HPS wargames for the PC?

[New York Jets]

PoA2?

Whazzit?

[JudgeDredd]

Point of Attack 2

[Nemo121]

Lowlander,
"when someone launches an attack on things I love".
Whoa there, people like different things and I think that someone saying they don't like an HPS game, when asked for opinions about HPS games, isn't "an attack" but merely an expression of an opinion.
 
And for the record I date back with HPS to the time when Tigers on The Prowl was being sent out from his home on 3.5 inch floppies. Some of their games I love, some I don't. The graphics are usually less than stellar but that's not the most important thing in the world.
 
Most wargamers I know have HPS, Matrix, Paradox, Battlefront, Shrapnel etc etc games and go where the good games are as opposed to getting all tribal about it.

[Halsey]

John Tiller has made solid wargames for years, he's a pioneer in the field.
Solid gameplay, with hardly any gamebreaker bugs.
After playing a title, you can easily start another, with a very minor learning curb.

BTW
You'll see some of his older titles republished here at Matrix.[;)]

[SnowBlue88]

I played North German Plain '85 and Smolensk '41 and enjoyed both greatly. While the rule set is very easy to learn every time I opened the grand campaign for each game I froze as to what to do, not because the games are so complex and confusing but because there are so many options and decisions. They also did a great job of capturing the 'feel' of the conflict if that means anything.

[Awac835]

I really liked the map art of korsun pocket and DB engine in general [:(] and the engine is awesome.

[Adam Parker]

ORIGINAL: Awac835

I really liked the map art of korsun pocket and DB engine in general [:(] and the engine is awesome.

Yes, the art in Korsun Pocket was nice for it's day (its AI was atrocious) and I actually think that DB Battles in Normandy is still the best PC D-Day game ever made.

However, like HPS's core games I personally think that SSG's Decisive Battles is now old and stale. They're both based on 1990's art and for me just look and (UI-wise) feel old hat (in the case of DB all the way through to its current iterations - Battlefront and Kharkov).

Am I still buying games? Sure. Just came home with some Memoir 44 expansions and (I'm a sucker for these things) its big carrying case [:D].

But is it war? As war-like as playing a turn of Advanced Squad Leader spanning 2 minutes of real time in half an hour of actual time!

[E]

ORIGINAL: Nemo121

And for the record I date back with HPS to the time when Tigers on The Prowl was being sent out from his home on 3.5 inch floppies. Some of their games I love, some I don't. The graphics are usually less than stellar but that's not the most important thing in the world.

Hehe, I just cranked up Tigers on the Prowl last night! Still a good game.

[SS Hauptsturmfuhrer]

ORIGINAL: Awac835

I really liked the map art of korsun pocket and DB engine in general [:(] and the engine is awesome.

I agree. I first got interested in the Decisive Battles series when I saw the artwork in pictures of Battles in Italy and then found out they are strategy games with strong AIs and good for email games cause there are no gamey exploits at all. So I finally got round to buying Italy, Normandy and Kharkov not long ago. I would buy Korsun too but financial issues intervened to prevent any further purchases. I talk about games a lot and read about them on Gamespot but seldom actually get any but I am very happy with the Decisive Battles games cause they actually leave me feeling like I worked out my brain making strategy while most other PC games are more for a relaxing break from thinking. Also, I am an avid military history fan reading tons of books mostly on WWII and found the DB games to be very accurate and realistic which helps to understand the units and strategic situation in the games better.

I never played those HPS games but am interested cause I think I saw that Wild Bill helped in the designs and I know his creative ability from the Korsun battle in Steel Panthers I did just recently. Was that Bill dude involved in HPS a lot?

[BAL]

never played those HPS games but am interested cause I think I saw that Wild Bill helped in the designs and I know his creative ability from the Korsun battle in Steel Panthers I did just recently. Was that Bill dude involved in HPS a lot?

I almost 100% sure he designed a lot of scenarios for Squad Battles, especially those set in the Pacific theatre.

[PunkReaper]

I almost 100% sure he designed a lot of scenarios for Squad Battles, especially those set in the Pacific theatre

To be clear is that >90% but <100% or something different.

[SS Hauptsturmfuhrer]

ORIGINAL: BAL

never played those HPS games but am interested cause I think I saw that Wild Bill helped in the designs and I know his creative ability from the Korsun battle in Steel Panthers I did just recently. Was that Bill dude involved in HPS a lot?

I almost 100% sure he designed a lot of scenarios for Squad Battles, especially those set in the Pacific theatre.

It must a pretty cool game then. Those HPS games are kinduv old now aren't they? Have any become freeware?

[Cheeks]

No..., no freeware. HPS/Tiller continually releases updates & improvements for every Squad Battle title.

As far as being old, well that's subjective and in my opinion doesn't relate to Squad Battles. Trying to pin "old" to a game that has a well researched OOB/TOE doesen't sit right with me. I think "seasoned" might work though [:)].

[James Ward]

I love the HPS Panzer Campaign games. They remind me of board games in a way without the dangers of cats or flying things wiping out the map.
They are very well researched, easy to learn and a lot of fun against a human opponent. They definately aren't 'pretty' looking games but they are good games. You can usually find them for under $30.

[SS Hauptsturmfuhrer]

These games look like the kind of war games I like to support, but how is the AI in them?&nbsp; Or does everyone play email games only with these HPS games?

[James Ward]

ORIGINAL: SS Hauptsturmfuhrer

These games look like the kind of war games I like to support, but how is the AI in them?  Or does everyone play email games only with these HPS games?

The smaller the scenario the better the AI generally speaking. Also the more recent titles have better AI. In the large Campaign scenarios you will crush the AI.

[SS Hauptsturmfuhrer]

Okay thanks for the info Cheeks and James.&nbsp;&nbsp; I'm gonna look into getting one of these HPS games most probably Korea or Vietnam.&nbsp; Korea is a newer title but I have a special place in my heart for the war in Vietnam.

[sapper_astro]

I think I will get hold of the Spanish Civil war, and then the Winter war, in that order. If they are ASL type games, I will love them.

[SS Hauptsturmfuhrer]

ORIGINAL: sapper_astro

I think I will get hold of the Spanish Civil war, and then the Winter war, in that order. If they are ASL type games, I will love them.

Those sound cool. Argh, I want those too. Maybe I just want everything HPS made. [:(]

[Hertston]

ORIGINAL: SS Hauptsturmfuhrer
I'm gonna look into getting one of these HPS games most probably Korea or Vietnam.  Korea is a newer title but I have a special place in my heart for the war in Vietnam.

Good choice. The Vietnam games are the best of the bunch IMHO, although admittedly Soviet-Afghan is the last one I've played.