Fantasy strategy games: What are people playing?

I'm surprised that Warlock II is so low, and if those stats are in any way indicative of copies sold (even relatively), it's not good for the franchise. Sins is also a surprise. That's a solid proportional showing that I'm guessing is driven mainly by multiplayer.

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Quoting VRBones,

reply 1

I'm surprised that Warlock II is so low, and if those stats are in any way indicative of copies sold (even relatively), it's not good for the franchise. Sins is also a surprise. That's a solid proportional showing that I'm guessing is driven mainly by multiplayer.

Absolutely not. We on the Sins forums estimate at most 10% of the player base has ever played online.

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Borg999

Join Date 02/2006

+59

I'm really at a loss to understand the popularity of Civ V.I guess nowadays, a game can be bland, boring and uninspiring, but as long as it's OMG! MULTIPLAYER!!!!!!!!, people will flock to it.

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Quoting Borg999,

reply 3

I'm really at a loss to understand the popularity of Civ V.I guess nowadays, a game can be bland, boring and uninspiring, but as long as it's OMG! MULTIPLAYER!!!!!!!!, people will flock to it.

Well, it is the era of sequelitis, and Civ probably has the biggest name recognition.

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cardinaldirection

Join Date 08/2012

+18

these are the shortcuts on my desktops, in order of most played. that theyre on my desktops means theyve received at least an hour of play within the last month or so, some quite a bit more:

(game im working on).

Age of Wonders III (i like to leave this one running on one of my machines [iron man] and just come back to it every so often; thus far ive made a dozen leaders [like king arthur, captain hook, etc.], and played through some epic randomly generated stories with them).

Shadowbane (some of my characters play like a strategy game - "can i muster enough real people to conquer the world in my image?" - with extremely deep & meaningful diplomacy, city construction [and demolition], battle strategies, and character development) both videos are worth watching in full screen all the way through - those are all individual people coordinating together for large scale sieges. http://morloch.shadowbaneemulator.com/index.php/Main_Page | http://magicbane.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=345 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadowbane

Pandora First Contact (major update incoming!).

Legendary Heroes (another iron man style).

Starship Corporation (very promising alpha).

Heroes of Might & Magic III (HD) (sometimes i play II, still).

Tribes of the East (Eternal Essence).

Reach for the Stars (someone mentioned it in a thread and i dug it out to see how well its held up, and i find myself wanting to click its buttons every once in a blue moon).

..and a few other non-strategy games (that generally receive a lot less play)

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Heavenfall

Join Date 07/2008

+441

I've been playing Endless Legend, the early alpha. I say early alpha because the game is sorely lacking in everything, and yet I can't stop playing it.

I'm not the least bit surprised about Warlock 2, the game has almost no replay value. I would say the same thing about AoW3 though...

+1

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mqpiffle

Join Date 10/2010

+44

I bought into the EL alpha as well. It's a great start, but I haven't picked it up in a couple of weeks. I'll dive back in after a few more updates add some meat to the bones.

I've actually been getting re-acquainted with TESV lately, when I've had the time to play anything.

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Quoting Heavenfall,

reply 6

I'm not the least bit surprised about Warlock 2, the game has almost no replay value.

I totally agree, Warlock 2 lost its novelty really quick. Have not picked it up after the first week I played.

Still playing X-COM - even if its repetetive it has replay value through the second wave option.
Also love the the tactical combat - it appeals to me

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Those charts ignore those who plays offline, and there are enough of us. So my SoaSE or GC playtime is about zero.

But to name a few games I've been playing recently (more like "juggling"): Majesty 1/2, Fantasy Wars, including add-on Elven Legacy, which is not bundled with it on Steam, Eador (the first one). Perimeter and Nexus too, though I don't think Sci-fi belongs to fantasy.

Ironically the only game I've been playing (several hours long) is Endless Legend, quite "sticky" thing. In fact so sticky, I can't stop playing it, to assess GC3 properly, makes you wonder.

Though I'm not sure most of those games could be named "strategies", I'd call them tactics - scale is too small to be strategies.

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Let's see...

1. Might and Magic Duel of Champions

This may or may qualify depending on how you want to define strategy. It is a CCG, but it's the best CCG I have played in a long while. Though it does suffer from some balance issues at the top levels, I've not found too many issues in the low to mid ranks. It's free, though obviously, if you do pay you will get cards more quickly. Ignore most of the rants about how broken the economy is in the game, that's such a high level whine that new players should be fine for long enough until they decide just how much they want to put into the game. I've yet to put any real money in for what that's worth.

2. FUMBBL

This is a java version of blood bowl but it completely annihilates that crap fest that Cyanide put out. Again, it's free, and the community is very helpful and always happy to spread their love of the game to new players. There are a multitude of leagues across all different time zones, several major tournaments per year and simply a lot of variety to enjoy. It is NOT single player though, then again neither is Cyanide. Oh I know, there is a SP mode, but it's such a freaking joke it might as well not exist.

3. X-COM: EW

I still keep coming back to this, and once I start a new campaign I have to finish it. I think this blend of strategy and squad based tactics is my personal favorite kind of game ever. X-COM nails it for me. And, once I get tired of playing around with the various 2nd wave options, i will go back to the Long War mod which makes the game almost completely different while still staying essentially the same. Long War is amazing.

4. Endless Legend

Bought in immediately because I liked Endless Space so much. This is still Alpha so it gets a bit stale as it is missing some features which it needs to round it out, but as others have said, I still find myself drawn to it anyway.

5. Civilization V

I don't really get the gripes about this one. It is damn good with all the expansions. It is still the gold standard in empire builder games as far as I am concerned. I've tried Pandora and various other 'similar' games and they all get uninstalled in short order. I don't really know why, but they are just lacking something.

Games I would like to try at some point (demos plz!)

Warlock 2, though I don't think this one will hold me.

GC3, just to see how it improves on GC2 (which needed quite some improvement for me, not a bad game at all, just wasn't quite my cup of tea)

SotS3, well assuming it happens, and assuming they scrap the crap that was SotS2 and go back to the mechanics of SotS1.

Anything XCOM like! Honestly I know there are other clones out there, but I haven't had the time to really even look for them. I did try Xenonauts, but didn't care for it at all.

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I bought but didn't like AoW3. Too tactical oriented and too little strategy oriented for my taste.

My favorite is by far Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes.

I have also pre-ordered 2 other fantasy strategies. I have big hopes for Worlds of Magic and Endless Legend.

I don't count the Civilization -and Galactic Civilizations series as fantasy (but understand they arguably are). If I did count them in they are among my absolute favorites.

NB! When it comes to Civ5 I think it's a marvelous MP game (with all expansions + patches included), but "horrible" in SP, basicly because the AI is no match thanx to the new war system. But in MP I love it; played more then 4000 hours of Civ VI MP, hehe.

I actually like GalCiv2 and Legendary Heroes better then Civ5 too, but thanks to their lack of MP I play these games alot less. Anyways, they are excellent SP games, and what I'm playing when in mood for SP (together with Europa Universalis4 which is deffinatly not a fantasy game).

GalCiv3 I will certainly play the hell out of once we have an alpha/beta version that is abit more fun, and don't give you cancer.

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Almost no one playing Might and Magic Heroes VI. Oh how the Mighty and Magicky have fallen.

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Quoting Misaniovent,

reply 12

Almost no one playing Might and Magic Heroes VI. Oh how the Mighty and Magicky have fallen.

Yeah, after the last good one, and my favorite number 4, it has been a disaster. Also I have become older of course, and the HoMM-series just not isn't enough anymore to satisfy my hunger for grander strategy.

Quoting Heavenfall,

reply 6

I've been playing Endless Legend, the early alpha. I say early alpha because the game is sorely lacking in everything, and yet I can't stop playing it.

I'm not the least bit surprised about Warlock 2, the game has almost no replay value. I would say the same thing about AoW3 though...

Agree with you in absolutely every word here, old chap. Endless Legend has an enormous potential and already is a better game (in alpha) then those other two you mention. Well, that's my humble opinion, been playing 4X/Strategy for over a quarter of a century (I'm 37).

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Alstein

Join Date 07/2004

+55

Probably going to pick up Endless Legend during its next steam sale.

AOW III right now- though the game is starting to lose steam some.

FE is still worth playing on occasion, that's it right now.

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TheRealWarpstorm

Join Date 03/2003

+13

Quoting GoaFan77,

reply 2

Absolutely not. We on the Sins forums estimate at most 10% of the player base has ever played online.

And that is much higher than Civ5's percent of MP players.

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cardinaldirection

Join Date 08/2012

+18

Quoting NorsemanViking,

reply 13

Quoting Misaniovent, reply 12
Almost no one playing Might and Magic Heroes VI. Oh how the Mighty and Magicky have fallen.

Yeah, after the last good one, and my favorite number 4, it has been a disaster.

I thought they redeemed themselves pretty well with Tribes of the East; and now Eternal Essence makes it even better.

It's great for hotseat... it's like the best board game that could never be, because it would require just too many little pieces and counters.

However, aside from the models and animations by Puppetworks for Heroes VI, the entire rest of the game was pure garbage. Disciples III: Reincarnation is just flat out superior.

Surprisingly, I do find Clash of Heroes to be pretty fun; but it's a different type of game.

III is going to be tough to beat.

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ElanaAhova

Join Date 09/2008

+105

Civ5,

Civ4 FfH2 mod, #2

Endless Legends (beta),

X-com Enemy Within, #3

GalCiv3 Beta,

Pandora First Contact,

Distant Worlds -Universe (personal fav) #1

BTW, I have a coupon for the entire DW Universe, to give away. Only ask for it if you know the game and really like it - please don't ask 'just to check it out' - youtube is for that. I already had the first four installments so i could not see using this coupon when I could get the same thing for $10, which I did. It will work on steam. -e

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psychoak

Join Date 07/2007

+225

Those charts ignore those who plays offline, and there are enough of us. So my SoaSE or GC playtime is about zero.

Those charts do not discount single player. If a game uses steamworks and requires steam to be running, it's an exact match for the entire player base at any given time.

When it says 1k people are playing Rebellion, 900+ people are playing Rebellion in single player.

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Aside from FE:LH? Dominions 4. Crusader Kings II. Europa Universalis IV. Pretty much those, at the moment.

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Disciples 3, if it counts:P

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Quoting cardinaldirection,

reply 16

Quoting NorsemanViking, reply 13

Quoting Misaniovent, reply 12
Almost no one playing Might and Magic Heroes VI. Oh how the Mighty and Magicky have fallen.

Yeah, after the last good one, and my favorite number 4, it has been a disaster.

I thought they redeemed themselves pretty well with Tribes of the East; and now Eternal Essence makes it even better.

It's great for hotseat... it's like the best board game that could never be, because it would require just too many little pieces and counters.

However, aside from the models and animations by Puppetworks for Heroes VI, the entire rest of the game was pure garbage. Disciples III: Reincarnation is just flat out superior.

VI had great art, that's for sure. Beautiful game and the whole series is great for hotseat. VI tried some interesting stuff that I like -- area control, the ability to transform castles (kind of on the fence about this), a switch to the leveling system that removed the random aspect. But the factions didn't feel as interesting, as there was just not enough differentiation in the special abilities and what heroes could do. Balance was somewhat questionable and the the lack of a mouse-controlled camera is criminal.

Two things really mess up the game for me, however. First, the maps, while beautiful, are annoying. It feels like every map is a series of portals and the end game always devolves to whether or not you can catch an opponent out of his castle and unable to teleport back.

Worse than that is the AI. Why can't Ubisoft write a decent AI for these games? It is not fun to play against a cheating, idiot AI.

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cardinaldirection

Join Date 08/2012

+18

Quoting Misaniovent,

reply 21

Worse than that is the AI. Why can't Ubisoft write a decent AI for these games? It is not fun to play against a cheating, idiot AI.

Check out Eternal Essence.

for you Brad: http://www.bonddisc.com/ref/h5/ai.htm

- a bold project by a really insightful acquaintance who goes by Quantomas.

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This Eternal Essence sounds interesting, can you give more details because a quick search on it and I'm getting only stuff from 2012.

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cardinaldirection

Join Date 08/2012

+18

Quoting uberlicker,

reply 23

This Eternal Essence sounds interesting, can you give more details because a quick search on it and I'm getting only stuff from 2012.

there was an active community forum..

edit: http://eternal-essence.com/ - click community for up-to-date infos

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Hawawaa

Join Date 09/2006

+33

I'm seeing scifi on that list too, sooo here is my fantasy list.

Xcom Enemy Within Long War- Enjoying it sooo much and impossible is brutal Also after I get my SSDs LP Time.... very sooon....

Sins Rebellion Star Trek Armada 3- can't wait for the expansion so holding off on it for the moment.

FE LH: Waiting for sale on latest 3 dlcs and then grab them and play LH. For now on a break. (ya I missed the memorial day sale because I was on vacation and derp) Steam sale maybe right in the wallet?

Age of Wonders 3. June gonna play this a bit and do some multi with some friends.

Sots 2 Sweet delicious multi has started up again. Love me randomizer!

Gotta fit Dominions 4 in this summer and I have stopped playing civ 5 communitas for awhile now. Maybe ill get a fix in later.

Oh ya gotta fix DW Universe in here too. Crap this is gonna be hard.

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