Best Grand Strategy Games?

[JefAddley]

I have a recurring problem with SE5. I have restarted a campaign, but I find the game really 'dry'. It lacks ambiance and atmosphere. For example when you encounter a new specie, I would like to get something like a music and a pop-up with some nice alien gibberish. Instead of that, I get nothing but a report. And from time to time a dry treaty proposal or a sentence which is generally "minerals planets are the best".

I would like also to have the feeling of controling a populated empire. Tiny little civilians ships, requests by populations, some news, etc. But nothing here but this excel spreadshit feeling.

You know what I mean... My dream game would be the atmosphere of Gal Civ 2 mixed with MOO2 news with the mechanic of SE5.

Got to say this is right. i have all of these and none are quite perfect tho SE5 is prob best overall. MOO3 i hated tho

[alexander seil]

There's not that much of a choice for serious grand strategic games. For the entire 20th century, Hearts of Iron 2 (Doomsday) is about the only thing, unless you consider that new game (that looks like HoI2, but isn't) to be a serious grand strategic game.

For the medieval/early modern period, Paradox has most of it covered with Victoria, Crusader Kings and EU2/3.

For other periods, well, Pax Romana I still have to play (I have it, but didn't quite have the time), and Great Invasions still has a few bugs left in it to be worked out.

It is interesting to note that all of the games I have just mentioned are made using the same basic engine That shows you how narrow the field is. On the other hand, those games cover the entire history of mankind (in Europe, at least), from like the 3rd century BC to 1964, with the exception of the Roman Imperial period!



EDIT: A big, BIG hint for the developers - if someone makes a serious attempt at a Roman Imperial (up to, say, the Islamic invasions) period game, I'd pay even a $100 for it. Provided that it's good, of course

Needless to say, I own every single one of those games

[rasnell]

Making History: The Calm and the Storm is a very good World War 2 grand strategy game especially after the patch was released. It's a lot less complex than HOI and the graphics are better. I enjoy playing it.

Making History: The Calm and the Storm

Tell me more about your gaming experience with this one. I never heard of it until your post, but it looks very interesting on the web site.

[Ashbery76]

I'm having a great time with the new CIV4 expansion BTS.The A.I is best I have played against in a empire game,much better than Galciv2 considering the the higher complexity of a terrain based game.

[arsan]

Hi!

I suppose you mean CIV4
I get BTS yesterday and have only spend a couple of hour with it.
So far i´m very impresed with the quantity and quality of its content
Some of the mods it includes (like the space 4X Final Frontier) could be selled like a stand alone game with just somo minor additions... And this is only one of the dozen mods included!!

The standard game seems much improvend with spies, events, quest... and for what i read the AI has learn a lot!

For anybody who likes the Civilization kind of games (you must turn off all yoru history knowledge and don´t expect any historical results, this is not Europa Universalis) CIV4 is a great strategy game, easy to get into but with tons of complexity.
And with BTS it seems to ahve improved even more.
Also the mod departament is absolutely impresive!!
Most recommended
Cheers!

[Sol Invictus]

Check out Guns of August if you have any interest in WWI Grand Strategy. It is not an Empire Building game but a Wargame.

[cleveland]

I completely agree about Guns of August. One of the best wargames I've ever played- on par with Birth of Amercia.

[PhilThib]

Have you ever tried my boardgame "La Grande Guerre 14-18" (Azure Wish Editions)

[Beren]

i played grand siecle , all the 18th century, superb game

[cleveland]

At one point several years ago I was seriously considering buying "La Grande Guerre 14-18" but after a while I stopped playing board wargames. It looked like a thorough treatment of the subject.

[calvinus]

Have you ever tried my boardgame "La Grande Guerre 14-18" (Azure Wish Editions)

[Sol Invictus]

PhilThib, if I were still a boardgamer, I would certainly pick it up. Alas, my boardgaming days are well behind me; along with chasing girls and general wildness. leure:

[PhilThib]

It's almost the same for me...though... leure:

[Caesar]

PhilThib, if I were still a boardgamer, I would certainly pick it up. Alas, my boardgaming days are well behind me; along with chasing girls and general wildness. leure:

Just when I think I'm done chasing girls I see a new one I want. Then my wife hits me in the side with her elbow.

[Sol Invictus]

Wives can be so selfish and troublesome.

[Jacek]

Strange nobody mentioned Rome:Total War mod called Rome:Total Realism.
It makes the game dramatically more challenging and realistic. I have learnt lots of new things about ancient history playing this mod. Its minor flaw is that because of its great scope you have to auto-resolve many battles which may produce some puzzling results just like...AACW.

[Castel]

Knights of honor, all the way.

I can't count the number of hours i have played this game.

Not "the" greatest strategy game maybe, but the one i played and enjoyed the most for sure.

[DirkX]

on a grand strategy level:
i have to say Great Invasions was the most interesting and unique and different approach for a strategy game since Civilization, sadly it was (is ??) so buggy you couldnt play it.
All other games which are interesting: EU,HOI all have the same problem: a rather stupid AI, which makes those games boring after the inital excitement.

therefor i go to tactical games like 2 nd Manasses
(imagine AACW with tactical combat from "Manasses", that would be the best wargame ever)

[claudio6921]

Supreme Ruler 2010?

ops, my first post...

greetings everybody!

[Primasprit]

Supreme Ruler 2010?

Can you recommend that? From what I read it was perhaps a bit too ambitious project with a huge lot of features but not all of them working, even after patching. Or am I wrong?
But I will have a shot at the upcoming Supreme Ruler 2020 for sure.

ops, my first post...

greetings everybody!

Welcome!

(PS: Waiting for Fallout 3 too... )

[Anguille]

I am currently playing Strength and Honour...global strategy in the antics.

The graphics are crappy but the game is fun and complex. The various personnalities make it very varied.