Best since Steel Panthers?

[Zap]

Could you who own this please comment. I read a poster make the comment the it was the best WWII tactical since steel panthers. If that was true,lovers of steel panthers should be jumping on this. I would get if
if this was true. But alas I'm skeptical.

[salazarus]

Although I enjoy Battle Academy I wouldn't call it successor to Steel Panthers. BA2 is much simpler in every aspect of the game. Don't get me wrong I enjoy BA2, but if you are looking new Steel Panthers, look elsewhere.

[MrsWargamer]

Well the thing is, it IS as good as Steel Panthers, but that doesn't mean it is any form of reincarnation of Steel Panthers.

I'd still like Gary to actually stop making his stupid monster titles, and actually respond to the constant and persistent badgering for him to replace Steel Panthers with a decent reincarnation of Steel Panthers.

I don't think there is actually any game out there since Steel Panthers, that looks like a child of Steel Panthers. And I have seen all of the wargames worth mention since Steel Panthers.

I don't think anyone would regret getting either of the Battle Academy titles though.

[aaatoysandmore]

ORIGINAL: salazarus

Although I enjoy Battle Academy I wouldn't call it successor to Steel Panthers. BA2 is much simpler in every aspect of the game. Don't get me wrong I enjoy BA2, but if you are looking new Steel Panthers, look elsewhere.

I have to agree it might be a distant 2nd cousin to Steel Panthers but it ain't Steel Panthers. I've played all the incarnations of Steel Panthers from Kampfgruppe to Battlegroup to Panzer Strike to Typhoon of Steel to Steel Panthers II and III and then finally Steel Panthers and Battle Academy doesn't feel like Steel Panthers to me but is is close like a cousin for sure. Steel Panthers lets you play "all" the nations and Battle Academy picks for you with each version. Just make one big bundle with all the nations in Battle Academy III and random maps with random campaigns and buy point support units and carryover units and "then" Battle Academy will be like Steel Panthers.

[Tac2i]

Great idea!

ORIGINAL: aaatoysandmore

...Just make one big bundle with all the nations in Battle Academy III and random maps with random campaigns and buy point support units and carryover units...

[aaatoysandmore]

ORIGINAL: Webizen

Great idea!

ORIGINAL: aaatoysandmore

...Just make one big bundle with all the nations in Battle Academy III and random maps with random campaigns and buy point support units and carryover units...

That's why Steel Panthers is a great game.[:)]

[gdrover]

May have been my comment that this was the best tactical WW2 game since Steel Panthers.
I didn't mean that it was substantially the same game, but rather that I haven't enjoyed a WW2 tactical this much since SP.

I just finished all four campaigns in BA2 and I really truly enjoyed them!

Each mission is unique and well designed. They do a great job of giving me the feeling that I'm in command and have a mission to accomplish.
Truly exciting and fun!

Can't wait for more content.
I'll be purchasing every one of these!

[gdrover]

If you're wondering whether to purchase or not, I can tell you that the campaigns alone are worth the price of admission!

I've spent more than 50 hours so far, and enjoyed every minute.

Great value for the money.

[vonRocko]

Are the campaigns more than just a bunch of battles that share the same theatre? Will I care about my troops? In BA1 all that mattered was having one unit left to capture the victory spots.
There was no connection. They called them "campaigns", but they really weren't. Has anything changed?

[gdrover]

The campaigns are each made up of a series of non-linked scenarios. There is no core group of troops that carry forward from mission to mission. Rather each is a stand-alone battle.
That said, there are several components that make the experience very satisfying and immersive:
1) in most scenarios, after the briefing, the player can use points to decide on which troops to add to the pre-selected core (from a limited list). This gives the player some control of the focus and type of units to accomplish the mission.
2) There are a couple of key goals that MUST be accomplished to win the battle. These are unique to each mission and there are a great variety, giving each mission a very unique and historical feel
3) There are several bonus goals that are also given that are not essential, but differentiate a mere win from a crushing victory (my terms).
4) The briefing, mission goals, and AI scripting, forces, and layout are extremely well designed and give each battle a very unique flavor. They do a wonderful job of giving the player the sense of immersion.

The net effect is that the campaigns feel historical and unique, and while the AI isn't a genius, it can really inflict heavy casualties if you are not careful.

[vonRocko]

Thank you for the feedback gdrover! I like BA1 and I guess I'll pick this up soon, but I just wish they could link the campaign somehow.
I'm sure it's fun. Thanks again.

[wodin]

If you buy this under the impression it's like Steel Panthers you've been badly misinformed. We are all still waiting for a turn based\WEGO tactical game on par with SP. None of the recent releases the past year or so have really come close.

[gdrover]

May have been my comment that this was the best tactical WW2 game since Steel Panthers.
I didn't mean that it was substantially the same game, but rather that I haven't enjoyed a WW2 tactical this much since SP.

[JosephM]

Hello Guys,

Just to shed some extra light on this. BA2 is a very good game in my opinion - I enjoy the campaign, and although the AI could be better, there are usually enough achievements and such to make it a challenge and sometimes exploiting the AI is the only way I've won a mission. The Soviets and Germans do, in my opinion, have very different playstyles: the Germans are best attacking from range and scouting with infantry, whereas the Soviets need to close their tanks in and use their speed to get to the rear of the German tanks and they need to work to eliminate the German infantry to blind them. In my opinion the Soviets are very hard to play well, and even though I've been testing BA2 since the alpha I still can't use the Soviets well. The multiplayer is probably my favourite mode though - we've been regularly having battles in the office and they are always enjoyable. Then with the Skirmish mode and the editor there is a lot of content to keep you going. There is Smoke, airstrikes/artillery strikes, partial damage and all other little features which also help add to the game.

There is also the upcoming Kursk expansion, which uses an updated engine and there is some carryover of units in the Kursk campaign. So with the editor and modding capabilities then if you have Kursk you can easily make your own carryover campaigns. I think someone was also working on a Mod to allow you to bring all the BA1 units into BA2 but I'm not sure how that is coming along.

That all said, I'd not relate it directly to Steel Panthers, although it is a great game in its own right. Regarding Steel Panthers, a new version is something we do want to create, so all I can say is watch this space.

[DROregon]

Is the Kursk expansion the current state of the engine? It's the basis for Steel Tigers?

[PipFromSlitherine]

The new engine is a huge improvement on the current released versions, with large parts being entirely rebuilt. ST will bear very little resemblance to BA et al.

Cheers

Pip