh on impossible to figure everything out in one round. It has really terrific AI automation protocols that let it run segments of the country for you, so you can focus on running one portion of the country at a time, I often concentrate on the military side of things and let the AI run the country, but you can play at all levels. Greatest strategy game I've really played.

As someone said, Total War Games are IMMENSELY fun. You won't find anything quite like them in the gaming world either. The latest and greatest are the best, but everything back to Rome Total War is amazing.

Martin · 28-05-2012, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alcibiades

In terms of strategy games, you will never find anything finer than the Hearts of Iron series. (HoI 3 is the latest and greatest one, the others are horrifyingly glitchy).

You're running a country between 1936 and 1951 (i think) and you run EVERYTHING, elections, military, R&D, diplomacy etc. It's really remarkable and I've never played anything like it before.

It's got a learning curve like Mount Everest, and is nigh on impossible to figure everything out in one round. It has really terrific AI automation protocols that let it run segments of the country for you, so you can focus on running one portion of the country at a time, I often concentrate on the military side of things and let the AI run the country, but you can play at all levels. Greatest strategy game I've really played.

As someone said, Total War Games are IMMENSELY fun. You won't find anything quite like them in the gaming world either. The latest and greatest are the best, but everything back to Rome Total War is amazing.

I'll try the others before I go for HoI, only strategy games I've played are "Age of ...", so a steep learning curve doesn't offer excitement. The Total War games are turn based which puts me off massively. I played Civ a bit, until my computer had a fit over it and it being turn based... just didn't push my buttons.
As a follow up from all the suggestions on here I go on play.com and read the game's reviews from there, hence deciding to go for C+C Generals above the other C+C options. HoI only seems to get average ratings, commenting on it being just soo complicated and about it being buggy.

On a side note, based on Alci's suggestion (to be fair amongst other things) I bought an iPhone, which was a bad move. So bore off, you silly Canadian.

Mattheus · 28-05-2012, 08:45 PM

There's a good reason that Starcraft 2 progames draw crowds like this. Not only is it a game with an almost limitless skill ceiling and strategic depth, it's grown in to a huge esport over the years where the top players draw 6 figure salaries and sponsorship deals. Believe it or not, not only is it fun to play, it's also really damn fun to watch too. A lot of people find the idea of watching other people play a video game to be kinda weird, but it's one of the big reasons that Starcraft 2 has succeeded in the long term as an esport where others have failed, it's watchability.

If you don't mind a game with a steep learning curve (and a lot of people do mind, it's a game which takes practice to get any good at) then it's definitely worth a look. Luckily Blizzard improved the match making system for SC2 where it will automatically match you up against people of similar skill, and it works very well. There'll be a new expansion coming out sometime this year too, should be fun ^.^

Oh, and drop by #broodwar if you want to ask questions and ****, it's an SC channel for bush players. It's surprisingly active.

27-05-2012, 06:45 PM	#1
Martin Super Moderator Garden Designer Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: England Posts: 890	Strategy games Hi all, Me again asking for advice on stuff computery... I have just ordered my new PC which will be super mega able to deal with what I can currently throw at it. I want to use it more as a gaming platform, and as a result I need some new games. It's taking me a long time to realise it, but the only games I enjoy are strategy ones. I get so bored playing everything else that it's pointless. I'm tempted to sell my X-Box and just get a load of strategy games for my PC. They don't need to be "new" games, just good ones! I LOVE Age of Empires/Age of Mythology so something like that. I did have C&C once, but after lending it to a friend I never got it back. I think I enjoyed it, but there are several versions of them? I also have Civ 5, it didn't run very well on my old PC due to lack of power, but I wasn't a fan of a turn based game... open to suggestion though. Oh and Football Manager is a standard, I buy it every year so no need to comment. I'm thinking war/battle strategies. Thanks in advance

27-05-2012, 07:45 PM	#2
CFalcon Official Helper Tree Surgeon Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Kent UK Posts: 657	Highly recommend the Anno series. I haven't played the new one (Anno 2070), but the previous one, Anno 1404, was awesome. Vaguely like age of empires, given the time period it's set in, that it's real time, and you gather resources, create buildings, and then units, but the emphasis is massively on the economics, trade and resources side. The military aspect is very much secondary; you can win games without even touching it. My other major recommendation is Supreme Commander (1 and the expansion Forged Alliance). The absolute best real time strategy war game ever created, just perfect. SupCom2 isn't anywhere near as good as 1/FA. Total War series always a safe bet, particularly Medieval II and Empire, and as far as C&C goes, I enjoyed the Red Alerts far more than the other 2 series. If you don't mind torrenting, the Battle for Middle Earth games (1 and 2) are real gems, massively underrated (especially if you like the LoTR genre), but you can't buy them any more, so have to use more devious means. Myself, DA and Lanky still hang out in the old Age of Empires channel (#aoc), and occasionally MattM and Hiuey drop in as well, so if you fancy a game it's possible. __________________ Moose-Samurai-Sadomasochism-Judgement-Tsunami-Leftovers-TheGovernment-Spiderpig-AverageJoes-Redemption-Salacious-KHaoS-Inimical-Chance-Enmity-KHaoS-NOMW-dRage Quit-Kleptomaniacs -Al'Tuin-TBA-PW-HeartCollectors Lords of The North/Le Loup des Mers of Imperieuse/General Craufurd of the Light Division/The 95th Rifles/Darkshine/The Old Man of the Mountains/MK Ultra/Jarl Ragnar/Wyrd bid ful araed/Ultima Ratio Regum/Winter Is Coming/Forth Eorlingas/Now for Wrath. Now For Ruin

27-05-2012, 08:19 PM	#4
Dimitar Landscape Designer Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,619	I only played with Alevo and he utterly destroyed me (AOC) __________________ "That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange aeons even death may die."

27-05-2012, 08:55 PM	#5
Scorpio Harvester Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Belgium Posts: 239	Starcraft 2 is a nice RTS game (if you're into futuristic themes), used to play it a lot... And yeah like CF said, Battle for Middle Earth is also very nice! __________________ ~ Never explain--your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway.

28-05-2012, 12:29 AM	#7
Garrett2 Garden Designer Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 841	stronghold legends was really fun if you want to add castle building to your strategies. i think they even recently came out with stronghold 3. men at arms.. to the walls! and blood bowl (legendary edition) is good for a laugh. __________________ TEAM STEVE Aren't you just the bravest little thing? You are my internet hero!

28-05-2012, 08:15 AM	#8
Max Garden Designer Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: London Posts: 842	As a big fan of Age of Myth, I'd also recommend the Battle for Middle Earth games, they are terrific fun You'll love them! __________________ My User Profile, please do check out my continued IDs of failure! http://www.bushtarion.com/portal/por...hp?Nick=Maxsim

28-05-2012, 03:45 PM	#10
Martin Super Moderator Garden Designer Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: England Posts: 890	I've ordered; C+C Generals (with expansion): http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...=A18MMCFPGNUX2 Supreme Commander (with expansion): http://www.play.com/Games/PC/4-/3511776/-/Product.html Age of Empires 2 (with expansion): http://www.play.com/Games/PC/4-/3321327/-/Product.html - bought for for AoE2 and the expansion, but this was the cheapest way to buy it. Battle for Middle Earth: http://www.play.com/Games/PC/4-/185913/-/Product.html Battle for Middle Earth 2: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...=AVXB5JQRCA15O I have AoM already without the Titans expansion, but I don't think it really offered much, again the cheapest way to purchase that is the "combo" which is about £6. I know I can download most of these games without paying for them but meh, with games I like having the actual disc and they're not too expensive. With my limited download capacity (yay for my dad throttling it as I moved back home).

28-05-2012, 04:15 PM	#11
Dark_Angel Super Moderator Landscape Designer Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: UK Posts: 1,651	Huzzah You'll love SupCom, hopefully we can get a 2v2 going with CF and Lank at some point. Idle on #AoC whenever you've a chance, we're there a fair bit. __________________

28-05-2012, 04:18 PM	#12
Scorpio Harvester Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Belgium Posts: 239	Damn, BFME 1 is still expensive O.o __________________ ~ Never explain--your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway.

28-05-2012, 08:45 PM	#15
Mattheus Head Gardener Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 317	There's a good reason that Starcraft 2 progames draw crowds like this. Not only is it a game with an almost limitless skill ceiling and strategic depth, it's grown in to a huge esport over the years where the top players draw 6 figure salaries and sponsorship deals. Believe it or not, not only is it fun to play, it's also really damn fun to watch too. A lot of people find the idea of watching other people play a video game to be kinda weird, but it's one of the big reasons that Starcraft 2 has succeeded in the long term as an esport where others have failed, it's watchability. If you don't mind a game with a steep learning curve (and a lot of people do mind, it's a game which takes practice to get any good at) then it's definitely worth a look. Luckily Blizzard improved the match making system for SC2 where it will automatically match you up against people of similar skill, and it works very well. There'll be a new expansion coming out sometime this year too, should be fun ^.^ Oh, and drop by #broodwar if you want to ask questions and ****, it's an SC channel for bush players. It's surprisingly active.