(strategy) Games Are Getting Too Fast Paced For example, Company of Heroes.

[rob86 2]

I love strategy games of all kinds, so I've played quite a few different ones, RTS, turn based, etc. I bought Company of Heroes because of the rave reviews it received, and it's a good game, but I can't help but notice that the fast paced action that gamers apparently want really ruins what is an otherwise excellent, realistic game. Like most RTS games out there, tactics go out the window and it becomes a click-fest. Everything about the actual gameplay is so unrealistic. An example is when two infantry squads engage in combat. Within seconds, the battle is over and everyone is dead, and attempting a flanking maneuver is a waste of time, because the firefights don't last long enough to do anything anyway. The game boasts things like like cover and pinning, but everything is moving so fast, you can hardly control anything. If you're lucky, you can retreat your squad, which runs away at lightning speed. Infantry also move so fast, it doesn't matter if they're halfway across the map, they'll run like robots and in 5 seconds they'll be there - full of energy - to reinforce their allies. It doesn't matter if my men die, they'll just be reinforced with my seemingly infinite amount of resources. Winning has nothing to do with how good of a tactician I am, winning depends almost entirely on how fast I can click.I know the game is meant to have an arcade-y style to it, but it's a shame that such a beautiful game couldn't be more strategic. If it was only slower paced, it would be an amazing game. I can't help but compare it to one of my favourite games, Close Combat. Close Combat was so much more interesting, because of it's realism. If CoH had CC's realism -- it would be incredible. Slow paced doesn't have to mean boring. Close Combat was never boring, I was always busy despite the slow pace, the difference being that I was busy THINKING, not clicking like a madman. Soldiers taking cover behind a wall, too terrified to lift their heads actually survive more than a few seconds until reinforcements arrive. Thinking about how to save my men who are pinned down in a building, thinking about how to ambush an almost indestructible tank (none of this infinite mine or rocket launcher business). Losing a single soldier is a significant loss. That's how a strategy (well tactical) game should be. So Company of Heroes isn't a bad game, it's quite good really, I simply dream of how much better it could have been.A side note, what's with all the swearing in CoH? It doesn't 'bother' me, sometimes it's realistic.. a mortar blowing up in my face would probably make anyone drop the f-bomb, but I can't help but find it a little strange that my soldiers are yelling "What the F*** do you want?" "Can't you see I'm F***ing busy?" at me every few minutes.. I'm their commander! Show some respect!

[anwiii 17]

i agree 100%. this is why i am not a typical gamer these days. there is really no strategy in these popular games. everything is try to do your best in the quickest time. sure, you still have to react fast and there is skill involved, but there is no real time to actually use your brain in other productive ways. this is actually the reason why i stopped playing the arcades. i use to LOVE playing, but then everything became new age. it's what sells. it's what the kids like. the shoot 'm up blood and guts. there were actually a couple of games for the pc i wanted to try recently, but they were too powerfull for my laptap. i don't think it was my ram since i have 4gb....so assuming it was my video card. to each their won i guess. the kiddies like the fast paced games that offer little strategy. the game makers have been on to this fact for the last 20 years. it's a money thing i would personally LOVE a new age ultima game or a zelda 1 or 2 type game for the pc. and like i said, i couldn't play the couple so-called stratigic games i wanted to try since my laptop didn't have the resources so i was s.o.l. there.

[rob86 2]

Another game that went downhill is the Rainbow Six series. Ravenshield used to be one of my favourite FPS because of the tactics and strategy involved, I would often plan the mission and let the AI carry it out to see if my plan was good. I got a surprising amount of replay value out of that FPS compared to say Half-Life which has an interesting campaign but when it's done, it's done. I don't play campaigns more than once in most games. I tried RainbowSix Vegas and while not a bad game, it really dumbed down the series to appeal to the masses (the people who make it admitted they took out the more complex bits to make the game more accessible to FPS gamers) by reducing your team to 3 instead of 12 and getting rid of the planning phase. You can't even set up snipers to cover you from a distance on outdoor maps, that was one of the coolest parts of the RS series, to have a team, not just two buddies to open doors for you. Vegas is definitely tuned for multiplayer action, sadly leaving the singleplayer part lacking.There's a pretty decent 'strategy' game called Dangerous Waters which is a naval combat simulation and isn't too bad really. It's _VERY_ slow paced, probably the slowest game I've ever seen when you're floating around in a submarine, but it makes the naval combat experience pretty realistic. Being in a submarine isn't about zipping around shooting things, it's about stealth. You can use submarines (the main part of the game), a destroyer, a helicopter or a plane in a realistic way.. looking at the consoles and locking in targets. I'm not a person who knows a lot about the navy, but I found the game enjoyable, surprisingly educational and it runs on older computers which is why I got it. You'll certainly earn respect for navymen when you see that running a sub is harder than it looks. I had to read a pretty thick manual (for a game) to understand all the terminology. It's not for everyone, but for people who like simulations it's good.

Edited January 29, 2010 by rob86 (see edit history)

[BCD 1]

The last time I played a strategy game like that was Hidden and Dangerous. A game where we get to control four soldiers. Obviously we can actually control one person in FPS mode at a time while others are in AI mode. While we are in the shoes of a soldier we can assign paths/orders to other soldiers. This is very contrasting game to COH. In HAD its all about tactics and sneaking behind the enemy lines unnoticed. Since the whole idea of the offending forces is to attack in small groups (4 soldiers in a map). That also makes it a rather difficult game since we cant open up loud gunshots whenever we wish. Well this is quite an old game now. But you can definitely check it out if you wish to play some strategy game. But I must say the AI of our soldiers in that game is pretty poor, nevertheless it requires lots of planning to complete each mission.

[Baniboy 3]

The only strategy game I own is "Heroes of Might and Magic III", I think. Not sure. I didn't play it much. Well, it's not a real-time strategy, more like a turn-based tragedy :)It was the first PC game that I bought. Had some fun with it, then it got a little boring, the enemies just beat the crap out of me all the time when I played enough to reach a somewhat advanced level(it didn't even have levels, but whatever). Never really tried actual real-time strategy, but I can guess how stupid it would turn out. Is it like playing chess without turns and you have to make your moves before the other one does, no time to think, hu? That would be stressing. I guess I'll just stick to Nexuiz, AssaultCube and Antigravitator. Does anyone know any free, good strategy games(turn-based) I could try? Interested in trying out those.

Edited January 29, 2010 by Baniboy (see edit history)