The Steam Thread

[bhlloy]

Very fun game but I guess I "beat" it on day 2 and that's it? Are they planning to expand it to other scenarios in the future?

Still worth the 10 bucks I paid for it but was a little surprised to see the game end that abruptly and I'm not sure there's that much replay value

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Very fun game but I guess I "beat" it on day 2 and that's it? Are they planning to expand it to other scenarios in the future?

Still worth the 10 bucks I paid for it but was a little surprised to see the game end that abruptly and I'm not sure there's that much replay value

Well it's still Early Access so I'd say yes.

I just picked it up last night - I dunno if Day 3 is even completed yet.

I'd imagine the different flavors of AI would add a lil replay value. As would trying different strategies for winning.

[bhlloy]

Ah, I didn't even register it was early access - thanks! Of course many early access games still go nowhere after they have your money...

Definitely the most accessible war game I've played in a while but still feels like it's solid enough that it's not simple. Hope they continue to build on it

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Very fun game but I guess I "beat" it on day 2 and that's it? Are they planning to expand it to other scenarios in the future?

Still worth the 10 bucks I paid for it but was a little surprised to see the game end that abruptly and I'm not sure there's that much replay value

I don't think so - this game is Gettysburg only. As you play you can unlock other scenarios.

I have it but I'm waiting for the finished product.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

I don't think so - this game is Gettysburg only. As you play you can unlock other scenarios.

I have it but I'm waiting for the finished product.

Yeah, but if the engine is solid I can imagine him expanding it to other battles pretty easily...

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Yeah, but if the engine is solid I can imagine him expanding it to other battles pretty easily...

Oh, no doubt he'll do more. I just think those may be sold as other games and not DLC to this game. We'll see. But it is a pretty cool battle system, ain't it?

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

Oh, no doubt he'll do more. I just think those may be sold as other games and not DLC to this game. We'll see. But it is a pretty cool battle system, ain't it?

I can see more Civil War battles as DLC to this game rather than separate games though. I guess we'll see.

It's a sweet battle system from what I've fiddled around with so far - really reminds me of Sid Mier's Gettysburg, but like you, I think I want to wait for the closer to finished product now that I've wet my whistle on it.

It definitely reawakened some of my old Gettysburg geekiness though - I was calling out the unit commanders' names as they came onto the battlefield, and cussing them out - "DAMNIT...WHERE ARE DORSEY'S ADVANCE UNITS!!!"

Made me yearn to get my old Avalon Hill Gettysburg boardgame out of my parents' basement - I used to have some good solo-play fun with that.

[JPhillips]

The one thing I would like changed in Gettysburg is to make the terrain levels somehow more clear. I have a difficult time figuring out where the high points are unless they are very steep.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

The one thing I would like changed in Gettysburg is to make the terrain levels somehow more clear. I have a difficult time figuring out where the high points are unless they are very steep.

He added in an elevation map about a month ago (M key I believe). This solved that issue for me - are you having problems with it?

[gstelmack]

I paid like $40 for Sid Meier's Gettysburg which was just the one battle with some variants. $10 for this one was a bargain and has a similar level of polish right now (caveat: I've only fought day 1, not on to day 2). If he wants to sell other battles as DLC or separate games, I'm okay.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

He added in an elevation map about a month ago (M key I believe). This solved that issue for me - are you having problems with it?

Some of what I saw addressed on the forum was less about elevation and more about making Line-of-Sight for artillery clearer, so that you know why your battery isn't firing on someone who it seemingly should be. So hopefully he'll pick that up and run with it.

Originally Posted by gstelmack

I paid like $40 for Sid Meier's Gettysburg which was just the one battle with some variants. $10 for this one was a bargain and has a similar level of polish right now (caveat: I've only fought day 1, not on to day 2). If he wants to sell other battles as DLC or separate games, I'm okay.

Same. Although I have tinkered a bit with fighting on D2 last night.

[korme]

The Golf Club was released today, albeit no demo. Don't know if I can drop $35 on this guy... but it definitely is interesting. However, do you just build a course and then play a round of golf? A tournament? A season mode? I know too little of this game.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by korme

The Golf Club was released today, albeit no demo. Don't know if I can drop $35 on this guy... but it definitely is interesting. However, do you just build a course and then play a round of golf? A tournament? A season mode? I know too little of this game.

Just say no. Save your money. It's worth about $10 in its present state. Here's what I wrote on the Steam forums and nothing has changed with the last patch before release.

1. The game is still poorly optimized on the PC. It still runs poorly on medium on my PC (which is pretty decent) and there are numerous reports about poor optimization and the game cooking video cards or vid card fans having to run at 100%. Supposedly an optimization patch will come out upon release, but be warned that this game may not run worth a damn on your PC. And frankly it doesn't look that good to work the PC that hard.

2. The game is not immersive and there are a host of reasons why. The voice overs are still lifeless and amateur. No crowds. There's a noticeable lack of good environmental sounds and even the course backgrounds are pretty dull. The trees are fairly uniform. Also, there aren't weather effects or things like that. It plays like you're hitting into a screen, not that you're on the course. In short, the golfing environment isn't very good. It's not ugly by any means, but it's most certainly not immersive.

3. If you can't play on max resolutions, your green grid won't work from more than 20 feet outside the cup. Faced with a 40 foot putt? You're screwed - you have no idea how it's going to break. On low resolution this radius is only about 8 feet from the cup. They've known about this issue since putting the game out on EA and haven't fixed it yet (and according to them, won't until sometime "after release").

4. There's still the mystery long/short putt issue. I've played TCG for 20 hours or so. I know how to putt and get it close to the hole. My last round was -14. But there's still the mystery but (happens every round or two) where you draw back, hit the ball and the putt that should go 25 feet goes 4 feet. It's been around since the game was released on EA and still hasn't been fixed either. It probably has something to do with lag in the game engine due to it not being optimized, but it's a PITA having your round spoiled like that.

5. The wind and physics are still weird at times. I've seen a 6-8 MPH wind blow wedge shots 25 feet from side to side. I've played golf in real life for 30 years now and haven't seen that on the course. Also, the ball physics are wonky when it hits a slope. Low, hard shots like with a 3 wood don't bounce right when they hit an upslope. They'll stop dead and bounce backwards rather than pop up and forward like they should. It's like the ball velocity doesn't count when figuring out the physics on a ball hitting an upslope. Hit a 3 wood into a 55 degree rise and the ball will bounce backwards in this game. That doesn't happen IRL.

6. Want to play an honest game online? Forget it. There's so much cheating from edging to other forms that it's not enjoyable. The swing motion in TGC may be novel, but it lends itself to rampant cheating and artificial "assists". People will outright admit it on this forum and this is probably not a solvable problem. If you want an honest MP game, TCG isn't the game for you.

7. There's no character progression, no tour, nothing like that. This is hitting balls into a moderately attractive backdrop. That's it. Now I applaud TCG for not putting in a half assed version of progression (which is worse than none), be aware that that's all there is - that and the designer.

While future promises are nice, TCG really needs quite a few more months of baking before it leaves Early Access. So what you're getting on the 19th is really not much more than what I got 6 months ago on EA. Do I regret my purchase? Not really because there's nothing else out there. Do I think it's a good game or a good golf simulation right now? No. So for those who haven't purchased the game, know what you're getting before you fork over your money cause it's not that good of a game right now.

[frnk55]

Originally Posted by korme

The Golf Club was released today, albeit no demo. Don't know if I can drop $35 on this guy... but it definitely is interesting. However, do you just build a course and then play a round of golf? A tournament? A season mode? I know too little of this game.

I agree with Blackadar. I made the mistake of buying it and now regret it. Hopefully the pc version will get better but I'm not holding my breath.

[nilodor]

Originally Posted by frnk55

I agree with Blackadar. I made the mistake of buying it and now regret it. Hopefully the pc version will get better but I'm not holding my breath.

I'm surprised that OS gave it such a positive review. They are normally not much for pumping up a poor game.

[weegeebored]

Thanks for the critique. It was on my probable buy list, but I'll wait now. Maybe forever if it never gets optimized.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by nilodor

I'm surprised that OS gave it such a positive review. They are normally not much for pumping up a poor game.

They're probably giving it a pass because there hasn't been a PC golf game in years. They shouldn't have, though.

Personally, I have high hopes for Perfect Parallel if that ever gets released.

[MizzouCowboy]

Age of Empires 2 HD and The Forgotten expansion for $7.49, couldn't resist at that price. One of my favorite games of all time.

[Blackadar]

Just a heads' up on the golf game front for korme, nildor, weegeebored, frnk66 and anyone else who cares. I was just invited to test Perfect Parallel in alpha. There are a bunch of issues as to be expected from an alpha product, no doubt but the visuals and performance is just far, far better than anything from TCG. Again, it's a closed alpha so it will be a while before it hits market, but there may be something coming down the pike that is far superior.

To whet your appetite, this is not only possible, I've seen stuff like this in game:

[weegeebored]

Those are sweet screen shots. I hope that the horsepower requirements to run it aren't off the charts. Thanks for the update. I will be watching for news on this one.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by weegeebored

Those are sweet screen shots. I hope that the horsepower requirements to run it aren't off the charts. Thanks for the update. I will be watching for news on this one.

Nope, my older rig does fine with it even in alpha stage.

[frnk55]

Wow! Those shots are nice! Going to bookmark their page and anxiously wait.
I assume there will be a 3 click option?

[Dutch]

I haven't bought a golf sim in years, but those are some nice visuals!

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by frnk55

Wow! Those shots are nice! Going to bookmark their page and anxiously wait.
I assume there will be a 3 click option?

That's what I'm playing now.

[SlyBelle1]

Originally Posted by Dutch

I haven't bought a golf sim in years, but those are some nice visuals!

Maybe too early to tell us, but will this game actually include some kind of single player tour where you can play against the field? Does look very nice.

[Buccaneer]

Wow. Will there be a course builder for those to build Augusta, Pebble, etc.?

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Wow. Will there be a course builder for those to build Augusta, Pebble, etc.?

Yes, that's already in Beta. The screenies above come from someone who is building courses in the beta program.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by SlyBelle1

Maybe too early to tell us, but will this game actually include some kind of single player tour where you can play against the field? Does look very nice.

Not sure. The feature set on Perfect Golf is still under development. If I had to guess, I would say it won't on this first version.

[Blackadar]

This one snuck up on me: Train Fever will be released on Steam in a couple of days. Basically, this looks a lot like Transport Tycoon Deluxe, Railroad Tycoon and/or maybe even a little like the old A-Train series. Beta reviews have been quite positive.

Here's a Let's Play of the beta: Train Fever - DGA Play Session #1 (Preview & First Impressions) - YouTube

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

This one snuck up on me: Train Fever will be released on Steam in a couple of days. Basically, this looks a lot like Transport Tycoon Deluxe, Railroad Tycoon and/or maybe even a little like the old A-Train series. Beta reviews have been quite positive.

Here's a Let's Play of the beta: Train Fever - DGA Play Session #1 (Preview & First Impressions) - YouTube

Oh pretty cool. I've been wanting a new game of this type for a while.

[frnk55]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

This one snuck up on me: Train Fever will be released on Steam in a couple of days. Basically, this looks a lot like Transport Tycoon Deluxe, Railroad Tycoon and/or maybe even a little like the old A-Train series. Beta reviews have been quite positive.

Here's a Let's Play of the beta: Train Fever - DGA Play Session #1 (Preview & First Impressions) - YouTube

Sigh...I have to many games to play but have no control.

[Blackadar]

Did anyone get Train Fever? Seems like that one was more "good potential, but needs a bit of work".

Is anyone a Masters of Magic fan - you know, the old Microprose game that rivaled Civ for 4x supremacy back in the day? If so, Worlds of Magic comes out on Early Access today - essentially, they're making MoM2 and by accounts of the kickstarter backers it's already quite good. We'll find out more today once EA release hits...

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

Did anyone get Train Fever? Seems like that one was more "good potential, but needs a bit of work".

I got it. And yes, that is pretty much what it is. It also does not have too much personality to it currently.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

Did anyone get Train Fever? Seems like that one was more "good potential, but needs a bit of work".

Is anyone a Masters of Magic fan - you know, the old Microprose game that rivaled Civ for 4x supremacy back in the day? If so, Worlds of Magic comes out on Early Access today - essentially, they're making MoM2 and by accounts of the kickstarter backers it's already quite good. We'll find out more today once EA release hits...

I can't wait to play Worlds of Magic. I have been following it and am impressed with what I have read.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by Alan T

I got it. And yes, that is pretty much what it is. It also does not have too much personality to it currently.

Sorry for highlighting that one - I thought it would be better on release. So long as they improve the base game, I'll buy it eventually.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I can't wait to play Worlds of Magic. I have been following it and am impressed with what I have read.

I have sworn off Early Access games for the most part, but this one will probably make me crack and buy it tonight.

[chesapeake]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

I have sworn off Early Access games for the most part, but this one will probably make me crack and buy it tonight.

I look forward to your review. MoM is one of the few games I would go back to play every couple of years because it was still enjoyable.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by chesapeake

I look forward to your review. MoM is one of the few games I would go back to play every couple of years because it was still enjoyable.

MOO2 is like that for me too. And Star Control 2. And Wasteland. And Final Fantasy. And FOF. And...well...you get the idea

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

I have sworn off Early Access games for the most part, but this one will probably make me crack and buy it tonight.

+2

I'm itching to purchase that one tonight from the videos I've seen, plus I'm an EA nut job!

[Blackadar]

I did not buy Worlds of Magic. Seems to be very early in beta and with no discount there's no reason to give it a go just yet.

However, I did buy Endless Legend because most everyone who has played it gave it high praise. I'll let you know how it is.

[frnk55]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

However, I did buy Endless Legend because most everyone who has played it gave it high praise. I'll let you know how it is.

Look forward to it.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

I did not buy Worlds of Magic. Seems to be very early in beta and with no discount there's no reason to give it a go just yet.

However, I did buy Endless Legend because most everyone who has played it gave it high praise. I'll let you know how it is.

I tried Worlds of Magic last night and I think it has potential but I'm going to wait to really dive into it...

Look forward to hearing about your thoughts on Endless Legend. I might take the plunge on that soon.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

I did not buy Worlds of Magic. Seems to be very early in beta and with no discount there's no reason to give it a go just yet.

However, I did buy Endless Legend because most everyone who has played it gave it high praise. I'll let you know how it is.

Endless Legend is one of my favorite 4x games already. The full release is next week, so I'm waiting to start my next adventure with the Vaulters when it's released since I'll want to start over anyway.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I tried Worlds of Magic last night and I think it has potential but I'm going to wait to really dive into it...

Look forward to hearing about your thoughts on Endless Legend. I might take the plunge on that soon.

I bought it too.. but there are many bugs so I'm going to wait a bit before giving it a go again.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Look forward to hearing about your thoughts on Endless Legend. I might take the plunge on that soon.

Buy it already.. get the founder pack before it goes to full price. It just might be my game of the year, it's that good if you're a 4x fan.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Buy it already.. get the founder pack before it goes to full price. It just might be my game of the year, it's that good if you're a 4x fan.

Ok. You convinced me!

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Ok. You convinced me!

Good man! Let me know what you think! I've played it a ton during EA and will dig back into it next week as it will be released 9/18.

The last release added the tutorial so you might want to start with that as it can be a bit daunting at first, but it doesn't take long to learn it.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Good man! Let me know what you think! I've played it a ton during EA and will dig back into it next week as it will be released 9/18.

The last release added the tutorial so you might want to start with that as it can be a bit daunting at first, but it doesn't take long to learn it.

I have to head to work now, but the tutorial was fun in the hour or so I played it. Played about 15 turns with the tutorial and it has been a nice introduction to the game mechanics so far.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Ok. You convinced me!

I, too, have been convinced!

[Lonnie]

I finally had the fortitude to resist. I looked at it, but then noticed I had bought Endless Space and still have not played it. So I figured I will play that and wait on Endless Legend for later.