What Type of Game? Questions & Solutions

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What Type of Game? Questions & Solutions - 11/29/2007 6:13:55 PM

Lionfish

Posts: 52
Joined: 10/16/2003
Status: offline

Tactical, Strategic, Operational�.????

I will preface that I am a long time, yet novice gamer. I have played the original Steel Panthers, Panzer General, West Front, etc. However, I am not a Gronard or super knowledgeable as far as games.

Life changes, you get married, have children and don�t have (or create) the time to play.
However, I am slowly breaking out those old games � that will not run anymore on my modern Vista machine.

So of course I come to Matrix games for some insight, help, and possible purchase. Here is the rub, WHAT TO GET???? I can�t learn and play them all.

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What's the difference?

Now the confusion starts (for me anyway). It seemed in the old days (not too long ago, but seems a life time in game technology) � that it was fairly easy to tell the difference in scale and type of war-game � but not there are so many choices and hybrids.

So I have some questions and finally a suggestion (based on the question)
There are WEGO, IGO-YOUGO, RTS, RTS-PAUSE on top of that there are radically different scales. Too such extent that I can�t tell the difference when they stay �Tactical�, �Strategy�, etc.

From my limited experience it seemed fairly easy to determine the difference.

TACTICAL?
Steel Panthers was individual tanks, line of sight (LOS), and range fire affects, etc. It would call that tactical.

Campaign series (WF, EF, etc) was similar but the hexes were bigger and the counters represented more than 1 tank. However it was still affected by LOS, Range of fire, etc.

So there is a scale difference, but the tactical game mechanics are similar.

STRATEGIC ?
Then you jump up to bigger scales and ICONS that represent larger groups, LOS and Range fire is no longer part of the game mechanics. Scales are sometimes exceed 100km. These are more operational games. I always called them strategy games - for lack of a better word.

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Looking for a game!

So I am looking for a Steel Panthers / Campaign series type game where LOS and similar mechanics come into play. I have old versions of both and would rather try out something new, however I can�t seem to find anything out there. Looking for suggestions!

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Suggestion for Matrix Games

They should create a Game Matrix!!!

Games listed vertically, and information listed horizontally.
Example:

Game________Genere_____TURN TYPE______Map Scale______Unit Size______TAC/STRAT
Steel Panther��.....WWII��..IGOUGO��1KM��....Single��..TAC

That would be very helpful for people�.

Any thoughts, comments, or suggestions?

Post #: 1

RE: What Type of Game? Questions & Solutions - 11/29/2007 6:27:00 PM

ravinhood

Posts: 3891
Joined: 10/23/2003
Status: offline

There's an old game called D-Day by Impressions I think runs under dos if I'm not mistaken. Has everything you want. Strategic overland game and then goes down into a turn based tactical game. Could take you 100's of hours to complete a game of it.

If you don't mind real time there's Close Combat:Normandy that has a strategic game with a tactical game under the hood. There is a newer one out called Close Combat:Cross of Iron

You could buy the Generals Editions to Steel Panthers World at War which comes with many many many campaigns you probably wouldn't finish in a lifetime.

There's the new WinSPWAW with updated graphics etc that will have new or random campaigns you can play from Shrapnel or you can get it through NWS Online Gaming store a lot cheaper.

There's the Hussar games that offer strategic and then tactical battles "For Liberty" "1848 (which is a free download) and most recent "Napoleon in Italy" Of course these are revolution, and napoleonic era games.

Then you have "Crown of Glory" and "Forge of Freedom" (napoleonic and civil war games respectfully) that offer the strategic and tactical games as well.

There's just not a lot of Steel Pantherlike games out there. The Combat Mission series comes pretty close and there are campaigns you can play in them though not like a Steel Panthers, but, a campaign of several scenarios linked together. Works pretty good from a campaign standpoint I think and it's all tactical. They don't get any better than Combat Mission, Steel Panthers and the World at War Tiller Campaign series.

< Message edited by ravinhood -- 11/29/2007 6:29:30 PM >

(in reply to Lionfish)

Post #: 2

RE: What Type of Game? Questions & Solutions - 11/30/2007 4:20:17 AM

a white rabbit

Posts: 2366
Joined: 4/27/2002
From: ..under deconstruction..6N124E..
Status: offline

..toaw3..the only game that should come as part of the computer software

_____________________________

..toodA, irmAb moAs'lyB 'exper'mentin'..,..be�n'tus all..?,

(in reply to ravinhood)

Post #: 3

RE: What Type of Game? Questions & Solutions - 11/30/2007 11:39:25 AM

JudgeDredd

Posts: 8573
Joined: 11/14/2003
From: Scotland
Status: offline

WR

I wouldn't say TOAWIII is a tactical game...not as how he defines it anyway.

Sure there are tactics involved, but I'd say it's heading towards the more "abstract" meaning of tactical.

You mention WWII in your post, but not specifying specifically that that is what you are looking for...so I would chime in with Forge of Freedom. It's a strategic game of incredible depth of the American Civil War but, and this is where it excels for me, you can fight each individual battle as a tactical engagement...and they are good too.

If you want to stay on the tactical WWII theme, then I couldn't suggest a better tactical series than Combat Mission. Very good games with lots of user created scenarios for all 3 titles. If you can find the pack, it was something like �10 not long ago and worth every penny. It's a 3D WEGO system where you give orders to your units, and both sides play out those orders in uninteruptable real time.

Those are my two options if I had the money I would buy...I mean, I have them