Turn-Based Strategy Games

[biostud]

HoMM VI will be out in a couple of months

 

[Rhezuss]

I miss X-COM TFTD.

Oh that was awesome!

 

[you2]

Aren't the folks who did silent storm doing homm vi ?

HoMM VI will be out in a couple of months

 

[Skott]

The new Jagged Alliance game releases later this year. Q4 I think is the projected time. A German company has been working on it since last year. They're supposedly fans of the original series so I'm hoping they do good with it.

 

[DaveSimmons]

The new Jagged Alliance game releases later this year. Q4 I think is the projected time. A German company has been working on it since last year. They're supposedly fans of the original series so I'm hoping they do good with it.

JA3 is the Duke Nukem Forever of turn based strategy games, there have been at least 2 other attempts to make it that failed. So I'm not getting my hopes up until after it ships

 

[Skott]

JA3 is the Duke Nukem Forever of turn based strategy games, there have been at least 2 other attempts to make it that failed. So I'm not getting my hopes up until after it ships

LOL, I hear ya. All we can do is wait and see.

 

[lugnutusa]

Battle for Wesnoth is a solid TBS, and the best part is that it's free.

 

[obidamnkenobi]

Unfortunately I haven't had much time to sit down properly with TBS games lately, or any games really, but have tried out the Dune Wars mod for Civ4 and that seems pretty fun. Nice change of setting from the original game, and well polished for a mod (IMO).

Frozen Synapse is an awesome indie turn based tactical game. Preordered and have been playing around in the beta. I mostly loose but still fun. Guess you can call it kind of a light version of the X-COM tactical battles..?

 

[crownjules]

I'll throw in a vote for EU3. As aforementioned, it's not truly turn-based but it's damn close to it. And the depth of gameplay and sandbox-like nature of the game means there's a ton of replayability. It's one of the easier Paradox games to get into.

King Arthur: The Role-Playing Wargame is another good one. It's basically Total War but your generals get magic powers as they level up. Though it has some flaws, it's a good game especially if you get it on sale which is usually is every few months.

 

[Elcs]

Is it still worth picking up JA2?

Never played it but it sounds sorta interesting and I could do with a muse.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Is it still worth picking up JA2?

Never played it but it sounds sorta interesting and I could do with a muse.

It has the best turn-based squad-level tactical combat that I know of, but the graphics are low-res isometric like in Fallout 1-2 so you need to be prepared for that.

This ArsTechnica thread has tips, pointers to the best forum for JA2, and notes on using the fan-updated executable for it that was made after the engine source code was released:
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1140450

 

[motsm]

The new Jagged Alliance game releases later this year. Q4 I think is the projected time. A German company has been working on it since last year. They're supposedly fans of the original series so I'm hoping they do good with it.

It's not using a traditional turn based combat system unfortunately. They have switched to a plan and go system that is some variation of real time, their forums are actively against it of course.

 

[RFE]

Triple A is pretty good for turn-based WWII strategy:

http://triplea.sourceforge.net/mywiki/ScreenShots

Free download, free to play. If any of you remember/liked the board game Axis and Allies, then I highly recommend that you give this a try. Will run on just about any relatively modern computer.

 

[Elcs]

It has the best turn-based squad-level tactical combat that I know of, but the graphics are low-res isometric like in Fallout 1-2 so you need to be prepared for that.

This ArsTechnica thread has tips, pointers to the best forum for JA2, and notes on using the fan-updated executable for it that was made after the engine source code was released:
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1140450

Sounds good though I think I need to Google some reviews.

Despite playing on a 47" screen, graphics aren't overly important and I enjoyed playing Fallout 2 either on this screen or my old 42".

If the squads are small enough, it'll be great for me. I sucked at UFO: Enemy Unknown and TFTD because I just don't enjoy controlling that many squad members.

 

[zinfamous]

So I started playing The Legend and ended up playing it for a couple of hours. Good fun so far, really like the art direction too. It's also refreshing that the tutorial doesn't hold your hand at all, which is a pretty rare thing these days.

Good recommend on this one.

It is awesome, but can also be really difficult, even as a warrior. I just kept playing and playing and before I knew it, somehow managed to log 80 hours in one game. that's insane to me.

the controls are a bit wonky--really needs wsad, as the click to move interface runs into problems with the 3D isometric world (you click click click as you move down a path and end up clicking on a mountain that rises in the foreground and your little dude suddenly starts running in weird places and agros a mean army that you were trying to avoid), but it is a super awesome game. The sense of humor is quite swell. DO try to read as much of the dialogue as you can tolerate, some of it is quite clever.

I don't find Armored Princess to really have the same appeal--but it's possible that I burned myself out for now, and also that playing as a mage is freaking hard.

 

[Ross Ridge]

If the squads are small enough, it'll be great for me. I sucked at UFO: Enemy Unknown and TFTD because I just don't enjoy controlling that many squad members.

Squads are normally smaller in Jagged Alliance 2, but they can still be pretty big. One bigger difference is that squad members aren't as expendable as in X-Com. There's a fixed list of pregenerated mercenaries you can hire from, meaning if one dies you might not be able to find as good of a replacement.

 

[LurkerPrime]

So I decided to go download and try out Poxnora. I played the first two trial campaigns and the game seems like it could keep my attention except for the fact that all the items in the store are expensive. Also what you can buy with in-game gold is rediculously limited. This just reminds me of Magic the Gathering in a digital format and just as expensive.

For those of you that miss x-com and TFTD you can get them on steam for like $2. And eventhough you can have a rediculous # of squad members in both of those, I usually only used 4-8, which is all you really ever needed as long as you didn't let them die. I liked both, except in TFTD I hated how one alien would always seems to hide and you would have to scour the map to find him in some little nook. Oh and fuck the little floating brains.

I also liked JA2, except the start is a little painful until you get your mercs a decent weapon skill and some rifles. In the start your mercs cant seem to hit the side of a barn from 10 feet away.

 

[Specop 007]

M.A.X. (Mechanized Assault and Exploration) was one of the finest TBS's I have ever played. The upgrade paths are customizations for the units is incredible.

While a bit (quite a bit by now) old its still an excellent game I highly recommend if you want a C&C style TBS.

 

[Specop 007]

I havn't seen many on the PC in a while. That said, the Nintendo DS has some really decent ones still, any in the "Advance Wars" series will do.

Love that game and reminds me so much of Desert Commander for the Nintendo.

 

[Karstein]

It is awesome, but can also be really difficult, even as a warrior. I just kept playing and playing and before I knew it, somehow managed to log 80 hours in one game. that's insane to me.

the controls are a bit wonky--really needs wsad, as the click to move interface runs into problems with the 3D isometric world (you click click click as you move down a path and end up clicking on a mountain that rises in the foreground and your little dude suddenly starts running in weird places and agros a mean army that you were trying to avoid), but it is a super awesome game. The sense of humor is quite swell. DO try to read as much of the dialogue as you can tolerate, some of it is quite clever.

I don't find Armored Princess to really have the same appeal--but it's possible that I burned myself out for now, and also that playing as a mage is freaking hard.

Yeah, the control system definitely gets you in trouble on a couple of occasions, I also dislike that the camera always gets put at some random angle when you switch between zones.

I've been playing for almost 20 hours now and am still enjoying it a lot, although it does feel both a) a bit disjointed and b) a bit samey after a while.

Some quirks and things I would have liked them to improve:

• One thing that gets a bit irritating is sometimes you'll go into battle with no idea how strong your foe is going to be. This doesn't really apply to the outside monsters, but has bitten me on the ass on a more than one occasion when battling in buildings.

For instance, when you're questing around the cemetery which is going pretty comfortably for your level, some monk asks you to deal with a guy in a castle who's been turned by some evil spirits. So you saunter over, start chatting and eventually jump into battle... only to be absolutely annihilated in one turn by a pack of 200-stacked Necromancers, Ghosts and Vampires. There's absolutely no forewarning to let you know the battle will be that tough.

Another instance is going up Rezo's(?) tower - it's pretty manageable for the first couple of levels, then you hit the top floor and get auto-aggroed by a much stronger pack of foes. Again, no forewarning about how difficult the encounter is going to be, with mobs massively outside the range of pretty much anything else in the area.
​

• Perhaps I'm missing something, but having to replenish your army following a battle is also really irritating. They either needed to implement some kind of fast-travel system or made it somehow easier for you to replenish your troops. I hate having to trudge all the way back to the far side of the swamp to top up my Royal Snakes and the like.

• Your wife (and the game) apparently have a terrible memory about how many kids you have. She seems to ask you every hour about 'wanting to know what it's like to be a mother', and she still asks me now even though we have 3 kids... Also, the kingdom always seems to give you a reward for your first child, no matter which one it is.

• One last thing to mention is that I'm not a fan of the range of spells on offer. I'm a level 9 mage right now and probably only ever use about 4 spells during battle - Fireball, Magic Pole Axe and on the rare occasion Fire Arrow/Weaken. Most of the other spells are really not worth wasting an entire spell turn on, when I can usually just direct-damage for more.

• Oh yeah, and running from battle is pretty much a complete waste of time. Since you lose your entire army from 'running', it's pretty much just a button to end battles early that you know you're going to lose anyway. You might as well just reload at that point.

Other than these issues, this game is really good fun - I didn't think I'd end up enjoying it as much as I am. Get over the few issues it has and it's a great game both to play and look at.

 

[zinfamous]

Yeah, the control system definitely gets you in trouble on a couple of occasions, I also dislike that the camera always gets put at some random angle when you switch between zones.

I've been playing for almost 20 hours now and am still enjoying it a lot, although it does feel both a) a bit disjointed and b) a bit samey after a while.

Some quirks and things I would have liked them to improve:

• One thing that gets a bit irritating is sometimes you'll go into battle with no idea how strong your foe is going to be. This doesn't really apply to the outside monsters, but has bitten me on the ass on a more than one occasion when battling in buildings.

For instance, when you're questing around the cemetery which is going pretty comfortably for your level, some monk asks you to deal with a guy in a castle who's been turned by some evil spirits. So you saunter over, start chatting and eventually jump into battle... only to be absolutely annihilated in one turn by a pack of 200-stacked Necromancers, Ghosts and Vampires. There's absolutely no forewarning to let you know the battle will be that tough.

Another instance is going up Rezo's(?) tower - it's pretty manageable for the first couple of levels, then you hit the top floor and get auto-aggroed by a much stronger pack of foes. Again, no forewarning about how difficult the encounter is going to be, with mobs massively outside the range of pretty much anything else in the area.
​

yeah, I complained about that exact issue in another KB thread. it is annoying. Running is also useless. I don't even know why it is an option, as it is the same as dieing, more or less.

One thing I can suggest: ditch the babbies. Always reject your wife when she wants kids. The items are far more useful. You will probably want to divorce her anyway when you get to the later stages and want to go for the elf/demon wife. They are very powerful.

The spells do get better later one. As a mage, you really want the Higher Magic skill that lets you cast, initially, 2 spells per battle. That is essential as a mage.

THe game can be quite hard. And it is very, very hard as a mage. I do like that the difficulty forces you into strategies that you simply may not want to take. I played through as Warrior and used spells often enough that I thought I might try mage. I started mage in Armored Princess--and I find it oppressively difficult. You have to run from just about everything out there and pick tiny battles for a long time. It's odd--you get to one of the main islands, and nearly every army is labeled as "Lethal!" or "Impossible!" Then, wandering around in the middle of those, is a "very weak" army of 9 single bears. lol, wtf is that?

 

[DaveSimmons]

Re: King's Bounty the Legend - spells:
- Phantom can help in two ways:
a) phantom a melee unit and have the phantom attack first and take the damage from retaliation. Or send it ahead of the real unit to make the enemy troops attack it while your real troops hang back
b) use it on your Inquisitors and they can resurrect anything living including dragons (except black dragons? never used them)
- Call of Nature is weaker than phantom but troops stay until killed. They can draw enemy fire so you lose fewer real toops
- Teleport can move a slow stack across the map in one turn -- useful for slow tanks against archers and gremlin towers, or against demonesses to move the unit they swap back to safety
- Heal can keep you from losing a high-level unit like a dragon. At level 3 it also cures poison
- Geyser attacks 4, 6 or 8 units at once depending on spell level, this is very useful against gremlin towers. It can also freeze demons and red dragons.
- Poison Skull is useful against anything with fire resistance, and like fire arrow causes ongoing damage
- Trap does damage _and_ takes all action points from a unit, so if a map has a choke point you can delay a strong unit from reaching you for an extra turn, possibly blocking multiple units if the trap stops the one in front. I don't use it often but it is sometimes very useful

 

[bactiman]

fallout 1 and 2?

fallout tactics is such an underrated game.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallout_Tactics

http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/fallout_tactics

 

[Slew Foot]

RE: Kings Bounty

If you powers up your scouting skill you can see exactly how many of each ememy is stacked in a unit.

Also magic is pretty weak, I find that kinghts tend to do better, think of it this way, every move your attack and defense bonus is in play as a knight, but as a magician, you can only cast one or two spells a turn. Add in the fact that rage accumulates faster for knights (at least in AP it does) and those spells are better than magic anyway.

 

[DaveSimmons]

RE: Kings Bounty

Also magic is pretty weak, I find that kinghts tend to do better, think of it this way, every move your attack and defense bonus is in play as a knight, but as a magician, you can only cast one or two spells a turn. Add in the fact that rage accumulates faster for knights (at least in AP it does) and those spells are better than magic anyway.

At least in AP, spell effects increase immensely as your Intelligence increases. Near the end as a mage, my fire rain and geyser did 4,000+ damage per unit to multiple units (8 for geyser). Also, Phantom summons >45% even at level 1, resurrect revives large numbers of level 1-4 units, etc. and with level 3 higher magic you can cast 2 spells / turn for the first 6 turns.

A knight is probably easier to play, but a mage is just as good if you use your spells wisely.