Looking for A Good WW2 Strategy Game

[Razwald]

I'm hoping by posting here someone may have an idea of a good strategy game that I may have overlooked.

 

We will skip the Total War series which I do like but its not for this discussion.

 

So I have played Company of Heroes Now its an ok game but I have a few beefs with it and it may help you with what I'm looking for.

1 I don't really care for base building or capture points for resources.

2 The only real good version was the Ardennes Campaign only because your companies took damage that would effect your next battle.

3 but your units did't gain experience between battles.

 

Close Combat series

I liked how you're regiments would get fatigued unless you pulled them off the line. Also the units would carry over their experience from battle to battle.

Bad side they never bothered to improve on the game mechanics or graphics for that matter since the 1st one.

 

I just picked up Steel Division Normandy 1944

Well it looks great for multi player. You can pick different divisions and outfit it your way remove some artillery for more infantry. Add anti tank guns an remove your recons that sort of thing.

The campaign however is just a series of battles doesn't matter what you do. It has no effect on the next one.

 

So here is a game I like but its the American Civil War its called Ultimate General: Civil War

1 the campaign is a series of battles with skirmishes in between.

2 You get money and reputation points after every battle to spend however you want

3 Your units do gain experience and if you add recruits to a battle hardened brigade they lose that experience. 1200 3rd rank soldiers are better than 2500 raw recruits.

4 you as a General also gain experience. Do you go for better intel, logistics or do you go from 1 corps with 2 divisions to 3 division or  later on 3 corps 4 divisions each.

5 you can decide which corps you will send to the skirmish the bigger battles tend to use all your corps available.

6 there are times a draw is better than losing too many men to get the victory.

 

Basically I'm looking for a campaign where my actions have consequences and the experience carries over.. Do I send these guys in. I know they are tired but I know they will get the job done. That sort of thing.  

 

If you read through it all I hope you didn't get too bored.

Thanks

[Britchot]

I tried "Men of War: Assault Squad 2" a while back for most of the same reasons. I loved Close Combat back in the '90s and was looking for a modern version of that game. Assault Squad isn't quite the same. I only played it about 5 hours, Because I felt that you have to micromanage your troops a lot and you capture flags as you go. I didn't really give it a fair shot but the graphics were great.

 

Take a look but don't take this as a full recommendation.

[Lipfert]

I might suggest Graviteam Tactics: Mius-Front, but be advised that it has a very steep learning curve. Available on Steam with DLC packs.

 

S!

[Razwald]

I tried "Men of War: Assault Squad 2" a while back for most of the same reasons. I loved Close Combat back in the '90s and was looking for a modern version of that game. Assault Squad isn't quite the same. I only played it about 5 hours, Because I felt that you have to micromanage your troops a lot and you capture flags as you go. I didn't really give it a fair shot but the graphics were great.

 

Take a look but don't take this as a full recommendation.

Now that you say that I played Battle of Empires which is either the same developer or same game play engine and I didn't care for it so I never tried MoW.

 

I might suggest Graviteam Tactics: Mius-Front, but be advised that it has a very steep learning curve. Available on Steam with DLC packs.

 

S!

Just checked out some Youtube videos. I see what you mean by steep learning curve. It does look closer to my preferred style of game play. I may check that out.

 

Thanks

[Kliegmann]

Hearts of Iron IV is really good, but its almost all strategic.

[Butzzell]

Maybe you need to get away from the AI and interact with a live human being?

 

Blitzkrieg by Avalon Hill   board game    Usually takes a full 24 hours. Take a hit off speed and play right through.

[Razwald]

Maybe you need to get away from the AI and interact with a live human being?

 

Blitzkrieg by Avalon Hill   board game    Usually takes a full 24 hours. Take a hit off speed and play right through.

My friends are into fantasy football. Board games and speed really aren't their thing.

 

I think I may have played that as a kid with my neighbor. My dad had a few bookcase games. On more then one occasion either my neighbor or I would get pissed and flip the board.

 

 

Hearts of Iron IV is really good, but its almost all strategic.

I have seen it never paid attention to it thought it was board game style. Now that I have looked at it closer it looks more of a country management with world domination style. That I'm ok with. 

 

This is why I posted. I figured there where games I either over looked like Hearts of Iron. Or never heard of like Graviteam Tactics.

[Razwald]

Thanks Lipfert. that is exactly what I'm looking for. You are right the learning curve is steep. Biggest issue is the tutorials are lacking in content. The 2nd tutorial with the tanks and infantry it took me awhile to figure out how to get the infantry to advance behind the tanks. Once i figured out how to get the secondary movement menu up the rest where kind of straight forward.

 

Its mostly going back and forth from the manual youtube and forums to get by.

[Lipfert]

Raz,

 

Search YouTube for "Arch Warhammer", he has a series of tutorials.

 

S!

[Razwald]

Raz,

 

Search YouTube for "Arch Warhammer", he has a series of tutorials.

 

S!

Found his channel before I bought the game. It helped me decide to dive into it. I'm doing ok in the Saur-Mogila Russian campaign. Don't know if I'll reach the other objective before time runs out. I should be fine as long as supplies last or  the Germans don't mount a major counter offensive.

 

I've been setting up small custom battles to see how things work. I figured out how to use the squad leader to auto spot for mortars. Still working on the on map arty. I can get them to auto fire and get the squad leader to call for a barrage but he won't call out targets on his own like the mortar team. I haven't tried it with a forward observer. Only with my leader within shouting distance.

 

S!

[Ludwig]

HAH!  Butzzell.... I still have 2 copies of Blitzkrieg and they still work! 

 

Hey Raz... good to hear from you again...   I will 2nd the opinion of the CLOSE COMBAT series mentioned above.  Jake/Snaggle/Gordon  man of a thousand faces and coffee cups and I went through ALL of the CLOSE COMBAT series in multiplayer back in the ... mmrrmmerrm  mummmrrrr   well before the turn of the Century when they were new, and enjoyed them a great deal. The new versions are good if not better. I personally completed "Gateway To Caen" and enjoyed it a great deal. We hooked it up at least once multiplayer and it worked...so no worries there.

 

www.MadMinutegames.com  is a group that did the American Civil War second Manassas and is simply THE BEST $10 you will ever spend. Get it, enjoy it.  When you get good, go to the HITS  (Headquarters In The Saddle) and you can see nothing but from your saddle...  HAH-HAH.... NOW all those arm chair generals get a dose... because it is MADDENING. You are TOTALLY dependent on what people tell you and hand drawn maps that are of questionable value, add to that Generals that do what they think best (regardless) and you have a complete mess so trot your ol hoss up to the ridge and see for yourself... too bad nothing is happening there... it's all down in the woods.

 

They went on to produce "Scourge of War" Gettysburg which was then followed on with Antietam.  If you have ANY interest in this type of REAL TIME simulation with troops that might or might not show up, run away, get lost or charge right into the middle of the wrong place to be...  this is a MOST excellent series. ALL good. We have played this one Multi-player and they mean MULTI as in I think up to eight players?  I know Jake/Snaggle/Gordon and I were in one with AT LEAST 4 players... may have been six. It worked well. Commands are issued by you clicking until you decide you want to make it more real and then it has a built in courier system which is quite clever. It works... your officers may not. Send a message and tell Ewell to take that hill... "if practicable" and maybe he will.   Orders down to the Regimental level and you can command from the Regimental level up to Marse Robert himself if you are so inclined...  or the "goggle eyed-snapping turtle" if you like.  The SOUND makes it...   it puts you right there, nicely done. It works at an increased speed... you didn't REALLY want to fight the ENTIRE 3 days in real time...  but it still takes hours if you pull a big one. How big? Well.. from a regimental scrape to the whole magilla.  TAKE COMMAND 2nd Manassas for $10 gets you started, Scourge of War is much improved, same basic idea, same folks, but better system and more options. Heck, the battlefield alone on SoW is so accurate it is worth it just to go "walk" the battlefield.

 

I really liked this entire series.

 

OH... Butz.... I sold off my AH, GDW, SPI, et all collection years ago when ATA went bankrupt and we were all out of work (again) but I kept my copy of SPI  "CAMPAIGN FOR NORTH AFRIKA"  just because it was so ludicrous, I could not let it go.