Matrix Games Forums

For anyone who has played the different Napoleonic strategy games, what's the best if any and does anyone still play any of them? Their forums all seem pretty quit. Thanks

Napoleonic was one of the classic wargame eras but, as you say, it is all quiet on the Danube front these days.

I have played quite a few, so here are my views:

Ageod's Napoleon's Campaigns is good looking and has a reasonable selection of campaigns; it is actually better in my view than their later Wars of Napoleon because the newer game is just too big and too slow.

Crown of Glory was award winning in its day and has quite a nice diplomatic system; I felt it a pity that you couldn't just play the battles part on its own.

Campaigns on the Danube is my favourite and is to my mind the best representation of a commander's dilemmas. You send an order by courier which may take hours or days to be received or not received at all; the person you sent it to might not be where you thought they were. It is also pretty accurate in its historical set up. This article from Encyclopaedia Britannica is very good on the 1805 position:

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Enc ... _Campaigns


There are some good AARs on the Ageod and Matrix websites which may give you an idea of whether you will like the games.

They are not strategic in operation but more or less grand tactical to operational games but all the WDS games are excellent Napoleonic games.

https://wargameds.com/collections/napoleonic-battles

generalfdog wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 12:36 am Their forums all seem pretty quiet.

Empires in Arms is still active. Code development continues. I hope someday EIA will be a contender for best grand strategy Napoleonic wargame. We're getting there.

IMHO what is missing is a modern UI and better graphics.


I agree with Altipueri in Napoleon's Campaigns and Campaigns on the Danube, both not supported anymore.

If you prefer tactical battles, the old John Tiller games, that are still supported.

pzgndr wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 3:33 pm

generalfdog wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 12:36 am Their forums all seem pretty quiet.

Empires in Arms is still active. Code development continues. I hope someday EIA will be a contender for best grand strategy Napoleonic wargame. We're getting there.

i see it has a pbem option how is it structured? is it like wif or is it using the matrix pbem++ site?

Between crown of glory and empire in arms, which has better play, graphics, and which if any have players?

Zovs wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 10:22 am They are not strategic in operation but more or less grand tactical to operational games but all the WDS games are excellent Napoleonic games.

https://wargameds.com/collections/napoleonic-battles

those are interesting, do they have multiplayer?

generalfdog wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 6:15 pm

Zovs wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 10:22 am They are not strategic in operation but more or less grand tactical to operational games but all the WDS games are excellent Napoleonic games.

https://wargameds.com/collections/napoleonic-battles

those are interesting, do they have multiplayer?

Yes

WDS improved a lot and have good community about pbem. Problem is I don't see where am I in full operational games. Need to read scenario notes about geography.

altipueri wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 7:54 am Ageod's Napoleon's Campaigns is good looking and has a reasonable selection of campaigns; it is actually better in my view than their later Wars of Napoleon because the newer game is just too big and too slow.

Yes and as an addition, peace treaty for 'wasteland' for both in pbem and vs AI. Some events also needs to fire after peace treaty, it was somehow similar in Pride of Nations. if SGS- has the most original ideas about conflicts in Pc market- bought by Matrix&Slitherine perhaps would benefit Napoleonic age and others.

generalfdog wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 6:15 pm

Zovs wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 10:22 am They are not strategic in operation but more or less grand tactical to operational games but all the WDS games are excellent Napoleonic games.

https://wargameds.com/collections/napoleonic-battles

those are interesting, do they have multiplayer?

No and yes. Generally, each game is to be played 1 vs AI or 1 vs 1, however, the way the games are designed there are many multiplayer games in the the various clubs, so that one game might be 2 French vs. 2 Coalition players. Then its the responsibility of the players to setup their command structure.

For example let's say in Campaign 1814 and the scenario 025. Napoleon's First Lunge to the North (310 turns), the two French players may decided that one of them takes Grouchy's Wing (I Cav Corps (1 Lt. Div., 1 Hv. Div.) and the other French player takes the VI Corps (8 Div. and 21 Div.). For the Allies they decide one takes the Prussians and the other takes the Russians.

Then who's ever turn it is, they just move there own commands and not end the turn and send it to their partner, who does his moves under his command and then ends the turn and sends it to the Allied players. Rinse and repeat.

pzgndr wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 3:33 pm

generalfdog wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 12:36 am Their forums all seem pretty quiet.

Empires in Arms is still active. Code development continues. I hope someday EIA will be a contender for best grand strategy Napoleonic wargame. We're getting there.

A bit like MWiF, I understand...

generalfdog wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 5:59 pm i see it has a pbem option how is it structured? is it like wif or is it using the matrix pbem++ site?

EIA pbem uses regular email to transfer game files. No NetPlay or pbem++. That's a can of worms that I'm not going to deal with.

For seven players, pbem is only as fast as all seven players can complete their turns and move the game along. Which is not that fast. There is some phase skipping to help move things along but that only goes so far. I've been actively working recently to implement grand strategies for the AI, so smaller play groups can consider faster pbem games with computer opponent substitutions. Ideally, the AI will be good enough for competent challenging gameplay for either solitaire games or small group pbem games.

RFalvo69 wrote: Thu May 02, 2024 2:56 pm A bit like MWiF, I understand...

A bit. But, EIA has working AI and I keep folks informed on the EIA forum of my code development progress. I share your frustrations with MWiF and wish Steve would be a bit more forthcoming about what's going on.

I was a host(processing turns) and player for a 7 player pbem in Wars of Napoleon(Ageod). it took months after we give up, it was boring. Campaing leipzig(JTS) 4 players in a 1 vs 1 scenario and Advanced Tactics Gold with 4 players didn't get much results. In France 14(JTS) Marne battles (30 turns) recommends 4 players in both France and Germany seperate army groups. In theory it is good but perhaps not practical. But I respect people playing like that. Slow turns not problem as long as dedication.

Yeah, I ran a WON multiplayer. So much nonsense I stopped hosting. Then the new host expected my help with all that nonsense. And gave me grief afterward. So I just quit.

Never again.

kinda sounds like they all suck! somebody needs to get on that

No they don't all suck.

Try Campaigns on the Danube. As I posted earlier. And read the link I gave.

https://www.matrixgames.com/game/campai ... the-danube

£16.99 now; will be less in a sale if you can bear to wait.

altipueri wrote: Wed May 08, 2024 7:35 am No they don't all suck.
Try Campaigns on the Danube. As I posted earlier. And read the link I gave.

Agreed. Not sure what happened with Frank Hunter. It would be nice if he could get the next update to COTD out.

As for Empires in Arms, I've been running lots of longer playtests of the 1812 and 1813 campaigns and resolving AI performance issues. The game bugs are very few these days and my previous AI improvements have allowed me to get to the point of implementing and playtesting AI grand strategies. I think players will be pleased with the new v1.26.03 Beta and then the next official update after that. I keep moving forward...

I last had an email from Frank Hunter about 4 years ago. Rasputitsa on the COTD forum had more contact and more recently but still a long while ago.

I think it best to assume there will be no more patches.

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I'm at an age where I no longer contact people I knew years ago as half of them are dead or about to be.