RTS Ultimate General: American Revolution

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

https://www.ug1775.com/

American Revolution is a sandbox strategy game featuring the epic historical period during the rebellion of the American colonies against the British Empire. Take on the role of the British or American Colonists, and fight for territorial control over North America. A gripping real-time campaign awaits you on a detailed 3d map where you can build your army and navy, construct military infrastructure, and fully command your armies on a regimental level. If you want even more action you can fully zoom-in and fight massive battles on a battalion level.

Fight in real-time on the global map with regiments and naval squadrons. Move your General to gain the tactical control of the situation in a minimal way. The presence of the General makes it possible to control the troops or ships directly on map, actively use maneuvers, cut supply routes, utilize different types of terrain and flank with cavalry. The battles can be fought with more detail and full tactical control by zooming-in further on the map.

MASSIVE BATTLES
If you choose to fight battles with full tactical control, the regiments become divided into smaller battalions allowing you the command of hundreds of units in real-time, creating a dazzling and realistic combat experience of the historical period. Troops are positioned in a landscape according to the placement they had on the map at the given time. Some will engage the enemy immediately, others can be re-positioned in deployment zones, while those which were further away may join later as reinforcements.

BUILD YOUR ARMY AND FLEET
You will need a strong army and navy to win the war. Form infantry regiments, cavalry squadrons, and fleets. Assign the best officers and equip units with the strongest weapons to increase their power. You will have to choose how best to manage your recruits - create new units or replenish casualties? Such decisions may have a huge impact on the course of war.

MILITARY INFRASTRUCTURE
Lead your troops to victory. Develop regions that provide food, weapons, and ammunition for your army and navy. Build military structures to train special recruits or host your army during the harsh winter. Build infrastructure to raise supplies and plan supply routes that reach your armies while they are fighting.

SUPPLY YOUR TROOPS
Armies or Fleets cannot be maintained without an effective industrial base. Produce rifles, cannons, and build ships. A single shot needs powder and a bullet. War requires tons of powder and thousands of bullets. Organize and prioritize the production chain to fulfill your army's requirements.

ARMY, NAVY, SUPPLY
DELAYED REPORTING

Realistic reconnaissance is simulated, making messages the basis of military intelligence and battle maneuvering. Messages can be delayed or be intercepted by the enemy, resulting in your orders not reaching your troops in time or rendering communication with your distant territories impossible.

I would've preferred Napoleonic or other Euro conflict focus.

 

[Mark Richard]

So the spreadsheet interlude of the previous game has been ditched in favour of a wider overland map in the vein of the Total War series (except in real-time), significantly expanding on the logistical possibilities. Rather than jumping between a string of pre-arranged missions, you go about creating the battles yourself, potentially winning or losing some fights before the first shot is fired. Knights of Honor II is trying to do this in real-time too. I hope both development teams are up to the slew of challenges this presents to the AI.

 

[JarlFrank]

So the spreadsheet interlude of the previous game has been ditched in favour of a wider overland map in the vein of the Total War series (except in real-time), significantly expanding on the logistical possibilities. Rather than jumping between a string of pre-arranged missions, you go about creating the battles yourself, potentially winning or losing some fights before the first shot is fired. Knights of Honor II is trying to do this in real-time too. I hope both development teams are up to the slew of challenges this presents to the AI.

Knights of Honor 1 was a decent game already so that team has a proven track record.

 

[Burning Bridges]

I would've preferred Napoleonic or other Euro conflict focus.

I would have preferred the South Sudanesia conflict and Ethiopia with a focus on the Entebbe valley.

But it has always been a great pleasure to play American Civil War as England and prevent Americka from happening.

 

[Sinilevä]

https://www.ug1775.com/

American Revolution is a sandbox strategy game featuring the epic historical period during the rebellion of the American colonies against the British Empire. Take on the role of the British or American Colonists, and fight for territorial control over North America. A gripping real-time campaign awaits you on a detailed 3d map where you can build your army and navy, construct military infrastructure, and fully command your armies on a regimental level. If you want even more action you can fully zoom-in and fight massive battles on a battalion level.

Fight in real-time on the global map with regiments and naval squadrons. Move your General to gain the tactical control of the situation in a minimal way. The presence of the General makes it possible to control the troops or ships directly on map, actively use maneuvers, cut supply routes, utilize different types of terrain and flank with cavalry. The battles can be fought with more detail and full tactical control by zooming-in further on the map.

MASSIVE BATTLES
If you choose to fight battles with full tactical control, the regiments become divided into smaller battalions allowing you the command of hundreds of units in real-time, creating a dazzling and realistic combat experience of the historical period. Troops are positioned in a landscape according to the placement they had on the map at the given time. Some will engage the enemy immediately, others can be re-positioned in deployment zones, while those which were further away may join later as reinforcements.

BUILD YOUR ARMY AND FLEET
You will need a strong army and navy to win the war. Form infantry regiments, cavalry squadrons, and fleets. Assign the best officers and equip units with the strongest weapons to increase their power. You will have to choose how best to manage your recruits - create new units or replenish casualties? Such decisions may have a huge impact on the course of war.

MILITARY INFRASTRUCTURE
Lead your troops to victory. Develop regions that provide food, weapons, and ammunition for your army and navy. Build military structures to train special recruits or host your army during the harsh winter. Build infrastructure to raise supplies and plan supply routes that reach your armies while they are fighting.

SUPPLY YOUR TROOPS
Armies or Fleets cannot be maintained without an effective industrial base. Produce rifles, cannons, and build ships. A single shot needs powder and a bullet. War requires tons of powder and thousands of bullets. Organize and prioritize the production chain to fulfill your army's requirements.

ARMY, NAVY, SUPPLY
DELAYED REPORTING

Realistic reconnaissance is simulated, making messages the basis of military intelligence and battle maneuvering. Messages can be delayed or be intercepted by the enemy, resulting in your orders not reaching your troops in time or rendering communication with your distant territories impossible.

I would've preferred Napoleonic or other Euro conflict focus.

30 years war please.

 

[Ol' Willy]

Shitton of wars that deserve such a game: from Seven Years War up to Russo-Japanese or First Balkan war

Instead, dozens of games about Kwanza separatist and secession wars

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

 

[Harthwain]

The campaign map looks sweet.

 

[Luka-boy]

Is the video correctly embedded? I only see a black window there.

 

[Arrowgrab]

Can you play a campaign as the good guys who protect the colonies from the violent traitorous rebels?

 

[Harthwain]

Can you play a campaign as the good guys who protect the colonies from the violent traitorous rebels?

You can play only as one of the two: the Continentals (Americans) and the British Empire.

 

[JarlFrank]

Same as Ultimate General: Civil War but the campaign layer is an actual campaign layer instead of just a sequence of historical battles with troop carryover.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Same as Ultimate General: Civil War but the campaign layer is an actual campaign layer instead of just a sequence of historical battles with troop carryover.

There's also actual naval battles.

 

[JarlFrank]

I like how the devs progress from small games that experiment with new features, then move on to bigger projects that implement the previous game's ideas.

Ultimate General: Gettysburg was just a single battle happening over multiple days. Very small and focused wargame.
Ultimate General: Civil War expanded the game to cover the entire civil war with multiple battles and a rudimentary campaign structure to stitch them together, along with unit customization and experience gain.
Ultimate Admiral: Age of Sail took the unit customization of UG:CW and applied it to a naval setting, with customizable ships. The game has land battles but the focus is naval combat.

Now UG: American Revolution takes the land and naval battles of the previous games and combines them into a proper Total War style experience with a strategic campaign map.

 

[Luka-boy]

 

[Sinilevä]

Looks very interesting, but too bad they have selected one of the most boring conflicts in human history.

 

[Hace El Oso]

Looks very interesting, but too bad they have selected one of the most boring conflicts in human history.

I assume this is just continental European chauvinism speaking?

 

[Sinilevä]

Looks very interesting, but too bad they have selected one of the most boring conflicts in human history.

I assume this is just continental European chauvinism speaking?

But I like games about American Civil war!

 

[Harthwain]

Looks very interesting, but too bad they have selected one of the most boring conflicts in human history.

I assume this is just continental European chauvinism speaking?

I am not so sure. I just don't find much to be interested about the war between the British Empire and the American Colonies when compared to other conflicts. Some are classic for obvious reasons (World War 2, Caesar's Gallic Wars, Caesar's Civil War, for example).

This could be beacuse is it very localized (at least until the French officially joined the war, which was at the very end) and for some time it was mostly about the dirt-poor Colonials running away from the Red Coats until they got proper training and supplies. Compare to the American Civil War, where you have the ravaging of Georgia by Sherman, fight over the railroads/rivers as the important supply routes and the constant battles between the two forces (with back-and-forth). Or look at the Napoleonic Wars. The American Revolution simply doesn't stand a chance by comparison, even if we limit ourselves to the era of muskets and gunpowder.

That said, the game looks nice and the developers have proven themselves to be competent in the past, so I am looking forward to this game.

 

[Removal]

until they got proper training and supplies

even then, it's not really an interesting conflict tactically or strategically outside of the US getting founded

 

[JarlFrank]

I guess he picked that conflict because Ultimate General: Civil War was set in the US, and the naval game Ultimate Admiral: Age of Sail was set in the 18th century Americas, so he wanted something with a similar setting.

Any other American war would've been more interesting though. War of 1812, the American theater in the 7 Years War, the Mexican-American War, or even just Ultimate General: Civil War 2.

All of these have bigger armies and a larger theater. Most of these also have more factions, and more diverse ones, either with natives playing a larger role or Spanish taking part.

 

[Luka-boy]

Plenty of videos of the initial early access campaign popping out.

Seems to be the 1775 Boston campaign and playable only as the Americans.

 

[Ladonna]

Isn't one of the guys involved in this an ex total war modder named "Darth Vader"? I remember he and some others started up after getting knocked back for a job at CA.

 

[sser]

Looks very interesting, but too bad they have selected one of the most boring conflicts in human history.

I assume this is just continental European chauvinism speaking?

The war was more about certain moments that a real-time tactics game isn't going to capture -- things like Washington keeping his army cohesive and disciplined despite fraying at the seams, his huge roll of the dice in crossing the Delaware, the almost Carthaginian way in which Congress often refused to help Washington, or the general juggling of financial/political power and trying to get foreign powers involved (the Dutch, French, Spanish, etc.). Most of the war was spent with American armed forces running around avoiding major engagements as best they could. The overarching tale of the fighting side of things wasn't about Washington winning battles left and right, but that he managed to keep his army alive at all.

UG's engine doesn't really seem fitting for this setting. I think it's just a test run for concepts to use either in a future Napoleon game or a return to the Civil War. I'm assuming Napoleon though, because the implementation of moving armies and occupiable cities suggests a 'conquering' aspect that would very much fit the Frenchie. The team also has significant foreign backing so they have the tools to come knocking on bigger competitive doors if they want (i.e., the flagging Total War series).

 

[Wyatt_Derp]

Same as Ultimate General: Civil War but the campaign layer is an actual campaign layer instead of just a sequence of historical battles with troop carryover.

I sure hope so. That scenario chain crap is what I hated about Ultimate General. Reminded me of Panzer Corps. Linking together different tactical battles and calling it a campaign feels more like baby's first strategy game. I'd give a game from the 80s or 90s a pass because of the limits of programming software, but in current day it's unnecessary and lazy.