Tom’s Column – Are you being served?

Hi everyone!

Maybe it’s just me, but as a keen strategist and wargamer, I don’t feel the community is being served well. Obviously, this is an immensely subjective topic. Everyone has different tastes and preferences; after all, variety is the spice of life, right? That being said, I guess this is as good a place as any to see if my sentiments are shared by anyone else.

So, what is my basis for feeling this way?

Let’s take Total War: Medieval 2 as an example. That’s a game I sank many hours into, and it was released in 2006—nearly twenty years ago! Its predecessor, Medieval: Total War, came out in 2002. In just four years, the game improved significantly in graphics, AI, and overall player options. Do we think the Total War franchise has progressed as much over the last twenty years? I certainly don’t! In fact, a few people I have spoken to believe the franchise is going backwards.

Now, let’s look at something more hardcore—Gary Grigsby’s War in the Pacific: Admiral Edition. What a behemoth of a game. The detail, size, scale, and scope—it’s just a monster. And you know what? It’s great. Released in 2004, it remains unmatched in its scale and scope. The closest rivals are, in fact, more Gary Grigsby games! Imagine a game of that detail being made today with a modern UI, faster processing power, and improved AI.

More recently, Men of War 2 and Company of Heroes 3 come to mind. Both games are built on formulas from the 2000s and are currently rated ‘mixed’ on Steam. Maybe the 2000s were a time when PC computational power matched creative developers’ ideas; now, the balance has shifted. PCs are significantly more powerful, yet the ideas seem stuck in the past or perhaps too afraid to innovate.

I’m not even going to get started on the Combat Mission series—absolutely amazing for its time but really bogged down in an aging engine and scripted AI. Or what about Homeworld 3 – that was a travesty.

I don’t pretend to know why we are in a stagnant period for wargames that push boundaries or take things further, but I suspect it has something to do with money. Games today require more capital to develop and are constrained by financial pressures, which likely stifles innovation as developers opt for safer options. A good analogy might be an artist being told what to paint and when.

As I mentioned at the beginning, I’m really keen to know what you think. It’s an emotive topic because so many of us are invested in wargaming. If you have comments or want to discuss, please keep it civil and to the standards our community expects.

Follow Strategy and Wargaming Socials

If you enjoy Strategy and Wargaming, then you need to follow its socials. Are we the best strategy gaming website around? I would say so. So why not give us a follow on Twitter, or join the rest on Facebook? Or subscribe down below?

If you enjoyed the article consider buying me a coffee

I’ve been running Strategy and Wargaming at my own expense since 2017, with only the ad revenue to cover the hosting, with everything else being done by me. It’s thanks to the goodwill of video game publishers like Slitherine, Hooded Horse, and others that I’m able to cover games prior to their releases. So, If you’re an avid reader, you can afford it, and want to support the website, please consider Buying Me a Coffee by clicking this link.

5 responses to “Tom’s Column – Are you being served?”

  1. I would like to hear thoughts on Korsun Pocket games???? I have them all:)

    JIM Sullivan, M.A.:)

    Like

  2. Ardennes Offensive was the best operational game I have ever played on the PC. Roger Keating is a great guy and I got to meet him in person (with his son) when in Michigan. The AI was also as good as I have seen in any game. He tromped me when I actually played him in Ardennes Offensive (no surprise there).

    I reviewed wargames back then for Gaming Nexus and that was a great time for PC Wargaming. John Tiller was another great guy and I traded many emails with him over several years.

    I haven’t seen much in current games that equates- but I am very encouraged by Second Front as I was an ASL player ages ago.

    Like

  3. CaptBeefheart Avatar
    CaptBeefheart

    Are young people replacing geezers as we go to the great wargame in the sky? I think that may be the central problem. Those of us weaned on the usual AH and SPI boardgames, who have long attention spans and don’t require instant gratification, are probably a dying breed. What’s the realistic target market for a revamped War in the Pacific? I have no idea, but the economics are probably not there for Matrix to get something started or they’d have done it.

    Like

    1. Fast N Bulbous . . . . Thats right.
      The Mascara Snake.

      Like

  4. Craig Johnson Avatar
    Craig Johnson

    I think the Capt. has it right….(and haven’t thought of him for decades…Good fun!)…It’s all about economics….the short attention spans, the fixation on screens and lack ot investment in time that the modern computer vs. tabletop or mini requires attracts an audience that’s different–probably much larger, and thus that is where the money goes….

    Maybe a movement to Free/open source the code of some of these things after a number of years MIGHT revitalize them….development could continue….Battle Academy is another such franchise…the Second Front mention is good–worked with him in a minor way, and he’s motivated, and that’s critical.

    We may not be “being served”…but then we’re not paying what we need to, as a body/group, to maintain these developers either. When there were fewer choices, our impact could be larger…now that we are fewer, at these prices, not worth their time….SO….KickStarter some of this ?? work with developers to finance them?…don’t leave it to companies redirecting their budgets but hand them a budget if they do it?

    WE have to get creative if we want these things….but then, we are creative? aren’t we?

    Like

Leave a comment

Trending

Discover more from Strategy Games | Strategy and Wargaming

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading