WW2 Computer Games

[Whirlwind]

What are your favourite WW2 computer games?  Any subject, any perspective, any size.

[Just Jack]

I was a big fan of the “Close Combat” series, particularly the second, “A Bridge Too Far.”

I’ve had quite a bit of nostalgia regarding it lately; on the one hand, I’ve been thinking of trying to find it and play it, but it would eat into wargaming miniature time.  On the other, I’ve been looking online, trying to find pics of the maps from CC2:ABTF, and maybe use them for miniature wargaming.

V/R,
Jack

[Mike]

Ha Ha, World Of Tanks if it counts!?

[Whirlwind]

Mike wrote:

Ha Ha, World Of Tanks if it counts!?

Anything counts!

 

[Not Connard Sage]

Steel Panthers. It’s basically Squad Leader without the hassle, or Hassel.

 

And it’s free. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/Camo_Workshop/WW2/WW2_page.html

Obvious contrarian and passive aggressive old prat, who is taken far too seriously by some and not seriously enough by others.

[Victoria Dickson]

On the ipad it’s the Shenandoah Studios area movement ones, Battle of The Bulge, Drive on Moscow and Desert Fox.

Memoir 44 and Tank on Tank on my laptop.

http://crazywargames.blogspot.co.uk/

[shelldrake]

Battle Academy is the one I play the most.

[McKinstry]

Hearts of Iron IV but then I’m a bit of a megalomaniac.

The tree of Life is self pruning.

[Mr. Average]

I’m not hugely gripped by World War II, but I did enjoy Ruse and Hearts of Iron II.  From HoI III onward, the game started to play itself and wasn’t really too much fun for me.

[Thuseld]

I enjoy a bit of World of tanks on occasion. It is a game you can just have silly fun with.

The campaign and multi player of Company of Heroes was also cool. I never finished or got hugely into the online scene but I did enjoy it.

I also thoroughly enjoyed Sudden Strike 1 and 2. More than excited for Sudden Strike 4.

Experiments here: http://inexperiencedmodelmaker.blogspot.co.uk/

Tranquil Stars updates: https://tranquilstars.wordpress.com

[John D Salt]

“Combat Mission” is pretty much the only WW2 computer game I have found worth bothering with, and I still play all three of the original series games a lot.

Back in the old days I played a very great deal of Microprose’s “Silent Service” — a remarkable game, and a great way to learn painlessly about the course of the war in the Pacific.

Because of a conflation of odd circumstances involving a conference paper we still haven’t written, a couple of years ago I started writing a Python program to implement the combat resolution procedures of “Surface Action”, a set of naval miniatures rules for surface gun and torpedo combat 1906-1945 published, last century, by a friend of mine and some of his pals (including me) under the name of Falcon Game Design. Implementing combat results tables is pretty trivial, it’s just a question of slapping data into a big lookup table. Then I discovered the Python “turtles” package, which meant it was very little extra effort to add a representation of ships’ relative positions, and move them each turn. Before long I have a more or less complete computer version of “Surface Action”, which I occasionally play for amusement value, and intend to use for scenario testing once we get round to serious work on the 3rd edition. The odd point about this is that it was not written as a computer game (for which I would not use game-turns or d6-driven CRTs), nor as a computer assistance program (which I think is a daft idea anyway), but as a computer implementation of a miniatures game. The benefit of having such an odd creation is that explaining the rules to the computer needs you to be *really* precise about what the rules actually say.

All the best,

John.

[Iain Fuller]

I’ve played, and enjoyed, Close Combat, Steel Panthers and the original Combat Mission games but since recently buying the new iteration of Combat Mission I don’t think I’ll be rushing back to playing them again. For me it is the nearest thing to playing a miniatures game on a computer (if you get my meaning) and is very realistic as well. If you don’t use sensible tactics you’re going to get mullered.

There are some great scenario’s and campaigns available a lot of which are written by punters, I am currently grinding my way across Capriquet airfield in a campaign and it is a tough task. The community of players is large and helpful so arranging pbem games or seeking advice is easy – playing against a human opponent can be a very tense affair and highly recommended!

[PaintingLittleSoldiers]

Steel Panthers works well on Windows 10 (It crashed in Win 7) so my friend has let me borrow his cd, I still have Panzer General and Close Combats, Soldiers – Heroes of ww2 for some shooting action, Hearts if Iron II for Allowing Mongolia to take over the world and finally Call of Duty\Brothers in Arms for dealing to the Nazi menace.

Hearts of Iron would be my favorite.

[PaintingLittleSoldiers]

I’ve spent 9 hours in the last week playing Steel panthers. Of course my painting has suffered but it does have me in the mood for some tabletop ww2 games

[Who Asked This Joker]

I play Battle Academy and Pike and Shot (based on the same engine).  They are both very much like miniatures games.  I still play Field of Glory (computer).  I’ve recently discovered Pioneers which is a clone of Settlers of Catan.

John

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

--Abraham Lincoln

[Whirlwind]

Would those in the know recommend getting the original Combat Mission games (which are very cheap) or the newer ones (which are a bit pricier)?

[Iain Fuller]

I’d get the new one Whirlwind. It is miles ahead in both gameplay and graphics, artillery strikes are really well done and a huge improvement over the first addition for example. The player made scenarios and campaigns can be of excellent quality too. Check out some of the vids on YouTube and here’s a few screengrabs I had saved from a campaign I played earlier this year:

Hope that helps!

[Ivan Sorensen]

Late to the party but Battle Academy and Panzer Corps are both excellent.

For a very approachable “board game feel”, Unity of Command is hard to beat.

[John D Salt]

Whirlwind wrote:

Would those in the know recommend getting the original Combat Mission games (which are very cheap) or the newer ones (which are a bit pricier)?

I haven’t got round to getting any of the new series yet as there’s years of play value still in the old ones. I purchased a second “reserve” set of the old ones because they were so dam’ cheap, even though all my original CDs are still intact. The only really sensible answer is probably to buy both.

All the best,

John.

[NKL Aerotom]

Men of War is excellent. ‘The best game you’ve never played.’

IL-2 Sturmovik is also great.

Silent Hunter III if you want to re-live Das Boot

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (and Pacific Assault)

 

 

Tom Jensen - http://ostfrontpublishing.com/

[Darkest Star Games]

I’ll 5th or 6th the Combat Mission series (I think it’s the best possible evolution of the Close Combat series).  Recently picked up STEEL DIVISION:NORMANDY ’44.  It’s an RTS that can be both fun and frustrating.  If you’ve played the AirLand Battle series it’s very similar.

"I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

[Ivan Sorensen]

Anyone up for Steel Panthers (the winspww2 version) through PBEM?

I’ve played a few matches with randoms before, and we had a lot of fun, as long as people are chill about it.

[PaintingLittleSoldiers]

I play Steel Panthers every now and again when I have time but I suspect my schedule might be too erratic for someone else to enjoy the game

(I can dissapear for work for a week or two at a time)

[Shaun Travers]

Hello Ivan,

 

I am very tempted.  I played SP on and off when it first came out, and have downloaded and played WinSPww2, and the other version whose name escapes me, and played a few times about 15 years ago!  I am not really a computer games, but did like SP.  I think the battles are a a big large for my  tastes these days and also I am struggling to find time to play anything at the moment.  Ah well.  Thanks for putting the offer out there though!

[MartinR]

I pretty much only play console game these days, which rather limits the WW2 options. I guess my favourite WW2 PC games of all time would be:

Close Combat (esp the Arnhem one)

Tigers on the Prowl/Panthers in the Shadows from HPS

Pacific Air War 1942.

 

Anyway, the new COD will be out for the Xbox shortly, so that might be fun. I suspect a bit more frenetic than Band of Heroes.

 

"Mistakes in the initial deployment cannot be rectified" - Helmuth von Moltke

[Author]

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