Strategy Gaming Recommendation Thread

[WhiteMousse]

We're back boys...

Rome Total War was a hell of a lot better than Rome Total Peace. They really lost their way for a second

 

[Pepper]

Like @PBAC said, the Total War series is a obvious example (so obvious that I felt the need to point it out again like a dunce). A game that doesn't get brought up enough in my opinion is Stellaris, although it shares a negative aspect that also occurs in the Warhammer branch of the Total War games: you need the boatload of associated DLC to really flesh out the game and all of it's features. Still, a great game and very easy to blow through weeks playing a single campaign trying to conquer/destroy the galaxy. Absolutely recommend to anyone who likes 4X and has time to kill.

 

[Mack Yancy]

Like @PBAC said, the Total War series is a obvious example (so obvious that I felt the need to point it out again like a dunce). A game that doesn't get brought up enough in my opinion is Stellaris, although it shares a negative aspect that also occurs in the Warhammer branch of the Total War games: you need the boatload of associated DLC to really flesh out the game and all of it's features. Still, a great game and very easy to blow through weeks playing a single campaign trying to conquer/destroy the galaxy. Absolutely recommend to anyone who likes 4X and has time to kill.

The issue with stellairs is that it's not as deep as it appears to be on the surface. There are a lot of systems (in theory) but every playthrough devolves into expand, develop and sweeping military conquest.

 

[Mack Yancy]

@GtehMVP Please tell me you've played this.

 

[Satur9]

Ag of Wonders 4. They did really well with this one, and plenty of content. Got about 600 hrs in it, and still play it consistently

 

[Zer]

View attachment 1093568

@GtehMVP Please tell me you've played this.

Oh man this was peak Civ for me. I loved this game to death

 

[Mack Yancy]

Oh man this was peak Civ for me. I loved this game to death

I didn't grow up with it, but recently got the sequel on sale.

Ag of Wonders 4. They did really well with this one, and plenty of content. Got about 600 hrs in it, and still play it consistently

I hear that Age of Wonders Shadow Magic is still considered the peak of the series. Which I'll never know because that game is brutally hard.

 

[GtehMVP]

View attachment 1093568

@GtehMVP Please tell me you've played this.

I didn't even know it existed, sounds cool. I wasn't really a fan of the Civ games until V. I played III and IV enough, but I hated how armies could stack on one tile.

I always more of an RTS guy back then, though I did like Panzer Corps, love WW2 settings.

 

[Satur9]

I didn't grow up with it, but recently got the sequel on sale.


I hear that Age of Wonders Shadow Magic is still considered the peak of the series. Which I'll never know because that game is brutally hard.

Maybe. I never played any besides 3 and 4. Hard for me to go back and play those older games with no past experiences with them that would gloss over the bad. 4 definitely changed from 3, and mostly for the positive.

 

[Mack Yancy]

I didn't even know it existed, sounds cool. I wasn't really a fan of the Civ games until V. I played III and IV enough, but I hated how armies could stack on one tile.

I always more of an RTS guy back then, though I did like Panzer Corps, love WW2 settings.

Sudden Strike?

 

[GtehMVP]

Sudden Strike?

View attachment 1094141

I played one of them, the earlier ones, but iirc correctly I never liked the super short fog of war. How were the newer ones? I think the last one was a 4th game?

Among my ww2 favs were the Blitzkrieg, Code Name Panzer and company of Heroes games.

My all time fav ww2 RTS was the Axis and Allies 2004 one. Im pretty sure it was made by the Kohan guys (or just engine). You could play as either of the 5 main factions in a campaign and change the outcome of the war.

The best part was the TBS aspect of the WW2 mode, where it played like a light version of the board game but you could do the battles as an RTS.

It focused a lot of base building/management, whixh I always prefer to have. You could super turtle and make epic armies, especially with mods.

The AI was kind of stupid though, but there was a mod that tweaked it on moddb I believe.




The Men of War (and OG Heroes, Soldiers of war) games were cool too, as the destruction was fun, and you could control where tanks and soldiers fired.

The OG was always my fav as it had a fun campaign.

 

[NoSmilez]

Stellaris? or Galactic Civ

 

[Zer]

I'm randomly reminded of the Close Combat games. Anyone remember them? It was old school top down WW2 strategy, which felt realistic in a sense where no one under your command really gave two fucks about your orders and would get around to them whenever they felt like it. Tanks were fairly reliable and would eventually do what you wanted, but with infantry (Heavily influenced by fatigue and morale) you just had to cross your fingers and hope they got the job done. There was something really addictive about it

My fav was Close Combat 3. Being Eastern Front, there was a bigger emphasis on tank combat

 

[Mack Yancy]

I'm randomly reminded of the Close Combat games. Anyone remember them? It was old school top down WW2 strategy, which felt realistic in a sense where no one under your command really gave two fucks about your orders and would get around to them whenever they felt like it. Tanks were fairly reliable and would eventually do what you wanted, but with infantry (Heavily influenced by fatigue and morale) you just had to cross your fingers and hope they got the job done. There was something really addictive about it

My fav was Close Combat 3. Being Eastern Front, there was a bigger emphasis on tank combat

View attachment 1094592

Those game are so damn challenging it's ridiculous.

Also I seem to get them confused with Combat Mission sometimes.

 

[badascan]

Thea: The Awakening

It's underappreciated imo and I've mentioned it before. The games not without flaws but it's got the things one appreciates in strategy games, settlement development, exploration, unit leveling and inventory management, resource accumulation, crafting, different research trees, etc. There are additional aspects that help the game stand out, like the combat which is a sort of card game, and story driven decisions that impact gameplay where most interactions or random events are text based similar to D&D maybe. There's also tons of replayability with different starting leaders with different perks or strategies and also different ways to win... There's a second game but I haven't played it.

 

[Mack Yancy]

That's funny, I was just going to ask people in here about a relatively new 4x games called Old World. Apparently some Civ 4 guys were involved?

Anyway, It's touted as a Civ-like but set only in the bronze/Iron-ish ages, while mixing in elements of Crusaders Kings (CK).

I love the emergent gameplay of CK, some of the stories/events that happen are bananas, letting you experience your own GOT-like adventures. I always wanted something like that with Civ 5-style 4x gameplay. I'm long Civ'd out.

This review is well made, prob going to make me take the plunge, especially with a big Steam sale on.

Anyone play this?

It's like Civ but with mild Crusader Kings family mechanics and limited actions.

I'm mixed on it personally. Do you like it?

 

[Mack Yancy]

Thea: The Awakening

It's underappreciated imo and I've mentioned it before. The games not without flaws but it's got the things one appreciates in strategy games, settlement development, exploration, unit leveling and inventory management, resource accumulation, crafting, different research trees, etc. There are additional aspects that help the game stand out, like the combat which is a sort of card game, and story driven decisions that impact gameplay where most interactions or random events are text based similar to D&D maybe. There's also tons of replayability with different starting leaders with different perks or strategies and also different ways to win... There's a second game but I haven't played it.

That game has ambitions that far exceed its budget.

Which is a shame, because I like the dieas.

 

[GtehMVP]

It's like Civ but with mild Crusader Kings family mechanics and limited actions.

I'm mixed on it personally. Do you like it?

I fired it up once but wasn't in the mood to learn the systems. I haven't touched it since lol

I will play it at some point, when the 4x itch needs scratching.

Funny enough, I am craving some 4x, but I've been binging Star Trek so I'm trying out the Star Trek new Horizons overhaul mod for Stellaris.

Some fan made a 3D animation trailer, it's gorgeous, and that damn score.

 

[Mack Yancy]

I fired it up once but wasn't in the mood to learn the systems. I haven't touched it since lol

I will play it at some point, when the 4x itch needs scratching.

Not to be 'that gamer' but Crusader Kings isn't a 4X.

And I take it you're not a fan of Star Trek Infinity?

 

[GtehMVP]

Not to be 'that gamer' but Crusader Kings isn't a 4X.

And I take it you're not a fan of Star Trek Infinity?

I was talking about Old World.

I heard ST Infinite (that what you're referring to?) was shit, so I haven't picked it up. This ST Horizons overhaul is pretty wild though, incredible what this mod team has done!