Matrix Games Forums

Any thoughts on AB2 versus Regiments or WARNO? Do you think the gameplay will be more in-depth than these two? I've not been following the development of this, nor did I play AB1. I have watched a few videos recently, but it just looks like a graphically inferior version of these other games at first sight.

I enjoy Regiments, the difference between AB1/2 and Regiments is abstraction. Regiments has a lot of abstraction, which is fine and works for that design philosophy. Everything about the Armored Brigade engine is 1:1, from the units, to maps, to combat resolution, which in the end makes it much more accurate in simulating modern land warfare at this scale.

AB is different from those games, in the sense that it focuses on tactics; what I mean by that is that in AB you have a set of units, with which you need to achieve the mission OBJs, whereas in Regiments and Warno the focus is on management of resources - i.e. the game's point system -, with which you purchase units and keep feeding them into the front. In Regiments and in Warno, the gameplay is centered around that tug of war, where you keep sending units that keep dying and you keep sending supplies to the ones that survive, all the while managing your income, to be able to do that, and it creates a combat cycle that is heavily "gamified", with, IMO, excessive lethality/disposability of units, and tactically shallow engagements; AB is, IMO, more similar to Combat Mission, albeit in a higher-level of command, either because there are more units, or because the order delay system rewards "broad-strokes" order-issuing and preplanning, somewhat akin to Graviteam Tactics games. AB, as Combat Mission and Graviteam Tactics, aims for more realistic fights, with more significance assigned to line of sight, terrain, ranges of weapons systems, and soft-factors (i.e. morale etc).

Thanks for the quick and detailed responses.

One other question: my issue with the Steel Division/WARNO engine is that it takes a lot of micromanagement to stop units from doing dumb things and dying too quickly. How do you think AB2 compares in this respect?

AB is less micromanagey, because there's no managing of resources - clicking repeatedly on units to buy and where to send them -, the orders are executed with delays - simulating their percolation through the chain of command to the target unit - and the units themselves think tactically and make decisions on their own - threat/target assessment/prioritization. Micromamagement is the reason I don't particularly like Warno/Wargame/SD, though Regiments has less of it - because of lower unit number cap -, thus less micromanagent, thus I kindda enoy it.

AB2 is much more in depth than either of those two simply due to the spotting mechanics and units not universally insta-sharing information on enemies.