SC2

[Michael T]

As and old AH Third Reich player I am getting more and more interested in this game. I have never played SC1 or SC2. But I have played many strategic level board games (WIF, A3R etc)

Some questions for some old SC2 players.

Is SC2 still worth playing if one can get past the tiles?

Can human opponents still be readily found?

Do you think learning SC2 will help significantly with learning to play SC3?

What are some pro's and con's about SC2?

Would really appreciate some intelligent responses.

Thanks [:)]

[lparkh]

SC2 remains excellent IMHO. There were some demos around at one point two. Check at Battlefront. WW1 was very eell received as well. There was also a 3R mod at one point
I'm an old 3R and TK player fyi.

[Michael T]

Thanks, do you think many fundamentals will remain the same between SC2 and SC3?

I realize this is hard to answer, maybe someone closer to the action (a tester perhaps) would be able to comment.

[pzgndr]

ORIGINAL: Michael T
As and old AH Third Reich player ...

I used SC2 to create a pretty nice Advanced Third Reich mod. One the one hand there were of course the issues of tiles versus hexes, the lack of unit stacking and some other things. But on the other hand there were many nice game mechanics features to enhance the old 3R/A3R experience: fog of war, weather, HQs, etc. Most importantly, the Strategic Command series has offered text-editable scripting for events and AI that do not require computer programming expertise, so anybody can at least edit the default scripts or create their own scripting for a modified scenario or a completely new and different scenario. As the game series has evolved, so has the scripting capability. Bottom line is that I was able to create my A3R mod with a challenging computer opponent for both sides, with challenging solitaire gameplay for all theaters (East Front, West Front, Mediterranean Front). Not perfect, but pretty good.

SC3 continues the evolution of the series. The most noticeable change is the return to hexes. And there is generally more of everything: more country slots, more unit types, more resource types, etc. The event and AI scripting is generally the same but with some enhancements here and there. Without saying too much more at this point, I will confirm that I am looking forward to updating my A3R mod for SC3 and making it available for others to enjoy that old Third Reich boardgame experience. [;)]

[xwormwood]

Michael, did you play SSIs Clash of Steel?
If yes, than that is (in a nutshell) what you can expect of SC 1.
The whole SC series always played a bit like Panzer General, but on a strategic level, added with research and diplomacy, and tons of great decision events.
Neither SC 1 or SC 2 were hard to learn, and my gut tells me that this will still be true for SC 3 as well.

For SC2 you should start with SC Globaly Conquest (best with the Gold add-on), and / or SC The Great War (best with the Breakthrough add-on).
Both are pretty great games, which you should at least try out (Demo Versions are avaiable at BF).
Global Conquest allows you to play WW2 on a global map, while The Great War offers the First World War, The Russian Civil War, a WW2 game on the European map.

And it should't be too dificult to find human SC2 players (over at BF).

Long story short: even though i presume that you won't have to have any SC 2 Experience to love SC 3, playing any game of the SC 2 series would surely help you to some great hours of fun. Even more if you have a human budy to play against.

[Michael T]

Thanks for all the great advice and info guys. I have downloaded a SC2 demo and am working through the manual/game. [:)]

@pzgndr - can you tell me the scale of the SC3 European map: One hex = ??

[Michael T]

What is the best game to get just to play WWII in Europe, with latest/best features.

Sorry but all these different add on's, bundles etc have me somewhat confused.

[BillRunacre]

Hi Michael

It's 20 miles to a hex.

Bill

[BillRunacre]

It's actually our WWI Breakthrough expansion to our original WWI game, as it included a WWII campaign focused just on Europe.

It will of course be made obsolete in due course (i.e. due to SC3) but that is the closest yet.

Bill

[pzgndr]

ORIGINAL: Michael T
What is the best game to get just to play WWII in Europe, with latest/best features.

If you want to try my latest A3R mod, then I suggest Strategic Command WWII Global with the GOLD expansion. The A3R 1939 Campaign is available at Battlefront. If nothing else you can download the package and check out the pdf Design Notes I included. That explains in detail what I did with my adaptation of the boardgame. The SC3 version will be comparable, but with improvements and enhancements here and there. In some cases with a few simplifications to get back to the basics of the boardgame and allow players (and the AI computer opponent) to better focus on grand strategy gameplay. More to come later as SC3 gets closer to release...

[Wolfe1759]

I'd also recommend the SOE Fast Play mod for SC WWII Global Gold - WW2 in Europe at a very approachable size of campaign / map / unit count

[Michael T]

Thanks for all this. First the scale in SC3.

Are you certain its 20 miles per hex? That is fantastic. That is perfect for this type of game. What is the turn length in time? I mean is it weekly? monthly? seasonal?

Second I really just want to learn the fundamentals of SC2 in Europe with the latest features. So I think I will go with

It's actually our WWI Breakthrough expansion to our original WWI game, as it included a WWII campaign focused just on Europe.

The purpose is to lessen the learning curve when SC3 arrives. Do you think this is worthwhile or is SC3 so different to SC2 that I would be wasting my time/money and better served to just be patient?

[Michael T]

If nothing else you can download the package and check out the pdf Design Notes I included

Thanks I will do at least that. I loved 3R and then A3R. I even still have the AH PC version. I keep it as I just love the box art. Brings back so many great memories.

Shame that GMT made the game overly complex with WAW.

[BillRunacre]

Hi Michael

Turns are seasonal, very similar though not identical to the WWI Breakthrough version, and it would certainly reduce your learning curve considerably by playing it, though we'll have some new features with SC3 to ensure that even the most seasoned SC2 player has something new to learn and enjoy. [:)]

Bill

[snowstorm]

Bill,

Any word yet on when beta testing may happen?

[Michael T]

Ok, I got WWI Breakthrough. Let the fun begin [:)]

Thanks for all the info guys.

[lparkh]

A lot of people are keen on the WWI game. Hope you enjoy it!

[Michael T]

hehe I got it for the European WWII scenario [:D]

[SeaMonkey]

Things you'll appreciate about the SC series are, program stability, intuitive interface, logical gameplay and reliability, among others. Hubert and the gang have put a lot of time and effort into implementing user suggestions and the game has evolved over the last decade.

Many things are similar to the original, as slowly, improvements have made SC one of the best, most versatile(mods) wargaming platforms available for the strategic scale.

[solipsismMatrix]

ORIGINAL: Michael T

hehe I got it for the European WWII scenario [:D]

That's why I origianlly got it. Best WWII scenario of the series, IMHO.