Tow or FoW or CoH....too many choices..???

[Charlie901]

Funny how the market seems suddenly flooded with WWII RTS games all of a sudden.

Based on all three which do you all feel is going to be the better of the bunch?

I know that both FoW and CoH are not going to score very high in the realism department but in CoH I believe you can order your soldiers to OCCUPY BUILDINGS and they can blow apart walls to move through different rooms and create firing positions.. I gotta admit it sounds fun to have such destructable buildings and maps.

Quote from Gamespot on CoH:

Amazing, cutting-edge graphics and remarkable audio bring the battlefield to life; complex, inventive gameplay gives you a ton of interesting things to do; fully interactive, destructible maps add depth and variety; slick online player-matching system makes it easy to get into a multiplayer match.

On the flip side I heard that ToW is being produced along the lines of FoW and CoH proclaiming "fun" over realism as well. Although ToW sounds a lot more limited in occupying buildings and destructable terrain.

I guess I'm going to hold out for realism and replayability over anything else (spoiled now by the CM series) and if ToW comes in first in those departments it will be my only WWII RTS purchase this year.

So what do you all think?

[Markus86]

After playing the CoH demo, I definetley won't buy it. The graphic engine is great, also the sound and all the effects. Not to forget the fantastic movie sequences. But the demo mission was so boring and totally no fun at all.

Fow won't be buyed by me, too. I was too disapointed of SHOWW2. I had always problems with the copyprotection (starforce, I hate hate hate it), a weak multiplayer community and playability only with mods.

So ToW is my favourite and will be bought for sure, although I'm not happy with everything.

[Charlie901]

I actually think I might enjoy the larger strategic picture of CoH as much as the tactical battles themselves.

As opposed to a Linear Campaign of progressive missions CoH has a Campaign Map system akin to the later CC series.

It seems that you play the campaign in an actual Theater of tactical maps. These Theater Maps can be atacked in any order during the campaign eliminating linear missions. Some Theater Maps have Fuel Depots (neccessary for Armor, etc.) and other Theater maps have other strategic resources (which you benefit from by occupying those Maps/Areas).

The fun seems to be in attempting to cut off the enemy's supply route during the larger Campaign strategy while the enemy A.I. will be attempting to do the same to you.

This feedom in the Campaign of what map to attack next seems like it will add an interesting larger strategic element to the game.

[Salkin]

Get both.

I usually hate the common RTS like Command and Conquer but CoH does improve on the standard formula enough to be interesting (cover, destructive environment etc).

I've been participating in the open beta of CoH and it's great playing 2 vs 2 maps with a friend.

//Salkin

[norman888]

Originally posted by Markus86:

[QB] After playing the CoH demo, I definetley won't buy it. The graphic engine is great, also the sound and all the effects. Not to forget the fantastic movie sequences. But the demo mission was so boring and totally no fun at all.

I agree 100%. I used to like AoE but I think I'm getting too old for RTS "clickfest" games!

[ajj1912]

FoW demo was a bit too aggravating for me. I did like what the AA did to soft vehicles though.

Laterz

[copenwraith]

i just bought company of heroes its not even close to worth 50 dollars it dosent even feel like a ww2 game its so fake and made up the graphicks are nice but they are over after playing 10 minutes do not get this game plus it is a very demanding game

[syaped]

I don't think CoH has ever put it self out there as a realist WW2 game. It's a more stylized, action movie type take on it. And also very fun.

[RabidRabbit]

Originally posted by syaped:

I don't think CoH has ever put it self out there as a realist WW2 game. It's a more stylized, action movie type take on it. And also very fun.

Totally agree. I've enjoyed the game. Granted it has great graphics, but one of the things I'm most impressed with is the dialogue. Hearing the engineers curse when the heat is on just adds to the atmosphere.

For what it's worth . . . I found Faces of War to be totally over the top in regards to realism. Nothing like having your soldier be thrown for a backflip by a point blank Pak 40 shell only to get right back up 2 more times and keep shooting.

[Elementalism]

CoH is fun but I realize now it is DoW with a WWII skin

I didnt do my reasearch and spent 50 bucks on it. Dont get me wrong, i enjoy DoW and will enjoy CoH, but for 50 bucks it isnt worth it imo.

I played the FoW demo lastnight and it seems like fun but havent had the time to really delve into it.

I like slower paced WWII games. CoH ends up being like DoW which is just mass a bunch of crap and roll your enemies base. Yeah you can occupy a building with troops but then a tank rolls up and they shoot rifles at it because they arent smart enough to lob a sticky nade or panzerfaust at it. Eventually the tank levels the building and your troops die.

There is also a few overpowering features in the game that need to be addressed. The allies ability to call in off map arty with on map 105s is destructive. After that barrage it is pretty safe to say no base can really survive.

[Megakill]

Guys, do me a favour and get yourself couple of copies of ToW and FoW

[MrNoobie]

Originally posted by Megakill:

Guys, do me a favour and get yourself couple of copies of ToW and FoW

id like to see a demo before hand. I was sold on COH and its fun especially playing online.

[Vergeltung]

CoH looks really gamey. Some of my gaming buds have it, but I just can't bring myself to buy it. IMO, neither compares to the potential of ToW.

[Wodin]

I hope ToW runs at a steady pace.

First RTS game Ive really have high hopes for since Close Combat.

Fingers crossed.

[CoolColJ]

Apples and oranges

there is a time for COH and a time for TOW

so far COH has been really addictive to me, it sure sucks up some hours of time!!

I tried the FOW single palyer and MP demo and it didn't do much for me. LOL if you think COH has too much micro then FOW ie even worse!

And it isn't well optimised

After taking a look at the COH files with this tool ( can't edit them yet)

http://wiki.reliccommunity.com/Modding:Mod_Studio_Usage_Guide

it looks very easy to modify anything, even the AI files etc

Hope TOW is like this

[copenwraith]

is faces of war a rts like company of heroes or is it rts like rometotal war and theater of war i really hate buliding bases on the battle field

[CoolColJ]

no base building, its all tactical

[blassty]

Theatre of War > Company of Heroes > Faces of War

IMHO

I am not well informed of the other 2 games but I can assume that the units in them all have hit points. I'm just a little tired of that aspect and would like to try a more realistic take on the RTS.

[CoolColJ]

apples and oranges

but I hate fruit

[Chad Harrison]

Originally posted by CoolColJ:

Apples and oranges

there is a time for COH and a time for TOW

so far COH has been really addictive to me, it sure sucks up some hours of time!!

I tried the FOW single palyer and MP demo and it didn't do much for me. LOL if you think COH has too much micro then FOW ie even worse!

And it isn't well optimised

After taking a look at the COH files with this tool ( can't edit them yet)

http://wiki.reliccommunity.com/Modding:Mod_Studio_Usage_Guide

it looks very easy to modify anything, even the AI files etc

Hope TOW is like this

Im going to have to agree here on that one. I started play CoH's in the closed beta and have been playing ever since. Though, if your not into RTS 'click fest' games, this one isnt going to be as much fun. But as far as RTS's go, its the best one that I have played in a LONG time and it captures the WWII 'feel' very nicely.

If you are basing your opinion of CoH on the SP demo only, thats only 1/2 the game. The reason I played CMBO for so long wasnt that the AI was so interested, it was PBEM had me gripped for a LONG time. CoH SP is good, but the MP is a blast.

The CM type games are more of my perference, but with everything going to RTS style these days, I am trying to get used to it.

Anyways, just my two bits on it.

Chad

[pad152]

Well

COH - seems like nothing more than your typical RTS (click click here, click click there) where you play capture the flag in WWII. Every unit you see in the game is the same as the demo, very small number of unit types. I don't understand the hype over this one.

FOW - DOA (dead on arrival), this release is so buggy and unbalanced it's unplayable. Even some of the training missions are broken and can't be completed. I really liked the demo but even on sale for $24 US at circuit city this week it's not worth it. This one will be in the bargin bin long before it's fixed, if it even can be, too bad.

They already delayed or canceled Silent Heroes expansion pack. I haven't seen a release this bad sense Distant Guns.

[Tankbuster]

Having just finished the FoW Russian and German campaigns I can say that the game is very playable and certainly not broken out of the box. The huge scale of the battles, the sumptuous graphics, interesting direct control method and variety of scenarios all made it extremely fun to play. It is not easy even on the "Arcade" level (most veteran players find the "Tactical" level near impossible) and while the missions are scripted and rely on triggers to advance there is plenty of scope for variety in the way that you complete each mission.

Some screens from the Russian campaign follow, click all thumbnails to enlarge to 1024x768.

[Thomm]

LOL

Those screenshots are the worst advertisement you could have possibly made for that game to me!

WW2 Tank-pileup!!!

Thanks for posting, though, at least they look interesting with respect to graphics!

Best regards,

Thomm

[Tankbuster]

Yup, it is a tank scrapyard in those pics Totally unrealistic, like all games, but a hell of a lot of fun!

To be fair to the game those screens are not a depiction of how that actual mission ended. The real ending looked a lot more realistic, but at the end of each successfully completed mission you get the option to "Continue" the gameplay on that map if you wish. What that means is that in this case the tanks of both sides kept spawning beyond the real ending and you end up with this huge pile of tanks blasting each other and debris everywhere.

[ September 22, 2006, 09:41 AM: Message edited by: Tankbuster ]

[pad152]

posted September 22, 2006 10:21 AM Having just finished the FoW Russian and German campaigns I can say that the game is very playable and certainly not broken out of the box.

What version of FOW are you playing? You may want same want to send a copy of your game back to developers so they have a working copy they can share with the rest of us!

"Tactical level near impossible" no it's broken and unbalanced.

Go read the offical forums and read just the fix list for the comming patch, then tell me the game is not broken, un-balanced, or released unfinished! You can't even complete the training missions, they are broken!

offical FOW forums

http://forums.ubi.com/groupee/forums?a=frm&s=400102&f=3001055373