This year we have three "high potentials" expected within this year and a fourth "maybe" Naval Warfare game announced. Games with singleplayer strategy focus and dynamic campaigns...
Rule the Waves 2
will likely be my staple for years to come
Victory at Sea Pacific
will be really interesting but, like with its predecessor, I exepect to eventually prefer RTW2 for replay value
Ultimate Admiral: Dreadnoughts
is the really dangerous contender to RTW2. I hear good things of Naval Action but it being multiplayer only have not tried it.
Pacific Fury
might come to nought. WWJD did good in modding Pacific Storm but he did not fully finish making that really playable before announcing Pacific Fury.
Post by fredsanford on Jul 30, 2018 9:07:03 GMT -6
One naval game I'd really like to see is a remake of War in the Pacific. Update the interface and graphics, streamline the logistics and tone down the extreme micromanagement. A WitP treatment of the Mediterranean theater in WW2 would be good also.
is the really dangerous contender to RTW2. I hear good things of Naval Action but it being multiplayer only have not tried it.
I am skeptical of this after my experience with Ultimate General. It felt like the campaign was just something tacked on to the tactical battles and there were many opaque and illogical aspects to that.
I consider the other titles to be targeting completely different audiences, I would love another remake of WitP, but I think we all know that is highly unlikely given the scope of that project. I would take WitP with just a GUI update, and adding more support for high resolution screens 3440 x 1440 / 4k displays etc.
Post by noshurviverse on Jul 30, 2018 13:19:59 GMT -6
UBOOT is also in production, although I can't say I'm particularly interested in it. I grew up playing Silent Hunter, and UBOOT looks to be taking alot of liberties with the realism. That being said, it does appear to be slightly more in line with RtW, although on a smaller scale.
is the really dangerous contender to RTW2. I hear good things of Naval Action but it being multiplayer only have not tried it.
I am skeptical of this after my experience with Ultimate General. It felt like the campaign was just something tacked on to the tactical battles and there were many opaque and illogical aspects to that.
Yeah. I expect it to have decently polished tactical gameplay and ship design, but I will be surprised if its campaign level aims at historical accuracy. II think it also remains to be seen how much ship design it will have--the elaborate 3d models suggest to me fixed designs with perhaps weapon/armor/powerplant options, which would not compete with RtW's vast flexibility for alt-history designs. (Still, I expect to buy it at release--it should be fun, even if not a RtW competitor.)
I am not very much looking forward to the others--I too doubt Pacific Fury will get finished anytime soon, and the original Victory at Sea never really clicked for me--it suffers from an unrealistic campaign level, grindy progression, and lack of meaningful customization, while the tactical gameplay is not especially great to offset those faults.
One naval game I'd really like to see is a remake of War in the Pacific. Update the interface and graphics, streamline the logistics and tone down the extreme micromanagement. A WitP treatment of the Mediterranean theater in WW2 would be good also.
I'd love a remake of it as well! My SAI AAR is on hiatus because I started a new game with the Focus Pacific mod. I'm hoping to get back to it once the Burma Road is reopened (Rangoon and Lashio being the big obstacles).
I think someone did a Mediterranean theater mod for War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition, but I think that it's strictly PBEM.
I'd also go for a remake of their War Plan Orange game
"I cannot feel that a man-of-war is a proper place for a Chaplain...it seems to me uncommon odd, and precious near to cant, to tell the ship's company of a man-of-war with loaded guns to love your enemy and turn the other cheek when the ship and every man jack aboard her is there to blow the enemy out of the water if he possibly can. Either the hands believe it, and then where is your discipline? Or they don't and then it seems to me to come hellfire close to mockery of holy things" Jack Aubrey
I'll wait and see the reviews for Ultimate Admiral before I purchase; I got burned with pretty graphics and bad gameplay with 'Ironclads' and I'm more skeptical now.
RtW2, on the other hand... I'll pay right now.
If anyone plays 'Victory at Sea', I'd be interested in a review.
If anyone plays 'Victory at Sea', I'd be interested in a review.
Victory at Sea was a mediocre as a mobile game as a PC port it is just bad. Don't play it. Atlantic Fleet, on the other hand, is a mobile-to-PC port that is actually quite decent. Hotseat in that game is fun to play with a friend to kill time.
Also, speaking of WitP - it is a very charming game with detail so extreme it might as well be an encyclopedia of the Pacific War full of very plausible what-ifs. I just love it. If only the interface (and only the interface, not the mechanics) could be massively streamlined, then it would be the ultimate strategy game set in the Far East of WW2.
Last Edit: Jul 31, 2018 10:03:05 GMT -6 by sillygoy
is the really dangerous contender to RTW2. I hear good things of Naval Action but it being multiplayer only have not tried it.
I am skeptical of this after my experience with Ultimate General. It felt like the campaign was just something tacked on to the tactical battles and there were many opaque and illogical aspects to that.
I, too have had less than satisfactory experiences with all of Darth's (GameLabs lead developer) work, but especially Ultimate General : Civil War. Personal interactions with the fellow devolve into bitter, hostile, name-calling arguments over even the most respectful of consumer input. GameLabs also actively monitors and bans any "harmful" forum posts in the Steam Discussion Forum. (One can see how that could be abused)
Wouldn't trust the guy as far as I can throw him, the skepticism is well warranted.
If anyone plays 'Victory at Sea', I'd be interested in a review.
My more detailed feedback:
The tactical gameplay is adequate, but hardly realistic. The combat model is damage/HP with critical hits; I have not played enough battleship combat (it is a long grind to get there) to assess handling of armor. Manual control is sensible--heading/speed, with firing aiming at a sea location (requiring lead but not range estimation). AI control is RTS-like--there are no divisions or formations, just orders to move to a position or engage an enemy. The AI can be pretty bad about friendly fire with torpedoes, but otherwise tends to be solid but uncreative.
The campaign level is RPG-like--there are a bunch of fleets of varying strength pursuing various tasks, and the player commands a single fleet, receiving money and XP from combat to unlock and purchase new ships. It feels very grindy to me--most of the game, most enemy fleets are either out of your league or easy prey, with balanced battles requiring tactical finesse rare. Also, because it is a grind-for-advancement game against a near-infinite enemy, losses of major ships hurts--while in RtW or similar nation-level strategy games, taking on an equal-or-superior enemy and giving better than you take is a win, in VaS it is a setback. This further encourages grinding against weak enemies while avoiding potentially interesting fights.
It can be fun, but definitely is not a simulator. While it is a port from a tabletop game the ruleset is not really conducive to "realistic" gameplay. But once you accept the arcade nature (and mod in some realism inspired balance, respectively download a mod that already includes it) it can be quite good fun.
Juts do not expect anything close to RTW in faithfulness to a "modelling&simulation" aproach.
At his point I recommend waiting for Victory at Sea Pacific, unless you get the original at a steep discount sale.