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Henke

Looking for TBS recommendations

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Hey folks, I'm not a huge strategy gamer, but I do like the occasional turn based strategy game, and I'm looking for recommendations.

 

This summer I played, and greatly enjoyed, Invisible, Inc., and Steamworld Heist. For the past couple weeks I've been playing a bit of XCOM 2, which is a good game, but also has a couple design decisions I really don't like. First is the in-between-mission world map stuff. Building the base, managing finances, and build orders? I don't like any of that, would rather the game just be a string of missions along a linear narrative. Second is the "invisible dice roll" determining my units' aim, etc. I like how Invisible Inc cuts that element of randomness out, so the outcome of a turn is entirely down to my ability to analyze the situation and decide on the best action. If I overlook something and things go sour, that's fine! But if, like in XCOM 2, I have a bad turn because of a string of bad dice rolls? That drives me up the fucking wall. Steamworld Heist also cut out some of the element of chance by having you actually aim your units' weapons manually(tho criticals are still determined by a dice roll).

 

Other games in the genre that I love: Frozen Synapse and FTL(which I know goes against a lot of what I railed against above, but there you go, I'm complex!). I've also played a bit of Door Kickers, Qvadriga, and Convoy. They're ok, not big faves, but they should give you an idea of the kinda things I'm interested in.

 

Anyway, TL;DR, I'm looking for titles that fit these criteria:

-Focuses on combat, with a minimal or no in-between-mission managerial stuff.

-No, or as few as possible, invisible dice rolls determining my units' actions. Randomisation and procedural generation when it comes to the layouts/conditions of missions are ok tho.

-Genre: turn based, simultaneous turn based, or pause-time.

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You might wanna check out Flotilla by Brendon Chung. He made a video showing it off and explaining the mechanics and systems:

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Ooooh! Well I do like Chung, but I was so-so on Atom Zombie Smasher. Flotilla seems to check my boxes tho, adding it to the wishlist.

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Skulls of the Shogun is the tactics game that springs to my mind that has no strategy/management layer. I didn't love the controls for it (game was definitely designed with a controller in mind), and the silly storyline didn't work for me, but overall I thought it was smartly designed and worth playing.

 

Also worth checking out the Banner Saga and Skyshine's Bedlam. Both those games have a strategy layer, but it is really light, and if you liked FTL I think both those games should be appealing.

 

None of these games have much, if any, RNG when it comes to the tactics. Too bad you don't enjoy the RNG though because you're missing out on a lot of classics of the genre as a result! You can also maybe try out Chaos Reborn which now has a RNG free mode (although personally I think that version is dull as dirt). It has a demo so you check it out before committing money which is a good call because even though I think the game is brilliant I know a lot of people bounced off of it.

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Does TBS still air Friends reruns? I recommend that.

 

Sorry.

 

Real answer: if you've got a Game Boy Advance or a DS, the Advance Wars games are really good. They tend a little toward the "puzzle" end of strategy, but they're really fun anyway. Advance Wars 2 (GBA) is the one to get if you can find it, but Days of Ruin (DS) is also quite good.

 

Also, pretty different than what I think you're looking for but techinically fitting your requirements is Transistor. Yeah, you only control 1 character, but it's got an awesome pause-and-queue-actions combat system and a ludicrously deep ability combination system that might scratch the same issue. Also, the visuals and music are as good as you'll ever encounter in a video game.

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I haven't followed the development, so I'm not entirely sure what the game is going to be like, but would Overland fit the bill? It should be out this year, maybe?

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Overland - Yes, I'm very much looking forward to this one! Will wait until it's out of EA before getting it tho.

Bedlam - I didn't realize this one was out yet, I really like the look of it. It's getting not-great review though. Adding to wishlist.

The Banner Saga - Not sure why I haven't played this yet, should probably pick it up.

Transistor - have it on PS4 but I've only poked at it a little bit. Wasn't a fan of Bastion's gameplay so I didn't make much effort to get into this. Will give it another chance.

Skulls of the Shogun - haven't played this for the highly personal and probably highly stupid reason that I don't like the artstyle. That cartoony big-head overhead-view-but-with-characters-drawn-from-the-side style is the reason I couldn't get into Binding of Isaac and Don't Starve. Still, maybe I'll investigate this closer.

 

And nope, don't have a DS or GBA. I do have an iPad and an Android phone tho. (and yes, I already have Hoplite. Love it.)

 

Good suggestions, keep em coming! :)

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You could also try Expeditons: Conquistador. It's a game of two halves - an exploration phase and a combat phase - but it draws them together quite well. Essentially you are managing a Spanish expedition to the New World and have to balance the desires and expectations of your expedition members, while keeping everyone alive. It's pretty good, if a little repetitive but the combat works well and there are plenty of decisions to be made along the way.

The other game is called Silent Storm although it's a bit old now. Still, even though it rolls dice to determine if you hit someone or not it's not as random as XCOM can be at times and you train up your team to almost guarantee hits as you go along. I played it insessently for about a year when it was released. Might not hold up to nostalgia though.

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I'm not sure how well this fits your criteria but how about the 'Heroes of Might and Magic' series of games? I'd only really recommend 2 and 3. They are both on GoG so you don't need to get any 3rd party software or mods to run them well.

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Transistor - have it on PS4 but I've only poked at it a little bit. Wasn't a fan of Bastion's gameplay so I didn't make much effort to get into this. Will give it another chance.

 

Transistor plays quite differently from Bastion, so you may still like it.

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Valkyria Chronicles might be a good option too. It does have minimal stuff between missions, mostly buy upgrades and adjust your squad.

 

King´s Bounty, it is like Heroes of Might and Magic, but you wander in real time around the map, visit places (to recruit units) and collect some resources.

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I love Valkyria Chronicles! :D

 

King's Bounty and Heroes of Might & Magic - I'm not too keen on fantasy stuff really. More into real-world/sci-fi/steampunk themed things.

 

Silent Storm - started playing this a while back but kinda trailed off on the second mission. Should start it up again, think it might be just what I'm looking for now. Thanks for reminding me of it! :)

 

Expeditons: Conquistador - Hmm! Maybe! Adding it to the wishlist.

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...the in-between-mission world map stuff. Building the base, managing finances, and build orders? I don't like any of that, would rather the game just be a string of missions along a linear narrative. .

I really feel you on that shit. I always love the first few missions in tactical games like Jagged Alliance, Fallout Tactics and Silent Storm, but they all reach a point where I'm spending more time as a quartermaster than a commander.

Like seriously organizing lockers should not be my job.

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I am sort of there when it comes to those older tactical games, you can also include the original X-COM in that mix. My problem is those games are always a little more granular than I want them to be. The new Firaxis XCOM games strike a better balance for my tastes.

 

Also I started playing Steamworld Heist last night, and it is indeed amazing. I'm not too surprised because I also played Steamworld Dig. I am sort of surprised the developer hasn't gotten more buzz. Their games are wonderfully designed.

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Hi Henke, I know you're looking for stuff that's on the market right now, but what I'll say might interest you.
I'm working on a game called Urban Strife, a post-apocalyptic turn-based tactical game with survival elements, like looting, crafting or trading.
The game is heavily inspired by XCOM and the Jagged Alliance.

 

Screens: 

http://www.urbanstrifegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Warehouse.jpg
http://www.urbanstrifegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/screenshot_GasStation-compressor.jpg
http://www.urbanstrifegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/screenshot_Shop-compressor.jpg
http://www.urbanstrifegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/screenshot_Warehouse-compressor.jpg


Would love to hear your thoughts, or anyone else that reads this and is interested.

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If you've got a Switch, the Mario Rabbids game is excellent. It makes me want to play XCOM, and XCOM makes me want to play Mario. What a time to be alive.

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On 10/2/2017 at 3:58 AM, Chris K said:

Hi Henke, I know you're looking for stuff that's on the market right now, but what I'll say might interest you.
I'm working on a game called Urban Strife, a post-apocalyptic turn-based tactical game with survival elements, like looting, crafting or trading.
The game is heavily inspired by XCOM and the Jagged Alliance.

 

Screens: 

http://www.urbanstrifegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Warehouse.jpg
http://www.urbanstrifegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/screenshot_GasStation-compressor.jpg
http://www.urbanstrifegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/screenshot_Shop-compressor.jpg
http://www.urbanstrifegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/screenshot_Warehouse-compressor.jpg


Would love to hear your thoughts, or anyone else that reads this and is interested.

Dude wanted stuff on the market right now more than a year ago, I doubt he's looking for a game that's not out yet.

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Heh, indeed.

 

Ok, Chris K, it does look alright. I'll keep an eye out once it's released.

 

osmosisch, I don't have a Switch, but I'll definitely pick up Mario Rabbids if I do get one. It looks like a good time.

 

 

 

So, what strategygames have I played in the year since I made this thread? Time to pass some JUDGEMENT.

 

Skyshine's Bedlam - rolled through my first game, no problemo. Ok, but not fun enough to give it a second go on a harder difficulty. :tmeh:

 

The Banner Saga - nope, this didn't do it for me. Too much text and story, and the combat is too sparse, and not fun enough. :tdown:

 

Mordheim: City of the Damned - uses a kinda Valkyria Chronicles-esque system, but it just didn't grab me. :tdown:

 

Chroma Squad - in this one you lead a crew of out-of-work stuntmen as you record a low-budget Power Rangers-esque TV show. Performing well in the fightscenes leads to more viewers and more money, meaning you can improve your TV studio and spend money on better equipment and special effects. Very cool concept. I liked this well enough to play 5 hours of it, tho I never finished it. :tmeh:

 

Satellite Reign - Plays a lot like a cyberpunk-flavored Commandos. Crappy story. The missions are more or less all the same procedure of sneak/shoot your way into a place, steal something, get out. Even so, the gameplay is strong enough that I gladly played through 95% of the game, then stopped right before the final mission was about to start. Came back a few months later with friends, started over, and co-opped the whole thing through. Solid game, enjoyed it a lot! :tup:

 

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun - Plays a lot like a samurai-flavored Commandos. Great story and characters, and good variety to the missions. Loved it! :tup:

 

Hard West - Starts off strong, with a good, dark narrative, but the peculiarities of the gameplay soon drove me away. :tmeh:

 

Renowned Explorers - Does some interesting things, but, eh, not my cup of tea really. :tdown:

 

Darkest Dungeon - recently picked this up for the iPad so I'd have something to play on a trip. Well, I've had a couple forays into those dungeons or whatever and I don't feel like going back. It's not doing much for me, tho the iOS port isn't great either. Eh... :tmeh:

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Who would have thought a year ago that the game that ticks all the boxes of the initial question would be an Ubisoft-developed Mario game?

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Looks like you're a good canary for the coalmine of my opinions Henke because I agree with all those things, except being a bit colder on Satellite Reign and not having played Shadow Tactics yet due to the realtime angle.

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Have anybody mentioned Chaos Reborn yet? 

 

Also, never underestimate the joys of Chess (and Go, which is my game of choice, but it's harder to get into and the software/servers don't seem to be as good). If you don't like randomness, then maybe this is something to think about. Check out the 3ma episode on Chess is you haven't already. It certainly encouraged me to return to the game!

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I loathe Chaos Reborn's randomness with every fiber of my being, even though I liked it as a 'chat with friends over voice while the game doesn't matter' game.

 

Chess is cool but I take losing personally in a bad way somehow. Maybe because I learned it too young to disentangle it from ego.

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1 hour ago, osmosisch said:

 

Chess is cool but I take losing personally in a bad way somehow. Maybe because I learned it too young to disentangle it from ego.

 

 

you can learn to overcome that though. I used to be the same with Go, but now I find loses more interesting than win :)

 

 

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Perfect chance to chime in with some shameless self-promotion. There is a game called Steam Tactics on, well, Steam. It is a turn-based tactical RPG/strategy game about steampunk airship battles, and it pretty much fits the requirements. It does have some management between missions though, but it's pretty light on that side.

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Sorry, Oxeren, but your self-promotion sucks. 92% of reviews are positive! The game was reviewed by two Steam curators, and both recommend it. It's currently on sale at 50% off (at least, in the US) for a measly $5.99.  Boughted.

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