How do you promote/get your friends to try SR 2020?

[Leafgreen]

The answer I always get is "I looked at it, but it's not very flashy. Graphics suck".

To which I respond by telling them about the massive tech tree and unit designs available, plus the in-depth world map. And that they can have the CPU work on flashy stuff, or real things that matter like AI/units/huge in-depth world/techs/etc. And that almost any platform ever invented and still in use can play it.

Yet some of them just think it's a glorified version of Civilization.

What are your most successful ways of dragging your friends into the game?

[Nerei]

The problem is that to a large extend graphics sell games. We pretty much make up our mind about something instantly. Longer exposure (e.g. more screenshots) might change it but from what I remember is actually more likely to just reinforce the preconceived notion. If the 2-11th screenshot is more of the same that will certainly do no good if the first leaves a negative impression.

Honestly I am not sure the screenshots on the store-page does the game much good there either being mainly satellite photos and obfuscate menues.

So my recommendation would really be to find the best/prettiest screenshots you can and try to show them the game is not just satellite photos and menues. Ideally if they have not seen the game before include your (hopefully better) screenshots with your introduction to the game. That way first impressions might be a bit more positive.
If graphics are the problem I think it is better to tackle the problem head on rather than to skirt around the problem.


I admit my success have been quite limited but then again most of the people I know are more into JRPG style games so that battle is kinda lost before it starts.


Ultimately though not all games are for everyone and art can be a deal breaker for some. Personally I must admit I have discarded games that might have been good over their art direction and I know that most people I know would not be into this kind of game.

[Bloodstar]

This game should be promoted to Prime Ministers of the world first how great it is.

[Bloodstar]

The problem of this game of this game is two fold:

While it seems that this whole game project is hard to learn at first, it isn't but it was not entirely explained in a much detailed ways how things EXACTLY are standing regarding Ministerial policies and how that will affect let's say economy so new players feel that is is very steep learning process to actually learn the game. Trying to actually put every damn battallion that exist in modern countries OOB's actually doesn't help much but cloggs even most modern PC's that are out even today as I've heard. (that and million of provinces).

Supreme Ruler 2010 I must say that it is still manageble although it doesn't have all the finesess of the later games (2020, 1936, Global Crisis etc...).

Best fun for me in 2010 campaign was in fact trying to have at least as possible casualties in war so I had in some scenarios something like only 29 destroyed units compared with hundreds and hundreds of destroyed AI's units and yes it has appeal of some RTS and that is quite fun. You know the recipe in 2010 and how good initial defensive position coupled with plenty arty can do wonders LOL
The quirky border design doesn't help much in multi-wars and can get to really various bizzare bordern patterns as well - not helping reality very much.

Todays gamers have a very short attention span and Supreme Ruler does need few days of playing to actually learn the basics of the game. But still one cannot but just applaud to BattleGoat studios despite being indy and small they managed something that many larger teams would never achieve - to make a game system that is still interesting as a concept. I was not suprised to see that game system is still improved and Larry Bond was right Well, some things here even can be compared with Harpoon from Amiga glory and certanly RTS blast with Red Alert and such...

It is simulation but it is still full of flaws like Turkey not having a single missile if I remember correctly so Greece is in much better position if you want to attack them first, that was rude awakening when I tried that in one of my games (SR Ultimate). Countries are HUGE and that is also not helping much toward micromanagemnt it is not very easy and comfortable and then player just load Napoleon: Total War instead. But as a concept I like this game maybe not like some members here but it has some really cool moments regarding research and trying out of some military weapons and situations in todays modern world. The AI concept of initiative also is also not top notch as units under AI control can make really stupid things. But design is brave and in some aspects even better than Paradox Interactive "map-games" concept (although I still play HoI3 as Japan right now lol)....

sorry for so many words, will come back to play SR Ultimate one of these days with some interesting country.