In What Electronic Entertainment Have You Been Partaking #18: Reticulating Splines
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amadeus
Bishop of Bio-Dome
John Madden Magic Whales ‘93
Good gameplay but ultimately overshadowed by the more popular football series.
amadeus
Bishop of Bio-Dome
Somehow, I don't quite believe you.
aimeeandbeatles
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EgonSpengler
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I went back to Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War this week and found that I had the Soulstorm extension. I must have bought it on sale and never played it. The multi-planet campaign seems pretty similar to the campaign in Dark Crusade. I played the Sisters of Battle for a little bit, but I can't say I've figured them out. They seem like weaker Space Marines, but I haven't done much with their Faith abilities, so that must be where they make up the difference. The air units don't seem to add a lot, but I guess they're not taking anything away, either.
@Commodore, I remembered why I didn't like playing the Imperial Guard: Too much micromanagement, which plays right into my main RTS weakness (see below). Obviously, that wouldn't apply in the tabletop game.
Playing DoW, I remembered why I liked Company of Heroes so much. These RTS games so often boil down to production numbers and racing up the tech tree to produce the more powerful units, if not the apex behemoths, faster than your opponent does. There's really not a lot of tactics. CoH was the exception, imo. You could win a game with the most basic units and with good maneuvering and use of terrain. The one drawback to CoH was that detailed knowledge of the maps became an almost insurmountable advantage. Given the detail in each map, I don't know if a random, procedurally-generated map that's also balanced would even be possible. The hand-crafted maps that experienced players learn every tiny fold and angle of is the lesser of two evils, I suppose. Don't get me wrong, player speed in producing numbers and racing up the tech tree was very useful in Company of Heroes; the players that reached the high levels of competition, had good tactics and detailed knowledge of every map and were able to set up their bases and produce advanced units with lightning speed.
I never reached the highest heights of play in CoH because I lacked that 3rd trait - speed. Coming from tabletop gaming, the base-building and real-time aspects of RTSes were the things I had to adapt to, and because speed is a primary skill in so many RTSes, rather than just a complementary one, I was never even competitive in those games. I was able to become a competent, mid-tier CoH player, but in Starcraft and Dawn of War, I was paste in PvP.
@Commodore, I remembered why I didn't like playing the Imperial Guard: Too much micromanagement, which plays right into my main RTS weakness (see below). Obviously, that wouldn't apply in the tabletop game.
Playing DoW, I remembered why I liked Company of Heroes so much. These RTS games so often boil down to production numbers and racing up the tech tree to produce the more powerful units, if not the apex behemoths, faster than your opponent does. There's really not a lot of tactics. CoH was the exception, imo. You could win a game with the most basic units and with good maneuvering and use of terrain. The one drawback to CoH was that detailed knowledge of the maps became an almost insurmountable advantage. Given the detail in each map, I don't know if a random, procedurally-generated map that's also balanced would even be possible. The hand-crafted maps that experienced players learn every tiny fold and angle of is the lesser of two evils, I suppose. Don't get me wrong, player speed in producing numbers and racing up the tech tree was very useful in Company of Heroes; the players that reached the high levels of competition, had good tactics and detailed knowledge of every map and were able to set up their bases and produce advanced units with lightning speed.
I never reached the highest heights of play in CoH because I lacked that 3rd trait - speed. Coming from tabletop gaming, the base-building and real-time aspects of RTSes were the things I had to adapt to, and because speed is a primary skill in so many RTSes, rather than just a complementary one, I was never even competitive in those games. I was able to become a competent, mid-tier CoH player, but in Starcraft and Dawn of War, I was paste in PvP.
In Dawn of War I win with the guard by abusing the insane range of the Basilisk's Earthshaker ability ( I think that's what it's called, I haven't played in a while). What I do is push forward enough so the enemy's base is within range of the ability, which isn't far since the ability can practically fire across all but the largest maps. Then I set up a defense line comprised of garrisonable Infantry Commands, Heavy Weapons Teams and turrets for their stealth detection ability. Once that's done, it's just a matter of moving up the Basilisks and using the HQ building's scanner ability to reveal terrain just long enough to drop those earthshaker rounds on their base. The ability has a pretty quick cooldown so you can just spam the crap out of it until the enemy's base is worn down enough that you can overwhelm them in a single dramatic infantry charge with the guardsmen you ungarrison from those infantry commands.
EDIT: Of course that tactic is based on exclusively playing the campaign where I've already memorized enemy base locations since they never change.
EgonSpengler
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Thanks for the tip. When my Blood Sausages assault squad is jet-packing into the Imperial base, I'll be sure and slap a couple Melta Bombs onto the Basilisk first.
EgonSpengler
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Company of Heroes
Angoville-Au-Plain, Normandy. 1944. I played as Americans against an Easy AI German opponent. Just wanted to get my bearings, and an Easy AI presents basically no threat. Which was good, because it turns out that I really do not remember how to play this game.
I started on Position 1. I set my initial Engineers squad to building a Barracks (mistake #1) then sent them south to capture the fuel and munitions that lie along the Eastern edge (mistake #2). A Wehrmacht motorcycle arrived to harass my boys before they finished capping the two points. The German bike is an early-game recon unit with a weak machinegun operated by the passenger in the sidecar. I put my Engineers into a big shellhole for cover and shot it out with the bike rather than retreat them (mistake #3) until my first Rifle Squad was on the field.
...and I basically continued to mess up everything from there. This battle should have been a cakewalk, but I made it a fight. I expected the Germans to go into the buildings on the south side of the road with an MG42, so I used 2 Rifle squads and a Jeep to frustrate him. No MG42 squad was forthcoming, however. The AI went with a Pioneer-heavy, armored car strategy instead, which I was completely unprepared for. The Wehrmacht armored car in this game is the Sd.Kfz. 234 "Puma", if you're a history nerd. So that was a bummer. I got flustered, selected Infantry Company and summoned a Ranger Squad, who got tangled up fighting a StuG in the orchard on the northwest, and it took me forever to get my head out of my butt and get an AT Gun on the field.
Sheesh. I'm really bad at this game now. I used to be alright, like, 10 years ago.
The graphics hold up really well. The game supports 2560x1440 resolution. I didn't know whether it would. The gameplay of course is still top-shelf, the best RTS I've played. The game uses a basic "rock-paper-scissors" design, where each unit is effective against some types of units and all but useless against others. Most units have some kind of "soft counter" upgrade - for example, American Rifle Squads can be equipped with "sticky bombs" to throw the treads off armored vehicles. The first Company of Heroes takes place solely on the Western Front, so the armies available are American, British, and two different German setups, Wehrmacht and "Panzer Elite." You're always Allies-vs-Germans, so you can't have Americans fighting Brits, and the armies are balanced against each other that way. Company of Heroes 2 is a separate game, and it adds the Eastern Front armies. Someone did create an extensive mod to add a Soviet army to CoH 1, but I found it to be a little unbalanced, so if you're interested in playing as or against the Russians, I'd recommend CoH2 over the mod for CoH1.
[EDIT: Better version of the map, shows map areas and capture points.]
[EDIT2: Second version of the map, shows terrain in greater detail.]
Angoville-Au-Plain, Normandy. 1944. I played as Americans against an Easy AI German opponent. Just wanted to get my bearings, and an Easy AI presents basically no threat. Which was good, because it turns out that I really do not remember how to play this game.
Spoiler :
I started on Position 1. I set my initial Engineers squad to building a Barracks (mistake #1) then sent them south to capture the fuel and munitions that lie along the Eastern edge (mistake #2). A Wehrmacht motorcycle arrived to harass my boys before they finished capping the two points. The German bike is an early-game recon unit with a weak machinegun operated by the passenger in the sidecar. I put my Engineers into a big shellhole for cover and shot it out with the bike rather than retreat them (mistake #3) until my first Rifle Squad was on the field.
...and I basically continued to mess up everything from there. This battle should have been a cakewalk, but I made it a fight. I expected the Germans to go into the buildings on the south side of the road with an MG42, so I used 2 Rifle squads and a Jeep to frustrate him. No MG42 squad was forthcoming, however. The AI went with a Pioneer-heavy, armored car strategy instead, which I was completely unprepared for. The Wehrmacht armored car in this game is the Sd.Kfz. 234 "Puma", if you're a history nerd. So that was a bummer. I got flustered, selected Infantry Company and summoned a Ranger Squad, who got tangled up fighting a StuG in the orchard on the northwest, and it took me forever to get my head out of my butt and get an AT Gun on the field.
Sheesh. I'm really bad at this game now. I used to be alright, like, 10 years ago.
The graphics hold up really well. The game supports 2560x1440 resolution. I didn't know whether it would. The gameplay of course is still top-shelf, the best RTS I've played. The game uses a basic "rock-paper-scissors" design, where each unit is effective against some types of units and all but useless against others. Most units have some kind of "soft counter" upgrade - for example, American Rifle Squads can be equipped with "sticky bombs" to throw the treads off armored vehicles. The first Company of Heroes takes place solely on the Western Front, so the armies available are American, British, and two different German setups, Wehrmacht and "Panzer Elite." You're always Allies-vs-Germans, so you can't have Americans fighting Brits, and the armies are balanced against each other that way. Company of Heroes 2 is a separate game, and it adds the Eastern Front armies. Someone did create an extensive mod to add a Soviet army to CoH 1, but I found it to be a little unbalanced, so if you're interested in playing as or against the Russians, I'd recommend CoH2 over the mod for CoH1.
[EDIT: Better version of the map, shows map areas and capture points.]
[EDIT2: Second version of the map, shows terrain in greater detail.]
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Graphics are one thing I think Relic did really well. Even Dawn of War still holds up pretty well graphically. I think the graphics for the original Homeworld from 1999 still look decent too.
aimeeandbeatles
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Oops.
Spoiler for large images :
amadeus
Bishop of Bio-Dome
OpenTTD: still at it! Now with airplanes, I’ve built 15 airports and I’m trying to get them to cover the most profitable routes.
With trains or busses, it’s easy to have a single starting point to organize them. But planes, I’m trying to find a way to organize them so I can keep track of how many are going to each airport and from where. I spent about an hour on this before I realized my system was horribly broken.
With trains or busses, it’s easy to have a single starting point to organize them. But planes, I’m trying to find a way to organize them so I can keep track of how many are going to each airport and from where. I spent about an hour on this before I realized my system was horribly broken.
EgonSpengler
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Company of Heroes
The river Semois, somewhere on the border of France and Belgium. 1944. I played 3 games as the Wehrmacht against American opposition (Normal AI). I started from Position 1 all three times, which makes me wonder if there's a setting I need to change to make it random. 3 in a row could be the result of random assignments, but it makes me go "hmm..."
Semois map:
First two games were pretty much the same. I sent an MG42 team into the church in the village, supported by Pioneers and a Motorcycle, then reinforced by a fire team of Volksgrenadiers. Once I put a mortar team in the cemetery and equipped my Volksgrenadiers with MP40s, the computer didn't really know what to do. I took great pains to keep it from getting close enough to the church to use hand grenades or a flamethrower, and it kept trying to uncap the Victory Point in front of the church instead of just assaulting the church. I was worried about it getting a couple of mortars out, but its best efforts were with a Sniper and then with an M8 'Greyhound' armored car. The AI doesn't seem to understand map control, though. It got really bogged down in the fight for the center and let me take both hills.
My third game, having already won the best-of-3, I decided to mess around a bit and let the AI get the center of the map first. That was a PITA, predictably. It meant not having control of the northern Victory Point and munitions, although I was still able to control the south and give him a hard time on the southern bridge. Again, an MG42 proved crucial, but I had to move it around, in lieu of just parking it in the church in the middle. I ended up winning this game eventually, but it was certainly harder. Big 'duh', right? Controlling the center of the field is usually a big advantage, and so it was here.
I might try another best-of-3, playing as the Americans to see if it's any different. I also want to try Position 2, and maybe move up to a Hard AI opponent.
The river Semois, somewhere on the border of France and Belgium. 1944. I played 3 games as the Wehrmacht against American opposition (Normal AI). I started from Position 1 all three times, which makes me wonder if there's a setting I need to change to make it random. 3 in a row could be the result of random assignments, but it makes me go "hmm..."
Semois map:
Spoiler :
First two games were pretty much the same. I sent an MG42 team into the church in the village, supported by Pioneers and a Motorcycle, then reinforced by a fire team of Volksgrenadiers. Once I put a mortar team in the cemetery and equipped my Volksgrenadiers with MP40s, the computer didn't really know what to do. I took great pains to keep it from getting close enough to the church to use hand grenades or a flamethrower, and it kept trying to uncap the Victory Point in front of the church instead of just assaulting the church. I was worried about it getting a couple of mortars out, but its best efforts were with a Sniper and then with an M8 'Greyhound' armored car. The AI doesn't seem to understand map control, though. It got really bogged down in the fight for the center and let me take both hills.
My third game, having already won the best-of-3, I decided to mess around a bit and let the AI get the center of the map first. That was a PITA, predictably. It meant not having control of the northern Victory Point and munitions, although I was still able to control the south and give him a hard time on the southern bridge. Again, an MG42 proved crucial, but I had to move it around, in lieu of just parking it in the church in the middle. I ended up winning this game eventually, but it was certainly harder. Big 'duh', right? Controlling the center of the field is usually a big advantage, and so it was here.
I might try another best-of-3, playing as the Americans to see if it's any different. I also want to try Position 2, and maybe move up to a Hard AI opponent.
AdamCrock
Polish Pirate
Oh just farming wildcards on MTG Arena and also "Pillars of Eternity" occassionally.
AdamCrock is also my nick on MTGA if someone (if anyone) wants to play. I should be on around 10 PM CET.
AdamCrock is also my nick on MTGA if someone (if anyone) wants to play. I should be on around 10 PM CET.
The other day I saw Roland Emmerich's Midway, was blown away, great movie, so I decided to try my old CAW (Carriers at war) and Carrier Strike DOS games.
have both games w/manuals so no problems, but CAW manuals are scarce as hens teeth on the net and since it's easier to get into I did a net search and found 'PAAATs' site which has all the CAW scenarios he plays through, included is a Tutorial play through which is posted below. He doesn't follow the manual tutorial rather plays it as the US side.
Carriers at War Game: Let's Play, Pearl Harbor, Part 1 - "Welcome to Carriers at War (1992)."
have both games w/manuals so no problems, but CAW manuals are scarce as hens teeth on the net and since it's easier to get into I did a net search and found 'PAAATs' site which has all the CAW scenarios he plays through, included is a Tutorial play through which is posted below. He doesn't follow the manual tutorial rather plays it as the US side.
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EgonSpengler
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I've always been curious about those. For me, PC games are not yet a good storytelling medium. Games that lean into story frequently just leave me feeling like I'd have been better off reading a book or watching a movie. I haven't played games like The Last of Us or Life is Strange, but I've read about them, and people seem to rave about them. Maybe I've just been playing the wrong story-driven games.
Synobun
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The Telltale games are basically an interactive TV show. If you really want gameplay, The Last of Us and Life is Strange are far better choices than the Telltale ensemble. Life is Strange is probably the closest blend of the Telltale model and real gameplay that I know of.
I have a waning interest in the Telltale games; usually I'm looking for something that keeps my attention a little better. But I've been sick the last week and a half and not really interested in hunkering down and learning a game or getting involved in active gameplay, so the QTEs of the Telltale games are about where I'm at. Their Borderlands story was really good too. And, of course, who can forget the first season of The Walking Dead with Lee? (I've yet to play the other seasons.)
I also hear good things about The Wolf Among Us, but I know exactly nothing of the source material.
EgonSpengler
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It's not. The AI playing the Wehrmacht enjoyed charging me with its MG42 teams and trying to set them up in the middle of the road.
*heavy sigh*
I'm not a programmer, so I really have no idea how difficult it is to craft an AI that can grasp even the basics of the game it's playing. It must be really [fracking] hard, though, based on the number of games that have done it. (To be fair, having played a bunch of multiplayer games online, I know that there are also a lot of living, breathing human beings who can't grasp the basics.)
I remember, years ago, there was a soccer/football match between the US Women's National Team and the national team of one of the smaller Asian nations that ended 21-0. I've also seen the Harlem Globetrotters play the Washington Generals, and it was kind of like that. It was sort of interesting to watch, because the US women were basically able to run their plays from start to finish without interruption or interference. You could see their tactics play out as they probably looked on the whiteboard in the locker room. I just hoped everybody on the field was having some fun, because let's be real, it wasn't a good soccer/football game.
amadeus
Bishop of Bio-Dome
OpenTTD: there’s a lot for me to like about this game. I’ve always thought logistics was an interesting field of study, so the challenge of networking all of these industries and the raw inputs and then connecting them to the cities gives me a sense of accomplishment, moreso than the SimCity or Civilization series.
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