Reviews

• gamedeal user

  Aug 19, 2014

  Great Game!!! Well worth the investment for any wargamer. Great and simple mechanics, Wonderful random scenario Generator. The best and most elegant production system for this type of wargame. The UI is a little outdated but the depth of strategy is enough to overlook it. At first the some the interface can be annoying and confusing but after a while you begin to understand why it is designed that way and it actually makes for a much more flexible gameplay. I put hours in on this game before the steam release and i just hope this release opens up more players and mods!!!!
• gamedeal user

  Mar 30, 2023

  More than a decade ago I played a freeware game called People's Tactics. It was a wonderful, deep turn based strategy game, where your units had supply and supply lines, different transport means that could make your units or supplies move faster/further, artillery, air support, etc. A decade later, I found Shadow Empire, a deep and engaging 4X/wargame/card game that kept me glued to my seat. This year I found Advanced Tactics and it dawned on me that the developer that made Shadow Empire was the same guy that made People's Tactics, VR Designs (this title being pretty much halfway between the other two). Advanced tactics is a more polished and deep version or People's Tactics, and has some of the same mechanics as Shadow Empire (only the wargame part, not the card, diplomacy, etc), but unlike Shadow Empire you can play shorter runs, or pre-made scenarios, as well as making procedural maps with a tool that feels like a prototype version of the procedural world building part of Shadow Empire. The graphics, although you could argue have some charm to them, are as ugly as war itself, but if you can get over that, Advanced Tactics is a game that will keep any wargamer entertained. There's also a bunch of MODs, including graphic replacement and historical scenarios. (For some reason most MODs are only available on the developers website, no Steam Workshop or MODDB, Nexus, etc) For anyone interested, the game runs without any extra tinkering in Linux via Proton. FYI: read Liddell Hart, or about Blitzkrieg or Deep Operation, the game is designed around WW2 maneuver warfare, so learning about it is the way to win. The game is great, but I'd wait for a sale, since it's a decade old game.. Edit: Previously I stated the game was no longer getting updates, but vic, the developer, was so kind as to tell me Advanced Tactics Gold has gotten updates.
• gamedeal user

  Jan 5, 2015

  It might look rather simple, But its not. It has a quite deep tactical gameplay. Supplies for units. ore for production of various units you can use in divisions. oil for motorized units, carefull tho once you run out of oil your war machine stops to a grinding halt, tanks and motorized units can barely move, any aircraft is grounded. It has a small learning curve but once you know what every button does its fairly easy. It also has a random map generator with quite alot of settings. you can even have a civilization alike game. you start with 1 city and HQ with a few units Cities and factories produce units, wich you can mix and match in self cuztomized divisions. Different terrains with different stats. And thats not even all of it, It would be too many to name. However all this fun stuff comes pared with a rather funky outdated UI, Alot of time consuming gameplay and tons of micromanagement. Overall a 8/10 - would run out of oil during an operation again.
• gamedeal user

  Feb 22, 2015

  One of the best turn-based wargames of all time. Notable for having production, supply flow, and tech research - features that are more typical of RTS and Civ games. The core game engine is extremely powerful and flexible, such that there are mods for Roman Empire games, fantasy games, space opera games, and more.
• gamedeal user

  Apr 23, 2015

  This is a great hex based strategy game. The AI is a good opponent too! I wish my friend would buy this so we could play against each other. Its fun to play matches against multiple AI enemies. The customizable random world map makes for lots of replayability too. Lots of different units (just simple tokens on the map) that are upgradable to more powerful versions (fighter III, etc)
• gamedeal user

  Mar 14, 2016

  Just awesome, best wargame around Also just want to add that there are a lot of scam/spam negative reviews for some reason. Steam should delete them. BUT this game is the best wargame I've ever played, and that's saying a lot. It is so flexible and versatile and really not that hard to come to grips with. One you learn the hotkeys, things become a snap.
• gamedeal user

  Apr 28, 2016

  I bought the game after the New Dawn patch, and it is an excellent combat-oriented TBS. You can now edit your units and control your subformations much more easily. It has random generated maps and you can edit a random map before the game starts, creating small land bridges etc. The supply system is fun and realistic, ...the formation never dies! There is also a HQ system; Generals gain experience and keep your troops supplied and increase their effectiveness. Combat is well thought-out, well defended/entrenched hexes cannot be broken by simply spamming units and raiding them over and again, and (with default rules) you cannot build one massive invincible unit; rather you have to have the right combined arms, the right placement and the right strategy. I learned the game quite quickly, from 'dastactic' on youtube and the 20 page strategy guide. I like it a lot.
• gamedeal user

  Jun 19, 2016

  A really great game, it is my favorite game, and here's why... Random Games The random games and the editor allows you to play this for a decade straight, every random games match has led to a completely different match, and can be randomized more with the ability to choose size, age (How flat the terrain is, older is flatter), weather (None, or Tropical to Arctic), and more Editor The editor is very, very powerful, it (As in the description of the game) is very versitile, all you have to do is, a couple clicks of a button, and nearly everything is able to be changed, or replaced all together. Rulvars allow you to change the rules of the game, SFT's allow you to add or take away units from the game, Items allow you to change how you build the SFT's or resources. The editor is also ingame, and on the main menu! Custom Scenarios There are base scenarios to choose from, but many of them are the classic version of the game, Advanced Tactics, however some have the rules and SFT's of Advanced Tactics Gold. The scenario bank though, at VRdesighns.net, allows much more ability to choose a specific scenario of your choice, also there are mods that change the graphics, the Units, and the timeline of the game New Dawn- New Dawn allows much more in the singleplayer and multiplayer experience. Generals adds a personilization feel of the game, with the ability to change the name of them and name them Bob, for example. The Tables of Orginization and Equipment (TOE) system allows much less micro and allows you to have a specific template for units. The SFT designer, in New Dawn allows you to make Armor/Armour of your own. Flaws- Of course, every game has its flaws. Interface is crowded (Hardcore Strategy fans will most likely deal with that) Bad AI- The AI can't even handle supply well! Bad Graphics- of course, the game has outdated graphics, but cut it some slack, the most recent graphics update was in 2011 when ATG came out! Compare the graphics to HOI3 if you want a somewhat realistic graphics comparison Bad tutorial- The game lacks an ingame tutorial, of course DasTactic, and the strategy guide will help a lot with that. Overall, the game is very good, after the begining stages of learning, you will like this game, and with a helpful community on MatrixGames forums, and the Editor and scenarios, this game is really great
• gamedeal user

  Jun 24, 2016

  This game is very good. I recommend it on sale for sure. PROS Solid 4x gameplay, production system is very nice. TONS of replayability.... map generator is great Lot of options.... you create your own divisions, outfit them however you like. There's room to try any strategy you can think of really. Easy to learn... I figured it out pretty fast, it looks intimidating but its actually not bad at all. Just watch a couple youtube videos, there are also tutorial scenerios. Moddable! Great supply system Lot of combat options... probing attacks... air/arty support...entrenchment...encirclement Multiplayer support Decent tutorial / training scenerios cons UI takes some getting used to. Mouse wheel should be able to zoom instead of clicking a button Icons should be larger. More tooltips should be there. Learning the hotkeys is essential (not many) Outdated PBEM multiplayer Tutorials could be better.
• gamedeal user

  Dec 20, 2016

  This is a fantastic game. If you ever wanted to try a strategy board wargame, but were always intimidated by the hobby and the games seemed clunky, the rules too long, the gameplay too boring.... GET THIS GAME. This game's gimmick is that it sets up random map procedurally generated map, per your specifications. You want 1 AI or 11? You want to play allied with AI, teams, or free for all? Think of this game as RTS that is turnbased. Especially with "1 city start" (my favorite), you start owning 1 city/base (cities are production centers) and have to build up units to explore the map, take over other cities and land, and meanwhile tech up and build up your army to be ready for the AI which is doing the same thing. I am a grognard, I immediately disliked the idea of this game as I usually play historical WW2 games, monsters like War in the East by Gary Grigsby, and I can tell you that I WAS WRONG about this gem. This game is awesome! And the procedurally generated maps work very well, also! Highly, highly recommended. I might even write a steam guide to help new players in. This game is SUPER CHEAP - just get it if you're interested at all in board wargaming with a VERY GOOD AI. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. PS There are a few scenarios included in the game, build by people/fans, on 1941 WW2 Barbarossa campaign. People still play those online human vs humna via PBEM and then this becomes a proper WW2 game.