Have I outgrown strategy games?

[Al B. Sure!]

I went to EB games earlier this week and bought 1602 AD and Patrician II for 3.99 each (Civ 3 in the metal box was selling for 10 dollars each but i didnt bother getting it cause i thought it wouldnt work). I installed and played both games. 1602 could not keep my interest at all because it is first off, an ugly looking game, and secondly, just plain boring with nothing notable about it. I did get into Patrician for a few days and enjoyed trying to get a big profit and play pirate or pirate hunter (and i liked the feel of the game at first) but after a while, I got bored of that game. it got real tedious managing the various convoys and having to change up the ports they were visiting because price fluctuations (mainly because of me dumping a lot of goods at once I guess) made them unprofitable. so the game got old after less than a week playing it.

if anyone has either of these games, is there something to them that makes them fun for a long time and not just tedious? Also, many strategy games are just too damn easy (like Europa Universalis)... have i outgrown strategy games? I mean I didn't even play much Age of Kings or StarCraft either... there seems to be no new game that got the same addictive power as the first WarCraft and the first Age of Empires.


thanks

[SlowwHand]

You can't outgrow strategy.
What you CAN outgrow is lower levels of strategy.

[General Ludd]

This belongs in the other game forum.

[Kuciwalker]

If you're buying them for four bucks apiece, don't expect them to be that good.

[Cruddy]

I have found that, in general, most strategy games have more flaws than others... they are harder to playtest, they let you do more (more variations to test) and so in general aren't as easy to balance out into a good final product.

Never played either of those... but I must admit, I got VERY picky about strat games some time ago. Maybe a slight change of direction towards sports management or maybe pure wargaming might be an idea...

[reds4ever]

Originally posted by Osweld
This belongs in the other game forum.

I hate it when people do that! In the greater scheme of thing, 'DOES IT REALLY MATTER?' and don't b1tch about the +1 post count 'cos thats even sadder!

[SlowwHand]

Going strictly by-the-book, wouldn't Gay-related threads belong in Other Games?

[reds4ever]

IMO Strat games are difficult to rate because if the 'idea' behind the game catches your imagination then the graphics,sound etc don't matter, but if you don't like the idea behind the game.......

[Al B. Sure!]

reds4ever:

I thought the idea for those two games was pretty good. I mean colonizing islands in 1602 and being a Hanseatic League merchant in Patrician and Patrician has some nice 'atmosphere' but they just became very tedious... i mean Patrician is ridiculous because you got to worry about at least a dozen ships going to a dozen different cities, buying and selling (and storing and taking out of storage) about thirty types of goods with very noticable price fluctuations, etc. and thats not even mentioning the threat of pirates, the building of your own industry (and buying and transporting goods for that), providing your home city with everything it needs, etc. really tedious game. felt more like work than a game.


Cruddy:

Sports management? you mean like the franchise mode in Madden? and what do you mean by wargaming? Close Combat games?

[RGBVideo]

Steel Panthers: World at War is a good, free TBS.

[Al B. Sure!]

and i can't under-exaggerate how great of a game Age of Empires was. I had downloaded the original demo and from when I loaded it and saw the mainscreen with primitive drumming music in the background and then loaded up the game and saw a small paleolithic Hittite village and watched as a lion chased a deer right through my village... maybe it was cause I was like 13 at the time, but that game amazed me (it's sequel never interested me that much though)


thanks

[Al B. Sure!]

Tuo:

no... turn-based games many times are even more tedious than real-time. at least with real-time, the developers know you can't have too much to do things(though I dont think the makers of Patrician realized this) but turn-based, they stick so many ridiculous options and things you have to do in the game that it is not fun at all.

[RGBVideo]

If you liked AoE, I'd definetily recommend RoN [Rise of Nations].

[Al B. Sure!]

Tuo:

I dont know... because while I loved AoE, I didn't care much for its sequel... but if i find it for 3.99, i'd get it... I think I saw it as EB games for 15 or so. a little too steep right now.

[St Leo]

I got Patrician II, Majesty, and the first Disciples II expansion for cheap recently. I like both (though I've switched from Patrician II to Majesty once I got slightly tired of it). I will probably finish the Mountain Clans campaign in Disciples II, but the main obstacle to enjoying it is that AI turns take too long.