Guy w/gun Posted April 9, 2001 Share Posted April 9, 2001 Hello. Ok, I can fully comprehend tactical level games. In other words, games in which involve squads, platoons, companys, individual vehilces, vehicle platoons, etc. You get my drift. What I have trouble with is strategy level games. Not that I can't play them, I just don't fully get how they work. When I play a strategy level game, lets say Operational Art of War, I feel like I'm just moving checkers around. The pieces represent such large units, and moving from one hex to another often represents huge movements in reality. Turns represent days, weeks, months. When I play them, I just feel like Im trying to breack the line of enemy checkers so I can get my checkers behind theirs. These games are way to abstracted for me. Yet I'm still very intrigued. In addition to CMBO and tactical games, I want to play wargames and see them through the eyes of Generals. Can someone please offer some advice on what I can do to break into this type of wargame? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy w/gun Posted April 9, 2001 Author Share Posted April 9, 2001 *bump* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Posted April 9, 2001 Share Posted April 9, 2001 SSI's Panzer General series is a great introduction to these kind of games. PG 1 and PG 2 are probably the most popular. You can probably get them pretty cheap now. PG3 is a little different as far as game play but I like it as well. In fact, about all I played was a hell of a lot of the PG Series until I got CM. I fully understand the Strategy games, but I am still learning how to apply this knowledge into CM, on a much smaller scale. The combined arms theories are relatively easy to learn in strategy games, and easy to employ after you learn how to use them correctly. Email me or follow up if you have any more questions. [ 04-09-2001: Message edited by: MC ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy w/gun Posted April 10, 2001 Author Share Posted April 10, 2001 *bump* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJMello Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 The PzC series. Kharkov '42 is my favorite so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer_Meyer Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 Hey, I play Strategy games on regular basis next to CM. Operational art of war is my favorite strategy game of that scale. It did take a long time to get use to and understanding how it works. I spent hours reading the manual and playing tutaorials. I think it was well worth the time!!! I know it seems like basic checkers at first but, once you get into a game like OAOW (operational art of war) it's fun. There is more than just moving checkers, you have to set up defenses, gather reserves and place them at the right place. Moving whole Armies around in ORDER! I't great. At one time I was playing the HUGE barbarosa cmapaign as the Soviets. When it stars I got beat pretty bad, but I didn't hold anything, just kept moving back and sent all the re-inforcement I get SOUTH. Firstly I defeated the Fins North of lenningrad, it freed up huge ammounts of formations once I did. I protcted MOSCOW with small of a force as possible (the Germans got the by Septemeber, but didn't penatrate my screen), the majority of my trrops and material was South. I let the Germans and Romanians get a foothold in the crimea, then from the direction of kiev (which I still controled) I sent HUGE ammounts of formations and cut off all the German and ALL, ALL the Romanian forces in the theater. After I cut off and detroyed these formations, there was no other enemy formations left in the direction from crimea on to the west. After that I sent several formations west (in the south) all the way to Romania and Hunagry and capturing all the balkan states. It ended after that. I got OVERWHELMING VICTORY!!! That was SOOO much fun. Basicly you get plan just like the top notch generals and try to do the impossible in the worst situations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gen-x87 Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 Go find an old copy of the V4V or World at War series from Atomic. They are corps level where you are the general. You usually have a few full divisions under you and it is really strategic! They take into account supply lines terrain ect ect. I loved playing the Velikye Luki battle against the Soviets. Thier poor Infantry units would get cut off so easy and then without supplies I would pound them into submission. With my meager 4 divisions I think I took out around 8 or more Soviet divisions. Gen Gen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mannheim Tanker Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 A really fun WWII era PBEM game that simulates the strategic level of combat is World at War, and it can be found at Email Games - World at War The game utilizes naval, land, and sea combat on a world wide scale. The units are somewhat generalized, and the maps are completely randomized, so each game is unique. I've found this to be one of the best (if not THE best) strategic level games that I've played; this in large part due to the diplomacy required to succeed. As in real life, alliances are a key part to any strategy (as are potential backstabs!). [ 04-09-2001: Message edited by: Mannheim Tanker ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorak Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 Ahh the glorious days of artfull backstabing. I know it really doesn't count, but I loved playing Diplomacy way back when. Lorak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted April 10, 2001 Share Posted April 10, 2001 If I correctly understand G w/g's question, none of the replies, interesting as they are in their own right are, have addressed it yet. Guy, are you trying to say that you have trouble visualizing in your own mind what's actually going on down on the ground in operational (which is actually what the games named in the previous replies are) or strategic level games? If so, your best bet would be to start to read history books that address warfare at that level. Starting off with combined arms doctrine at the battalion level might be a good idea, and then going up from there. It might take a while to find the right book, but sooner or later the pieces will fall into place and you will begin to develop an intuition for what is going on. One thing that would help if you can manage it would be to try to get your hands on old issues of Strategy and Tactics magazine, especially from the '70s. They always had a historical article that accompanied the included game that usually went a long way toward explaining what was going on. I personally find operational and strategic level gaming far more interesting than tactical games. I only support CM because it's by far the best computer wargame on the market, especially for the Mac. I think a majority of gamers like tactical games and sims because, like yourself, it is easier for them to project themselves into the action. For some people, it's a lot harder to identify with a commander back at army HQ, or a staff officer attached thereto. But for me, I like to match myself against the great captains of history. Just my towering ego, I suppose... Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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