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Tactical Combat games: Turn-Based awesome.
Moriveth
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So, my favorite genre of game, and one that is sorely underused, is the tactical combat game. These games differ from a regular RTS in that they are normally turn-based, have you controlling a small squad of soldiers, and are pretty much always modern or fairly-modern.
Examples? Why thank you, I will provide some examples!
My personal favorite tactical combat series is, and will always be the Jagged Alliance games.
Basically you hire a group of wisecrackin' mercenaries who you hired because you need to liberate this island (and its precious trees that produce medicinal sap or something) from the evil dude that currently holds it.
The game had a lot of cool features that I still admire today, but the main thing that I appreciate about it is that every character had personality. Some were complete assholes to everyone, some of them liked each other, and others would actually kill each other if you left them alone. Also, apparently sometimes if you left a guy alone with your money he'd take off in the middle of the night with it.
You'd have to bargain with them when they wanted pay raises, as well as work hard to gain a rep so some of the more competent mercs will side with you. It's amusing seeing Ivan, who is a hardcore badass in JA2, as a relative newbie in JA1.
Following JA1 was the pseudo-sequel, Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games.
Keeping the same engine, the game added a few new mercs, ditched the sector-based world in favor of a mission-based storyline, and most importantly, added a fucking multiplayer mode and map editor!
After JA: DG, there was a silence for a few years, and then the crown fucking jewel of PC tactical combat games came out. Of course, I'm speaking about Jagged Alliance 2.
This iteration of the game added loads of new features - automatic weapons, different stances, many more mercenaries (including a competing mercenary agency to AIM, the only one you had in the first two games), the ability to make a custom mercenary, and just generally awesome action. Also, most of your favorite mercs are back, and the ones that aren't at least get a section on what they've been up to (hint: a lot are dead) on the AIM website.
Then came JA2: Unfinished Business.
It was another standalone expansion, much like Deadly Games, right down to the box art. It didn't add multiplayer but it did add a map editor and a (relatively short, fairly disappointing) new campaign. It did have snow tiles, though, which were neat.
But the best was yet to come. A few years down the line, Sir-Tech started noticing that people were modding the game quite a bit. So with one of the last rereleases of the game, they released the source code as well. And this led to Ja2 1.13, arguably the best fan-made patch I've ever seen.
The thing adds loads of shit, from even more guns, to improved AI, to a completely revamped inventory system. Also, they externalized pretty much every item in the game into XML format, and they even include an editor with the newest patch, so you can easily make a Rapegun 5000 if you want. Also, there's like eight or nine different fucking types of ammo now - instead of just AP, HP, and regular ol' FMJ, there's AP, HP, FMJ, GLASER, Match, Depleted Uranium, AET, cold-loaded rounds, and at least one more that I'm forgetting. It's completely ridiculous but also totally awesome.
Seriously, if you can get past the admittedly dated interface and sometimes insane difficulty, the game is well worth looking for. I'm pretty sure you can find it for dirt cheap on eBay too.
Also, the 1.13 patch is located right here.
But this thread isn't just about Jagged Alliance, oh no. There are other PC tactical combat games too.
Fallout: Tactics, oh how controversial you were. Well, to the rabid Fallout fans at least.
FO:T is a pretty fun game. I mean, how can tactical combat in one of the most interesting game universes not be fun? I think they stumbled a bit when they decided to include a pseudo real-time mode, but it's kind of helpful when you're trying to hunt down one wounded straggler and don't want to go into turn-based mode every time he takes a potshot at you.
It's got loads of easter eggs and a ton of shit to do, as well. Also, the death animations are deliciously gory, in true Fallout fashion.
Silent Storm is a World-War 2 tactical combat game. It's quite innovative in that nearly everything is destructible. Are there Nazis on a building that you want to kill without wasting precious bulllets? Well, why not just blow up the building and watch them come tumbling down?
The game gets a bit goofy about halfway through when they introduce giant mech-suits that every enemy ends up suited up in. Also, the leveling is gimped and the translation of character dialogue is goofy at best (and not goofy in a funny, B-movie way either). Still, it's a fun game. Oh yeah, and you can play as the Axis as well as the Allies (although they make sure to tell you that you are NOT a Nazi).
Silent Storm: Sentinels is the standalone expansion to Silent Storm. Taking place after WWII, you no longer choose a faction, and the character pool is both sides combined together. Sadly, I haven't played this, as it only came out in Europe, and the Gold edition of the game was sold out on Gogamer when I actually had money.
And then of course there's X-Com, or Ufo: Enemy Unknown as you dirty Euros call it.
I must ashamedly admit to very little experience with this game - it was a bit before my time, but I can at least appreciate the amount of things it brought to the genre. Also, even I'm afraid of fucking Chryssalids.
You know who knows X-Com, though? Motherfucking Fishman, and it just so happens he's doing a kick-ass LP of the first game here.
X-Com was followed by two sequels:
Terror From The Deep, which is basically a underwater reskin of X-Com but also even more difficult...
And X-Com Apocalypse, which answers the question "What if X-Com was a shitty game?"
Oh, also, I guess there's some Japanese games that are also tactical too. If you're a weeaboo faggot.
So let's talk tactical, guys.
Examples? Why thank you, I will provide some examples!
My personal favorite tactical combat series is, and will always be the Jagged Alliance games.
Basically you hire a group of wisecrackin' mercenaries who you hired because you need to liberate this island (and its precious trees that produce medicinal sap or something) from the evil dude that currently holds it.
The game had a lot of cool features that I still admire today, but the main thing that I appreciate about it is that every character had personality. Some were complete assholes to everyone, some of them liked each other, and others would actually kill each other if you left them alone. Also, apparently sometimes if you left a guy alone with your money he'd take off in the middle of the night with it.
You'd have to bargain with them when they wanted pay raises, as well as work hard to gain a rep so some of the more competent mercs will side with you. It's amusing seeing Ivan, who is a hardcore badass in JA2, as a relative newbie in JA1.
Following JA1 was the pseudo-sequel, Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games.
Keeping the same engine, the game added a few new mercs, ditched the sector-based world in favor of a mission-based storyline, and most importantly, added a fucking multiplayer mode and map editor!
After JA: DG, there was a silence for a few years, and then the crown fucking jewel of PC tactical combat games came out. Of course, I'm speaking about Jagged Alliance 2.
This iteration of the game added loads of new features - automatic weapons, different stances, many more mercenaries (including a competing mercenary agency to AIM, the only one you had in the first two games), the ability to make a custom mercenary, and just generally awesome action. Also, most of your favorite mercs are back, and the ones that aren't at least get a section on what they've been up to (hint: a lot are dead) on the AIM website.
Then came JA2: Unfinished Business.
It was another standalone expansion, much like Deadly Games, right down to the box art. It didn't add multiplayer but it did add a map editor and a (relatively short, fairly disappointing) new campaign. It did have snow tiles, though, which were neat.
But the best was yet to come. A few years down the line, Sir-Tech started noticing that people were modding the game quite a bit. So with one of the last rereleases of the game, they released the source code as well. And this led to Ja2 1.13, arguably the best fan-made patch I've ever seen.
The thing adds loads of shit, from even more guns, to improved AI, to a completely revamped inventory system. Also, they externalized pretty much every item in the game into XML format, and they even include an editor with the newest patch, so you can easily make a Rapegun 5000 if you want. Also, there's like eight or nine different fucking types of ammo now - instead of just AP, HP, and regular ol' FMJ, there's AP, HP, FMJ, GLASER, Match, Depleted Uranium, AET, cold-loaded rounds, and at least one more that I'm forgetting. It's completely ridiculous but also totally awesome.
Seriously, if you can get past the admittedly dated interface and sometimes insane difficulty, the game is well worth looking for. I'm pretty sure you can find it for dirt cheap on eBay too.
Also, the 1.13 patch is located right here.
But this thread isn't just about Jagged Alliance, oh no. There are other PC tactical combat games too.
Fallout: Tactics, oh how controversial you were. Well, to the rabid Fallout fans at least.
FO:T is a pretty fun game. I mean, how can tactical combat in one of the most interesting game universes not be fun? I think they stumbled a bit when they decided to include a pseudo real-time mode, but it's kind of helpful when you're trying to hunt down one wounded straggler and don't want to go into turn-based mode every time he takes a potshot at you.
It's got loads of easter eggs and a ton of shit to do, as well. Also, the death animations are deliciously gory, in true Fallout fashion.
Silent Storm is a World-War 2 tactical combat game. It's quite innovative in that nearly everything is destructible. Are there Nazis on a building that you want to kill without wasting precious bulllets? Well, why not just blow up the building and watch them come tumbling down?
The game gets a bit goofy about halfway through when they introduce giant mech-suits that every enemy ends up suited up in. Also, the leveling is gimped and the translation of character dialogue is goofy at best (and not goofy in a funny, B-movie way either). Still, it's a fun game. Oh yeah, and you can play as the Axis as well as the Allies (although they make sure to tell you that you are NOT a Nazi).
Silent Storm: Sentinels is the standalone expansion to Silent Storm. Taking place after WWII, you no longer choose a faction, and the character pool is both sides combined together. Sadly, I haven't played this, as it only came out in Europe, and the Gold edition of the game was sold out on Gogamer when I actually had money.
And then of course there's X-Com, or Ufo: Enemy Unknown as you dirty Euros call it.
I must ashamedly admit to very little experience with this game - it was a bit before my time, but I can at least appreciate the amount of things it brought to the genre. Also, even I'm afraid of fucking Chryssalids.
You know who knows X-Com, though? Motherfucking Fishman, and it just so happens he's doing a kick-ass LP of the first game here.
X-Com was followed by two sequels:
Terror From The Deep, which is basically a underwater reskin of X-Com but also even more difficult...
And X-Com Apocalypse, which answers the question "What if X-Com was a shitty game?"
Oh, also, I guess there's some Japanese games that are also tactical too. If you're a weeaboo faggot.
I've actually been playing Disgaea on the DS and enjoying it and I did enjoy Jeanne D'Arc when I had a PSP
So let's talk tactical, guys.
Moriveth on
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Posts
Asshole.
Edit: Also, since money is kind of an issue, got one or two out of here that I super duper must play?
Like MechWarrior for patient people.
Steam / Bus Blog / Goozex Referral
Honestly, I'd say JA2. The game can be a bit obtuse at first but once you get into it, it's super fun.
However, lemme see if I can dig up the demo from somewhere so you don't waste your money and end up getting something you hate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_Combat_series
http://aetherwars.com <-- The game I'm (slowly) working on
However, I'm off to school.
Does the HoMM series count? Or disciples? because oh my god, i love those games
there's tons and tons out for the psps and ds nowadays (luminous arc, warhammer 40K, FFT, wild arms xf, advanced war series, etc etc), which is perfect. I'm looking forward to Valkyria Chronicles for the PS3 the most though, everythign about it looks amazing.
The ProSIM series (Brigade Combat Team, Armored Task Force, The Falklands War, Raging Tiger, The Star and the Crescent and the most recent being Air Assault Task Force) is pause-able real time. A Captain in the Army developed these games by himself based on the JANUS system used to train real-world commanders.
Then there are the Combat Mission games, the latest being Strike Force. This one is turn-based with the option of pause-able real time, are less complex and much nicer looking than the ProSIM games, and have great multiplayer modes, including play-by-email.
My first experience personally with these games was with SSI's Gettysburg: The Turning Point on my Dad's Tandy 1000.
Amazing game system, where your actions could affect the mood of your Generals, which added modifiers to different actions.
Probably one of the top games in this genre has always been the Panzer General series:
And last but not least, we must remember our roots:
That's Advanced Squad Leader. It seriously took me a solid month to get the rules straight in my brain. This is why we have games for that stuff, but it's still fun. If anyone else besides myself and Curt Schilling still play it, I'd love to set something up.
cause that was pretty fun
The Transformers Fandom: Consistantly bitching about something or another since 1984.
http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/03/28/warbot_001/ - "WARBOT In Accounting"
That being said Final Fantasy Tactics is my favourite game of all time.
Oh, as long as we're talking about this sort of game, Military Madness is a great example.
It was originally released on the Turbo-Grafx 16 and is available on the Wii's Virtual Console (I think).
It used hex-based tiles, which I've always preferred.
The storyline revolves around a war on the moon
Best childhood ever.
First turn based tactical game I have ever played (similar to Advance Wars in style). So awesome, so unbelievably awesome I think I need to play it right now.
Need some stuff designed or printed? I can help with that.
But:
Oh my god I love Heroes of Might and Magic so fucking much
So much
The disciples game I played was good too I think
So...I actually really enjoyed fallout tactics. I still have the game and would love to play a similar game.
But I hated that you HAD to use the realtime mode in some situations.
For example, anytime you hopped into a vehicle, it was pretty much BORING AS HELL to not use the real time mode.
I just thought it was a pain in the ass to have to judge when you should and should not use it.
Also: I played and enjoyed the latest HOMM game but man is it a chore to play in multiplayer.
Secret Satan
but that board game reminds me of games we used to play, richthofen's war and luftwaffe. good times.
"when i was a kid we played our vidya games on cardboard!"
"Think of it as Evolution in Action"
It's best played with a friend. Every player has his own team that he can customize, and the game comes with a level and equipment editor.
It can be fun as hell.
I got HOMM V off of steam, and man it was disappointing. Setting up a four player map with bots and it's taken 3 minutes from one turn to another.
But I'm not good at Halo at all!
also, disgaea makes me feel so immature but I love it
that's kinda boring
I love close combat
Also Steel Panthers. Its fucking free these days. TOAW 3 is going pretty cheap too.
I'm sort of playing Jeanne D'arc now and Disgea but it's hard go get into another one so soon.
At least Jeanne D'arc isn't supposed to have grind. I managed to grind my main char in FFT to a dark knight and the game became trivial at that point.
is that on a palmpilot?
Tossrock: Somolia, you know Mogadishu, Blackhawk down?
Qorzm: I'm sorry, I don't follow hip-hop