Title: Strategy PC Games Post by: stemcider on July 15, 2014, 03:21:26 pm I am hugely in love with and addicted to the Europa Universalis series. I cannot get enough. Who's with me?
In this thread we can discuss Grand Strategy Games (or, GSGs as they are known elsewhere), post screenshots/AARs/DARs of your current/old games, talk about new and upcoming games (Hearts of Iron 4), or just about anything else that relates to GSGs for a personal computer. I have other Paradox Interactive games: Victoria 2, Crusader Kings 2, Hearts of Iron 3, but the learning curve for those is so much higher than EU3 or EU4. One day... EDIT: It doesn't have to be historical GSGs either. Games like Galactic Civilizations are just fine. EDIT: Changed to just Strategy PC Games to open up the thread a bit. Title: Re: Grand Strategy PC Games Post by: Calandale on July 15, 2014, 03:36:21 pm I like most of the paradox titles, but yeah, HOI is too much for me.
I think my favorite EU is 2. The historical grounding was really rich with some mods. EU3 changed the paradigm, and any historical mod feels like a betrayal of that design switch. Played a lot of the original Vicky and CK, but couldn't get into the later versions. One much older PC game that I loved was Medieval Lords (SSI I think). It was basically empires of the middle ages on computer. Title: Re: Grand Strategy PC Games Post by: stemcider on July 15, 2014, 03:49:28 pm I would like to try out EU2 sometime because I have read similar things (Eu2 being the most historical).
Medieval Lords huh? I wonder if GOG has it. They don't. But is available on abandonware: http://www.myabandonware.com/game/medieval-lords-soldier-kings-of-europe-17e (http://www.myabandonware.com/game/medieval-lords-soldier-kings-of-europe-17e) (http://www.myabandonware.com/media/captures/M/medieval-lords-soldier-kings-of-europe/medieval-lords-soldier-kings-of-europe_10.gif) Awesome. Title: Re: Grand Strategy PC Games Post by: Calandale on July 15, 2014, 03:57:03 pm Yep. I was really happy to get a copy of it again.
I still have the manual somewhere. Title: Re: Grand Strategy PC Games Post by: Sluggonics on July 15, 2014, 04:00:57 pm I really miss SSI.
I guess Paradox sort of took over that strategy game genre for a number of years, though, producing titles on lots of obscure eras and conflicts. I have a copy of Pride of Nations, and the Franco-Prussian War expansion, which I got for cheap during a Steam sale, but still haven't played it. Title: Re: Grand Strategy PC Games Post by: usrlocal on July 15, 2014, 05:09:20 pm I'm with Enrico. EU2 all the way. Played around with EU3 a bit, but was turned off by the (unnecessary) 3D graphics. I really liked Victoria too - I should get back into that. HOI is just too goofy - I think they stretched it too far when porting the engine to WW2.
Title: Re: Grand Strategy PC Games Post by: Greeves on July 15, 2014, 09:49:41 pm I've got HOI, EU2, and Victoria and I find HOI the easiest to get my head around! I've struggled with EU2 (and haven't really tried Viccy yet). It's not that I don't like it - I want to like it - it really looks good. It's just I'm having a hard time locking down the rules into my walnut-sized brain. Maybe I should go back and give it another shot...
I've also got a number of games by John Tiller particularly from his Squad Battles series - sort of hex and counter video games. Title: Re: Grand Strategy PC Games Post by: Osprey on July 16, 2014, 06:40:00 am I had a good time with X-COM, both the older PC version and the newer XBox versions. I bought the first edition of HoI when it came out and it had so many bugs it was a disaster. Kept me from buying any other follow-ups. Guess they fixed them all.
Title: Re: Grand Strategy PC Games Post by: usrlocal on July 16, 2014, 07:55:02 am I had a good time with X-COM, both the older PC version and the newer XBox versions. I bought the first edition of HoI when it came out and it had so many bugs it was a disaster. Kept me from buying any other follow-ups. Guess they fixed them all. I played the crap out of the original X-COM from Microprose. Perhaps the best computer game ever made. I recently tried the newer version that came out on the iPad, but I lost interest in it quickly - although it's slicker, it seems more dumbed down compared to the original. Title: Re: Grand Strategy PC Games Post by: usrlocal on July 16, 2014, 07:56:05 am What I'm playing now is 'Master of Magic', which I picked up from Gog.com for something like $1.50. Really primitive graphics, but oh, the gameplay!!
Title: Re: Grand Strategy PC Games Post by: Rockhopper on July 16, 2014, 08:21:20 am I'm not playing too much computer stuff nowadays, but I do dabble occasionally. Its fun to get my kids hooked on the old classics.
I loved Civ I/II, Master of Orion I/II, Master of Magic back in the day. I liked EUIII alot. I've played around with CKII. Title: Re: Grand Strategy PC Games Post by: The Grinch on July 16, 2014, 11:00:12 am What I'm playing now is 'Master of Magic', which I picked up from Gog.com for something like $1.50. Really primitive graphics, but oh, the gameplay!! Cool! I played that 20 years ago and loved it. Glad to know it's available again. I wish someone would re-issue it with updated graphics.Title: Re: Grand Strategy PC Games Post by: usrlocal on July 16, 2014, 11:04:35 am What I'm playing now is 'Master of Magic', which I picked up from Gog.com for something like $1.50. Really primitive graphics, but oh, the gameplay!! Cool! I played that 20 years ago and loved it. Glad to know it's available again. I wish someone would re-issue it with updated graphics.I adjusted to the graphics pretty quickly. After all, I used to play games like that heavily in the 90s anyway. ;D Title: Re: Grand Strategy PC Games Post by: Calandale on July 16, 2014, 01:25:42 pm MoM was great.
Title: Re: Grand Strategy PC Games Post by: usrlocal on July 16, 2014, 02:34:31 pm MoM was great. Still is! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh8mNjeuyV4) Title: Re: Grand Strategy PC Games Post by: Kreator82 on July 16, 2014, 05:09:11 pm I used to be obsessed with Civ 2 back in the day. It was the first strategy title that really grabbed me.
Title: Re: Strategy PC Games Post by: stemcider on July 17, 2014, 03:33:05 pm Ultimate General: Gettysburg - http://store.steampowered.com/app/306660/ (http://store.steampowered.com/app/306660/)
Its in Early Access, but it looks very interesting. I'll have to keep an eye on it. Title: Re: Strategy PC Games Post by: S Trauth on July 20, 2014, 06:09:19 am John Tiller has started putting out demos within the past year or so.
You can grab them from the Tiller site. I also have them at my own site -and this also includes the Ancient Warfare series by Paul Bruffell and published by HPS Simulations. http://hist-sdc.com/demo/index.php Edited to add: Just to clarify, these are not the ones published by Talonsoft. Title: Re: Strategy PC Games Post by: Sluggonics on July 20, 2014, 10:06:07 am Yeah, I always enjoyed Tiller's old Talonsoft titles - all of his Civil War battles were well done.
My PC strategy gaming obsession started with Railroad Tycoon (which I think came out before Civilization? I may be wrong there) and Civilization. I really loved turn-based strategy, and was pretty disappointed with turn-based PC strategy games were largely abandoned in favor of real-time strategy. I put my time in with Europa Universalis and still enjoyed it, but it was never quite the same for me. Fortunately, Civilization continued to evolve - though my fondest memories are still of the first two Civ games. But maybe there's also an element of pining for my lost youth in there, too. ;D Title: Re: Strategy PC Games Post by: Calandale on July 20, 2014, 10:55:19 am Railroad Tycoon was awesome! My ex called it Rail Creep, because it ate up so many of our early days together.
Title: Re: Strategy PC Games Post by: weateallthepies on July 20, 2014, 06:41:42 pm I've been having a lot of fun with Commander: The Great War. It's pretty light hex stuff, kind of a grand panzer general type game for WW1. I believe the ipad version is nearing release.
Also Unity of Command is well worth a look, can be had very cheap and on sale quite often. Title: Re: Strategy PC Games Post by: NthPower on July 26, 2014, 03:00:47 am I've been playing some Civ 5 recently. I really like it with the expansions. I haven't played Fallen Enchantress in awhile, but that's another one I've enjoyed. I should sit down and get some EU4 time in. I end up playing some and then stopping, then forgetting what was going on, so I restart. |