Strategy games are so boring. How do you fans stand it?

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tzhu07

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I purchased Total War Shogun 2 a while back and put around 5 hours into it before putting it "on hold" in my Steam games list.

The turn based style of the game is plain boring. And the real time battles are boring too and take far too long. Add to all of this extremely long load times (even with my Samsung 830 SSD) and it just makes for a crappy experience.

This game has almost a 90% score on GameRankings.com. Who are the people reviewing this game? Anyways, I don't think I'll ever buy another strategy game ever again. I'm black-listing the genre in my personal library.

Does anyone else distance themselves from an entire genre of games?
 
And a lot of people enjoy the genre very much. Are you surprised different people have different tastes in video games?
 
Shane_c82 said:
And a lot of people enjoy the genre very much. Are you surprised different people have different tastes in video games?
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No, of course I know that different people have different preferences.

I guess what I'm looking for in this thread is an answer to WHY strategy fans like the genre.
 
I won't touch fighting games like Streetfighter IV with a ten foot pole. It just bores me to tears...Nothing wrong with that though, different strokes for different folks.

<edit> to answer as to why i like strategy games: I find it more satisfying to outsmart my opponent (or the computer A.I.) than to know i have better reflexes or better aim. I like FPS games, i like RPG's but none are as satisfying as knowing that in real life, the Kingdom of Aragon disappeared and in the game i was playing, Aragon took over Europe (just as an example for a game of EU III). By the way, i HATE real time strategy games. I like to think my moves through without time pressure. Really liked the Panzer General series or Fantasy Wars.
 
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I'm definitely not a Strategy fan, which is odd because I grew up playing table top strategy games. I just don't find strategy games on PC all that entertaining. I've played through the DOW1 series, mostly because 40k is interesting, and I enjoyed WC3, but beyond that, yeah, not really into it.

I've always thought someone needs to make a turn based strategy game that copies Warhammer Fantasy, that'd interest me.

There's no genres that I've fully boycotted or anything, but there's definitely some I enjoy more than others and even if a game is getting rave reviews and good comments I'll ignore it if it falls into a genre that I don't care about.
 
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We like them because they were popular in our generation.. Just like we have better music then young people today :p
 
damarious25 said:
http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/web05/2012/1/17/17/enhanced-buzz-28142-1326838563-22.jpg[/IMG

We like them because they were popular in our generation.. Just like we have better music then young people today :P[/QUOTE]

what generation is that exactly? 25-30?
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I hated Starcraft... but I decided to give SC2 a try, and I quite enjoy it now.

I'm still terrible at it.. but it's a change from the usual Racing and FPS games I play.
 
tzhu07 said:
No, of course I know that different people have different preferences.

I guess what I'm looking for in this thread is an answer to WHY strategy fans like the genre.
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Because we aren't ADD.
 
damarious25 said:
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We like them because they were popular in our generation.. Just like we have better music then young people today :p
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Amen brother :cool:

I'm an older gamer who remembers getting his first games on 5 inch floppies. That doesn't mean I don't like FPS or action games (anyone can see my steam list to show thats not the case :)). But I like to play strategy games a lot. Hell, before I got into PC gaming hardcore (when Half Life came out, I went full retard on PC gaming), I used to play hex-based wargames on a giant table. My girlfriends used to think it was the most boring thing about me, and I can see what they mean, but there is just something about being able to play as if you are a general commanding large armies, or a god-like figure who can build a civilization. It takes patience, planning, and an aptitude for seeing where decisions will lead in a certain amount of time.

A good way to think about it is in smoking terms. A strategy player is a pipe smoker who takes his time to clean out the pipe, stuff the scented tobacco into the bowl and light up using a matchstick, sits back and meditates on the next move while he wafts in the smell. The average action gamer is the guy who needs to find a quick Marlboro and light it with another smokers cigarette while shivering outside in the wind.

Sycraft said:
Because we aren't ADD.
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That too :p
 
I spend most of my time playing strategy games. I still enjoy the other genres and play those also, but those tend to burn out and my fallback is always a good strategy game.

My most satisfying aspect is the execution and observation of a deliberate plan that I laid out at the start of the game and the navigation of the pitfalls along the way :). To me, that's just as exciting as pulling off a desperately outnumbered pvp kill in an mmo with a sliver of health left - just less adrenalin involved :p.
 
damarious25 said:
Yes... Why?

Are we really that old? My first games were a one on one basketball game and a racing game i'd play with a one button joystick. They were both on 5 inch.
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I come from the same generation and still don't like strategy games :p I fondly remember playing the original Warcraft with a mate back in the day, it was far from the first video game I ever played ;)
 
A lot of high quality games in the strategy genre. The pity of it is: I'm simply past terrible at them.
 
I like certain strategy game like Settlers. Steam says I've spent 61 hours on Settlers 6.

Its a kind of genre that doesn't appeal to everyone. Similar to flight sims or tactical shooters for example. I enjoy them, especially tactical shooters, but not everyone finds them fun.
 
I grew up playing war games, Avalon Hill/Strategic Publications, and always appreciated the detail and sheer number of factors that went into making a "turn." I played miniatures for the same reason. The only time I ever play FPS is maybe at the movie theater waiting for the show. Ten minutes and I'm bored.
 
tzhu07 said:
Does anyone else distance themselves from an entire genre of games?
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:rolleyes:

Do you like the exact same kind of food as everyone else?

Same clothes? music? movies? sports?

I mean, seriously dude, this type of question is easy to answer.


In spanish (NOT SPAIN) we have a saying "entre gustos y colores no han escrito los autores", roughly translates to "between tastes and colors the autors haven't written" :)

Enjoy being unique, just like everybody else ;)
 
strategy games are revered by the 'older' crowd..back when pc gaming started, early 80's (btw the best music was the 80's), ALOT of pc games were strategy games/wargames..why? because they took the board game concepts/titles and just converted them to pc titles..thats why hexagons were implemented..they came from board games

therefore, alot of us who were playing the very first pc games, became pc strategy gamers..also, before the pc, we all played board games and the best strategy board game of all time, chess.

also, ALOT of rpg titles are subtle strategy games..fallout, xcom spring to mind...the combat was turnbased carried out with action points

but yes, i agree, they certainly can be 'slow' and boring to a more modern audience..thats why its become a niche market but back in the day, it was huge and still retains a strong following because all of us 'older' gamers still enjoy a good pc strategy title
 
People are fans of the Total War series because it's one of the few games where you can simulate historical battles with thousands of soldiers. Pitting your hand built army of a thousand soldiers against the enemies over contested territory is a sight to behold. The sheer scale of the battle itself is impressive.

That being said, you shouldn't give up on a genre after one game. I'd check out Might and Magic: Heroes 6, Civilization 5, and the King's Bounty series before writing off the genre completely.
 
Strategy games are great. I've just found that since I started working full time and am now married that I don't have time for them. Multiplayer matches are too unpredictable in duration for me to plan them into an afternoon, so now I find myself hopping in/out of FPS games as time allows.

I loved the Warcraft series, Dawn of War series, Company of Heroes series, and Total War series. I haven't played much RTS at all since Starcraft 2 sorely disappointed me. I was expecting it to be very similar to the original (which it is), but I didn't expect to find the transition back to old-school RTS so jarring. It feels like such a cop-out, although I know they had millions of fanatic Koreans to please. It's a "good" game, and it does what it does near perfectly, but I don't like asian tournament style, follow the recipe for victory games at all. After CoH and DoW, it just seems like so much more strategy game depth has been unveiled. Base building is out, economy is out; it's all about combat tactics for me now. I'm eagerly awaiting the next CoH or DoW game...I think rumors of their existence have been floating around for a few months now.
 
I used to spend tons of time playing flight simulators and strategy games. Massive hours. Now I'm just not drawn to them like I used to be. I suppose the mystery is gone. If I never played any other type of game, I'd still be playing them.

And sometimes our interests are in flux. Give the game a few months or a year, and you might actually like it again if you try at the right time. I'll have games that I know I loved just not do it for me. My whole body is repulsed by playing any more. Then when I come back to it at another time. It just scratches the right itch and I enjoy it.

Most games are inherently boring to our intelligence ... but then they suck you in and then it's a blast.
 
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You played shogun 2 for 5 hours? So you only got as far as the main menu? (even off an SSD that game takes an era to start! :D)

AI is still ridiculously stupid in all games. Once you learn the "tricks" it is too simple. Find a good tactic and the AI will fall for it over and over and over. "Harder" AI is just the same but with better troops/build rates. Multiplayer strategy mainly seems to be knowing the units and building mechanics! RTS is the same but with memorizing build orders! Theres mental challenges in all games, and tactics. But AI is still just scripted following of things with trickery to make you believe it's more e "intelligent" than it actually is.
 
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Strategy is not my go to genre, but I like it for the intellectual challenge similar in fashion to a civil debate. Also it's a management type game. People who like to multitask and fix problems might drawn to this genre.
 
DeathPrincess said:
You played shogun 2 for 5 hours? So you only got as far as the main menu? (even off an SSD that game takes an era to start! :D)

AI is still ridiculously stupid in all games. Once you learn the "tricks" it is too simple. Find a good tactic and the AI will fall for it over and over and over. "Harder" AI is just the same but with better troops/build rates. Multiplayer strategy mainly seems to be knowing the units and building mechanics! RTS is the same but with memorizing build orders! Theres mental challenges in all games, and tactics. But AI is still just scripted following of things with trickery to make you believe it's more e "intelligent" than it actually is.
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I agree. However, I think the lack of good AI in games is the lack of talent in the game studios. The skills and abilities that go into creating most games, however good, aren't the same skill set that goes into strategic thinking and theory. Conversely, the people who have that skill set aren't attracted to the problems that gaming offers. Not to mention, others pay better. :)
 
You can't use one game as indicative of an entire genre. Do you like FPS games? Do you enjoy every single FPS game and type of FPS game? FO3/NV, Stalker, Battlefield, Arma, Quake, TF2, CS, DXHR, and COD can all be classified as FPS games yet are extremely different from one another.

I like strategy games but I've never been able to get into the Total War Series. I never really enjoyed Warcraft games either. Not a big fan of Command and Conquer either. Just like for FPS games I preferred UT over Quake 3 and the Unreal as a series in general. I never liked MoH or COD. Never got into CS:Source but played CS 1.6 and earlier. I'm also less interested in pure shooter style single player FPS games.

Really these days more so the large broad genres such as Strategy, FPS and etc. are much too broad to judge games. Civ 5 and SC2 are strategy games yet they are extremely different with different appeal. Just like how Stalker is a FPS game and so is COD but another huge gap in terms of appeal. It really isn't a stretch to say Civ 5 is as different to SC2 as it is to Stalker. Games within a genre are actually so different these days I think most people would be surprised at how much they break from their preconceptions about that genre.
 
I enjoy most genres, however my two favorite games right now are Battlefield 3 and Company of Heroes.
 
The Total War series is awesome, but I've moved away from the real-time battles. I really got into Civ 5, I've put about 40 hours into it. I still jump into it from time to time, but I have to be careful, I can get sucked into it pretty easily.
 
Turn-based strategy games are things that I do in unison with something else on my other monitor. I'll play Civ 5 on my primary monitor while watching TV or movies or something on my other monitor. It's a low level of engagement for me because there are no time restraints on any of my actions.

Real-time strategy games... those can be interesting. The complaint here seems to be against turn based games, which extends beyond strategy. Strategy games also tend to have high barriers to entry to new players. You have to be psychotically into these games to really get a lot out of them.
 
krameriffic said:
Turn-based strategy games are things that I do in unison with something else on my other monitor. I'll play Civ 5 on my primary monitor while watching TV or movies or something on my other monitor. It's a low level of engagement for me because there are no time restraints on any of my actions.

Real-time strategy games... those can be interesting. The complaint here seems to be against turn based games, which extends beyond strategy. Strategy games also tend to have high barriers to entry to new players. You have to be psychotically into these games to really get a lot out of them.
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One man's psycho is another man's type of intelligence. :D

Strategy games do have a high barrier to entry for new players but, it's legitimate complexity. One of my pet peeves is the plethora of games out that don't instruct you how to do basic things as if forcing you to learn by trial and error somehow adds game value.
 
I like strategy games because I like......strategy :) I can't even tell you how much time I used to spend playing chess.
I like coming up with different tactics and commanding large armies. I like choosing between teching up and getting more powerful units or rushing with base level infantry. I like how I can play comp stomp with my friends.

If Total War really is the only game you've played in the genre then maybe you should try something else before writing the genre off. Personally I really wanted to like the total war series because I always wanted a game with the big picture that Total War has. However the problem I had was the subject matter. I just really like the more modern or futuristic type of strategy games. So games like Starcraft, Command and Conquer, and my favorite Supreme Commander FA. All of those are also a bit faster paced since the units do move faster.
 
I like turn based strategy games like the Total War series, because I can take my time and enjoy them. I have almost 700 hours on Empire Total War...which is actually kind of sad when you figure that I still am completely clueless when it comes to naval battles. I have almost 1500 hours on Medieval Total War 1 & 2. I do not particularly like the RTS type of Strategy games, because I play a Strategy game for the laid back feel. The only time those games get hectic is when you are in a battle that isn't going your way. Other then that, I can make my turns, and sit back and read or watch a movie/tv show.
 
I grew up playing RTS and strategy games with my dad. (He's a big strategy gamer, have 0ver 1000 hours in Civ 5 doing all the achievements lol :D).

Gemfire was the first one I played. After that he got me into the RTS ( C&C, SC, Warcraft).

I loved those games because you have to think about your moves. It's also a nice laid back gameplay where you can drink a good glass of liquor while playing late :D
 
Now I remember, I was huge on the total war series, but the world map AI was just too dumb. And any difficulty above normal (which was way too boringly easy) enabled the Computer to have unlimited money, and the hardest difficulty could auto-spawn armies. That just threw all the fun strategy out the window when trying to use economic warfare tactics and troop positioning.
 
Like anything else, it's hit or miss. I don't care which genre, just what keeps my attention.

I spent probably several hundred hours on the 1st Total War title (yes the original), then tried hard but ended up passing on Medieval & Rome, tried again on Empire and passed, Napoleon got my attention and wasn't bad, and really like Shogun II.

All more or less the same game, but interest in each title couldn't be more different.
 
Theres something awesome about planning and managing strategy games.

I used to LOVE playing the Close Combat games, because you could re0write hitstory. The first one I played was Close Combat: A Bridge Too Far. How fucking cool was it to see the battles, to command the people, who had morale, ammo, etc, and after winning battles and being successful, seeing the summary "You're battle is better than historical counterparts!"

Was it the real thing? No, but damnit, I LOVED it. Inaccurate as it may be, it felt more epic to me, and it made me feel like what I was doing mattered more.
 
I like the TW series for about the same reasons as the others here. I played them all and thery are still my go-to games even though I like RPG's and FPS as well. Something about the big battles on my HTPC that is just thrilling. I derive satisfaction from building my fledling little empire from the ground up to the beast that conquers the world. I'm playing through Napoleon again while I wait for the next Shogun add-on.

BTW you are ALL wrong...the best music is from the 70's! :) Yep I'm ancient....but thats ok its been a great ride so far....
 
I love the concept of RTS games, but I can never get past the learning curve. They fall into the same boat as mmo raiding, CSS, etc. While entirely different genres, to compete well you need to either dump a lot of time into, study and learn all the different tactics and how to react, or some combination of both and / or more. I just don't have the time or patience. I can play the heck out of the first 3 warcraft games, but only as far as single player.

Not really an RTS, but I loved World In Conflict. A far simpler learning curve to get going, and instead of playing through a very boring tutorial, I can get a feel for it by trial and error. I had a lot of fun with that game.
 
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