I had a cataclism with GalCiv, the game had no serial number (hey, it was a bargain!!!), so I filled the gap with another two bargains I came across. Short reviews:
1.) Cossacks 2 Stay away if you don't like RTSs. It has a turn-based/RTS mix but the turn-based part of the game is childish. You're in for the battles. The battles are good, It has moral/exhaustion features but it is a pain in the neck mainly because the IA loves to send horde after horde of soldiers against you. I'm liking it but don't expect too much: just good ole RTS battles. You don't have to gather resources, you conquer village and they generate the resources for you. Good graphics for a 2D game. Short campaign, but it gets some historical battles and skirmish. 6 nations playable.
3 Duncans out of 5
2.) Knights of honor heavily influenced by Paradox (no turn-based but slow-paced), it has RTS styled battles which I dislike a lot. The strategic part is much better: You manage your royal family a la Crusader kings and it has a nice Eu2 feeling, but after playing (and winning) two games without problems it seems that it is the poor man's EU2. The RTS battles are not a bonus (even if the Eu2 battle system was terrible). Good points? It has a lot of playable countries, the diplomacy actually works (Creative Assembly's not) and it has resources (i like resources, Eu2 hasn't).The map gets really bloody reallly fast, though. It has religion and culture issues but they're handed easily (not like Eu2 here)
3 Duncans out of 5
PC games you're playing now....
Moderator: Slitherine Core
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duncan
- Sergeant First Class - Elite Panzer IIIL
- Posts: 436
- Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2005 4:08 am
- Location: Otxandio
I must confess I'm totally adicted to Heroes Of Might And Magic IV. It's like eating those peanuts with honey and salt: roastbeef is better, but you can't stop eating them.
I got this game with the two expansions for 10 ?‚¬ (well, I sold both C2 and KoH, so in fact it was for free) and a preview of the new HOMM 5 (which I don't think I'll get, due to Starforce. Take note of that, Slitherines), and I'm playing non-stop now. The graphics are horrible, it has the worst story-line in years (Weis And Hickman's Dragonlance series sort of, maybe worse) and the turn-based combat isn't as good as in Age of Wonders II: shadow magic (great game, BTW). The scenarios are awfully designed (over-charged) and the music is irritating. I would give it 2 duncans or so.
But, man, I can't stop playing it. I'm currently finishing the first campaign, only five scenarios, so I guess the boredom will come soon, but by then Legion Arena will be installed in my computer, warmly...
anyway
Heroes of might & magic IV: 2 duncans out of 5
I just recently got Great Invasions too, by Phillipe Thibaut (europa universalis creator). The game looks nice, but in its present state, it's almost unplayable due to CTD and freezes. If they fix the game, I think it will be allright, but it's too early to give it some duncans...
I got this game with the two expansions for 10 ?‚¬ (well, I sold both C2 and KoH, so in fact it was for free) and a preview of the new HOMM 5 (which I don't think I'll get, due to Starforce. Take note of that, Slitherines), and I'm playing non-stop now. The graphics are horrible, it has the worst story-line in years (Weis And Hickman's Dragonlance series sort of, maybe worse) and the turn-based combat isn't as good as in Age of Wonders II: shadow magic (great game, BTW). The scenarios are awfully designed (over-charged) and the music is irritating. I would give it 2 duncans or so.
But, man, I can't stop playing it. I'm currently finishing the first campaign, only five scenarios, so I guess the boredom will come soon, but by then Legion Arena will be installed in my computer, warmly...
anyway
Heroes of might & magic IV: 2 duncans out of 5
I just recently got Great Invasions too, by Phillipe Thibaut (europa universalis creator). The game looks nice, but in its present state, it's almost unplayable due to CTD and freezes. If they fix the game, I think it will be allright, but it's too early to give it some duncans...
"The Art Of War: Fantasy" supporter!
On heroes 4, I gotta agree. It is an awful game, especially when compared to Heroes 3... Luckily,t hey are thinking of going back to heroes 3 elements for heroes5, so 5 may be worthwhile.
Duncan, have you ever tried a scenario where you have to create an army out of nothing but heroes, and go head to head with other bunches of hereoes? I liked those scenarios much more than the silly you get 20 black dragons- Now rampage everything in under 2 month type scenarios....
Duncan, have you ever tried a scenario where you have to create an army out of nothing but heroes, and go head to head with other bunches of hereoes? I liked those scenarios much more than the silly you get 20 black dragons- Now rampage everything in under 2 month type scenarios....
Usual gaming hours: 11PM-4AM GMT
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duncan
- Sergeant First Class - Elite Panzer IIIL
- Posts: 436
- Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2005 4:08 am
- Location: Otxandio
I'm still in the fifth scenario (finishing the first campaign, Lysander or some stupid name like that). But the thing goes like this.
1.) Empire building
2.) Heroes only (against regular armies and heroes)
3.) Empire Building
4.) Do it with your heroes (same)
5.) Empire building
...so I guess 6.) will be heroes. I'm liking more "heroes only" type, because the empire building is...strange
.
1.) Empire building
2.) Heroes only (against regular armies and heroes)
3.) Empire Building
4.) Do it with your heroes (same)
5.) Empire building
...so I guess 6.) will be heroes. I'm liking more "heroes only" type, because the empire building is...strange
."The Art Of War: Fantasy" supporter!
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duncan
- Sergeant First Class - Elite Panzer IIIL
- Posts: 436
- Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2005 4:08 am
- Location: Otxandio
I'm still playing Heroes Of Honey And Peanuts IV, but I have given a try to "Great invasions" game last days...
I think the game isn't even released in UK/America. I know it's available in France (in french), Italy (?) and Spain (english), so you can buy a copy from a spanish store
The game is quite similar to Europa Universalis 2, because the lead designer of GI is the same person that designed EU (not the computer version). His previous game was Pax Romana.
Here is GI web: http://www.great-invasions.com/int-en/i ... ation=Home
I'm actually playing patch 1.03b. It's quite unstable, lots of CTDs and freezes, so keep the autosave on...
The game has a grand campaign (from 350 to 1066) and lots of more-focused, smaller mini-scenarios (covering the same map). There's lot of playable nations but you can't choose one of them: you choose lots of them. You can choose four colours at the scenario start: yellow, blue, red and grren (pretty standard, isn't it?). Each colour has a number of nations, so you basically control four or more nations at the same time. With them you can (and you must) win victory points you can use for getting new nations that pop-up to your colour. Example: you're green and control Sassanid empire and four or five tribes from Russia. Then western empire collapses and some nations appear in its place: britons, Brittany, Asturies...whatever. You can bid for that nation X victory points: if your bid is the biggest, the nations is yours (hey, now you've got to win those spent victory points back) and you play on.
You control four religions too.
The game has four things to play with.
1.) Military side: You recruit your troops (about 8 or 9 types of units for every culture), levies are not always available though (it depends on many factors), and everything. To move your troops you spend logistical points (expect if you're a tribe) so you can't wander around the map. Battles are strange (no interaction expect some stratagemes) and result is most of the time odd, strange...
2.) Economic side: Easy. You build mines, walls, ports and granaries and you get your money back...if you're a kingdom or an empire. If you're barbarian you can't build anything. Trade is abstracted. you've got goods, they want your goods, you're getting money...just make a trade agreement. Each nation has four possible levels: raider, barbarian, kingdom and empire. Empire gets some malus (and few bonus), raiders and barbarians get free levies but no buildings ...etc. Every barbarian tribe will end up as a kingdom (if you're not destroyed first)
3.) Diplomacy: You're given random cards every year: Trade, Vassalization, Alliance...when they're spent they're gone and you've got to wait till next year. The result of every card depends on the relationship between countries (from -200 to +200). You've got stratagems too (wedding, native alliance...) but they disappear too when used.
4.) Religion: Four major religions (guess which) to play with (you're the head of the church) and lots of heressies (not playable). Missionaries and everything. Fun.
The game is alright, but the stability issues are too heavy now, because you can't play too long. Let's see what happens with the next patches, the game shows some great promise right now.
Great Invasions --- 3 Duncans
I think the game isn't even released in UK/America. I know it's available in France (in french), Italy (?) and Spain (english), so you can buy a copy from a spanish store
The game is quite similar to Europa Universalis 2, because the lead designer of GI is the same person that designed EU (not the computer version). His previous game was Pax Romana.
Here is GI web: http://www.great-invasions.com/int-en/i ... ation=Home
I'm actually playing patch 1.03b. It's quite unstable, lots of CTDs and freezes, so keep the autosave on...
The game has a grand campaign (from 350 to 1066) and lots of more-focused, smaller mini-scenarios (covering the same map). There's lot of playable nations but you can't choose one of them: you choose lots of them. You can choose four colours at the scenario start: yellow, blue, red and grren (pretty standard, isn't it?). Each colour has a number of nations, so you basically control four or more nations at the same time. With them you can (and you must) win victory points you can use for getting new nations that pop-up to your colour. Example: you're green and control Sassanid empire and four or five tribes from Russia. Then western empire collapses and some nations appear in its place: britons, Brittany, Asturies...whatever. You can bid for that nation X victory points: if your bid is the biggest, the nations is yours (hey, now you've got to win those spent victory points back) and you play on.
You control four religions too.
The game has four things to play with.
1.) Military side: You recruit your troops (about 8 or 9 types of units for every culture), levies are not always available though (it depends on many factors), and everything. To move your troops you spend logistical points (expect if you're a tribe) so you can't wander around the map. Battles are strange (no interaction expect some stratagemes) and result is most of the time odd, strange...
2.) Economic side: Easy. You build mines, walls, ports and granaries and you get your money back...if you're a kingdom or an empire. If you're barbarian you can't build anything. Trade is abstracted. you've got goods, they want your goods, you're getting money...just make a trade agreement. Each nation has four possible levels: raider, barbarian, kingdom and empire. Empire gets some malus (and few bonus), raiders and barbarians get free levies but no buildings ...etc. Every barbarian tribe will end up as a kingdom (if you're not destroyed first)
3.) Diplomacy: You're given random cards every year: Trade, Vassalization, Alliance...when they're spent they're gone and you've got to wait till next year. The result of every card depends on the relationship between countries (from -200 to +200). You've got stratagems too (wedding, native alliance...) but they disappear too when used.
4.) Religion: Four major religions (guess which) to play with (you're the head of the church) and lots of heressies (not playable). Missionaries and everything. Fun.
The game is alright, but the stability issues are too heavy now, because you can't play too long. Let's see what happens with the next patches, the game shows some great promise right now.
Great Invasions --- 3 Duncans
"The Art Of War: Fantasy" supporter!
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marcusthegreat
- Corporal - 5 cm Pak 38
- Posts: 34
- Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2005 2:56 pm
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duncan
- Sergeant First Class - Elite Panzer IIIL
- Posts: 436
- Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2005 4:08 am
- Location: Otxandio
I'm playing Civ IV at the moment (i know, i know, it was released long time ago). It is great!!!!! I'm also playing Football Manager 2006, which is the greatest of the series (I usually don't buy new managers, but I broke my FM 2005 copy, so I went and I bought myself FM 2006).
Last edited by duncan on Wed Mar 15, 2006 3:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"The Art Of War: Fantasy" supporter!
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anguille
- 2nd Lieutenant - Panzer IVF/2
- Posts: 665
- Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2005 3:41 pm
- Location: Bern, Switzerland
CIV IV is still very new...don't have it as it wouldn't run on my computer. Furthermore, i don't like the graphics (CIV III is better imho)
Now, as i need a break of legion arena (still have the celtic campaign to do so it won't be long), i am playing mostly those games:
- Battle for middleearth (just finished good campaign)
- Rising Kingdoms (Forester Campaign)
- American Conquest: Divided Nation
- Knights of honor (various mods)
- this friday i'll have a MOO3 game.
Now, as i need a break of legion arena (still have the celtic campaign to do so it won't be long), i am playing mostly those games:
- Battle for middleearth (just finished good campaign)
- Rising Kingdoms (Forester Campaign)
- American Conquest: Divided Nation
- Knights of honor (various mods)
- this friday i'll have a MOO3 game.
Hi,
At the moment I play the new WinSPWW2.
Not only is one of the best turn-based 2D tactical WW2 war-games BUT it is also available for FREE !
Here is the DL link if anyone likes this kind of WW2 war-games:
http://download.shrapnelgames.com/downl ... nSPWW2.zip
cheers,
Pyros
At the moment I play the new WinSPWW2.
Not only is one of the best turn-based 2D tactical WW2 war-games BUT it is also available for FREE !
Here is the DL link if anyone likes this kind of WW2 war-games:
http://download.shrapnelgames.com/downl ... nSPWW2.zip
cheers,
Pyros
"ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ"
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dithyrambos
- Senior Corporal - Destroyer
- Posts: 103
- Joined: Sat May 13, 2006 5:01 am
- Location: Thermopylae, 480 B.C.
Currently playing (in no particular order)
Spartan
Europa Universalis II
1602 AD
Age of Empires (I and II)
Zeus: Master of Olympus (and Poseidon expansion)
Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom
Chariots of War (will be in a few days, once I get it
)
Legion (would be, except that it ain't working on my PC right now
)
Dithy
Spartan
Europa Universalis II
1602 AD
Age of Empires (I and II)
Zeus: Master of Olympus (and Poseidon expansion)
Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom
Chariots of War (will be in a few days, once I get it
)Legion (would be, except that it ain't working on my PC right now
)Dithy
"Now Dithyrambos, the Thespian captain... by trade an architect and by no means a professional soldier, had already distinguished himself with such magnificent courage throughout the day..." From Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire
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tora_tora_tora
- Staff Sergeant - StuG IIIF
- Posts: 288
- Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2005 6:45 pm
- Location: Japan, kanntou,
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anarchyintheuk
- Private First Class - Opel Blitz
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Fri Sep 09, 2005 5:47 pm