Do you play AH-themed games?

Do you play AH or historic games? If so what kind(s)

  • Yes, but not much

    Votes: 12 14.0%
  • Yes, somewhat

    Votes: 44 51.2%
  • Yes, all the time

    Votes: 26 30.2%
  • No

    Votes: 1 1.2%
  • Strategy

    Votes: 60 69.8%
  • RPG

    Votes: 15 17.4%
  • Action

    Votes: 5 5.8%
  • Shooter

    Votes: 13 15.1%
  • Builders and sims

    Votes: 17 19.8%
  • Indy

    Votes: 6 7.0%

  • Total voters
    86
I think there is probably a correlation between AH-based gamers and alternate history membership. Just curious is all, please share your gaming experience/ choices.

Just some suggestions:

What AH-games do you own? And what genre(s) of AH games do you prefer?

What defines AH games for you? Why?

How much of your gaming (if not all) is spent on AH-themed games?

Are you a serious gamer, casual gamer , or a casually serious gamer?






I think its only fair that I share my AH gaming experience first.

I don't count games based in the future as AH games, although I don't mind AH games that start from the past to the future. I also don't really include games that either doesn't serious stick to history or stick to alternate history (ex: all the endless shooting games out there just using WWII or some rogue state as an excuse to start shooting things).

I own (listed in my perception of most to least AHness):

  • Europa Universalis III, plus all expansions up to Heir to the Throne (Spend 1/3 of my time just appreciating the information of the various map modes)
  • Victoria 2 (so many statistics!)
  • Hearts of Iron 3 plus Semper (If they only had a Discovery channel commenter and big red arrows on the map)
  • Rome Total War plus expansions
  • Total War series (Everything after Rome Total War is a step back)
  • Red Alert 1-3 (2 considered the favorite, 3's neither serious, balanced, or cheesy)
  • Civilization 1-5 (3 considered the favorite, 4 and 5 are a bit too mainstream for me)
  • Various Minigames and flash games that I cannot remember
  • World in Conflict
  • Codename: Panzers, Phase One
  • Battlestation Midway
  • Defcon
  • Mount and Blade Warband (something primeval about riding a horse...)
  • Probably forgot a few...

I spent somewhere around a total 5% of my lifespan so far in gaming, lately university has forced me to stop. When I gamed I was quite the serious power-gamer, losing wasn't an option and every little advantage counted. Around half my time was spent on AH games, the other half mostly shooters , RPGs, and other non-AH strategy games.

I power game excessively, plus I'm a completionist both of which tends to lean towards RPG-strategy games where both needs can be satisfied the most . In most games I just can't stand leaving anything unexplored, what if there's another potion/resource there I ask myself? Go find out!
 
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Sachyriel

Banned
Command and Conquer, Black Ops, Freedom Fighters (soviets invade New York!) and some others. Love FPSs and RTSs.
 

Thande

Donor
Red Alert (the first one) was my first introduction to AH, ever.

I play Civ4 on the real world maps a fair amount.

People rave about Paradox games on this forum but I just cannot get into them.
 
The Red Alert games (It was RA2 that introduced me to the genre; I wasn't really into the first back then and I find it aged and medicore now); there's an obscure one called Warfront Turning Point that I dig out every now and again--it's largely a ripoff of CNC Generals gameplay wise (did you like Speaker Towers? So do we!) but there's fun to be had. I've also played the Resistance games, which had a slightly more thought-out world than your average 'there are nasty aliens, kill them!' setting. Beyond that, I don't really play as many games as I'd like to.

I also wonder if the recent COD game qualifies, as it has a world where American commandos can shoot down Soyuz rockets with Stinger missiles in the middle of Baikonur with no apparent repercussions. :rolleyes:
 

Thande

Donor
The Red Alert games (It was RA2 that introduced me to the genre; I wasn't really into the first back then and I find it aged and medicore now)

Either LordInsane or I may just have to zap you with a Tesla Coil for that comment :mad:
 

Sachyriel

Banned
Love the soviet Zeppelins

I kinda wish they had Ekranoplanes.

Red Alert (the first one) was my first introduction to AH, ever.

I play Civ4 on the real world maps a fair amount.

People rave about Paradox games on this forum but I just cannot get into them.

Oh I forgot the Civ games! Those as well, though I love using cheats, it's awesome!

I also wonder if the recent COD game qualifies, as it has a world where American commandos can shoot down Soyuz rockets with Stinger missiles in the middle of Baikonur with no apparent repercussions. :rolleyes:
Yes, yes it is AH. It's awesome.
 
I own (listed in my perception of most to least AHness):

  • Europa Universalis III, plus all expansions up to Heir to the Throne (Spend 1/3 of my time just appreciating the information of the various map modes)
  • Victoria 2 (so many statistics!)
  • Hearts of Iron 3 plus Semper (If they only had a Discovery channel commenter and big red arrows on the map)
  • Rome Total War plus expansions
  • Total War series (Everything after Rome Total War is a step back)
  • Red Alert 1-3 (2 considered the favorite, 3's neither serious, balanced, or cheesy)
  • Civilization 1-5 (3 considered the favorite, 4 and 5 are a bit too mainstream for me)
  • Various Minigames and flash games that I cannot remember
  • Codename: Panzers, Phase One
  • Battlestation Midway
  • Mount and Blade Warband (something primeval about riding a horse...)
  • Probably forgot a few...
I don't know that all of those really qualify as AH per-say. For example, I wouldn't include the Total War series or the Paradox games, though depending on the way you play would lead to different TLs.

Red Alert certainly qualifies, and I would add to that Silent Storm, Iron Storm, the Fallout series and Crimson Skies. To me, an AH game is one that is set in an AH from the get go and doesn't just starts at the POD and says "Okay, now conquer the world."
 
Yes, yes it is AH. It's awesome.

Evidently, the Russian landmass is considerably smaller, as the US doesn't seem to have a problem with plonking commandos in the middle of the Urals. But who cares, when I can fly an anachronistically placed Hind around! Whee!

Either LordInsane or I may just have to zap you with a Tesla Coil for that comment :mad:

I can blather on for hours about how the game's overrated, but I do not forgive 'Russian' accents that sound more Scottish than anything else. :p
 

Sachyriel

Banned
Either LordInsane or I may just have to zap you with a Tesla Coil for that comment :mad:

Prism Tanks are better.

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I don't know that all of those really qualify as AH per-say. For example, I wouldn't include the Total War series or the Paradox games, though depending on the way you play would lead to different TLs.

Red Alert certainly qualifies, and I would add to that Silent Storm, Iron Storm, the Fallout series and Crimson Skies. To me, an AH game is one that is set in an AH from the get go and doesn't just starts at the POD and says "Okay, now conquer the world."

Crimson skies made the plane sim much better.

Evidently, the Russian landmass is considerably smaller, as the US doesn't seem to have a problem with plonking commandos in the middle of the Urals. But who cares, when I can fly an anachronistically placed Hind around! Whee!

Hey, they're the USA, not only can they place commandos in the middle of hostile territory they can give them shields that make the bullet sponges!
 
[/LIST]
I don't know that all of those really qualify as AH per-say. For example, I wouldn't include the Total War series or the Paradox games, though depending on the way you play would lead to different TLs.

Red Alert certainly qualifies, and I would add to that Silent Storm, Iron Storm, the Fallout series and Crimson Skies. To me, an AH game is one that is set in an AH from the get go and doesn't just starts at the POD and says "Okay, now conquer the world."

I believe the Total War series and the Paradox games are more AH than the rest, as both series offer sandbox type games with your own goals and designs. I suppose logically to win in those games you have to conquer the world but nothing says you can't role play or pursue your own goals. I believe they actually offer more depth of story and immersion (thanks in part to modders) as opposed to the scripted games which seems to place more emphasis on game play over historic detail and possibility .

I prefer games that shows me what happens because of my actions as opposed to games that shows me how I must act because of what happens.
 
I believe the Total War series and the Paradox games are more AH than the rest, as both series offer sandbox type games with your own goals and designs. I suppose logically to win in those games you have to conquer the world but nothing says you can't role play or pursue your own goals. I believe they actually offer more depth of story and immersion (thanks in part to modders) as opposed to the scripted games which seems to place more emphasis on game play over historic detail and possibility .

I prefer games that shows me what happens because of my actions as opposed to games that shows me how I must act because of what happens.
I enjoy grand strategy games myself, I just don't think it represents AH. Paradox can offer more leeway in terms of pursuing your own goals, but TW is pretty strictly "gain control of so many territories by such a date, and hold these cities." Ultimately though, grand strategy is more about accomplishing a specific set of goals, some of which correspond to actual historical situations. Civ series allows for different victories, but Civ is more about plunking societies that are inspired by real world civilizations down into an uncivilized world and building your empire from scratch.
 
I enjoy grand strategy games myself, I just don't think it represents AH. Paradox can offer more leeway in terms of pursuing your own goals, but TW is pretty strictly "gain control of so many territories by such a date, and hold these cities." Ultimately though, grand strategy is more about accomplishing a specific set of goals, some of which correspond to actual historical situations. Civ series allows for different victories, but Civ is more about plunking societies that are inspired by real world civilizations down into an uncivilized world and building your empire from scratch.

Yes but I can pretend and make scenarios that are historic/ a-historic . I can't as easily with Red Alert and such.

For example in some Total war games I focus on imaginary/modded internal fractions that dictate my game behaviors as oppose to the logical buy guns, train people, profit equations.

For example I made a Civ game where I played a peacekeeper intent on securing the status quo irregardless of self gain.

In another game of RTW I made it my mission to civilize, convert, then set free once they are believers of Mithra and proper Romans.

And always, historically accurate/inaccurate mods.

Of course the same applies to games like Red Alert and such but the context is much more narrow, I'm restrained to pretending to be something relevant in the context of a battle between soviets and allies.
 
Pretty much any game in a historical simulation is an AH all of its own. BRITWANK UBER ALLES

As with Thande, C&C, and C&C: Red Alert helped get me into the genre. It's arguably the best C&C game of them all, and wasn't so... focused on Hollywood (thank you, James Earl Jones).

People quote the "Red Alert" cliché here often - "IF NOT Hitler AND IF Stalin THEN Red Alert" - some of these people have played the C&C series, and should know better. OTL Stalin was ultra-conservative as a leader, but TTL Stalin was being manipulated somewhat by a near-literal Alien Space Bat.

If you don't believe me, play Red Alert's original Soviet campaign yourself - EA have released the game for free here:

http://www.commandandconquer.com/classic.

I tried getting into the Paradox series of grand strategy games, Hearts of Iron 2 is good fun, sort of, but it did my head in. It's maybe a little too slow-moving for my short attention span OH LOOK A BIRD
 
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The newer Paradox games are more AH than the older ones - fewer historical events, so there's less determinism.

Also, yes, Red Alert is fun. And Age of Empires III is the most AH of the series, to ASB levels. Fountains of Youth? Ottomans in the New World?
 
There's not that many AH games around (actual AH games, not AH-like games), but whenever I find any, I'll play 'em.
 
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