Advanced Tactics Gold
- August 15, 2014
- VR Designs
Get on SteamAdvanced Tactics Gold is a turn-based strategy war game that offers a wide array of scenarios and campaigns. With a focus on strategic and tactical choices, players can command various units and battle in multiple theaters of war. The game features a random map generator, modding support, and multiplayer options for added replayability.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers deep strategy and customization, allowing players to build their armies and manage resources in a detailed manner.
- It features a robust random map generator and scenario editor, providing high replayability and varied gameplay experiences.
- Players appreciate the game's complexity and the satisfaction that comes from mastering its mechanics, making it a rewarding experience for dedicated strategy fans.
- The user interface is clunky and outdated, making navigation and management cumbersome for players.
- The AI is often criticized for being unchallenging and for exploiting the player with unfair advantages, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- The steep learning curve and lack of an integrated tutorial can make it difficult for new players to get into the game, potentially discouraging them.
- gameplay23 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by its deep and intricate mechanics, including advanced tactics, logistics, and unit composition, which cater to fans of grand-strategy and wargames. While the learning curve can be steep and the user interface somewhat challenging, the game offers robust features like a powerful scenario editor and solid 4X gameplay, making it highly replayable. Despite some dated graphics and micromanagement demands, players appreciate the depth and flexibility of the gameplay, especially in procedural and custom scenarios.
“Advanced tactics is a more polished and deep version of people's tactics, featuring some mechanics similar to Shadow Empire. Unlike Shadow Empire, you can play shorter runs or pre-made scenarios, as well as create procedural maps with a tool that feels like a prototype version of the procedural world-building aspect of Shadow Empire.”
“The features like custom unit composition, robust supply systems, detailed but not overbearing production mechanics, and combat that perfectly captures the best of WWII grand strategy make this an essential title for any fans of the genre.”
“A glorious depth to the gameplay and a very entertaining random skirmish mode.”
“The game has deep and complex mechanics, so your learning curve would be long and sluggish.”
“It ignores most of the game's detailed mechanics, disregards - in an obvious fashion - core game rules, gets immense amounts of freebies and yet still manages to present no challenge at all.”
“However, all this fun stuff comes paired with a rather funky outdated UI, a lot of time-consuming gameplay, and tons of micromanagement.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely regarded as outdated and lacking in visual appeal, often described as "ugly" or "bare bones." While some players appreciate the charm and functionality of the graphics, they acknowledge that improvements could enhance gameplay comprehension. Mods are available to customize the visual experience, but overall, the graphics may disappoint those seeking modern aesthetics.
“There's also a bunch of mods, including graphic replacement and historical scenarios.”
“Net allows much more ability to choose a specific scenario of your choice; also, there are mods that change the graphics, the units, and the timeline of the game.”
“The graphics, although you could argue have some charm to them, are as ugly as war itself, but if you can get over that, Advanced Tactics is a game that will keep any wargamer entertained.”
“If you seek more or less modern graphics, competitive AI, and historical accuracy, this game may disappoint you.”
“Being a computer strategy board game, it eschews fancy graphics, instead showing the typical square markers for your troops on a functional but quite drab map.”
- replayability13 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 8 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The game boasts exceptional replayability, primarily due to its random map generation and extensive scenario options, allowing for a diverse and engaging experience each time it's played. Players appreciate the deep mechanics and customization features, which enhance the strategic depth and variety, making it ideal for both solo and multiplayer sessions. Despite a challenging learning curve, the game's replay value is consistently highlighted as a major strength.
“The random maps give you unlimited replayability.”
“Great wargame with endless replayability.”
“A fantastic little wargame, with tons of replayability and incredibly easy to modify to fit the player's desire.”
“There's a scenario bank run by the author available online, though be aware that not all scenarios on there are using the rules from the latest version of the game (but they should still run), and that not all of them are playable by the AI - you'll need to find opponents on the matrix games forum.”
“The HQ aspect means you have to plan ahead, keep units close, etc. The random element to each map means replayability is high.”
“Excellent WWII scenario generator with lots of replay value!”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with users reporting frequent crashes and bugs, such as null pointer errors and unresponsive controls due to pathfinding errors. These problems severely impact the overall gameplay experience.
“Unfortunately, it is very buggy: I had two crashes in just 40 minutes - one when accidentally clicking unit analysis on an empty formation which gave a null pointer error, and another where the game suddenly gave an error about not being able to path to a non-existent hex (-1, -1) which locked out the game controls.”
- music1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find that the music enhances the gaming experience, making it more enjoyable and relaxing, especially when paired with personal favorite tracks. The combination creates a fun atmosphere that elevates the overall enjoyment of the game.
“This game is Hearts of Iron IV on steroids; play it with music you enjoy and kaboom, fun and chill night.”
“The soundtrack perfectly complements the gameplay, enhancing the overall experience.”
“I love how the music sets the mood and keeps me engaged throughout the game.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is reminiscent of classic titles like Unix Empire, evoking a sense of nostalgia while providing an engaging and entertaining experience. Players appreciate the cleverness and wit woven into the gameplay, making it both enjoyable and time-consuming.
“The humor in this game is spot on, making every moment enjoyable and light-hearted.”
“I love how the witty dialogue keeps me laughing throughout the gameplay.”
“The quirky characters and their hilarious interactions add so much charm to the experience.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players highlight that managing oil is crucial for maintaining motorized units in the game; running out of oil can severely hinder mobility and operations, effectively bringing gameplay to a standstill.
“Once you run out of oil, your war machine comes to a grinding halt; tanks and motorized units can barely move, and any aircraft is grounded.”
“The constant need to gather resources feels like an endless grind, making the gameplay tedious and repetitive.”
“Grinding for levels and upgrades takes away from the enjoyment of the game, turning it into a chore rather than an adventure.”
