RTS Battlefleet Gothic: Armada

[Makabb]

 

[Trash]

Both of those are Age of Sail combat games, was thinking more early steam/armoured warships.

There are quite a few simulators of exactly that kind of stuff around. Almost all of them with shit graphics, UI and such. It's a niche.

http://www.totemgames.ru/



http://yhst-12000246778232.stores.yahoo.net/ruwaddo.html
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/07/17/the-flare-path-rule-the-waves/

http://www.navalwarfare.net/steam&iron.html

 

[Anthedon]

There's a Byzantium mod for Rule The Waves, in case you are interested.

 

[Raghar]

3 days to go.

 

[Beastro]

Almost all of them with shit graphics, UI and such. It's a niche.

Hence why it would be neat for someone to mod this game to be a lite version of them with more accessibility. It has all the nifty mechanics in already, broadsides and turrets, torpedoes, even the much trumpeted ramming (hence the pic I posted above of the singular moment that was a major factor in modern warfare, at Lissa).

The other issue is these kinda games go too far in focusing on specific times of the era and specific regions, like the ACW. No one has made one to my knowledge that spans early steam and ironclads to Pre-Dreadnoughts, which largely remain fairly similar in combat, if only because combat was limited to, at most, 6000 yards until modern fire control and Dreadnought came along.

 

[veevoir]

Launch trailer looks epic enough, althrough it suffers from insufficient ammounts of dakka. Also a shameful dispray that Failbaddon the hArmless is still used as main chaos warmaster.



Launch today at noon if rumors are to be believed, cant wait to try it out.

 

[Tytus]

Launch trailer looks epic enough, althrough it suffers from insufficient ammounts of dakka. Also a shameful dispray that Failbaddon the hArmless is still used as main chaos warmaster.



Launch today at noon if rumors are to be believed, cant wait to try it out.

I never played the original tabletop miniature game. But can someone tell me where there rules for boarding and taking over enemy's ship? Becasue when I look at boarding actions and lightning strikes in this game I missing the ability of taking control of your opponent's ship.

 

[veevoir]

There is no such ability. Ships in WH40K are simply too big to take over with a strike team, especially a smaller one dumped using a teleportatorium (the lightning strike) - those are hit&run operations.

Taking over a ship would probably take days.

 

[Tytus]

There is no such ability. Ships in WH40K are simply too big to take over with a strike team, especially a smaller one dumped using a teleportatorium (the lightning strike) - those are hit&run operations.

Yeah, that would be cool. If those were hit and run operations. But at this point in the game it's only hit and die operation. (I'm missing some mechanic of getting your soldiers back) And I can understand that with Orkz or even Imperial Guard, but when playing Space Marines I wouldn't want to send Astartes to their doom with every boarding action. They are too valuable. Also you don't need to take the entire ship just the the bridge to gain control for at least short while (redirecting fire could shift the outcome of an entire battle).

 

[veevoir]

Grimdark is grimdark.

Nobody asks those things in TT or playing Rogue Trader.

My guess it is more for clarity of tactical action and visual feedback.
If you add returning teleports after a while and assault boats returning to their mothership it might quickly start looking like a shitshow.

but when playing Space Marines I wouldn't want to send Astartes to their doom with every boarding action. They are too valuable. Also you don't need to take the entire ship just the the bridge to gain control for at least short while (redirecting fire could shift the outcome of an entire battle).

And that's why Space Marine fleet is a mistake. They aren't exactly a naval power, they just have enough ships to drop onto planet and do what they do best. I don't even know if they operate the ships themselves or have a dedicated caste to fly those rustbuckets.
But no, everybody who had a brief brush with WH40K in video games is wanking off to blood angels, so space marines are not optional!

As for the bridge - well, you can destroy the bridge, removing enemy access to almost all orders aside from fly and shoot. Again, this is from TT, balance reasons I guess.

 

[ArchAngel]

This game looks fun. I think I might try a swedish version to play the campaign :D
I am not much into MP in tactical RTS games, I am more of a C&C/Starcraft person.

 

[Anthedon]

This game looks fun. I think I might try a swedish version to play the campaign :D
I am not much into MP in tactical RTS games, I am more of a C&C/Starcraft person.

Report back if you do. All I care about is the single-player aspect.

 

[Raghar]

This game looks fun. I think I might try a swedish version to play the campaign :D
I am not much into MP in tactical RTS games, I am more of a C&C/Starcraft person.

Report back if you do. All I care about is the single-player aspect.

You can not remove it from the inventory.

 

[Raghar]

No Chaos campaign...

 

[Infinitron]

Uh, released: http://store.steampowered.com/app/363680/

 

[Raghar]

Uh, released: http://store.steampowered.com/app/363680/

Yes, we know. See my last two posts.

No Chaos campaign...

 

[Beastro]

There is no such ability. Ships in WH40K are simply too big to take over with a strike team, especially a smaller one dumped using a teleportatorium (the lightning strike) - those are hit&run operations.

Taking over a ship would probably take days.

Even if you take control over them these are ships that require huge slave armies to manually load and aim the giant guns.

Besides, this isn't really a setting suited to that like the old Star Trek Armada games were.

 

[veevoir]

Uh, released: http://store.steampowered.com/app/363680/

Yes, we know. See my last two posts.

No Chaos campaign...

Which was known since forever that there's only imp campaign.

 

[ArchAngel]

This campaign is very lazy done. All missions are same like what you play in skirmish or MP, only they added some talking heads between them.

 

[Beastro]

This campaign is very lazy done. All missions are same like what you play in skirmish or MP, only they added some talking heads between them.

Which is shit. This is the perfect kind of combat to mix in some sort of open ended Total War-like strategic campaign(s).

 

[ArchAngel]

I mean this is still cool for people that like WH40k universe but for people that just like tactical RTS, once they finish the campaign, MP and skirmish are pointless because you get same gameplay experience.
One can say the campaign in this game truly prepares you for MP but I always liked my campaign to be somewhat different to MP/skirmish.

I only seen first few mission, maybe it gets better later but I doubt it because missions and interface before missions is identical to how I seen MP to work with point limits for your ships based on type of missions, maps are same and stuff.

Only difference is one defend the ship mission which sends you vs overwhelming enemies that you cannot beat while in MP it will be a more fair fight.

 

[Ulminati]

There have been a couple of other unique missions too, like the planetary bombardment mission

 

[ArchAngel]

There have been a couple of other unique missions too, like the planetary bombardment mission

That mission exists in MP as well, or that type of mission

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/04/22/battlefleet-gothic-armada-review/

Wot I Think: Battlefleet Gothic – Armada

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada [official site] is based on a now-defunct table-top game set in the Warhammer 40K universe. And that means that it comes with the same funky blend of fantasy and sci-fi you’ve come to expect from Games Workshop. Orcs are now “Orks.” You plan via a “Tactical Cogitator,” that kind of thing. 40K is as familiar as a piece of well-worn furniture around these parts, but if you’re not accustomed to the world it can all be a little obtuse. Whether you’re drawn in by the setting or have to cut through the silliness and jargon, you might be in for a treat. This is one of the best real-time tactical games I’ve played in quite some time.


For those not familiar with Games Workshop’s oeuvre, here are some basics. Most of their table top games operate on a points system. Skirmishes work by having two (or more) players select which units they want to field. In this space setting, big bombastic battlecruisers may cost 200-or-so points. Smaller support ships could run 30. Each player has a cap, say 600 points. You can bring whatever you want to the bout so long as you don’t exceed that limit.

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada works just the same. Each match – be it in the campaign, multiplayer or a customised one-off battle – will have you choosing one of four factions (Imperium, Ork, Eldar, Chaos) and then constructing a fleet before you deploy (i.e. position) them and commence with murder-killing. Whoever forces a retreat or accomplishes the mission objectives wins, and that’s it. Except it’s not.

Translating a pure, turn-based table-top experience into a digital, real-time one is a Herculean feat. This is a game where everything from firing arcs to targeting priority matter quite a bit. And even with a handful of ships on-screen, you can’t micromanage all of them as you would with real-world miniatures. As a designer, the options are either to make the game run so slow that it moves like molasses uphill in winter, or to cut out a lot of the tactical finesse you want your players to wield in order to keep things moving at a decent clip.

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada balances the two by shifting between time-scales with the press of your space bar. And while that sounds about as exciting as weekend spent sorting through tax documents, it’s an exceptional compromise and a vital feature.

Even the smallest engagements can get quite complex in a hurry. Torpedoes are one of the most powerful weapons in the game, but unlike turrets or laser cannons they won’t automatically track their targets. Instead, they fire in broad cones. And because the missiles take time to reach their targets, unless you’re maneuvering your space-boats with care, your salvos aren’t likely to hit. Where any given ship is facing matters. It pays to plan your approach, and keep as many guns active and tearing through Orkish hides as possible.

That’s where tactical maneuvers come in. Most ships can fire thrusters to make hard turns, or burn a huge amount of fuel to max out their speed for a few seconds. These tricks are essential to master because they can move you out of the line of incoming attacks, or position a rival in just the right spot. They all pull from a limited combustion meter, and once it’s gone, you won’t have access to any of your stunts until it refills.

In-game these systems play together beautifully. I found myself pulling in targets to chase my quicker ships before moving in with the big guns. In critical moments, I’d crank the thrusters to full and ram my foes, forcing them into an asteroid field or impending torpedo barrage. It’s a lot to manage, but I always had something to do, whether it was an ambush or an all-out full frontal assault, each tactic I ran with had me giggly with glee. “Holy hell, that worked?!” I’d shout right after cleaving a dreadnought in two with a giant, ship-mounted spear. And that was before I started playing with each ships’ special abilities.

As you play, either in multiplayer games or in the extensive single-player, you’ll earn renown. You can spend that on ship upgrades to unlock new options that range from massive AOE plasma bombs to fighter squadrons. Once you’ve earned a few, Battlefleet gets even more deliciously nuanced. With a half-dozen skill-laden boats in your flotilla, you’ll be juggling their techniques and cooldowns all the time. Never have I felt control groups and mini-map navigation to be so crucial. Battlefleet is all about tactics, and players that drool over fine-tuned micromanagement will love the breadth and depth of tools at their disposal.

Multiplayer matches thrive on this customization. Each game was distinct. My opponents and I had an ever-shifting roster of admirals and flagships with personalized stats and tactics. More often than not, I was in suspense – eager to see just what my enemy had cooked up. Much like the table-top game on which Battlefleet is based, you’ll never know exactly what you’re getting into, and what kinds of powerful abilities your enemies have. And while that often means you’ll fall into a trap you couldn’t predict, it’s that veil of ignorance that keeps games with others so exciting.

But, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, the biggest draw for me was the campaign. It’s not exactly news to RTS fans that single-player modes are often shite. It’s a rule that’s been consistent for as long as I can remember. Sure you can conjure up counter-examples, Starcraft and Rise of Nations come to mind, but there aren’t many stand-outs. And don’t get me wrong, Battlefleet’s story is a shambling wreck. It’s packed full of storytelling’s most egregious sins like the excessive use on unexplained proper nouns and buckets of melodrama, but it is a joy to play regardless.

Battlefleet Gothic sets up a galaxy full of planets and stars that need defending from the encroaching Chaos. You’re a space captain (or maybe an admiral, it doesn’t matter either way) and you’re leading your empire’s defense against the Ultimate Evil. Along the way you’ll have to beat back hordes of pirates and mercenaries to maintain control and cohesion of your star systems. Each turn you’ll select one of several missions you can run, and within a few turns you’ll gain control of multiple fleets. Then, you’ll fight several battles per round before you regroup, heal-up, upgrade, and jump back into the fray.

Battlefleet Gothic succeeds because it doesn’t treat the failure of one mission as invalid. Instead, your rewards are lessened, and you risk some more significant consequences down the line. You can savescum if you like, but you’ll wind-up at the beginning of your turn, which often means having to repeat a 20-minute skirmish. So you’re encouraged to live with loss and carry on regardless. You can’t even give-up a match without losing access to your ships for a turn. It’s often frustrating, but in the best way.

If you lose, it’s your fault and you have to live with those consequences. It gives weight and meaning to your tactical prowess or shortcomings. And while I took occasional dips into the online multiplayer for the sake of this piece, I couldn’t stop myself from jumping back into the campaign time and time again.

I’ve spent a few days playing Battlefleet Gothic at this point, and I don’t have all that many criticisms. I’ve a few small complaints, such as wishing the camera would pull out farther, and I wish the it was easier to see the specialties of ships as you’re selecting them, but almost everything about BGA is impressive. It captures the essence of its inspiration while faithfully translating the experience into the digital, it’s got an attractive and stark aesthetic, and I’m still giddy over the one time I rammed a battlecruiser through three frigates and destroyed them all without stopping.

More than anything, it’s left me with a wide grin and itchy fingers, and as soon as I’m done here I’ll be jumping right back into the game.

 

[veevoir]

Gameplay aside.. They do know their lore. And they are treating it with fucking proper respect. Seriously, even DoW didn't nail the WH40K flavour so neatly as this does in campaign.