War Games

kowloon

I know there is a dedicated forum for games on boards, but I would like to address war games for those with an interest in the history itself.
So people, what do you play, what would you recommend to others?

I'll start the ball rolling by mentioning Hearts of Iron 2, a very flawed game, but it's cheap and a good start for the kind of second world war game I would one day like to play.

Mahatma coat

that looks like a great game.

If only there were someone who had an interest in all things military and his own website with an Arcade Function

We could convince his youngfella to load it into the Server and we could kick seven shades of Sh1te out of each other.

OOOOOh it would be fun.

What time is it in France now anyway???

Dr Strange

I mentioned this in the militaria section so I'm just pasting the text from there:

The best one for me (payment required) is the massive "World War II Online - Battleground Europe" (not to mistaken for BattleGround or Battlefield).

It's an online game 24/7 with hundreds of players (multiple server and machines support it). The weapon systems are accurate down to ballistics, sights and sounds. It's all from your point of view (like 1st Person shooter) but you can play all weapons from infantry to anti-airguns, anti-tank, drive tanks and other vehicles, use ships and even fly planes if that's your thing.(like flight simulator). There are coordinated air strikes, panzer attacks etc...it's just massive and addictive (I had to stop about three years ago or I wouldn't have down any research work) and I will definitely sign up again once my research is over.

You can play British, French or German and you rank up etc. The last time I played it the virtual battlefield with towns, cities etc was so large that it took 6 days in real life to walk from one end of the map to the other.

Needless to say I enroled immedieately with the Heer (Army) when I first started playing it. The offline training course allwos you to test all weapons and systems on a firing range which is great.

Here's a link:
http://www.battlegroundeurope.com/

Link to Axis command:
http://www.battlegroundeurope.com/index.php/campaign-community/axis-command

Links to Allied command:
http://www.battlegroundeurope.com/index.php/campaign-community/allied-command

Link to Official Screenshots and movie:
http://www.battlegroundeurope.com/index.php/about-the-game/screenshots-movies

Link to youtube player movies (be aware that some are over a year old and the game is constantly developing further every couple of months):
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=tuberafter&view=favorites


EDIT: A nice explaination by KC23 how the general stuff of the game works like the map and choosing a brigade etc... (don't be fooled by the beginning. The action takes place in first person view!):

And something for the flight sim guys from the same game:

Check out the official game movie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjcAFjniM1s

They are planning a new release of pictures and movies next.




For more discussion on specs: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055643026

BlackEdelweiss

I play basically anything that comes out on WW2. I love the Call of Duty series and I can still remember my first experience playing Medal of Honour years ago, creeping through a French village in the middle of the night, taking out loads of Germans. I knew then that something good was happening in the gaming world.
I got Panzer Tactics for the DS which was starting to look good but then my son lost his DS so taht was the end of that, it sounds like the op's game Hearts of Iron, turn based strategy I think its called.
My wife got me a boardgame for christmas last year called Axis & Allies but I have never had anyone to play it with so it has never come out of the box.
Axis & Allies
Anybody ever played it?

At the minute I am playing IL-2 Sturmovic on the X Box, it is an excellent game, I'm not a big flight sim person but it is a very enjoyably way to see the war from another perspective.

marcsignal

You real gamers will piss yourselves when you see what I play :D

I play 2 games mostly, and they're both the 'T-Rex' of computer war games.

The one I play most of the time is Risk, and the other one is Steel Panthers

The only problem is that I have to use an old machine to play Steel Panthers, because it's a DOS game, and my newer machine wont run it , but I've killed hours and hours playing Risk into the small hours of the morning, still love it

.

kowloon

I too play Steel Panthers, and have done for many years.
It may interest you to know that Steel Panthers has three free versions, updates of the DOS versions.

Steel Panthers WW2 for windows

Steel Panthers MBT (modern warfare 1950s to present)

and a second update of Steel panthers which looks and sounds a bit better but isn't as detailed: Steel Panthers World at War

All three games are totally free to download but CD versions are on sale.

Manic Moran

I know there is a dedicated forum for games on boards, but I would like to address war games for those with an interest in the history itself.

No, there is a dedicated forum for shallow, twitch games of negligible interest to the serious military enthusiast. Their definition of 'Strategy' is "Red Alert-style RTS", though in fairness, Company of Heroes isn't bad at all as far as twitch-type games go.

You're not likely to find a discussion on a serious WWII type game such as the most excellent Combat Mission series.

NTM

BlackEdelweiss

I only played the second "Company of Heros", I thought it was excellent, I only played the German half though. I also bought the first one but lost interest when I couldent fight as the Germans. It is a major fault of all these popular "Hollywood" style games, you can never fight as the Germans. While I loved the thrill of running through the Reichstag on the last day of the war in Call of duty, fighting tooth and nail to get to the roof to plant the flag, I felt a little twinge of sadness for every German I had to kill on the way up there, I was kind of happy every time I got killed. I would love to play a game that started on the roof of the reichstag where I had to fight my way down and drive the Russians out of Berlin and all the way back to Russia, now that would be a game.
Another game I played on the PC was Panzer, it was decent enough and dident need a top spec computer to play it on either. You fought as the Italian army along with the Germans in Africa.
I wont hear a bad word about Red Alert either, I have fought so many battles since the first one came out my wife had to ban me from playing it. Its not real but it is an excellent game.

Manic Moran

RA is a great game, I've spent many sleepless nights at it as well.

But its hardly a wargame, and in my book only barely qualifies as strategy.

NTM

citizen_p

men of war.

its the sequel to soldiers heroes of ww2. its the same idea only on a larger scale with 100 s of units instead of the 5 or 6 in the predcessor.

marcsignal

kowloon wrote: »

I too play Steel Panthers, and have done for many years.
It may interest you to know that Steel Panthers has three free versions, updates of the DOS versions.

Steel Panthers WW2 for windows

All three games are totally free to download but CD versions are on sale.

Yey Hey kowloon :) nice 1 for that !!!

silverharp

are there any high level strategy games out there that allow you to decide the mix of forces available. So for instance if playing the Germans you could start off with more subs /smaller surface fleet etc.

btw Risk rocks , playing a compter version with my 5 year old. Great fun we start off with our alliance to get rid of the opposition then he normally whops me by convincing me to go easy on him

kowloon

Manic Moran wrote: »

the most excellent Combat Mission series.

NTM

Excellent games, have the three second world war ones and shock force.
There's a new Second World War Combat Mission game coming out next year based on the new engine.

kowloon

silverharp wrote: »

are there any high level strategy games out there that allow you to decide the mix of forces available. So for instance if playing the Germans you could start off with more subs /smaller surface fleet etc.

btw Risk rocks , playing a compter version with my 5 year old. Great fun we start off with our alliance to get rid of the opposition then he normally whops me by convincing me to go easy on him

Hearts of Iron allows different types of division, ships aircraft etc, but like I said, it has its flaws.
War in the Pacific is more detailed but as the title suggests, it only deals with the Pacific.

citizen_p

kowloon wrote: »

I too play Steel Panthers, and have done for many years.
It may interest you to know that Steel Panthers has three free versions, updates of the DOS versions.

Steel Panthers WW2 for windows

Steel Panthers MBT (modern warfare 1950s to present)

and a second update of Steel panthers which looks and sounds a bit better but isn't as detailed: Steel Panthers World at War

All three games are totally free to download but CD versions are on sale.

wow....didnt expect much.....but its a good game:D

Morlar

I downloaded it too but haven't had a chance ot install it yet. There was a thread on this somewhere else at one point, the ones I would be used to would be

Day of Defeat Source, (the most fun to play - online fps only)
Call of Duty
Hidden and Dangerous - v buggy game if I recall correctly, great soundtrack
Commandos - 'I can't do dat!'
Dabbled in 'Red Orchestra' - seemed v realistic
Medal of Honour series - esp Airborne (not v realistic)
Close Combat (used to have em all!) circa 1996
Brothers in Arms Hells Highway
Wolfenstein (havent played the newest one yet)

InReality

Hearts of Iron 3 is a big improvment on 2.
I find it brillant.

well worth checking the demo out.

kowloon

InReality wrote: »

Hearts of Iron 3 is a big improvment on 2.
I find it brillant.

well worth checking the demo out.

Bought it myself on faith only to find the recommended specs on the box aren't even good enough to run it properly, I've installed the patches but it's still a broken game, released unfinished. I've put it away for the time being and I'll give it another try in a few months.

silverharp

for anyone that has played HOI 2 or 3 , what have been your favourite what if's?

InReality

Well I only just started playing it , but i'm really interested to see if hitler could have beaten the russians.

So I decided to ignore poland , as that gets the brits/french involved.

I've attacked and taken litunania and latvia and estonia.
Russians didn't declare war on me * , although the AI has moved armies to my new border.
I'm building up my supplies and ports before I invade russia itself.
I'm going to build a lot of transport planes and paratroopers , and didn't build any navy at all.
Built a few strategic bombers too , very expensive , and will see if I can bomb the urals with them.
I've also been able to go to a full war economy since 1937ish as I've been delibrately slow in taking those countries over.
This also gives me practial expericence in droves and combat experience for my general.
Have a goodish armoured force.
I want to take the whole country over , so 2 final problems will be the russian manpower ( way outnumbers me ) and what sort of resistance/partisan attacks I will be subjected too.

Its very interesting though.



*this is one of the big question of this strategy obviously.
The other is would hitler have the patience for this type of strategy.
Based on the book "stalingrad" he was pretty much loosing it when he declared war on russia.

silverharp

Interesting strategy on Russia, i just got HOI 3 but have not played a game this complicated before. I'm playng the Germans and am planning on leaving E Europe alone completely at the start (will act as a buffer against russia). The idea is to have a large Uboat fleet at the start to blockade Britain no new capital ships, more fighters and close air support less bombers. If the game allows I'll go though Spain to get gibraltar then North Africa and the middle east or go around the other way.

InReality

Yeah me either. It gives you so many options for playing , and so much control over the key aspects of a countries strategy, it can be a bit overwhelming to start with.


But there is a discussion fourm
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com
which is really helpful , and defo get the 1.2 patch at least. It works well for what I'm trying to do.

Also there are after action reports ( AAR ) in the fourm some of which are really worth a read sometime.

Going for a good submarine fleet is a great option for germany. Keep in mind the earlier you build your first sub , the quicker it will be to make subsequnt ones.
This is because you gain "practical knowledge" by building things, which in turn reduces your build times in the future.

Hope you enjoy it.:)

citizen_p

men of war red tide is out....looks good...

its about the russian marines "the blackcoats"

Scampwolf

My favorite has always been the Panzer General series from the now defunct SSL company. Super games ,PGIII was the last edition and is a really superb stradegy game.

Dr Strange

Scampwolf wrote: »

My favorite has always been the Panzer General series from the now defunct SSL company. Super games ,PGIII was the last edition and is a really superb stradegy game.

Ah yes, Panzer General. Great stuff! A friend of mine played over a year and final stood with his army (German) in Washington.

Scampwolf

Yea that must have been 'PG1' invaded the USA myself, The later editions were a lot better graphically and gameplay wise. My favorite Scenario was the battle of Seelow Hieghts where the Ninth army has to defend against the soviet 1st Belorussian Front Army. A ratio of manpower of 10 : 1. It tookme over 4 months and over 100 attempts to come up with a way of defeating the advance and turning the war in april 1945. had too give it up thou , too much of a time drain, But FUN !!

Dr Strange

I also liked the 3D version of it. You could actually see the tanks moving and planes attacking. As far as I can remember the vehicles even left tracks on the board/map.

tazamia

Scampwolf wrote: »

Yea that must have been 'PG1' invaded the USA myself, The later editions were a lot better graphically and gameplay wise. My favorite Scenario was the battle of Seelow Hieghts where the Ninth army has to defend against the soviet 1st Belorussian Front Army. A ratio of manpower of 10 : 1. It tookme over 4 months and over 100 attempts to come up with a way of defeating the advance and turning the war in april 1945. had too give it up thou , too much of a time drain, But FUN !!

Thats from PG2 some game alright how did ye figure out that seelow heights senario is that just stopping the russians reaching Berlin or did you take their staging points?

Sephiroth_dude

I play men of war,it can be hard as nails at times but its good,I also play company of heros.

kowloon

If anyone is interested, Home of The Underdogs is back online, a site where you can get your hands on old games, and relevant to this thread: Wargames.

I found this little gem :
http://www.hotud.org/component/content/article/44-war/23788

The games are all abandonware, so downloading them is perfectly legal.

Plenty others on the site.

johnnysmack

anyone ever play Blitzkreig. found it one of the better games even tho bit dated now. liked the first hearts of iron even if it was too easy and simplistic, HoI 2 wasnt great and didnt like and HoI 3 wont run for me for some reason. also any call of duty is good.