Whats with all the slamming of RTW? I second the motion about it being the best strategy game ever on a computer. And as for you folks who talk about how easy the combat is and how bad the AI is---huh? Is it possible to beat 4000 troops with 400? Yes, by managing your army, having experienced troops, a great general against a general-less enemy, higher tech level troops, and frankly, smart use of terrain. Even by smart use of these, such victories become almost impossible on the tougher difficulty settings. Sorry, those who call the RTW AI weak just do not know what they're talking about.
Ok,, second issue. No, GC2 is not MoO2. It's already better and deeper. But here's the thing--adding tac combat adds tremendously to the game and takes away nothing, if it is an on off option. Check out the populatirty of rts games that have large scale combat. Fleet size need be no larger than a Starcraft or WC 3 fleet--in the case of starcraft, understand that we are really talking about an old, old game. Yes, it would take resources to implement, but we are NOT talking about state of the art, ground-breaking dev skills. Would RT combat even at a Starcraft level and without the depth of RTW satisfy the living hell out of me and the legion of other fans who really do enjoy the turn by turn small scale fist fight? ABsolutely! One of the joys of doing research and developing tech is seeing its practical effect on a per technology basis. In research, when I get upgraded research capabilties, I get really psyched seeing how much faster I can research stuff. What is wrong with having the ability to sort of zoom in a take my new ships with whiz bang mark V lasers and better armor for a ride? That was one of the really fun things about MoO2. Fighting the same enemy with a single tech shiprevision turns a close loss intoa clear win. That is dramatic in-game postive feedback that gamers love.
If you do not enjoy the feature, dont play it. But dont discourage implementation of a feature alot of people are really hoping for. Who cares if the game is compared to MoO2, as long as these talented people are rewarded for their tough efforts with praise and lots of sales and $ for their brilliant work? If they sell and additional 50,000 copies because of adding the feature, why not do it? If you dont like it, turn it of.
I see this alot in game forums. "The game will not have feature X." "Oh, ok, that's cool. Feature X sucks anyway. I didnt want it. It neve works right. It ruined the last 5 games I played. That WC3 really sucked" Be honest, a great tac combat would rock, and I have no evidence that these guys at Stardock would do anything but a bang-up job. Hey, if I have to wait for an expansion or for GC3 or 4 for the feature, so be it.
On the other hand, this game kicks a@s regardless, Ive alrady preordered it, and I respect the game designers' decisions. Its a feature Id love, and it is a foolish software dev who igniores customer requests for features. But as Ive said, it is a dearly desired feature but by no means a deal breaker. Thanks, Stardock!
