Goes without saying we're all simulator fans here, but do many of you enjoy RTS games?

I picked up SDII for cheap in the Steam summer sale for just £12.99 or so. It has a LOT of depth to the combat and division building with a pretty interesting campaign mode on top of the expansive skirmish modes offline and online with others and/or AI.

It's set in 1944, specifically around the time of Operation Bagration, the code name for the Soviet offensive to ensnare and destroy army group centre and send the German defences into disarray. Literally hundreds of units to choose from both Axis and Allied sides. In the base game the Allies are primarily the USSR, with US, Canadian and British forces available through expansion packs (which are heavily discounted currently).

If anyone here is a fan of WWII RTS I recommend giving it a shot, although there is quite a learning curve to start with. Thankfully the game links you to video tutorials on YT from the main menu! Personally, I just sent forth my first custom battlegroup based off of the 5th Panzer Division and crushed the Soviets :).

I've never played Steel Division II, but i looks interesting!

The last RTS WW2 game I played was Company of Heroes (in 2006), so that's a while ago.

 

Having played Wargame: Airland Battle and Red Dragon (also Eugen Systems titles) I got selected to do some beta testing of Steel Division: Normandy. To be perfectly honest, I hated every minute of it. After a few online matches I uninstalled it and never looked back. I hope they got it right the second time around. 

I've not played Normandy 44, so sadly I can't say what differenes there are between the two titles.

It has a pretty harsh learning curve, at least it did for me... been a while since I really played RTS like this. Was losing tanks etc to AT guns hidden that I had no idea were there. Starting to get the hang of it though, enjoying it but you have to really concentrate as there's a fair bit of micro-management involved. Sometimes a little too much perhaps. For instance, in the game I just played as the Soviets I lost four mortar units to counter-battery fire, it would be nice if you could set them up to move without you having to input commands, or for them to move when they've been spotted.

You watch people who play it a lot on Youtube however and they're really on the ball. Some of the games are real meat grinders with just a constant flow of units reinforcing the frontline.