Best Strategy & Tactics Game EVER??

[Anthropoid]

My wife gives me **** cause she thinks that every new game I try I say "This is the best game ever . . ." but in this case, I don't think there will be much disagreement that this is a TRULY remarkable strategy game.

I have now played it enough to feel like I basically understand how it works, though I haven't 'honed' my mastery to the point of intuitive ease. I'd say I've basically got the hang of diplomacy, production, my economy, espionage and the basics of warfare. I figured out how to use Engineers (STACKS!), helicopters, and air transports, how to make stuff and deploy missiles, etc. Few things I've noticed:

You can NEVER have too many missiles.
Anti-tank units don't seem to be very durable (not entirely sure how they should be used).
Missiles should not be set to green, because your pilots will waste them on the first piddly defender at the border.
There is a delicate balance between advancing too fast and advancing too slow.

I have so far started up as Egypt in the GC scenario 3 times, and tried different settings and different approaches. Glancing over some of the AARs, I'm thinking maybe I'm playing a bit too 'timidly' and waiting till I've done too much internal development to wage war.

My observations on the 'cons' of the game:

1. There would ideally be a "Even faster than fastest" setting that was perhaps three times as fast as the current fastest game speed. This is because, during long times of peace as much as 10 to 15 minutes of real time can pass with little of any real consequence happening. 'Most' of the time, this is not a problem, as there is usually something to keep you occupied even when you are in a period of peace and buildup, but occasionally you have nothing to do and do not want to entertain any diplomacy and being able to accelerate the game speed would be nice in those instances.

2. Given the obvious intent for the game to be high on realism, I'm finding the inability to increase MY war score against my neighbors a bit frustrating. Perhaps I'm just spoiled from playing too many 'easy' games like Civ or EU . . . it just seems a bit frustrating that there is really no way (apparently) to create a sense in the world that one is justified in going to war against a neighbor. Perhaps that is as it should be as the world does often seem to 'see through' even the 'most sophisticated' efforts to generate 'good' cassus belli.

So on the whole, those are not very 'damning' cons; really both of them amount to me whining that the game is not 'easier,' and probably that is inconsistent given that what is so appealing about the game is its fine-grained attention to detail and complexity. But that is about all I can say on the negative side.

Now for the pros:

1. The map. OMG, what a map! The entire EARTH! in hex map!?
2. The unit details!
3. Based on my understanding of modern warfare, this is the best game I've ever encountered. The game very much represents the need for combined arms, the strength of airpower, and the power of more advanced technology. The role of supply is represented in a what seems to me the most realistic system I've ever encountered in a game.

I would like to do an AAR, but I'm pretty retarded when it comes to screen shots, so maybe I'll just post in this thread periodically.

I'm now starting up a 4th startup as Egypt with Medium volatility (Low is just too boring, not enough war . . .) and with my observations on how to wage war, these are my primary objectives:

1. With medium volatility I expect there will be some wars within a fairly short span of time. On low there are almost none, and on High they are all over the place, so I'm hoping medium will be the sweet spot. I'm hoping that one of my immediate neighbors will go to war with someone else; I will ally with the non-neighbor and instant Cassus Belli. So far I've been far too singleminded on Libya Chat in order to get my paws on uranium, and in this next one I'm going to just play it by ear, remain basically neutral and see what opportunities emerge.

2. Technology is key, trading for techs is critical.
3. Being self-sufficient on electricity seems nice, but so far after three years in game (three different times) I've only managed to achieve it once so it will not be a primary objective. Same with timber, it can be bought on the market, and money can be spent on other things.
4. Missile fabrication is crucial. It seems it is not often possible to ask friends or allies to buy specific hardware, they only offer it up randomly, so being able to produce your own missles and having AMPLE supplies is critical.
5. Land power is not as important as airpower and so a corollary of that is that building air fabrication is also more important.
6. An ally who will provide techs, trades, etc. is quite useful. I'm leaning Russian as I expect that US and Israel are more or less hard-coded to be cozy and a good defensive war in which I bleed Israel white then annex it seems like a reasonable prospect to keep on the table.

Appreciate any comments or suggestions, and thanks for all the answers to questions so far!

[Balthagor]

Glad you're enjoying it!

[Anthropoid]

It truly is a fantastic game Chris, and I hope you guys have done well with your product, because you deserve it immeasurably more than the average tripe that passes for computer games. In fact, I almost feel guilty that I bought this game for so cheap on Gamersgate. So guilty that I'll make you a promise, and not one I have ever made: you guys make another game, I will EAGERLY pre-order!

I'm sure I'll eventually get all the games you've made but for now SR2020 is going to occupy me for quite a long while.

When I was in High School over 25 years ago, I had a History teacher, Dr. Nelson, who introduced a group of us history buffs to "Strategy & Tactics Games." These were the old cardboard board games divided into hexes and with paper markers for units that you stacked up and fiddled with endlessly . . . I have no doubt you guys know exactly what I'm talking about as your games are obviously descendants of those. Lets just say, I was immediately HOOKED! Try as I might though, I rarely ever managed to find friends in my small Midwestern town who had any taste whatsoever for the same type of games. Dungeons & Dragons was easy to find partners to play with, but S&T games? No way. I went for long years never taking any of my board games out and playing against myself, but there were periods when I had either Vietnam 1965 or Third Reich or some similarly massive board game set up more or less permanently in my basement.

Not to mention that your typical S&T board game offers very little in the way of 'sandbox' in that they are usually specific to one war or even one battle. The Operational Art of War III (which I imagine you guys are familiar with) was a great move toward "no human partner needed" and it also offered good PBEM multiplayer, but quite drab on the aesthetic side, TOO technical to be anything less than a constant headache, and virtually zilch in the sandbox department. Virtually everything about the AI in that game had to be scripted as I understand it.

Your game fills a perfect niche here, though I imagine the market segment is fairly small. I do hope you guys will make more games and expand on your brilliant work of art!

[Garethw87]

Yes agreed the best game of it's kind there is! I was hoping you guys would have made a new modern day game but still, as mentioned in my other post, can't wait for 1936 to come! However I won't stop playing this.. feel free to release a map update? South Sudan ect be nice!