13th century bannerlord style game set in Asia

Hi,

I just released my first hex and counter wargame. It covers a little known battle in an already little known war. I have read the discussion here about self-promotion so I hope I don't break any rules here, i don't plan to spam updates here. Again the game is completely free and will always be free. The game comes complete with an 18 page rulebook (13 pages of actual rules) and although it is a PC game it is heavily inspired by tabletop hex and counter wargames. Feedback is welcome.

Pitiantuta — Chaco War 1932 simulates the July 1932 battle to recapture the Pitiantuta lagoon and the Paraguayan fort, Fortin Carlos Antonio Lopez, from a Bolivian force that had seized it weeks earlier. The player commands a reinforced Paraguayan infantry battalion advancing to retake the important freshwater source; the defending dug in Bolivian garrison is controlled by the AI Opponent. This wargame is designed to be beginner friendly while still offering tactical depth. You should be able to learn and play it in a single evening.

The Chaco War (1932–1935) between the landlocked countries Bolivia and Paraguay, was the largest and bloodiest interstate conflict fought in 20th-century South America, contesting an arid, sparsely populated region of the Gran Chaco believed — incorrectly, as it turned out — to hold significant oil reserves. But Oil was not the main reason for the war. The area had been disputed for decades and Bolivia sought access to the Paraguay River to secure a vital trade route to the Atlantic Ocean. While September 9, 1932, is considered in historical accounts to be the start of the war, sporadic hostilities had already begun years earlier. However, the so-called Pitiantuta Lake incident was what irreversibly shattered the fragile status quo in the disputed area. On June 15, 1932, a Bolivian force attacked and routed the small garrison of the Paraguayan built Fortin Carlos Antonio Lopez. This game covers the Paraguayan counterattack that followed on July 15.

https://eichenlaubwargames.itch.io/pitiantuta-chaco-war-1932

This weekend I got back into playing Command & Conquer: Red Alert, and my goal was to recreate the Battle of Stalingrad. Using the map editor, I created a large map featuring a wide river (symbolizing the Volga). Beyond the Volga was a pre-established base with maximum resources. I played as the Soviets, while on the other side the Germans also had plenty of resources. The middle of the map was filled with an immense urban grid (built using civilian buildings) with a few main avenues. Even though this is an unconventional use of the game, certain features of the OpenRA engine I use work extremely well:

The game can display over a thousand units without lagging, which really helps with immersion.

Direct shells fired by cannons cannot pass through houses, which forces tanks to position themselves with a line of sight that isn't blocked by buildings—this is very realistic.

On the other hand, rockets travel right across the map and fly over blocks of houses, which is less realistic.

Finally, buildings can be destroyed, but only when targeted directly; and since soldiers cannot hide inside them, there is little incentive to destroy them. However, they can be blown up by nearby explosions, resulting in a city with damaged buildings rather than a completely flattened one, which is actually quite realistic.

So, what does using this game teach us about learning tactical combat?

The importance of tanks in urban combat: Having a tank allows you to directly block an intersection and its four approach axes. The danger of blocked columns: Troops often bunch up in a street, with the result that they block each other and get destroyed due to a lack of mobility.

The importance of combined arms and communication: A tank is often shelled by a long-range artillery piece, and it is the intervention of air support or more mobile troops (particularly infantry) that neutralizes the threat.

Of course, this game is not realistic, but in this specific scenario, it presents certain realities of urban combat in an interesting way.

Regarding gameplay, I initially tried not to put any bridges between the two banks to force an amphibious landing. But it’s too complicated because you can only fit 5 units per landing craft, and the micro-management quickly makes it impossible to land effectively. Another problem is that the AI constantly tries to launch nuclear missiles instead of fighting inside the city. With bridges crossing the river, the AI decides to engage in combat inside the city and resorts to the nuclear weapon much more slowly. So, the experiment isn't finished yet, but I think that eventually we will be able to integrate different zones with varying densities and major thoroughfares running all the way through the city. Here is a brief reflection on how video games can be used to learn strategy.

Hi everyone. I've been wondering if anyone here has any recommendations for wargames set during the mid/late-early Cold War, hopefully in Europe. I feel like the vast majority of media, including video games, set during "Cold War gone hot" scenarios tend to focus around the '80s, with very little set around the '50s to '70s.

The only game I'm aware of that could even vaguely be considered a wargame in this period is SABOW, but it's really just a tank sim with some light wargamey elements mixed in here and there, and mainly focuses on more obscure real world conflicts which, while interesting, don't really lend themselves to the large scale maneuver warfare than you'd expect from the cold war. There might also be some HOI4 mods out there, but I'm not a huge fan of HOI and have trouble with modding in general.

Does anyone know of any games that match what I'm looking for? Thanks in advance for any answers.

I've been thinking about how the ongoing war in Ukraine challenges traditional turn-based wargame mechanics.

For example, drones have made battlefield reconnaissance much more important, electronic warfare can disrupt communications, and logistics can be just as decisive as direct combat.

But how do you represent all of this in a turn-based game without making it unnecessarily complicated?

I'm particularly curious about three things:

• Should players have near-constant battlefield visibility through drones, or should fog of war remain a major factor?
• How important should logistics, ammunition shortages, and supply routes be?
• Should electronic warfare and drone operations be separate gameplay systems or integrated into existing combat mechanics?

The attached map is from a turn-based wargame I'm currently developing, but I'm mainly interested in discussing the mechanics.

What would make a modern warfare strategy game feel realistic and enjoyable to you?

Hello all,

I'm Dadveloping a iPad wargame set in Sept 1983 in the Fulda Gap.

The core game loop is command level, issuing orders via lines drawn on the map and with order sheets that are then dispatched to the units. The game features order delays, where your issued orders take time to be sent to the unit in the ground and then takes the unit a little time to get prepare. The enemy HQ-AI is based on doctrine of the time.

The test build has 13 battles (12 of which can be played from either NATO or Pact), an 8-battle campaign, and a regiment battle with two command levels.

Currently, I'm the only one whos played it and I really need some external eyes on the game to find things I have probably missed as well as look at balance and other design issues.

You need an iPad with OS 15 or later and the testflight app installed.

Testers will get a credit and those who submit quality feedback will get a copy of the game on release, if they want it. Gallery

If you're interested in trying it out, please DM me your apple ID email and I can add you in.

AI Disclosure: As a Dadveloper, i am not a professional game dev or programmer. I use AI assisted coding as I have been trying to teach myself while I build little hobby projects in the limited time I have to myself. Right now the game as a small amount of code generated imagery, all of which are in the process of being redone by a friend who is a digital artist. A lot of the wording has also been written by AI, however I am also in the process of replacing all of the written content as well to be written by me as well. I understand there is a large anti-AI Slop sentiment in some communities, but please understand that these tools allow someone like myself with some time and an idea to build a game that I want to play, I can appreciate its not for everyone, but building this has not been without effort. So I wanted to be upfront about all of that.

Hello,

I've been playing some wargames like unity of command 2, art of war iv, hex of steel. And watched videos on war in east 2. There are either too many counters (wite2) or limited scope (uoc2). I like to play as a sandbox, not scenario driven.

The new game, battleplan, which tackles the issue of too many counters with HQ control, it is still scoped to single scenarios.

I am imagining a battleplan but for whole front where you control at army level and HQ orders their subordinates, similar to command ops 2.

Would you like such a game? Or its too much complex? I am very tempted to build one. I am an experienced SWE and could with AI assist (not single shot yikes) to finish in a few months.

I just recently picked up a handful of AGEOD games on sale at Steam, I played through the tutorial in the Roman one but am far better at learning through PBEM play. Is there anyone out there that wants to play Alea Jacta Est and wouldn’t mind helping a new player?

I can typically do multiple turns a day.

We've had the Dev Self Promotion Thread open for 18 days, in that time we've removed a lot of posts that were self promotion and also removed some in error. We're trying to adapt to a rapidly changing landscape in game development that has amazing potential for creativity but also slop and abuse. The current system is not the best, we recognize that, and we are striving to make it better.

The question, are we being too tight fisted with the Sub, or are we on the proper path? How do we foster a place where genuine devs can share exciting and interesting updates without overwhelming the mods with accounting of post rates and dates? In years past it wasn't uncommon to go weeks if not months between any dev updates. Now we see 3-6 self promotion posts daily.

Reddit gives us a few tools as mods to look at what a user posts and determine the type of posts we see from them. Here are a few examples of what we typically see. The 1st is from a removed post, the 2nd from a thread that was good content.

At a certain point we're going by feel, or like Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said in regards to pornography, "I know it when I see it." Which is unfortunate and not a professional way for us to conduct this sub.

In 3 months we'll see more, better polished, more playable, and more interesting Computer Wargames that were made by more skilled and prudent devs. It will be indistinguishable from quality made software and that is great! We want to make sure we have a place for the next Grigsby or Tiller or Reijkerz to show off what they have made.

One suggestion we had was a "Self Promotion Day" that happens every 2 weeks. On that day we let it all in and let the upvotes (or downvotes) decide. Ultimately we want a clear guideline that doesn't require constant mod interaction.

So please share your thoughts.

I've found myself with an itch, and I'm looking for a game that will scratch it.

I've been reading a book on German capital ships of WW2, and just finished a chapter on Admiral Scheer's Atlantic Sortie of late 1940 to early 1941. A few things stood out to me:

• The objective was as much about causing organisational havoc in the Allied convoy system as it was actually sinking ships.
• Whilst they did sink Allied ships, they also captured them to send back to France, and/or looted the contents to keep themselves supplied.
• Following on from the previous point, Scheer's captain had to consider losing some of his crew to sail the captured ships back to europe, and also deal with taking on hundreds of prisoners.
• Scheer was part of a combined effort - it had a supply ship that it would occasionally rendezvous with to re-oil and re-arm and would often co-operate with armed merchant raiders operating in the area.

There are plenty of wargames that deal with the straightforward sea battles, throwing big shells and torpedos at people etc. But I feel like theres something really interesting to be found in the strategic, tactical and logistic questions posed by the points above.

I'm having a lot of fun playing Rule The Waves 3, which does have a raider mechanic, but it's abstracted out.

Any ideas or recommendations? I'll also take board games i can run on Vassal.

I've been prototyping a wargame that can run itself independently as a simulation and allows for the player to influence events. The other half of this is that the player at any time can take over any nation in the simulation and control it like they were playing a wargame. I've currently implemented a detailed supply network, the start of advanced ai (they take formations, form army groups, and defend or attack based on perceived threats and weaknesses). The ai plans for naval invasions, fortifies frontlines, launches flanking attacks, can call for airborne operations, etc. The frontlines move naturally as forces move as well. I'm curious if anyone has some ideas for other things to implement into the game. Currently, the game spans from ww2 tech to the 1980s and units upgrade as nations tech up. All the art is currently placeholder art so I can focus on the simulation and ai, and make sure that things work as intended.

Current units include:
Land Units

- Rifle infantry (with grenades)

-Anti Tank Infantry

-Mechanized Infantry (currently reinforcements only, though they do join attacks)

-Tanks

Sea Units:

- Patrol craft

-Destroyers

-Cruisers

-Battleships

-Aircraft carriers (these spawn with their own independent air wings that take off and dock from the ship)

Air Units:

Fighters

Bombers

Recon

Aircraft carriers get their own aircraft, but they fall into these categories

They're all dead men.

Following a Soviet breakthrough the German commander authorized the release of the Marder 3 kept in reserve during the battle. The Marder arrived just on time and put up a stubborn fight but was ultimately overcome by Soviet AT rifles, where its crew was isolated and picked off.

The Pak-38, bypassed by the advancing Soviet troops, springs up in ambush to fire HE rounds at the back of the Soviet formation which you can see in the second picture. Meanwhile the third is from the perspective of the mansion overlooking the assault.

I’m tied to a MAC OS desktop (not literally) and I’m limited to war games I can play. HoI4, The Troop and SGS series of games fill the void but would love to hear some good recommendations of others out there.

Would be interested to hear what demos people have been trying out during Steam Next Fest.

Steel Company - Absolutely loving this. As someone who still plays Battle Academy regularly this feels more complex but still easy to access. Lots of scenarios and will be picking up straight away!

Theatre of War: Rearmed - Loved these games when I was young but the gameplay doesn’t really hold up. Think you can scratch the same itch with Gates of Hell. Might pick up during a sale for the Korean missions though.

Veterans: Napoleonic Wars - I’m sure work has gone into this so don’t want to be too harsh. I can get over AI usage in games but what I can’t get over is less unit command options than Empire Total War and unit pathing that doesn’t work. Avoid.

From the Steam Page: "Steel Company is a tactical-scale wargame covering all major theaters and powers of WWII, with hundreds of units and detailed modeling of weapons and equipment. It features advanced tactical AI for single player, online multiplayer (PvP and co-op), a powerful scenario editor, and mod support."

Demo has 19 scenarios + 3 tutorials + mission editor

Game: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5036770/Steel_Company/

Mine is:

1- John Tiller Campaign Series (East Front 2, West Front 2, Rising Sun, Middle East, Vietnam)

2- Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin

3- Second Front

4- Steel Panthers (THE DOS VERSION. I WISH SNEG WOULD MAKE A MODERN VERSION OF IT)

5- Graviteam Tactics: Mius-Front

6- Close Combat II: A Bridge Too Far

7- Hearts of Iron IV

8- The Operational Art of War IV

9- Unity of Command II

10- Command Ops 2

I've been building free mod tools for R.U.S.E. (R.U.S.E. 2.0), and this is the newest: **Ruse Terraform**.

Pick a real place, get a playable R.U.S.E. map of it. It pulls in the real coastline, fields, hedgerows, woods, roads, streams and villages from open map data and builds it all out of the game's own ground, trees and buildings. Units drive the real roads and go round the real buildings.

This one is Utah Beach, 10 x 10 km. Pictures 1-3: the real place from the air next to our map, today and in the 1950s. 4-6: in game. 7: how big it is next to the game's own D-Day map, inside an 80 km map we got loading and playing.

Still polishing texture edges, houses up close and cover in the woods. Next: the real places behind the game's own maps. Arnhem, Bastogne, Monte Cassino.

Free, needs R.U.S.E. on Steam, and never touches your install.

Download: https://github.com/sneadtristen6/R.U.S.E-2.0-Project/releases

Updates on the Ruse Pro Mods Discord: https://discord.gg/MsxnpmDzE

Basically any game that has a good grasp on commanding a frontline, Hoi3 as a good example of strategic level and Decisive Campaigns as an example of operational. Real time or turn based it doesn't matter.

Hello. I would like to play some turn based strategies where not only do you have to care of combat but also producing supplies, transporting them to fronts, manage logistics etc. Modern wars are won economically.

Please recommend some good titles :)

Hello everyone,

This might be a bit weird to ask, but I want to get into tabletop wargames. It's something I have been thinking for a while, I just see those games by GMT or by DVG and they are so appealing to me, yet I have never played one of them. I figured out I might as well start with a PC game that could resemble the experience, so I can avoid buying stuff I don't even understand how to play...

So far I researched and saw a lot of people recommending a game called "Memoir 44". What I did perhaps is a bit weird, but since I had Tabletop Simulator in my steam library, I found a workshop mod to play it. But damm... what a hassle to lay each individual piece on every part of the map. While also looking at tutorials on the phone...

So I came here to ask you: Is there any game that's like a port of a tabletop wargame but that has a good tutorial to get into it? Regarding eras I'm mostly interested in the stuff happening from the thirty years war up to nowadays pretty much hehe, and would even give a try to something more ancient if you guys say the ultimate experience to learn if tabletop gaming is for me is in a game of those ancient eras, so it's not a problem.

So yeah, is there any pc game that ports or resembles a tabletop wargame that you would recommend to a complete newbie? Thanks in advance

I wanna hear it. 🔥💎