How about WW1?

[Squallion]

I love WW1. I understand it's grim realities and understand why it doesn't make for a great setting for video games.

Now, with that said: Do you guys like any of the few WW1 games in existence? If so, name it! Also, I'd really like to know why!

[HARI SELDON]

Try John Tillers WW1 Squad Battles game. You can see the evolution of small unit tactics over the course of the war by studying the game's oob's and tactics.

[Davek555]

I have never tried a WWI game, but I am looking forward to AGEOD's upcoming game...To End All Wars. I think it will be out sometime in August.

[Squallion]

Try John Tillers WW1 Squad Battles game. You can see the evolution of small unit tactics over the course of the war by studying the game's oob's and tactics.

I can't find a demo. Is there one? I can't rightfully buy a game that I have NO IDEA about for $40.

[HARI SELDON]

You can demo the Squad Battles series by downloading the Grenada free game. There is (as far as I know) no demo for First World War. If you like the Squad Battles series, the First World War game is one of the best.

[Squallion]

You can demo the Squad Battles series by downloading the Grenada free game. There is (as far as I know) no demo for First World War. If you like the Squad Battles series, the First World War game is one of the best.

Hey, thanks! I've heard good things about this series, I just haven't wanted to spend any money on something so off putting. (it looks extremely difficult and potentially non-fun). However, I once thought the same of combat mission.

[HARI SELDON]

You are welcome. The Squad Battles series shines when representing infantry actions. Tanks are more abstractly represented (not necessarily a bad thing). That being said, WW1 infantry actions are well modeled by the system.

[Squallion]

You are welcome. The Squad Battles series shines when representing infantry actions. Tanks are more abstractly represented (not necessarily a bad thing). That being said, WW1 infantry actions are well modeled by the system.

So far I am impressed. This is quite enjoyable and tense!! I can't imagine handling WW1 with a game like this. Impressive.

[AttorneyAtWar]

Valiant Hearts: The Great War was recently released, its no combat sim but instead a puzzle game set during the war. Its the story of five individuals who find themselves wrapped up in the war from many different walks of life, from a Belgian nurse to a German and French soldier. The story is based on recovered letters from such individuals during World War 1. The graphical style is extremely stylistic and instead of focusing on combat it attempts to show all of the facets of the war. You find yourself escaping a POW camp, to fighting under the trenches in tunnel warfare, and of course taking trenches. Collectables provide extra information on rather trivial items such as a soldiers flask or an ink well, that provide a lot of fascinating facts.

I watched a play through of the game and it actually brought a tear to my eye at the end, it was very powerful even though it doesn't look it at a glance. I am glad the game exists because it is a chance for a younger generation to get into history and understand/remember the sacrifices of those so long ago. The message at the end of the game is as valid as it was back then.

"War makes men mad"

Here is the trailer for those interested, and this is by no means a competitor to CM

[JasonC]

I like Clash of Giants, I like To the Green Fields Beyond, with a few provisos and tweaks I like Paths of Glory.

Oh, you may have meant computer games...

[Squallion]

I like Clash of Giants, I like To the Green Fields Beyond, with a few provisos and tweaks I like Paths of Glory.

Oh, you may have meant computer games...

Yes, no board games for me. Thanks anyway.

[Macisle]

Squallion,

If you play around in the Editor, you can probably get a decent WWI experience in CM now--with the Germans, anyway. There are all-rifle squad types. You could make trench lines and place barbed wire and MG positions, with most of the troops being straight rifles (may not work for the Soviets--haven't looked). Add lots of artillery and you've probably got a decent WWI battlefield.

I think the main problem would be that CM fortifications currently don't model the kind of protection that proper WWI fortifications would offer.

[Squallion]

Squallion,

If you play around in the Editor, you can probably get a decent WWI experience in CM now--with the Germans, anyway. There are all-rifle squad types. You could make trench lines and place barbed wire and MG positions, with most of the troops being straight rifles (may not work for the Soviets--haven't looked). Add lots of artillery and you've probably got a decent WWI battlefield.

I think the main problem would be that CM fortifications currently don't model the kind of protection that proper WWI fortifications would offer.

Indeed! That may be worth a shot at some point. This was less about myself, and more about people and their opinions. I'm sincerely curious. Ageod's future WW1 game will probably hit my sweet spot.

[Kauz]

Won´t work with this game engine....

Because the trenches in this game work more like "Splittergräben" or in english "slit trenches".

They only provide protection if your unit is hidding (laying down).

If they do not hide, then they will kneel in the actual modelled, so called, "trenches" and expose all from their head down to their balls (only the legs are protected).

In real life you can stand in trenches and only expose the top of your helmet down to your eyes and maybe your nose while you are fighting the enemy.

Until this issue is not solved defense positions in general and of course WWI scenarios are obsolete.

[Combatintman]

How about WW1 ... which bit of it?

[c3k]

Trench cover: try ditch lock and lower the trench?

[Sailor Malan2]

Won´t work with this game engine....

Because the trenches in this game work more like "Splittergräben" or in english "slit trenches".

They only provide protection if your unit is hidding (laying down).

If they do not hide, then they will kneel in the actual modelled, so called, "trenches" and expose all from their head down to their balls (only the legs are protected).

In real life you can stand in trenches and only expose the top of your helmet down to your eyes and maybe your nose while you are fighting the enemy.

Until this issue is not solved defense positions in general and of course WWI scenarios are obsolete.

Please search on this. BF has said many many times that what you see in the video is an approximation of what is going on in the games engine. The trenches are like this (IIRC) because of graphical issues with fully sunk foxholes/trenches. They used to be fully sunk but were changed. Ido not believe the effect was changed.

[Duckman]

WWI is probably the least popular tactical wargaming topic. Too bad really, the early war tactics are quite interesting (albeit rigid and company scale at the minimum) and the 1918 stuff is basically WWII.

As for trenches and foxholes, I'd love to have better visual representation of those and I hope it's on the agenda. Now that we have little people jumping on and off tanks it's time for proper looking earth heaps!

[GhostRider3/3]

I would really like to see a new Naval game.. much like SSI Fighting Steel but with better graphics.. missions and Campaigns. Maybe even throw in campaigns.. and your own scenario-campaign editor as well. Great Naval Battles was great as well.

[Duckman]

I would really like to see a new Naval game.. much like SSI Fighting Steel but with better graphics...

Have you tried the Storm Eagle games?

http://stormpowered.com/stormcloud/store/index.asp

[HARI SELDON]

Have you tried the Storm Eagle games?

http://stormpowered.com/stormcloud/store/index.asp

Or NWS's Steam and Iron? Minimal graphics but fantastic game play.

[StkNRdr]

For WWI aviation the best combat flight sim, IMO, would be Rise of Flight.

Free to download and play but limited to 2 aircraft.

http://riseofflight.com/en

Currently has 36 different aircraft (scouts, two-seaters, bombers) and some variants within a few of them.

[simon21]

There are a lot of reasons why WWI games don't exist. It's been debated thousands of times by gamers of every generation, and I've personally been debating this with my friend Andy for decades. The stand out title will always be 'Red Baron'.

It comes down to the fact that large entrenched armies don't work very well and that was the defining image of WWI. This is not say that there was no maneuver warfare, but the time period is so predominated by that image it makes it very hard for any RTS or TBS to imagine existing without trenches.

Trenches make for good realistic gameplay, but poor overall gameplay. The nearest thing I can point you toward is tower defense games where you have multiple waves crashing into a prepared defense. To function at all battles would need to be massive and gains and losses hard to quickly identify. This becomes incredibly unwieldy and tedious in practice. People have created WWI mods to games like Men of War and a few others. They've all been cruddy compared to similar WWII games.

This does not mean that flight sims and a few other genres haven't been hugely popular with WWI themes. I just feel that WWI combat in the CM2 engine would be a miserable pairing. Even the FPS games are downright awful at this point. WWI just doesn't have a lot of great gameplay opportunities.

The American civil war is fantastic with its huge easy to control mobs of troops that stick together. World War II brings in all the delightfully complicated relationships between armor, infantry, and artillery. WWI is just awful. Infantry vs. Artillery. Take the tanks out of dawn patrol in CMRT and you've got WWI.

[Paper Tiger]

For me, WW1 is the ultimate war for a wargame as it featured static lines, massive, lengthy offensives that resulted in gains of a few kilometers at most. I have no idea why but that's a big, big draw for me.

It probably doesn't help that it's not a war that the US got involved in until near the end either . Until 1917, it's just Germany, Austria-Hungary, The Ottomans, France, Britain, Italy and Russia plus a few Balkan minors thrown in for good measure.

[simon21]

What you are talking about is basically grand strategy like hearts of iron and crusader kings. Some of those games are pretty good, but very few have gone mainstream.