Question/Poll while we wait for 1.3

[The Witch-King]

Herr General...

First I can remember is Panzer General. It was also the best - closely contested by Panzer General 2 which had better tactical gameplay but had a much shorter campaign and also it didn't branch out in the impressive way the first game did.

Ah, nostalgia!

EDIT: Of course, I played Third Reich and other tabletop games before that...

 

[unmerged(63310)]

The ones stick out in my memory most were the ones which allowed multiplayer. The sheer challenge and not knowing what moves the other guys was going to do is not able to be matched by any AI scripts. Only problem with HoI in this respect is the time it takes to play even 1 year in multi. I don't know if I had that kind of free time even in high school.

Panzer General 2 online SSI platform and then the following hosting on various places with new scenarios. Nothing like 2 vs 2 on a large map with limited units, one mistake and its over unless your partner plays brilliant. I still remember Red Tide scenario online trying to capture the last victory hex before time expired while US's final bomber tried to find my single tank left alive.

Close Combat series... first ones which allowed multiplayer and were stable sucked hours of my time.

Steel Panthers just had some fantastic scenarios.

High Command- first time I realized wargames existed.

Have to include AoE2 just due to the frantic online games and well balanced units.

 

[Apikoros18]

I am so happy with the response my question garnered. I was so addicted to Panzer General that it became my nickname in college for a bit... I used to love getting the extra "advanced" unit for defeating a scenario early, lol. I also like the one where you were the US against China... Anyone play that? Also, kudos to whomever mentioned Balance of Power... Great game, as well. That high level command set new zones in my brain...

 

[unmerged(156228)]

Eastern Front by Avalon Hill - It was a cardboard map with tank counters with the computer calculating hits and misses.

Crusade in Europe by Microprose.

 

[mrsund]

I downloaded a Panzer General version for windows yesterday after reading this, it was a legal version and it was very fun playing this old favorite once again.

 

[unmerged(167745)]

kriegspeil for the dragon 32, yeah im that old

 

[unmerged(45611)]

Panzer General, on both counts

 

[Fred Renvoyer]

The Operational Art of War : century of warfare ,
and 12 O'Clock High.

 

[Kikaider]

Panzer General was my first, got me into wanting to read all sorts of history!

 

[Forster]

Ah yes, the old Avalon Hill and SPI games...

Favorites and firsts of mine come from those..

First WWII game was Third Reich

Favorite was War in Europe when they re-did that one (the 9 maps were great - loved just setting up the game with all of the different counters on it). Played a moderated game of War in the Pacific that was about as much fun as I've ever had...

Wanted to see the whole 'Europa' series by GDW come together like they were planning - that would have been insane. As it was, Fire in the East and Scorched Earth were a blast.

Got that right. LOVED the GDW games. The AH and SPI were much easier to deal with. I think, though, the question was the first computer version. For me it was Avalon Hill's Third Reich. I loved it even with all of the quirks and foibles. I wished they had improved it and kept it alive.

 

[Forster]

First PC WG - Tigers in the Snow....Battle of the Bulge brigade level simulation.

Up until 3 years ago I still had the tabletop; Third Reich, Africa Korps, Blitzkrieg, and a dozen others...until my wife and her mother donated them to charity while I was at work one day...."They were taking up closet space". I had them for 30 yrs.

Too bad we can't get IBM'S Deep Blue team interested in playing around with this. Definitely more challenging than having the AI beat a human at chess.

I still have most of mine, even a signed Tobruk, although it once got a little wet when our basement flooded when I was assigned overseas in Italy.

 

[Forster]

WOW! now don't that bring back kewl memories... I havent even thought of 'Third Reich' or 'Africa Korps' in over at least 15 yrs. I It's kinda like watching a repeat of the movie 'Weird Science' now-a-days and going back to the 80's lol... I wonder if "Avalon Hill"... for those who don't know they made 3rd Reich" and other great board games back in the 70's and 80's... is still in existence.. prolly not.

But, ,I wouldn't be that surprised if the Avalon Hill WW2 games were inspiration for Paradox's games... even a little inspiration

HOI series is extremely similar to 3rd Reich.

The game division was finally shut down by the company. wasn't making enough profit I guess.

 

[unmerged(175905)]

Carriers at war (I think it was called) on the C64. Had lots of features including weather, task groups, CAG missions etc.

 

[unmerged(94346)]

I think my first one was Gary Grigsby's World at War but HOI is way better.

 

[Red Boxer]

Command HQ!

 

[unmerged(35485)]

I think it was "kings bounty", "Panzer general", "Sun tzu's art of war" (which already was modable ) and Third reich....

Or maybe it was "war in the middle earth" on the old commodore

 

[Defender_16]

Mine was Command & Conquer: Red Alert which was technically A second World War. :rofl:

Seriously though the closest thing to a WW2 strategy game I've ever played before was a few minutes of Close Combat: A Bridge too Far.

 

[Scryder]

Like many others, Panzer General was my first WWII strategy game as far as I remember...

Mine was Command & Conquer: Red Alert which was technically A second World War. :rofl:

I used to love this too.

 

[zombie]

My first was Axis and Allies for the PC, circa 1998. That got me into wargames, WW2, and history in general.

After that I got into Panzer General 3D, West Front, WWII Fighters, and a slew of WW2 fps games.

For multi-player it was (and is, occasionally) Combat Mission and Hidden & Dangerous 2. Oh and Operation Flashpoint, which had WW2 mods.

I love strategy games and WW2, so I'm basically a cheap, willing manwhore for WW2 strategy games. Hearts of Iron, when it came out, was like crack to me. Especially before I had a job and other responsibilities I would play that game like others play WoW or Everquest. Throw in the CORE mod, the sequel and its expansions, and a fellow WW2/strat game fanatic and I have easily spent more time playing the HoI series than any other game.

1.3 needs to be good. And judging from the RC updates its going to be!

 

[Tanaka]

R.T. Smith games publish by CCS mid to late 80's: Arnhem, Desert Rats, and Vulcan.

Later as my forum "nickname" points, was a G.G. fan, War in Russia and Pacific War.

AH games, even squad based (Squad Leader, Fire Power)... the number of night hrs spent playing with friends AH Stalingrad (with 6th Army no retreat rule) were just insane.

"Arrived" at Paradox through Thibault to EU1 late 99 early 00.

...and yes, also played Panzer General... when something "light" was on demand