Strategy games lacking direct control

[Destroid]

Looking for games in this style I have not played yet. Games where you do not have direct control over your minions.

Such games I have already played:

Populous 1/2
Darwinia (to a degree)
Majesty 1/2
Dwarf Fortress

Probably others but I can't think of them now. I find these games a lot of fun, any game where your units have a high degree of independence I usually find interesting. More puzzler style games also welcome, not just the thematic strategy games as above.

 

[Stereotypical Villain]

Deadlock II doesn't let you control your units in the combat sections, instead you pick some commands and certain AI behaviours before the battle starts.

Edit: Also, Deadlock 1.

 

[racofer]

ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL

 

[pipka]

Caesar III/ Pharaoh/ Zeus

 

[yaster]

You have direct control over combat units in CIII/PH/greekshit

One of more obvious would be Dungeon Keeper

 

[Destroid]

Ah, I've played DK and DK2, but so long ago that I couldn't remember if you did or not. Was it just the imps you had direct control over for mining?

 

[Fez]

Dominions 3 doesn't allow direct control of your minion in battle. You give a rough outline of orders and positions for any future battles and then watch it play out whenever you attack or are attacked in turn.

Powermonger gave some control of your recruits via the captains, but was limited otherwise. Unusually you were also forced to send messages by pigeon and wait for it to travel across the map before anyone would get the order.

 

[GarfunkeL]

Populous 3 is shit, so avoid it. Black & White had you only controlling the pet and even that is not exactly directly controlled.

The Space Empires games don't allow you to control your ships in tactical combat; instead you create fleets and task forces inside those fleets, which can have different standing orders, etc. It's pretty fun to try to create suitable composition/order-mix for different situations.

 

[Jack]

Ah, I've played DK and DK2, but so long ago that I couldn't remember if you did or not. Was it just the imps you had direct control over for mining?

You didn't really have direct control, but you could possess creatures aka ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL

 

[Lyesmith]

Settlers obviously. But you must have played it already.

 

[Destroid]

Yep, I've played settlers and Space Empires (V).

I really liked populous 3. The combat animations were great and the way your guys built/destroyed buildings was very cool also. Although only have I think 3 different kinds of military unit kind of hurts an RTS game.

Powermongers I think I tried to get working and failed in Dosbox some time ago, I'll have to give it another shot.

 

[DraQ]

If Netstorm qualifies as strategy, Netstorm.

 

[Destroid]

Played Netstorm also.

 

[Panthera]

Here's a more obscure one that I still boot up from time to time to enjoy.

http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/642/Stronghold.html

 

[Fez]

Here's a more obscure one that I still boot up from time to time to enjoy.

http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/642/Stronghold.html

Did you get that running well or without problems? I presume in DosBox? I'll have to see if I can get it running again then.

 

[Panthera]

Here's a more obscure one that I still boot up from time to time to enjoy.

http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/642/Stronghold.html

Did you get that running well or without problems? I presume in DosBox? I'll have to see if I can get it running again then.

Actually, the last time I played through a round of it I didn't even use DosBox. Windows XP, launched from CMD.exe. With DosBox it should be fine.

 

[Ashery]

For a partial match, look into the Kohan series.

Around each company of units is a zone of control. When the ZoCs of two opposing companies meet, they engage each other. During the combat, your input is limited to issuing a retreat or rout order.

Unfortunately, the game's best in multiplayer and the community has largely died off. There should still be some custom AIs (SAIs) out there that'll provide more than enough of a challenge for new players, though.

 

[ZbojLamignat]

Dungeon Keeper is definitely the best, you could also probably try another Bullfrog Game - Theme Hospital.

As I also mentioned in other topic - Ghost Master was a really nice idea, but the execution got a bit fucked up. Still - it's worth trying imo.

 

[Norfleet]

The Space Empires games don't allow you to control your ships in tactical combat; instead you create fleets and task forces inside those fleets, which can have different standing orders, etc. It's pretty fun to try to create suitable composition/order-mix for different situations.

Yes it does. Are we playing the same Space Empires?

 

[GarfunkeL]

Haven't played them in a while so can't be sure - but at least I always treated the combat as cinematic with pause/play/rewind/fastforward-feature.

 

[Norfleet]

That has always struck me as a good way to lose battles. And there's no rewind, unless you're playing in display-only mode.

 

[JarlFrank]

The Space Empires games don't allow you to control your ships in tactical combat; instead you create fleets and task forces inside those fleets, which can have different standing orders, etc. It's pretty fun to try to create suitable composition/order-mix for different situations.

I remember SE IV having turn based battles and SE V having real time battles, both with direct control.

Are we talking about the same Space Empires here or is either your or my memory fucked up?

 

[marlboroo]

tycoon games?

sim city, railroad tycon, capitalism, etc

 

[GarfunkeL]

I've played both IV and V. No turn-based battles at all, those were in MoO's. Dammit, now I have to dig them up and play again since I can't trust my memory anymore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdgZKUIA ... re=related

That looks like wholly hands-off playing style. Unless it was a replay only.

 

[YourConscience]

Both in SEIV and SEV it is possible to:
- autoresolve a battle
- play it, but let the AI take over and play the whole battle
- play it and control every single ship and fighter

In SEIV playing by yourself means a lot. In SEV even more. But in both games the controls are rather fiddly.