Napoleonic Strategy?

[Radtgaeb]

I'm looking for a good Napoleonic strategy game. You know, with muskets, cannons, lines of troops and whatnot. Thing is I'd much like it to be like the Total War series, any suggestions?

[CCIP]

Well, there is a Napoleonic Total War mod for Medieval: Total War, as well as a 2.0 version for Rome: Total War (which unlike the MTW mod does not include campaign, only battles, but is rather good for MP).

It's really well-done actually:

http://lordz.thelordz.co.uk/index.php?id=37,0,0,1,0,0

[Radtgaeb]

:cry: My friend has my Rome. I'm having lotsa' fun with Medieval II though. I'm just wishing for a game nearly identical (if not done by the TW team with the TW engine) to TW, but with strategies and weapons from 1700-1860's. Why is it that no one's ever picked this idea up? To me it seems as if it would be a smash! :yep: Besides, I cannot play MP. Karl Radtgaeb = one heck of a coward.

[nikimcbee]

Have you heard of Cossacks 2?
http://pc.gamezone.com/gamesell/p21123.htm

I have it, it's pretty fun, the campaign can ge really hard at times, It plays like RISK with RTS battle. I love the re-enactor battle footage!:rock:

[flintlock]

There's also HistWar: Les Grognards, a Napoleonic era 3D tactical and stategic game (still in development). It's being developed by a small developer and published by Battlefront.com.

If interested, there's a link here (http://www.battlefront.com/products/les_grog/index.html), and another here (http://www.histwar.com/).

[Dowly]

My vote goes to Cossacks 2! :rock: Great game! Captures the mood of the time quite well in battle, stay in line and take the bullet if it comes for you. Take cover and you are a coward.

[Oberon]

Imperial Glory?

Looks pretty good, haven't tried it though...even has fleet battles.

http://www.imperialglory.com/main.htm

[Radtgaeb]

Hmmm....both Cossacks II and Imperial Glory look pretty sweet.

Question is, where do I get them? I really am trying to avoid buying from EB games (I doubt they'd even have it....although if I was looking for the newest 'Sims' expansion, I'd be in business) and the 'local' Fry's is 45 minutes away. :down:

[Oberon]

I've tried Cossacks II, I couldn't really get on with it, everything seemed a bit too fast to me, I'd barely got a town going when the AI showed up with several platoons and levelled it. Cossacks I was a bit more evenly paced. Like I've said though, I've yet to try IG, but the fleet battles and movable camera do tend to sway it in my favour. Will have to track down the Demo sometime shortly. :D

As for where to get them...Online there are a few options, ebay and all that, as for locally...I'm not so up on US shops but I know that in the UK I've seen it in the bargain section of GAME (Buy two for ten or fifteen quid).

[Radtgaeb]

DL'ing demo as I post.

EDIT: Don't hesitate on buying this game. It's exactly as I wanted, a TW Napoleonic era. Plus, naval battles are f'n sweet. I just hope I can find it someplace!

[nikimcbee]

I'm glag you guys posted this topic. I've re-discovered Cossacks 2. The conquest for Europe is awesome. The first time I place it (this campaign) I hated it, it seemed totally pointless. All of the sides seemed to be just spinning their wheels. But the second time I played it, it was a lot of fun!:rock: It's quite the rush to beat a larger computer force! I wish they had more Russian battles; Battle of Borodino, Maloyarslavets, etc

[Polak]

I bought Cossacks 2 Gold a month ago. I like the game very much despite its flaws.
If your going to buy Cossacks 2, then buy Battle for Europe since it is a standalone.
I whish I had time to play the game. :)

[nikimcbee]

Today, after three days of hard fighting, the British Army surrendered to the Imperial Russian Army. Now Russia controls all of Napoleonic Europe:rotfl: :lol: .

I love the multi-meadia footage in this game, it's first rate! I would love to see a Napoleonic re-enactment.

[HunterICX]

Today, after three days of hard fighting, the British Army surrendered to the Imperial Russian Army. Now Russia controls all of Napoleonic Europe:rotfl: :lol: .

I love the multi-meadia footage in this game, it's first rate! I would love to see a Napoleonic re-enactment.

Pssssst...dont change the past

:rotfl:

[horsa]

For my money The Lordz Group ( mentioned above by CCIP)have produced the finest Napoleonic battle sim with their NapTotal War 2 based on Rome TW. It's purely a battle simulator with no resourse management ( which suits me ) . Its ideal mode is in MP because of a shortcoming with the RTW engine - it's necessary to manually disable the skirmish mode of both armies before you start. The Artwork is outstanding .

IMHO the whole project is in a similar league to the excellent WW1 flightsim mod OFF (for CFS3).

[Radtgaeb]

Hmmm. Well, I was looking a bit more into Imperial Glory (I thought the demo was cool) and it seems that the reviews are incredibly mixed (ranging from mediocre to Excellent). The same applies to Cossacks II. I'm DL'ing the Demo now, but Is cossacks II like TW where its a big strategy map that pans in to the battle screen when 2 forces meet? or is it like AOE where you just build up troops and send them out around a disproportional map. If it's like AOE, I'll have to pass. So...what's Cossacks 2 Like?

[nikimcbee]

Hmmm. Well, I was looking a bit more into Imperial Glory (I thought the demo was cool) and it seems that the reviews are incredibly mixed (ranging from mediocre to Excellent). The same applies to Cossacks II. I'm DL'ing the Demo now, but Is cossacks II like TW where its a big strategy map that pans in to the battle screen when 2 forces meet? or is it like AOE where you just build up troops and send them out around a disproportional map. If it's like AOE, I'll have to pass. So...what's Cossacks 2 Like?

I'd love to hear what you think about it Cossacks 2. I spent the day (afternoon) playing as the French, in the battle for Europe. Now the Grand Armee rules Europe, after the Austrians surrendered:arrgh!: :rock: to the French.

C2 is more about fighting and less about managing resources. My all time favorite Napoleonic game was Waterloo, based on the Gettysburg engine. The most frustrating thing about C2, is the large battles. The computer tends to assault one point with all of its units, so it can turn into one giant furball.

I love the artillery!:rock: (I'm into my artillery realism) I've a few dream artillery shots, flanking fire into a column! You can follow the path of death, as the cannonball goes through the column, then boom!

[nikimcbee]

Intro movie:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wT1oGp-3QJk

[Radtgaeb]

I downloaded the Demo and I thought it was pretty cool as well. The entire system reminds me a lot of Company of Heroes (which I love!) and that is a major plus! :rock:

The only thing that is a setback with C2 is that There isn't going to be major Naval control in the game, and I want to be sure that I can send navies to blockade, impose, y'know...do their thing. So yeah. I'm still pretty undecided on the whole thing.

[nikimcbee]

I downloaded the Demo and I thought it was pretty cool as well. The entire system reminds me a lot of Company of Heroes (which I love!) and that is a major plus! :rock:

The only thing that is a setback with C2 is that There isn't going to be major Naval control in the game, and I want to be sure that I can send navies to blockade, impose, y'know...do their thing. So yeah. I'm still pretty undecided on the whole thing.

You could build some pretty cool ships in the original Cossacks.:lol: I had some pretty cool naval battles.

[Heibges]

I played a campaign of Imperial Glory and though it was very interesting.

1. The RT Battles (much like RTW) are great. They feel like Napoleonic battles you might see in a movie. You can occupy buildings etc.

2. The Naval Battles are very slow, and not really fun.

3. The Campaign building is pretty complex. You can build your country into any type of government you choose.

4. Strangely only the Dictator form of Government can build Field Hospitals, and replentish units, all other forms of government have to recruit new units.

5. Having units outside their "Barracks" is very expensive, so you have to really plan what you want to do.

6. The campaign is different every time. France is not always the expansionist power.

I would give RTW a 9.5 and give Imperial Glory an 8.0.

[nikimcbee]

I'm looking for a good Napoleonic strategy game. You know, with muskets, cannons, lines of troops and whatnot. Thing is I'd much like it to be like the Total War series, any suggestions?

So, did you ever choose something?

[Radtgaeb]

saving for a dX10 Graphics card and Empire: Total War :up::know:

[nikimcbee]

I've been playing this games a lot lately. It's still fun. I love the battle for Europe.

[Reaves]

I have no doubt that Empire TW will be the best of the series.

Although as usual the fans of Shogun will disagree. :p

[nikimcbee]

I have no doubt that Empire TW will be the best of the series.

Although as usual the fans of Shogun will disagree. :p
Never played it, is it any good?

[Heibges]

I started played Imperial Glory again, and on second thought I like it a lot more than I did the first time.

The Campaign Game is very elegent, and the Diplomacy is definitely complex. Getting involved in the wrong alliance can doom you.

[GlobalExplorer]

Ageods Napoleons campaigns:

http://www.napoleons-campaigns.com/index.en.html

[Rotary Crewman]

Downloading the demo :up:

[GlobalExplorer]

Downloading the demo :up:

I assume you replied to my post.

I recommend you look at the other demos by Ageod as well. American Civil War is overall their best game in my opinion.The NC demo was a bit of a dissapointment for me because of the lack of a campaign (it will have one in the future). AACW however has that wonderful grand campaign, the amazing hand-painted graphics by Sandra Duval (NC graphics was done by someone else) and is definitely the best strategy game I have played in the last two or three years.

http://www.a-acw.com/

Birth of America 2 (BoA) is around the corner, it will have all the engine improvements from the last two games, and it had marvellous graphics as well.

http://www.birth-of-america.com/english/index.html

At the beginning everyone is puzzled by the game mechanics. Give these games some time and you will probably fall in love with them like most people before you.

These games are very deep and have a very good AI!

AACW Screens:

http://www.a-acw.com/images/plancheUSA1.jpg

http://www.a-acw.com/images/AACWscreenshot8.jpg

BoA 1 screens (BoA 2 coming in a few months):

http://www.birth-of-america.com/img/Armies-American-French.jpg

http://www.birth-of-america.com/img/BoA_BattleResult.jpg

[GlobalExplorer]

Although as usual the fans of Shogun will disagree. :p

Yes. Shogun is unsurpassed!

[CCIP]

I own a copy of Birth of America but have never played it. I'll give it a whirl sometime in the next couple of months, and if I generally like Ageod's modelling - I'll surely get this new stuff as well. The themes of the games are certainly appealing to me :yep:

[CCIP]

Although as usual the fans of Shogun will disagree. :p
Yes. Shogun is unsurpassed!
Funny, I played the TW series since Shogun, and while I really do like Shogun, I always thought the first MTW was the best of the series actually :p

[GlobalExplorer]

Although as usual the fans of Shogun will disagree. :p
Yes. Shogun is unsurpassed!
Funny, I played the TW series since Shogun, and while I really do like Shogun, I always thought the first MTW was the best of the series actually :p

Being someone who played Shogun to death I could not find the same in MTW .. but there are a lot of people who feel like you. MTW was build on the same engine, so the two games are very similar.

From RTW onwards it went downhill for me because they sacrificed detail for scope .. imo playing with a map of Europe was only more appealing the market than having a super detailed map of Japan - but it was a big dissappointment for me. Thats why there is now so much hype about the "new" theatre maps. And lets not talk about the AI which was never again so competent like in STW/MTW. Ah those fond memories of having my retainers talk to me in Japanese.

[GlobalExplorer]

I own a copy of Birth of America but have never played it. I'll give it a whirl sometime in the next couple of months, and if I generally like Ageod's modelling - I'll surely get this new stuff as well. The themes of the games are certainly appealing to me :yep:

AACW is the better game imo. BoA 2 will hopefully make up for that. I am already looking forward to it.

[CCIP]

Although as usual the fans of Shogun will disagree. :p
Yes. Shogun is unsurpassed!
Funny, I played the TW series since Shogun, and while I really do like Shogun, I always thought the first MTW was the best of the series actually :p
Being someone who played Shogun to death I could not find the same in MTW .. but there are a lot of people who feel like you. MTW was build on the same engine, so the two games are very similar.

From RTW onwards it went downhill for me because they sacrificed detail for scope .. imo playing with a map of Europe was only more appealing the market than having a super detailed map of Japan - but it was a big dissappointment for me. Thats why there is now so much hype about the "new" theatre maps. And lets not talk about the AI which was never again so competent like in STW/MTW. Ah those fond memories of having my retainers talk to me in Japanese.

I loved the videos and all the nice touches of Shogun. I'll give it one thing, none of the other titles even touched the athmosphere and details in Shogun :D

As far as MTW, if you only consider the gameplay - I thought it was really more of the same as Shogun, except with a lot more new features and a generally more expansive use of the engine.

I should try playing a campaign with the Napoleonic Total War mod for that sometime, too :p

[GlobalExplorer]

I loved the videos and all the nice touches of Shogun. I'll give it one thing, none of the other titles even touched the athmosphere and details in Shogun :D

As far as MTW, if you only consider the gameplay - I thought it was really more of the same as Shogun, except with a lot more new features and a generally more expansive use of the engine.

I should try playing a campaign with the Napoleonic Total War mod for that sometime, too :p

The athmosphere in STW is unsurpassed.

It was also a very difficult game that required a well prepared strategy.

Napoleonic Total War mod is really nice if you play against a friend. Unfortunately the engines pitfalls turned out to be a dead end. Without a campaign and without any perspective to have enjoyable gameplay against the AI it is really not that much fun.

I have lost interest in the TW games a while ago. CA does not have that enthusiasm anymore to create finely balanced wargames, and their grognard fanbase has been replaced by a new generation of more casual players. I have not bought the MTW2 x-pack and don't think I will buy Empire TW either.

[Egan]

[quote=CCIP]
I have lost interest in the TW games a while ago. CA does not have that enthusiasm anymore to create finely balanced wargames, and their grognard fanbase has been replaced by a new generation of more casual players. I have not bought the MTW2 x-pack and don't think I will buy Empire TW either.
I hate to say it but I feel exactly the same way. I loved MTW and RTW (STW never really did it for me at all as I have zero interest in the era.) I took MTW2 off my machine after about three days when I realized how lazy they had been in updating the code from RTW. Even with RTW - a game I tanked for about two years solid - I eventually got quite irritated about a lot of the features.

Primarily, I think, the thing that really riled me were the claims that the TW series were historically accurate. On a very superficial level, sure. Anything deeper than that and they leave a lot to be desired. There are of course mods that do a far better job. My favourite was one called the Triumvirate mod ( I think?) that covered the period from Caesar's first attacks on the Gauls up to the fall of the republic. It was an incredible mod and truly pushed the boundaries of what was possible within the game. It almost made it an RPG. They planned a whole series of them but I'm not sure what happened in the end or even whether they are still going.

As a card carrying Paradox Fanboi, :p though, I must probably recommend EU3 with the Napoleon's Ambition expansion. No little 3d battles, no whoosh and bang graphics just a pretty darn good historical grand strategy game.No, it's not TW like in anyway but it rocks all the more for it.

Note: I do understand that CA games primary market probably doesn't include grumpy old moaners like me who are less interested by war dogs and flaming pig units than even a semblance of historical accuracy. I just get huffy when I hear the great aristocratic families of the Roman republic named as the Jullii, the Scipii and the Brutii. It makes me strangely annoyed, just like when I hear someone describe Julius Caesar as being the first Emperor of Rome....:nope:

Moan, moan, moan. I know. Sorry for derailing the thread. the TW series is a fine thing. I really did enjoy them very much. I'm going to go back to my Ivory tower now to underline all the historical inaccuracies in I Claudius. :up:

Birth of America looks very interesting though. I'll have to give it a look myself.

[iambecomelife]

If you guys don't trust CA to do a good job with Empire: Total War you might want to check this out: http://www.thelordzgamesstudio.com/index.php

The creators of the Napoleonic TW mods are producing their own Napoleonic game that will probably compete with Empire: Total War. They have some interesting demo vids available at the site.

[nikimcbee]

If you guys don't trust CA to do a good job with Empire: Total War you might want to check this out: http://www.thelordzgamesstudio.com/index.php

The creators of the Napoleonic TW mods are producing their own Napoleonic game that will probably compete with Empire: Total War. They have some interesting demo vids available at the site.

I've gotta check this out! thanks for sharing!:up:

[nikimcbee]

I own a copy of Birth of America but have never played it. I'll give it a whirl sometime in the next couple of months, and if I generally like Ageod's modelling - I'll surely get this new stuff as well. The themes of the games are certainly appealing to me :yep:

Hey, have you played BoA yey, what do you think?

[Rotary Crewman]

Tried quite a few demos for Napoleonic style games now and nothing is really grabbing me. Cossacks 2 is quite nice but I just find it a bit difficult to get my forces laid out ready for attack. By the time I have organised them into ranks and a nice line the enemy is there charging at me.

I think the style of game I need really is a hex/tile based. I have had a look around the underdogs and again can't really find anything.

I don't know if anyone has any little gems hidden away that could suit me?

<no abandonware links please, NeonSamurai>

http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/commandernapoleonatwar/images.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gsimage&tag=images;img;2 < This is what I really like the look of...

[nikimcbee]

The only thing I really don't like about Cossacks 2, is when the AI hogpiles all of its forces into one area.:shifty:

[Rotary Crewman]

Been playing Cossacks 2 quite alot this month. Really enjoying the battle for europe campaign mode.

Was wondering about the 'expansion' for C2, 'Battle for Europe'. Is it worth buying for a few extra factions? I have read of problems with the game and it being fairly buggy. Any reports?

[GlobalExplorer]

Histwar Les Grognards is shaping up nicely:

http://www.battlefront.com/products/les_grog/index.html

Gameplay video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_lN3TTdg94

[Blacklight]

Anyone ever try "The War College" ? That is a pretty darn good game and it has a nice Austerlitz scenario in it.

[Rotary Crewman]

Histwar Les Grognards is shaping up nicely:

http://www.battlefront.com/products/les_grog/index.html

Gameplay video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_lN3TTdg94

Wow! That does look excellent!

Gone through half of Europe now. Got the Turks stuffed into Barcelona with a Strong garrison blocking them. Also got Napoleon on the run through Italy:rock:

[nikimcbee]

Been playing Cossacks 2 quite alot this month. Really enjoying the battle for europe campaign mode.



Same here. I just installed C2 on my new computer. I just finished probably one of my funnest European campaigns.:up: I played as the French and as usual, I spent most of my time containing the English and fending of the Austrians. It was all fine until a giant Russian Army (size of 24 units) tore across the map:arrgh!: . At that point, somehow, the English broke out of my containment and also went on a rampage across Europe. The Turks worked their way into my corner and couldn't escape. At this point, Russia took an interest in french soil, along with the English. My army most of the time was @ (16 units). The English painted themselves into the same corner that the Turks did. At this point I had about 5 or 6 gigantic battles with the British trying to break out of Spain. I had some sweet artillery battles, which is my favorite part. There is nothing like having your heavy artillery tear apart the enemies reserve forces and the light artillery shooting canister totally break up infantry attacks.:up: :rock: