2742

On the subject of requests and suggestions for GOG, I’d be interested in knowing to what extent the GOG people look at which games have the most votes on their site. How much extra effort is put into securing the rights to the top games?

2743

Good question. Would GoG have picked up MoM and MoO 1 and 2 when they did if the requests had been fewer.

2744

Well, it WAS there (google cache link follows):

link

2745

It’s still there.

2746

HAH, I was about to register an account at GoG, and I get the usual ‘gender’ selection, I press M …and get Missy…I’m like wtf…then I open the menu and…HAH…

I’m a jedi now.

2747

Panzer General 3D: Assault at 9,99$ from Ubi Soft

2748

Unfortunately the worst of the PG games, imo. They sacrificed their beautiful old 2D sprite-based approach for the dullest 3D graphics imaginable. I’d like to see People’s General up there, though…

2749

Even PG2 was worse than the original, it had those incredibly washed out isometric maps. It wasn’t exactly pretty.

PG3D:Assault used the approach from the Paradox boarding school for 3D engines, where a low-poly ugly crappy 3D engine is better than any beautifully rendered 2D map could ever be.
A pity, I liked some of the changes they made to the formula, such as the Leader/Unit seperation, the limited supply some units were in and the ability to actually capture enemy units.
Back in the day, I hoped they’d further build upon that in a sequel, but as we all know, SSI went the way of the Dodo before that could happen and there hasn’t been a PG game since (that totally different XBL game doesn’t count).

I’m actually currently replaying the original PG, and it still holds up, after all these years. It’s a blast ordering those 15-overstrenghtened-Panzer IVs around. (It takes a LOOOOONG time before better tanks become available.)

Am I alone in longing for the simplicity the 2D interface provided those games with? Recently we had the Master of Magic challenge and I returned to that game for a few matches, and today I watched Stardock’s current Elemental video where the guy (is it Brad?) zips across the map and zooms in and out and rotates the map all the time, and I have a really hard time telling what’s going on (that’s important).
You couldn’t do any of that in MoM, but it allowed you to see what was going on at first glance.
Same with Civ, the original is so slick and quick to play even today, CIV with all it’s 3D and whatnot feels kinda bloated to me.

Ah well, in case I’m alone, sorry about the semi-rant.

Edit: [OFF TOPIC WARNING]What got me back into PG was that I stumbled across a remake recently, PGForever. Some dude faithfully recreated the game and made a slick windows native interface for it, and he improved moddability.
Unfortunately, he also made some changes, which is why I ended up playing the original instead. What I had issues with was that the AI now has to pay for repairs (which it appearently didn’t have to do in the original) and to compensate, there’s a steady and generous tickle of resources coming in for the AI every turn.
But the AI mostly uses it to spam countless cheap Infantry, Artillery, Anti-Air and Anti-Tank units around all it’s cities, so it becomes a real chore to make any progress.
Some scenarios are, imo, downright impossible to win that way. But YMMV, and it’s definately worth checking out.[/OFF TOPIC WARNING]

rezaf

2750

Is this game fairly easy to learn or is it like those Paradox wargames where a PhD in wargaming is mandatory to get a grasp of anything?

Btw, glad to see Ubi deciding to contribute to the back catalog some more. Maybe Imperialism 2 is next.

But their 9,99$ prices suck. Damn Guillemots.

2751

Panzer General (3D or not)?

It’s really straight forward and pretty shallow - “true” wargamers frowned at it for a reason. Essentially, it’s just moving units around on a hex map.

rezaf

2752

No, you’re not alone… although probably near enough to it that it does no good to rant. ;)

IMHO, the most important thing in a computer game’s graphics is that they quickly and clearly convey to the user all the information that they need in order to make their decisions. The second most important thing is to look nice. 2D graphics, for whatever reason, seem to work better for both these purposes in most of the genres of game that I like to play. This was probably much more true when the original fad for 3D started than it is now, but in general it still holds, I think.

2753

You are not alone at all. I have always felt this way since games first started coming out in 3d. The added dimension often makes it harder to get an overview of what is going on. This is a step backwards and not forwards.

Especially for strategy games, enabling the user to absorb all of the situational information as easily as possible is a key requirement of the interface. Anything that does not contribute to this information transfer and certainly something that diminishes its effectiveness should not be in the game especially if it is just to make the screen look more pretty.

Sometimes I wonder if this is because we were brought up on 2d games and we got used to them. Maybe younger folk who got their first taste of gaming in the 3d generation didn’t have to unlearn their previous experience and thus don’t share these sentiments. I don’t know.

2754

Nope, not at all. I wasn’t thrilled at all with the “3D” version of Panzer general at all. Made me wanna go back and play the original…

Oh hells yeah, bring on that and Fantasy General and I’ll be very, very happy.

2755

It also had the sprites that turned to face in different directions, which had the net effect of A) making your battle lines look incredibly chaotic, and B) making units harder to identify at a glance. The first generation General games had the best visuals, IMHO. They hold up really well even today.

Get the good General games, Tom!

2756

I honestly do think, though, I’m in the minority that liked Star General.

2757

The general games would be a real coup. I wonder if I can find my old Fantasy General hint book.

2758

coughStartopiacough

Excuse me. :)

2759

For all those Fantasy General fans in the thread, I highly recommend “Fantasy Wars” and its sequel “Elven Legacy”. Those games really pay tribute to the “General” series.

They also have a very effective RPG leveling system for the units too. Its an RPG system that introduces new and interesting strategy choices, rather than just being a power fantasy of making your units uber powerful.

I’ve come to like it more than the original “General” games.

Tony

2760

I’ve played it. Pretty good, but no Fantasy General.

2761

What makes you prefer Fantasy General?