Strategy games?
- Thread starter Gardner McKay
- Start date
Hammettf2b
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Diamondillium
DO YOU WANT ANTS!?
Lords of the Realm II is one of my favorite games. I've been waiting 20 years for something similar and haven't really found it (LotR III was different and no good), unfortunately.
The Stronghold games are awesome and could very well interest you, but might not be quite what you're specifically looking for. They're much more real-time strategy and it sounds to me like you're after a turn-based, macro-level strategy game. LotR II had both parts, but the main and best part and what you seem to be describing is the turn-based part, in which you conquered adjacent counties on the map one by one and attempted to hold them (against enemy players and internal revolt because you mismanaged the economy and happiness). Edit: As an aside, those who love the Stronghold series might care to look into Cossacks 3, which I haven't played yet, but which is getting a lot of praise.
The closest games to what you're after that I can think of are Crusader Kings II, Europa Universalis IV and Civilization VI. CK II is pretty historical and focused only on the medieval (like LotR), but is very complex, has a steep learning curve and is heavy on politics and religion (not so much economy). EU IV (from the same developers as CK II) is pretty historical, but is also very complex, has a steep learning curve and is not focused so much on economy. Civ VI has the casualness, approachability and balance between warfare and economy of LotR, but is not strictly historical or constrained to the Medieval era. Any could probably scratch some of that LotR itch, though not all of it.
I would look into those games. I, personally, would lean toward Civilization VI as having the closest "feel" to LotR and because what you're looking for--"Warfare. Economy. Strategy. Regional domination"--is exactly what Civ is all about. Of course, you probably know all about Civ, have played it before and are just seeing if there's anything else that's more like LotR, but, as a LotR fan, I can tell you that I haven't found it. The Civ series is the closest that I've found. You may be able to tailor it even more closely, though, through the use of mods. I wouldn't be at all surprised if there's a mod that limits the scope of the game to just England during the Medieval era. You might look into that and even buy Civ V, instead, if such a mod exists for that (since Civ VI just came out and mods are no doubt very scarce still compared to the very mature Civ V).
The Stronghold games are awesome and could very well interest you, but might not be quite what you're specifically looking for. They're much more real-time strategy and it sounds to me like you're after a turn-based, macro-level strategy game. LotR II had both parts, but the main and best part and what you seem to be describing is the turn-based part, in which you conquered adjacent counties on the map one by one and attempted to hold them (against enemy players and internal revolt because you mismanaged the economy and happiness). Edit: As an aside, those who love the Stronghold series might care to look into Cossacks 3, which I haven't played yet, but which is getting a lot of praise.
The closest games to what you're after that I can think of are Crusader Kings II, Europa Universalis IV and Civilization VI. CK II is pretty historical and focused only on the medieval (like LotR), but is very complex, has a steep learning curve and is heavy on politics and religion (not so much economy). EU IV (from the same developers as CK II) is pretty historical, but is also very complex, has a steep learning curve and is not focused so much on economy. Civ VI has the casualness, approachability and balance between warfare and economy of LotR, but is not strictly historical or constrained to the Medieval era. Any could probably scratch some of that LotR itch, though not all of it.
I would look into those games. I, personally, would lean toward Civilization VI as having the closest "feel" to LotR and because what you're looking for--"Warfare. Economy. Strategy. Regional domination"--is exactly what Civ is all about. Of course, you probably know all about Civ, have played it before and are just seeing if there's anything else that's more like LotR, but, as a LotR fan, I can tell you that I haven't found it. The Civ series is the closest that I've found. You may be able to tailor it even more closely, though, through the use of mods. I wouldn't be at all surprised if there's a mod that limits the scope of the game to just England during the Medieval era. You might look into that and even buy Civ V, instead, if such a mod exists for that (since Civ VI just came out and mods are no doubt very scarce still compared to the very mature Civ V).
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RandV
It's a wolf v2.0
I haven't tried it myself but if it's for Civilization I believe the Anno Domini mod is what you would want here. There's a hefty version available for Civ V and it's in progress for Civ VI.
dogbazinho
Registered User
Along with what's been said (Civ, EU) I would recommend the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series. In those you develop your lands and recruit characters from that time period. 11 is my favorite but they recently released 13. From the same company, Koei, Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence is good.
The Endless Legend games are good. Fantasy Empires also nice. Master of Magic from way way back is my all time favorite game of the sort but you'd need an emulator. Speaking of emulators, Ogre Battle or Fire Emblem.
The Total War series was at one time the best. Total War Shogun II is awesome. Total War Warhammer is good now that DLCs have been added. I haven't tried the most recent Rome since the new DLCs.
Speaking of Total War. They had a mod for LOTR which people still play even tho the base game is like 10 years old now. They are probably building a mod for the most recent game.
Edit: Yeah they are making a mod, Rise of Mordor, for the Total War: Atilla game. Looks awesome but no ETA.
The Endless Legend games are good. Fantasy Empires also nice. Master of Magic from way way back is my all time favorite game of the sort but you'd need an emulator. Speaking of emulators, Ogre Battle or Fire Emblem.
The Total War series was at one time the best. Total War Shogun II is awesome. Total War Warhammer is good now that DLCs have been added. I haven't tried the most recent Rome since the new DLCs.
Speaking of Total War. They had a mod for LOTR which people still play even tho the base game is like 10 years old now. They are probably building a mod for the most recent game.
Edit: Yeah they are making a mod, Rise of Mordor, for the Total War: Atilla game. Looks awesome but no ETA.
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Gardner McKay
RIP, Jimmy.
Woot! Some good recommendations here. I appreciate it. As I get older I become less familiar with some of the hidden gems out there and rely more on recommendations from others. I simply don't have the time that I used to have.
I am assuming most of these are on steam?
I am assuming most of these are on steam?
The Head Crusher
Re-retired
I love CK2 GOT mod as well, it is the game I have put the most hours into on my steam account. And while there is a learning curve, it is not nearly as big as EU4 which I am currently trying to figure out.
RandV
It's a wolf v2.0
Yes these will all be on Steam by default, and for older titles you can also use GOG. I mean if you're playing a game as old as LOTR (had to look it up, I was only playing console games at the time so not familiar with a lot o older PC games) you don't necessarily have to jump to the latest iteration of a game. With Civilization VI has just been released so you may be better off going with IV or V. With the Total War series if you haven't played you could go with the older Rome or Medieval II.
There's tons of choices here. If you look around there are also indy titles that try to re-create some of the older games, don't think there's one specifically for LOTR though.
Supreme Ruler Ultimate
http://store.steampowered.com/app/314980
Or
Supreme Ruler 2020 Gold
http://store.steampowered.com/app/25910/
I'd say take 2020 Gold over the new SR Ultimate. NOT quite what you asked for but an excellent game. Focuses on military domination but I had a great time on a save starting as South Africa and my 'let's fix the continent' challenge!
http://store.steampowered.com/app/314980
Or
Supreme Ruler 2020 Gold
http://store.steampowered.com/app/25910/
I'd say take 2020 Gold over the new SR Ultimate. NOT quite what you asked for but an excellent game. Focuses on military domination but I had a great time on a save starting as South Africa and my 'let's fix the continent' challenge!
If you missed it, many of the ones mentioned so far are linked to their Steam pages in my post above.
I'll also add that, if you don't mind older graphics, the original Stronghold has an "HD" version (Stronghold HD) that might interest you. It's the original smash hit updated to run on modern computers in high & widescreen resolutions. It's mostly an Age of Empires clone (so, real-time strategy, not turn-based like LotR), but it does take place in England during the Medieval era, there is a fairly decent economic component to it and you do conquer each county one by one until you take the whole country (though it's more a map representation of a linear mission structure, and you never have to maintain or lose counties that you've already taken). It's not LotR, but I loved LotR and hadn't played any Stronghold games until two years ago, when I tried Stronghold HD and fell in love with it, too, so you might like it, as well. It's also only $5.99, so you really can't go wrong.
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NyQuil
Big F$&*in Q
There's kind of a Civ / Master of Magic hybrid out there called Endless Legend.
I picked it up for $10 on Steam.
It's more like Civ with some fantasy elements, but it does have hero development and quests.
What's nice is that the various factions can have pretty dramatically different playing styles which is more like Alpha Centauri (including faction storylines tailored to each).
I'm just playing through my first game but I'm enjoying it quite a bit.
I picked it up for $10 on Steam.
It's more like Civ with some fantasy elements, but it does have hero development and quests.
What's nice is that the various factions can have pretty dramatically different playing styles which is more like Alpha Centauri (including faction storylines tailored to each).
I'm just playing through my first game but I'm enjoying it quite a bit.
Birko19
Registered User
Anyone played Crusader Kings 2? Apperanly it's more of a strategy/RPG, in the sense you take control of a dynasty and have to ensure their survival. I've seen a few vids on youtube, looks like a great game.
RandV
It's a wolf v2.0
I'm not going to go into details but I didn't end up liking Endless Legend nearly as much as I thought I would.
But speaking of Master of Magic, never played it myself but there is a more modern clone attempt on steam called Worlds of Magic... kind of has mixed reviews though. The Age of Wonders series is much better, though it has less diplomacy or peaceful resolutions and is really just about beating the other empires on the map.
The Head Crusher
Re-retired
Caeldan
Whippet Whisperer
- Jun 21, 2008
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CK2 is in what they call the grand strategy genre. Very steep learning curve.
Bit of a tangent, but it was mentioned... Master of Magic I believe is available on GOG. So no emulators required. And is definitely my favourite turn based 4X strategy game of all time. Still periodically load it up.
I remember Lords of the Realm. I think another older one in that style I liked too was the Heroes of Might and Magic series.
Bit of a tangent, but it was mentioned... Master of Magic I believe is available on GOG. So no emulators required. And is definitely my favourite turn based 4X strategy game of all time. Still periodically load it up.
I remember Lords of the Realm. I think another older one in that style I liked too was the Heroes of Might and Magic series.
Birko19
Registered User
The Head Crusher
Re-retired
to be honest I have hardly touched the regular game. The game allows you to start in multiple era in the series lore from Aegon's conquest to roughly where the books end. So I haven't found a reason to try the main game really.
Diamondillium
DO YOU WANT ANTS!?
I'm in a similar situation to Head Crusher. I haven't touched the regular game, but from what I can tell, it's very similar in core gameplay but the mod adds loads of GoT-related flavor. Dragons, the wall, kingsguard, maesters, white walkers, and such are all significant gameplay factors in the mod, as well as lots of random events that can pop up that fit into the world. Lots of thought and effort has seemingly went into all of these features as well, and it feels like a legit expansion rather than just a mod.
The main factor for me is just that I don't have much interest playing in a historical setting over a fantasy setting personally, especially when the fantasy setting is so accurately portrayed. So yes, I would recommend it over the regular game if you are a fan of the Game of Thrones universe.
The Head Crusher
Re-retired
Now the question becomes do you select an already existing house or do you create your own house when you play?
It requires a DOS emulator, but it (specifically, DOSBox) is included and pre-configured, so there's nothing for the player to set up. All of GOG's DOS games come with DOSBox pre-configured.
dogbazinho
Registered User
My man. Have you tried it at the hardest difficulty? Love clearing nodes on Myrror. You have to game them, web or all flying stacks.
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