Anyone play "historic" strategy games on PC?

[Johnnie]

Got Napoleon Total war a while ago. Really nice game


By johnnie24 at 2012-04-27

Close quarter firefight at Waterloo


By johnnie24 at 2012-04-27

Russian infantry attack.


By Johnnie24 at 2012-04-27

Highlanders get a bloodied nose.

[Mainly28s]

Does Steel Panthers count? It's the only one I play regularly. I do play the odd bit of FPS (Day of Defeat and Sniper Elite), and Blue Max (youplay.it) too.

[Cubster]

I have trouble finding games with the sort of gameplay I like, ie. simple turn-based map stuff without fancy graphics or over-complication. There was a great old game called 'Ancient Battles' that you could probably play off a watch these days. If I do find old games of that ilk they are usually just too old to play on the computer any more.

I was addicted to 'Panzer General' for a long time, but again the various sequels just added 3d, fancy graphics etc.. without actually improving my enjoyment. I used to lose days on 'Hearts of Iron', even with the myriad patches required to make it work, but the sequel didn't grab me at all and the 'Victoria' game made by the same people was just so complex it felt like work, not play. There was an old game called 'Storm Across Europe' that was a simpler precursor and lots of fun.

[Thaddeus]

I play Europa Universalis III (when I have a computer capable of doing so, at least). Not nearly as much eye candy as the Total War series, but it covers the whole world from 1399 to 1821 (you can pick your start date), and includes all sorts of military, cultural, economic and diplomatic options and events. You can play any nation, from Aachen to Zapotec, and good gameplay or even luck can trigger a "butterfly effect" leading to crazy alternate histories.

So far, I have played as Hungary, Switzerland and Denmark, always playing the "Grand Campaign" start date of 1399.

Hungary was my "learning to play" campaign, so I didn't do very well. Fortunately, Austria managed to stave off and eventually conquer the Ottomans, so I didn't get eaten, and I even managed to grab some Ukrainian territory. I stopped playing that game when Bavaria (I think) managed to unite the Holy Roman Empire into a single nation around 1700.

I did better as Switzerland, making tons of money from trade in the first century or so, then joining up with a crusade directed at the Ottomans. Where my allies were content to make peace for a few dozen ducats, I actually seized land from the infidels. As of 1650ish, my Swiss empire consists of Switzerland and the whole Anatolian peninsula.

Denmark is my most recent, and unsurprisingly most successful, campaign. It took maybe two centuries of war and diplomacy to annex Sweden and Norway and create Scandinavia as a country. I also conquered Finland, the Teutonic Knights/Prussia, and a few provinces from Novgorod... now it's just Pommerania and a couple German minors preventing me from absolute dominion over the entire Baltic coast.

Oh, also in my Denmark game, the United Kingdom formed early and declared war against me for some reason. I managed not only to defend my possessions, but successfully invade them. I occupied most of England until they were willing to peace out, at which point I extracted a ton of cash from them, and made them release Scotland as a sovereign state (which I promptly allied with and intend to vassalize).

It's a fun game, and I really need a new computer so I can play it some more. It's real-time, but the speed can be adjusted and you can do things while it's paused, so it might as well be turn-based.

[Johnnie]

Guess I should have written "historic" Pc games. Of course every game counts except Sci-fci and fantasy

Cubster: Have you tried the old Battleground series? It's games covering Napoleon and ACW. There are several games concentrating on different battles. I've played Bull run, Gettysburg, Chickamagua, Borodino, Shiloh and so on. It's turned based and you get to control entire armies. At Borodino I controlled over 100 000 men in the french forces. You control Artillery, Infantry, supplies, Officers, morale and disorder of the troops. Chech them out. They got a good 10+ years on their neck but maybe you can get a hold of them on E-bay. Lovely games. Spent months playing them

Thaddeus: Well written text. How epic it is to take control of a country and expand it's borders through diplomacy, strategy and economy. I love to read other peoples sum up on games like these. It's like reading a alternate history

Cheers!

[Cubster]

Cubster: Have you tried the old Battleground series?

I'll check it out, thanks.

[Undave]

I love the Total War series although I was somewhat less impressed with Shogun 2 for some reason. I keep going back to Medieval 2 which I reckon is still the best of the lot.

Someone did an Anglo-Zulu/Sudan mod for Napoleon but after all the recent hoohah about file sharing sites there doesn't seem to be a reliable way of getting hold of it. A shame because some of the mods have been really good, the Lord of the Rings one was epic.

[Johnnie]

Agree to the fullest with you Undave. I pre ordered Shogun 2 and played for a couple of hours and then returned to Medieval 2 and the Third age total war 3.0 mod. I love it Im not sure why I dont like shogun 2. Guess it's the boring and few units and only one island to wage war in. They should have gone for a new Medieval 3 with dozens of nations and hundreds of units. Napoleon Total war was way better than Empire total war.

I tried an Empire american civil war mod. Was very very realistic and unforgiving. Guess a Medieval 3 is still a dream. Imagine armoured knights with Shogun 2 graphics

[janner]

I've always enjoyed computer strategy games, but found that I was losing to much time that could be better spent on painting etc.

I daren't buy a games system if I ever want to get another army finished

[Invisible officer]

I've always enjoyed computer strategy games, but found that I was losing to much time that could be better spent on painting etc.

I daren't buy a games system if I ever want to get another army finished

Yes, that's the problem. Time.

I prefer the big strategic level computer games. I dislike those where I have to do the jobs of all the subordinates. Commanding, Sighting, driving