Matrix Games Forums

Forums  Register  Login  Photo Gallery  Member List  Search  Calendars  FAQ 

My Profile  Inbox  Address Book  My Subscription  My Forums  Log Out

If you could only choose one Matrix ACW game...

 
View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest
Users viewing this topic: none
  Printable Version
All Forums >> [General] >> General Discussion >> If you could only choose one Matrix ACW game... Page: [1]
Login
Message << Older Topic   Newer Topic >>
If you could only choose one Matrix ACW game... - 9/27/2008 1:56:25 PM   
jalefkowit

 

Posts: 8
Joined: 5/27/2004
Status: offline
I've been itching to play a good American Civil War grand-strategic game for a while now. But I can't tell from reviews, etc. which of Matrix's array of offerings is the best place to start.

It looks like they have three well-regarded games of this type: Forge of Freedom, AGEOD's American Civil War, and Gary Grigsby's War Between the States.

In a perfect world, I'd just buy all three But Matrix's prices are on the high end -- I'm a little amazed they're still charging $50 for some stuff that other publishers would have bargain-binned years ago -- and I can't justify dropping nearly $200 for three games that are so similar to each other.

However, it's hard to figure out which one is right for me, because (a) Matrix doesn't offer demos for any of them (grrr) and (b) the gaming media's coverage of wargames is pathetic, so it's hard to find a cross-section of reviews that you can use to suss out how each game plays.

So here's my question: which one do YOU recommend?
Post #: 1
RE: If you could only choose one Matrix ACW game... - 9/27/2008 6:21:05 PM   
kentcol

 

Posts: 137
Joined: 7/1/2006
Status: offline
Definitely War Between the States. The other two are awesome also but this one is easy to get into, yet very hard to master. It is one you will play for a loooong time! Good luck:)

(in reply to jalefkowit)
Post #: 2
RE: If you could only choose one Matrix ACW game... - 9/27/2008 11:01:29 PM   
JudgeDredd


Posts: 8573
Joined: 11/14/2003
From: Scotland
Status: offline
Very, very hard to give a decision here...I love War Between The States and Forge of Freedom. So I guess I'd have to say...
  • If you want an ACW game that you can play to completion within a few hours and are not concerned about playing out tactical engagements, then Ware Between The States is your baby
  • If, however, you want a game that will keep going and give you control of tactical battles, then Forge of Freedom is the puppy you want.
I really couldn't choose between them...and I do have both. They are both great games and both detailed...FoF moreso and it has tactical battles. But WBTS has some great features and you could easily play out the war in one sitting of 3 hours or so.

(in reply to kentcol)
Post #: 3
RE: If you could only choose one Matrix ACW game... - 9/28/2008 12:08:31 AM   
Arsan

 

Posts: 409
Joined: 7/1/2005
From: Madrid, Spain
Status: offline
Hi!

Fortunately AGEOD offers demos of all their games
You can download the demo of AACW form here
http://www.ageod.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=115
And the full game manual from here
http://www.ageod.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=105

AACW has an awesome support that adds improvements and new features with each patch (besides fixes of course). So bear in mind that the game has evolved quite a lot since the demo was done a year and a half ago. By now, AACW is at 1.11 version patch.
But the demo should give you a good idea about what the game offers.
IMHO, AACW is an excellent game... but i have not played the other two...
Regards

(in reply to JudgeDredd)
Post #: 4
RE: If you could only choose one Matrix ACW game... - 9/28/2008 12:16:48 AM   
Gil R.


Posts: 10821
Joined: 4/1/2005
Status: offline
Jalefkowit,
I'm part of the development team behind FOF, so I'm the wrong person to answer. However, here's something that might help. I've been keeping an index to threads in various forums that have substantial discussions comparing two or more of these games, and these might indicate which game would be best for your tastes. Just go here:
http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=1503227
You won't go wrong with any of the three titles.



< Message edited by Gil R. -- 9/28/2008 12:24:12 AM >

(in reply to jalefkowit)
Post #: 5
RE: If you could only choose one Matrix ACW game... - 9/28/2008 1:35:35 AM   
jalefkowit

 

Posts: 8
Joined: 5/27/2004
Status: offline
Wow, great responses! Thanks!

If it helps, btw, the last grand-strategic ACW game I played that I really liked was (and here I show my age) Interactive Magic's "American Civil War: From Sumter to Appomattox" -- which was deeply flawed but had so many good ideas in it I kept on coming back... anyone else remember that one?

Oh, and Gil -- Forge of Freedom does look pretty cool, thanks for the links. Do you have any plans for an FoF demo in the future?

< Message edited by jalefkowit -- 9/28/2008 1:38:04 AM >

(in reply to Gil R.)
Post #: 6
RE: If you could only choose one Matrix ACW game... - 9/28/2008 9:14:34 AM   
Gil R.


Posts: 10821
Joined: 4/1/2005
Status: offline
There's no demo, just the promotional video.

Creating a playable demo for something like FOF would take A LOT of programming time, delaying other projects significantly. And since the game has been out for nearly two years it simply wouldn't make good business sense to produce on at this point. So, the video, reviews, AAR's, and, of course, forum discussions will remain the best way of getting a sense of it.

_____________________________

Michael Jordan plays ball. Charles Manson kills people. I torment eager potential customers by not sharing screenshots of "Brother Against Brother." Everyone has a talent.

(in reply to jalefkowit)
Post #: 7
Page:   [1]
All Forums >> [General] >> General Discussion >> If you could only choose one Matrix ACW game... Page: [1]
Jump to:





New Messages No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages Locked w/o New Messages
 Post New Thread
 Reply to Message
 Post New Poll
 Submit Vote
 Delete My Own Post
 Delete My Own Thread
 Rate Posts


Forum Software © ASPPlayground.NET Advanced Edition 2.4.5 ANSI

1.828