Is the grand campaign worth it?

[best75]

I am thinking about getting the grand campaign mega
Does the grand campaign get boring? With about 150 scenarios I can't help but think it's going to get boring.
Is it fun?

[BiteNibbleChomp]

It's fun, but is an incredible timesink (I spent 3.5 years on my playthrough).

I'll suggest you just get '39 up to '42 (East), these are much more enjoyable than the last 3 years of the war

- BNC

[ptje63]

I am currently at Charkov 1943 (Marshall), then wanted some change and started (and just finished) Afrika Korps (General). It's fun . Comparing it to a book I guess Tolstoy's War and Peace comes to mind...

[TSPC37730]

Absolutely. If you're a fan of the game that is. It's hard to spend that amount of $ and get that many hours of entertainment from it.

[sn0wball]

Short version: YES.

GC East 44 and 45 can get boring, though, when yet another tide of front line Soviet tanks attacks. GC West, never.

[best75]

What about difficulty?
I usually play on colonel, should I drop the difficulty to lieutenant?

[fliegenderstaub]

You should only play on a lower difficulty only if the current one is too frustrating. Have a look at the "diff.pzdat" file in the Data folder of Panzer Corps. There you can see the differences between the difficulty levels.

Way back then I started on Lieutenant, but it turned out to be too easy. So I played on Colonel for quite a while and then turned to General after discovering that the difference to Colonel is only a higher AI level and more AI prestige. At the moment I have just started two GCs on Rommel and on Guderian.

Well, in my very personal opinion you should give a higher level a try. It is more challenging. After every scenario you can change the difficulty anyway (or even individualize it).

[Razz1]

Colonel is fine. General may be better.
The GC doesn't take that long to play, just dedication.

[Longasc]

It's fun, but is an incredible timesink (I spent 3.5 years on my playthrough).

I'll suggest you just get '39 up to '42 (East), these are much more enjoyable than the last 3 years of the war

I can only second everything he said.

And to expand on that, the DLC 40/41 are incredibly good. The year 43+ DLCs on the Western Front are awesome, too. The Eastern Front is difficult and lots of units to move, Prestige might get scarce and losses can be harsh, as training up new units is harsh and you need really elite troops to survive.

But even if you don't play that far- it's way better than the default campaign. Well worth it!

[captainjack]

Personally I enjoy playing the Grand Campaigns up to about 42 or 43, but 44 East can be a bit hard work and I have never yet managed 45 East - the West route seems to be a bit more fun and less intense.
I have lost count of how many time I have played the early campaigns so I have got good value for money out of them.

I usually play on General difficulty with limited random setting. The AI is a little different in behaviour on General than on Colonel. Field Marshall is similar to General but the rate of experience gain is slower so it needs more planning to develop and retain the 4 and 5* units you will need later on. Since you can change the difficulty settings after each scenario, you can always start at a more demanding setting and change part way through the campaign.

[Kamerer]

I have played all, GC, AK, AC, SeaLion, etc. I have played them all and I have to say GC is just the most fun. All the way from 39 to 45.

It has the most consistency. Tactics change and evolve gradually so you can watch, learn, react. It does take time and attention, but I find the evolution of going through the GC the most rewarding of all. I would definitely get the whole pcackage and enjoy it.

It can be played through and won on any level up through "Rommel," one of the locked levels. Plenty of opportunity ot learn the intricacies and then increase the difficulty.

[best75]

I start playing and I get free units with odd heroes. This bomber with hero that give bad combat stat but more spotting then a infantry with hero that gives more movement. Is there a list for these units with heroes?

[fliegenderstaub]

There is a lot about this special heroes:

viewtopic.php?f=121&t=43374

viewtopic.php?f=121&t=42115

The bomber unit with bad combat values i will become very (!) important to you from Minsk 1941 on if you keep the unit in your core and deploy it at least during the Minsk scenario.

[MartyWard]

I start playing and I get free units with odd heroes. This bomber with hero that give bad combat stat but more potting then a infantry with hero that gives more movement. Is there a list for these units with heroes?

Save that hero with the bad stats, it is early Rudel! If he is deployed is a certain scenario you get the monster Rudel.

[Imarion]

The 1st 3 years are nice.
I play on Colonel and aim for DV. I could get it on most missions of this period (if not all).

In 1942 I decided to go for east (mostly Russia invasion). This year is still ok.
But 1943 starts to be hard. MV seems ok though, at least in the beginning. but it is disappointing. Considering DV gives sometimes access to bonus mission which are very interesting for experience and often bonus units. And I read on the forum 1944 gets even worse.

Also, according to what I read on the forum, you need to plan and build your corps considering the end game. And it is different whether you aim to go for east or west.
This means that, while in the smaller campaigns (I played vanilla PzC and Allied Corps), it is only a matter of few missions, in the case of the campaign it is around 10 missions / year.

I love strategy games, and this one is very good, but missions are sometimes frustrating (I was planning to buy other games of the series but I'm now hesitating).

That said, some people find the game too easy even on harder difficulties, so I guess it depends on the skill, experience and amount of time you can spend learning the details of the game and replaying the missions until you know how to handle them.
In the case of the GC, this means playing twice (at least) through more than 100 missions. If you have such an amount of time free, then you will get a lot for your money.
And if, you get it with a bargain, at least the 1st 3 years are worth it anyway.

Imarion

[BiteNibbleChomp]

And I read on the forum 1944 gets even worse.

1944 is beyond nasty! '45 is alright, except for the Offensive one after Kongisberg.

- BNC

[wolfslair71]

I would say the grand campaign is totally worth it. I have been through the entire war in the east on field marshal difficulty and loved every minute of it. I was able to achieve a victory over the Russians in 45. I am stuck on sealion 45 though. wave after wave of allied planes, not to mention some serious armor.

[KeldorKatarn]

The Grand Campaign DLC series is litterally the best DLC series for any game I've ever seen regarding bang for your buck in terms of gaming hours. Even more so since the scenario trees slightly branch and guarantee a certain amount of replayability. Best deal ever if you like this game.

[PantheraTigris]

My question was going to be was it worth it if the Axis are winning, but I see that info in a reply.