Sounds sort of like a Microsoft game. Now if they start with the procedurally generated campaigns… 
But I know the AI is much harder for that.
Edit - Of course I meant MicroProse there, but autocorrect had other ideas. That or cancer brain lol. Which is a disturbingly real thing...
So, "Gunner, Heat, PC!" is now on Steam in early access. It looks like it has a good shot of updating the modern tank simulator, where you get to drive the vehicles and guide weapons, operating with an AI unit on a larger battlefield. I think this might be the first of this type of game since the 2000's.
Looks like fun. They were crowd-funding before and have switched to Steam now that the game is playable, and are adding features as they go. So, if you want to support development, buy in. Otherwise wait to see what comes out the other end of the release pipeline.
European Cold War setting, of course. Simmy but fun wins where deep accuracy and fun conflict. At least that's their declared intent.
Finished the Regiments campaign yesterday. Haven’t tried the skirmish yet. This will be on my GOTY list!
I agree with most of the comments above. A few things I liked:
- Overall, I think this is a testament to the “tight, focused” school of strategy game design. The solo dev had a keen sense of what he could/couldn’t accomplish, and it shows.
- I found the campaign difficulty about right on Normal. After the easy opening campaign, the difficulty ramped up quickly, without becoming frustrating. (Eugen could learn from the mission design here - the European Escalation and SD: Normandy campaigns thought that beating the player’s head against the wall was fun.)
- The last two campaigns - Firebird (Soviet) and Black Horse Mad Dash (US) - stood out for their challenge, building to a climactic finale with the US campaign. You have hands down the best hardware in the game, but the Soviets throw EVERYTHING at you. Are you up to it?
- The campaign has an “anti-frustration” feature: you can skip an operation and move onto the next one if you’re stuck
- I liked the fluidity of the battles, and how they alternated between pushing forward and holding ground against counterattacks.
- I also liked the way defensive battles played out, and the balance between holding entrenched positions and waging a mobile defence.
What didn’t I like:
- I found the “raid” campaign missions too gamey (operation 2, the first stage of operation 3, and the Belgian campaign). I preferred the set-piece battles.
Will be interested in future campaign DLC.
So, "Gunner, Heat, PC!" is now on Steam in early access. It looks like it has a good shot of updating the modern tank simulator, where you get to drive the vehicles and guide weapons, operating with an AI unit on a larger battlefield. I think this might be the first of this type of game since the 2000's.
Looks like fun. They were crowd-funding before and have switched to Steam now that the game is playable, and are adding features as they go. So, if you want to support development, buy in. Otherwise wait to see what comes out the other end of the release pipeline.
European Cold War setting, of course. Simmy but fun wins where deep accuracy and fun conflict. At least that's their declared intent.
Gives me a Steel Beasts vibe. Seems more gamey than SB; however, that could be a good thing...I think
The interview I read noted that they were trying not to remake a hardcore sim, but rather to go back a bit more towards the "M1 Tank Platoon" days. I hope it works out for them. I liked the interview enough to purchase, and the game does have some good elements already. It's hard to spot things in normal light without magnification - which is good because it means concealment works reasonably well - but there are smoke and dust and toppling trees and such to help. There's also a fantastic review of the effects of each hit and the shrapnel associated with it. Seems like the projectile vs armor equation is one area where they did not go simple.
Anyway I have great hopes for this in a few years. One of those "I hope I'm around to play the finished product" games lol.
Bear in mind it's barely Alpha at this point, so criticism is kind of pointless.
Okay, here is some truly exciting game news. Command Modern Operations will soon have a Falklands module, with 15 historical scenarios and two variants that include units not actually used in the campaign! Plus, they were designed by a Royal Navy officer who actually served on HMS Plymouth during the expedition. Plymouth saw some of the heaviest fighting in the campaign and was badly damaged by a group of Argentinian Dagger aircraft, but was still the first into Port Stanley as the victory solidified.
Land, air, sea and underwater combat are promised. This looks to be really good.
Got back into some Flashpont Campaigns: Red Storm last night. I really enjoy the game and system but, damn is it buggy. Looking forward to the upcoming release of Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm.
Okay, seriously, how is FCRS still buggy? And with the new game coming out soon? That does not bode well.
Okay, seriously, how is FCRS still buggy? And with the new game coming out soon? That does not bode well.
They stopped updating it years ago and said that they are taking all bug reports and comments and applying them to the new engine.
It's annoying to click on a unit only to see all of the LOS numbers appear on the other side of the map. But, saving, quitting to the main menu, and re-loading usually solves the problem. It's just annoying.
I hope that the new game has all of the annoyances of FCRS worked out. I'm sure that they'll have new bugs though...that's how software works(?).
Terra Invicta comments, then Moonbreaker first impressions.
Still watching Perun's Terra Invicta run through. It's helped me learn how to think about the game and its elements. Now I need practice with the UX, especially hot keys to do certain tasks. It's odd that there are many places where you can't just right click and get a menu, like assigning a task, but for other places, you can. I'm told they are working on the UX as a high priority.
The game is very much stats based, at least at the start, and so you really need to study nations, your agents, and your factions in order to formulate a starting strategy (which overall is "build a power base"). The idea of the early game seems to be to build and consolidate support - tech, military, money, nukes, Boost (which represents the ability to lift 10 tons to space per turn cycle, I think) and other factions. At least those things.
Not really sure what comes after that. It likely involves space. But Perun is good at explaining his thinking, so I'm gonna stick with the series. Each Youtube video he does is around 45 mins long and he edits through the waiting parts.
Moonbreaker - Okay. I've played the tutorial and 3 matches against the AI. So very early for me.
This game is an arena combat game with wildly varied units and abilities. Combat takes place in a small space; you *will* mix it up. Each unit has regular and often special abilities. One unit, your captain, drops onto the map first, then he spends "Cinder", which accumulates at a rate that grows by one each turn, to either power special abilities or bring in characters from "The Bridge", which is the ready room for characters next in line to teleport in. Strong movement and LOS system, easy to use, making combat quick overall. Victory is simple; regardless of the state of other units, kill the opposing Captain and win the match, gaining XP and potentially other things. Missions can be against the AI, against a human, or a sequence of five fights called a "Cargo Run", where you get more loot the longer you survive. Have not tried that one yet.
So far, I have not found a way to decide which units to take along, much less which go on the Bridge in what order, so it seems to be random from your stable of unlocked units. How do you unlock them?
The game has an in-battle currency, Cinder, that ramps up each turn for each side, allowing more units to be brought in and more special abilities to be powered. This ensures that the matches don't drag out and is one of the elements of strategy, especially in your first few turns. The presence or absence of Cinder, along with terrain and the types of units you've actually brought in, up against the enemy's capabilities, numbers and locations, drives your tactical choices. Both sides also have access to two "ship" abilities, one selected at the start, and one randomly chosen. These represent things like orbital fire or healing, additional unit entries, and so forth.
There are also meta-currencies earned with each game (more for victories). The soft currency, earned by playing, is said to be enough to unlock an entire season's worth of minis (soldiers) via your initial and earned booster packs, so the hard currency, purchased with RW cash, is a hurry-up option. I have not seen anything that you can buy with RW money that is not available by grinding, so I don't think it's Pay To Win. Minis range in quality, and can be upgraded from Common to Legendary, through XP or currency use I think, so your teams get more capable with experience. There are other things to open up as your Captain levels but I'm not there yet and there's no tooltip over them.
One thing to note is that there is a fair amount of randomness in fights, as you don't know which units will come into play when, or even ever. This does not mean you are screwed with "poor" groups, I don't think. What it means is that you really need to think through and adjust your tactics as the turns pass. This is very challenging and is a core mechanic. This is not a game for min-maxers because you just don't have that kind of control (although you can make scrupulous use of LOS subtleties while moving, which is actually really useful). Instead, it's a rough and tumble cut-throat fight every time, thinking about when to expose or even sacrifice a unit to draw off fire, or to get in a few extra hits on the Captain, at the cost perhaps of taking future damage off the board. It's not a tactical sim like Lock 'n' Load or even XCom, it's an unabashed miniatures fighting game and I find myself musing over it when I'm not playing... An extremely good sign.
Oh, and... There's a full-fledged minifig painting game included. You can repaint any of your miniatures. Bases, washes, sprays, decals, dry-washes, highlighting, even paint mixing are included. The interface allows incredible detail; it really is a painting sim, not a "flood this area" tool. Brush and spray paint areas can be changed, for example - it reminds me a bit of a Paint interface. Simple but very effective. I think you can save alternate paint schemes so you can create multiple ones for your units.
There's a story but I have not engaged it. Sorry Mr. Sanderson! I'll get there.
So, this is a rough and tumble small arena tactical game with timers (for skills, sorry, forgot to mention that), soft and hard currencies, and a mechanism to keep fights short and violent. Tons of replayability - that seems to be the heart of the design. And painting your minifigs in custom schemes - brilliant.
Enjoying it so far with my limited experience. Simple mechanics, challenging fights (so far).
After listening to the 3MA ep about Terra Invicta I've determined it's definitely something I'm going to like, but not quite yet. I'll probably pick it up close to launch after they've had a chance to work out some of the kinks and incorporate feedback on the UI.
I get the feeling it's a big, long, somewhat complicated game, like the Long War. So you need to learn the systems. But it could be very rewarding. It's, I dunno, 3 games in one? Organize the world; organize the solar system (with a physics-based system of orbits rather than an abstract "ship go up, fly to planet"); and then fight to help or stop the aliens, or flee the planet.
With a storyline built in.
Hooded Horse has published some very interesting games so far and they were ones that I was unaware were connected. (Note that their website is reported as "compromised" by my security software, so check them out on Steam.) Old World. Nebulous: Fleet Command. Falling Frontier. Against the Storm is coming soon, and Alliance of the Sacred Suns (originally a cross between Stellaris and an SF procedurally generated hex-based wargame) is in interminable development. They publish Indie games and I think that's going to be their niche.
I predict a bright future for them.
Matrix Games is having a Cold War game sale, up to 75% titles set in the era.
Moonbreaker - Okay. I've played the tutorial and 3 matches against the AI. So very early for me.
So far, I have not found a way to decide which units to take along, much less which go on the Bridge in what order, so it seems to be random from your stable of unlocked units. How do you unlock them?
...
The game has an in-battle currency, Cinder, that ramps up each turn for each side, allowing more units to be brought in and more special abilities to be powered. This ensures that the matches don't drag out and is one of the elements of strategy, especially in your first few turns. The presence or absence of Cinder, along with terrain and the types of units you've actually brought in, up against the enemy's capabilities, numbers and locations, drives your tactical choices. Both sides also have access to two "ship" abilities, one selected at the start, and one randomly chosen. These represent things like orbital fire or healing, additional unit entries, and so forth.
...
One thing to note is that there is a fair amount of randomness in fights, as you don't know which units will come into play when, or even ever. This does not mean you are screwed with "poor" groups, I don't think. What it means is that you really need to think through and adjust your tactics as the turns pass. This is very challenging and is a core mechanic. This is not a game for min-maxers because you just don't have that kind of control (although you can make scrupulous use of LOS subtleties while moving, which is actually really useful). Instead, it's a rough and tumble cut-throat fight every time, thinking about when to expose or even sacrifice a unit to draw off fire, or to get in a few extra hits on the Captain, at the cost perhaps of taking future damage off the board. It's not a tactical sim like Lock 'n' Load or even XCom, it's an unabashed miniatures fighting game and I find myself musing over it when I'm not playing... An extremely good sign.
...
So, this is a rough and tumble small arena tactical game with timers (for skills, sorry, forgot to mention that), soft and hard currencies, and a mechanism to keep fights short and violent. Tons of replayability - that seems to be the heart of the design. And painting your minifigs in custom schemes - brilliant.
Enjoying it so far with my limited experience. Simple mechanics, challenging fights (so far).
I wasn't sure where to find talk about Moonbreaker and glad I checked here! I had a bit of unusual free time this weekend and managed to sink a lot of it into Moonbreaker.
I think the core framework of this game is fantastic. Fast paced tabletop miniatures combat with smart usage of randomization that opens up lots of interesting tactical decisions. You build a roster of one commander and ten (I believe) units. You "draw" an initial hand of 3 or 4 units (depending on turn order) and any additional units you'll need to move from your bench to your hand either by spending the action currency (cinder... mana/energy/whatever) or using other special abilities. Ranged units have percentage chance to hit based on distance, cover and other special abilities. Additionally at the start of the match you are presented with three pairs of special abilities that operate on cooldown timers.
What I think works so well are the types of special abilities currently implemented. As its a miniatures game using free-form distance movement, a lot of abilities are either proximity based or line-of-sight based. Strong abilities (e.g. give all units +1 attack or +1 defense) operate within a radius from the unit, while other units may have strong ranged attacks that avoid line of sight but those units are immobile. There are also quite a few positional based abilities that allow you to push/pull units that opens up all sorts of creative space. The in-game interface does a great job of visually communicating adjacency and how abilities impact LOS and movement.
Don't worry about the meta currency. You'll unlock all of the units within a few hours of play.
I find that the randomness is really smartly implemented. It's rare that I feel that my game is purely determined by my initial draw, although I'll certainly complain when I don't get the start I want 
Unit composition is interesting in that it feels like you need a fair bit of tactical flexibility due to some of the random elements which I think helps to reduce the overall impact of any single given random outcome. I feel like I'm continually being handed interesting tactical decisions and I can feel the impact of my good moves and poor decisions. The majority of my battles have been completed within 15-20 minutes which is amazing for me... that's the perfect length for a battle and few multiplayer games hit that sweet spot in duration vs amount of fun decisions I get to make.
There's not a huge variety in units, although they claim new units every 3-4 months. I also think it'd be fun to get some elevation in the maps and some different game modes that would put emphasis on different unit types/compositions. The developers do seem to be listening as they are already dropping the meta currency requirement for the single player roguelite mode; that will be free shortly which I think is a good sign.
Right now I'm pretty hooked! I don't know how long it'll hold my attention but I think it's a strong initial showing. I hope the game is able build and hold a community and see some great support in the long run.
Thanks for the feedback on Moonbreaker everyone! Looking forward to trying this title out!
How do you choose your 10 units for play? I could not get that to happen...
How do you choose your 10 units for play? I could not get that to happen...
You have to build a new roster (army). It's under "Collect & Paint" from the main menu, then you select "Rosters". From there you can put together new rosters and pick the units you want. It's not terribly intuitive for that to live under "Collect & Paint" but there it is.
Oh, cool! that will make my inevitable victories even more inevitable. The AI shall tremble in fear!
The f2p nature of the gajillion currencies in Moonbreaker is scaring me off a little. Also, gating a single player mode sucks too.
$30 and f2p mechanics? I don't know, man.
Gajillion? No. The currencies are easy to get in-game, and then there's one that you buy to speed things up if you want. I *hate* f2p and I'm fine with this so far.
Also, I suspect that mode is gated for development reasons... It's not done yet... But I could be wrong.
The f2p nature of the gajillion currencies in Moonbreaker is scaring me off a little. Also, gating a single player mode sucks too.
$30 and f2p mechanics? I don't know, man.
It only takes a handful of hours tops to unlock all of the content in the game; within your first couple of hours you'll have nearly all the units. Once you have that then everything is cosmetic. I'm actually not quite sure why they bothered to gate any of the non-cosmetic content since you can earn it all so quickly; I wouldn't be surprised if that changed in the future. As is though there's no real F2P trappings around this.
The developers also posted that they'll be removing the paid access to the single player "roguelite" mode (Cargo Runs). Not sure when that update will happen but I would suspect soon.
Played a few more matches tonight and had some real good ones in there. This game is hitting just right for me in terms of depth, complexity, randomness and match length.
Thanks for the clarification folks! I appreciate it!!
I got absolutely spanked when I tried a new roster with a different hero. And the AI won not by rushing my Captain (as I had done in previous games, sacrificing my other units to get in good massed fire for a few turns), but by killing off my units as they appeared, then taking me out when I was essentially defenseless.
It was quite edifying to see the strategy develop. That one hit per turn Plink shot from the ship is surprisingly effective, too.
Definitely does not feel like P2W.
Robear wrote:Computer based? Battle Academy 1. No question at all. Designed for people who have never played a hex wargame before. Fun, simple mechanics but lots of unit variety, interesting scenarios and challenging enough to feel like you've done something when you win.
Thanks!
For Battle Academy 1, that sounds like a perfect suggestion, but... there's no counters, right?
He mentions wanting to "learn how to read counters". I was thinking the original PanzerCorps as another example, but that doesn't have counters, either.
And yes, pretty sure he's dialed in exclusively to the PC/computer side of things. :)
If you want a small scale game that uses counters to note unit abilities, try Lock & Load Tactics. The base game is really cheap, and has a couple of scenarios, enough for you to decide whether you like it. If you do, there are dozens of excellent battle packs covering WWII - Modern.
If you want a bigger scale, you will be getting into more complicated games.
Very challenging game, too.
If you want a small scale game that uses counters to note unit abilities, try Lock & Load Tactics. The base game is really cheap, and has a couple of scenarios, enough for you to decide whether you like it. If you do, there are dozens of excellent battle packs covering WWII - Modern.
If you want a bigger scale, you will be getting into more complicated games.
Speak of the devil! I just got the board game versions, Heroes of the Pacific and Heroes of the Falklands, with the player aids and stuff. So Lock 'n Load has finally made its way into the up next pile. I want to try the digital versions too.
The digital version is an exact computerized version of the rules and systems. Of course, there are bugs with each release, but they release patches every few days (it's still in EA). And the scenario generator module is great. And they plan to have a map and maybe unit editor too, I forget.
But anyway it's a great game and series, and sooo much less expensive than the physical version, and plays faster too (of course). Perfect for solitaire.
If you want a small scale game that uses counters to note unit abilities, try Lock & Load Tactics. The base game is really cheap, and has a couple of scenarios, enough for you to decide whether you like it. If you do, there are dozens of excellent battle packs covering WWII - Modern.
If you want a bigger scale, you will be getting into more complicated games.
Sh*t, Swampy, haven't seen you in years!
H
SwampYankee wrote:If you want a small scale game that uses counters to note unit abilities, try Lock & Load Tactics. The base game is really cheap, and has a couple of scenarios, enough for you to decide whether you like it. If you do, there are dozens of excellent battle packs covering WWII - Modern.
If you want a bigger scale, you will be getting into more complicated games.
Sh*t, Swampy, haven't seen you in years!
Hey, bud.
I've played L&L Tactics a number of times now. I'm to the point I understand artillery, and armored vehicles. For the most part.
I wish it could be made into a PBEM-able game. then in my mind it would be the perfect game. Until then, I play Squad Battles and Panzer Battles, and Tactics when I have time and a friend does as well. Tough scheduling a game.
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