Afghanistan '11
- March 23, 2017
- Retro Epic
- 80h median play time
Get on Steam"Afghanistan '11" is a strategy war game set in the war-torn country in 2011. Players command the U.S. forces, managing resources, troops, and diplomacy to bring stability to the region. The game features a detailed campaign mode, challenging players to make tough decisions in a complex and dynamic environment. Every soldier and resource matters, making for intense and immersive gameplay.
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Reviews
- Engaging and unique gameplay that emphasizes logistics and planning over traditional combat.
- Well-designed mechanics that simulate the complexities of counterinsurgency warfare.
- Strong focus on resource management and strategic decision-making, providing a challenging experience.
- Numerous bugs and crashes that disrupt gameplay and hinder the overall experience.
- Repetitive gameplay that can become tedious over time, especially with long mission durations.
- Poor user interface and controls that complicate unit management and navigation.
- gameplay75 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a unique focus on logistics and counterinsurgency mechanics, offering a compelling and strategic experience. However, many players note significant issues with quality of life, bugs, and a lack of intuitive mechanics, which can detract from the overall enjoyment and lead to frustration. While the core gameplay is engaging and offers depth, it often requires excessive micromanagement, and players feel that automation options are needed to enhance the experience.
“I really like the gameplay; it is quite unique compared to other strategy war games and has a strong focus on logistics as well as fighting.”
“The gameplay mechanics are well-machined and balanced, and I've really enjoyed coming to grips with handling limited information about enemy movements and surprises like unexpected IEDs taking out a supply truck that absolutely derails my plan for the next few turns.”
“This is a well-crafted game with a unique take on counterinsurgency and a different set of mechanics than your typical hex-based wargame.”
“As much fun as this game could be, the lack of quality of life features and some of the gameplay aspects just break it for me.”
“The gameplay is very basic, and it's almost infuriating how one small mistake can destroy hours of gameplay.”
“Gameplay gets repetitive, limiting any fun to being a logistics handler, making sure units are supplied, etc. There is no easy automated way to handle supply, perhaps that was the intent.”
- story64 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 89 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story revolves around military strategy and operations in a conflict zone, emphasizing the importance of logistics, resource management, and the "hearts and minds" approach to winning local support. While the initial missions serve as extended tutorials, players find the campaign's objectives can become repetitive and overly focused on supply management rather than engaging combat. Despite some bugs and design issues, the game is praised for its realistic representation of military dynamics and the variety of strategies available to complete missions.
“The missions entail increasing the 'hearts and minds' score (a way of measuring the success of American/British operations in the eyes of the locals), securing certain regions of the map, and in later missions, training local soldiers to hand over to.”
“In my opinion, as an infantryman that directly served in this theater, I have to say the devs did a pretty good job of nailing down a lot of the aspects of the overall mission structure and basic mechanics.”
“The use of NATO symbols and the historical background info that you get before the start of each campaign mission are all icing on the cake for a military enthusiast like me.”
“Certain campaign missions are flat-out broken; there's weird things going on with the IED system, units that are supposed to counter IEDs (Huskys which serve as minesweepers) are vulnerable to them, and MOABs not functioning.”
“Campaign missions are easy to win in only a fraction of the allotted turn limit, and without the ability to declare victory, they drag on without serious challenge nor any substantial change of pace after the inevitable cross-border Taliban assault is mopped up in two or three turns.”
“The ultimate goal in most missions is not only to keep things in check, but to train the Afghan military and pull US units from the combat zone, which makes the mission objectives feel tedious and unengaging.”
- graphics20 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics in the game receive mixed reviews. While some players appreciate the nice visuals and functional design, others criticize issues like poorly mapped textures, brightness problems, and performance drops at higher settings. Many users express that while graphics are not their primary concern, they can significantly impact the overall enjoyment of the game.
“Great game, nice graphics.”
“The graphics are nice.”
“The graphics are functional, improved over v65 and quite wonderfully complement the UI.”
“The major issue I am experiencing are the graphics.”
“The lowest graphical quality setting makes everything too bright, the middle looks good but locks my frames per second to max 30 (makes the game stuttery when moving over the map) and the highest setting introduces chromatic aberration and makes the game look somewhat blurry.”
“I wouldn't buy the game for the full price, it is too steep especially with the graphical issues left behind but do make the plunge when the game is discounted 50% or more - the gameplay and unique setting itself warrant the buy at that discount.”
- stability14 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 86 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant issue, with numerous users reporting persistent bugs, crashes, and glitches that hinder gameplay. Despite its intriguing concept and mechanics, the game feels unfinished and abandoned by the developer, leading to frustration among players. While some users note that it runs well on older systems, the overall experience is marred by instability and technical problems.
“It also runs great on my old but good gaming box.”
“It's a pretty thin game; not entirely bug-free, but there isn't a lot of content to mess up.”
“Game abandoned in a buggy and unfinished state by the developer.”
“This game is still buggy and still has constant crashes.”
“It has a good and unique concept, intriguing and, at the very core of it all, good mechanics; unfortunately, the game is quite buggy, and at times there are some things that simply don't make sense.”
- grinding9 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, with many describing it as a repetitious slog that detracts from the initial enjoyment. The lack of clear strategic goals and the cumbersome micromanagement of tasks, such as managing supply trucks, contribute to a sense of monotony and boredom. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a significant drawback, overshadowing the game's potential.
“I was loving this game for the first dozen hours or so, then it just devolves into a tedious, repetitious slog.”
“Slow, frustrating, tedious, like war.”
“Tedious quagmire with no clear strategic goals, no possibility of decisive victory, and it's just a bloody whack-a-mole and random casualties until the clock runs out.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its high replayability, featuring a customizable skirmish mode and improved mechanics that enhance depth and enjoyment. Players appreciate the variety of content, including campaigns and ongoing DLC, which contribute to memorable scenarios and consistent challenges. However, some users note that balancing requisition points in skirmish mode can become difficult over time.
“This game is very enjoyable and super replayable.”
“A11 offers clear improvements in depth and replayability over v65, new mechanics, and an insightful view of the conflict in Afghanistan.”
“It has a customizable skirmish mode, so endless replayability is addressed on top of the campaigns already present, and they have more content and DLC on the way.”
“There are many other smaller changes which make the game far more playable. For example, the increased number of things to do means longer games aren't such a slog. Some units being either impervious or highly resistant to IEDs, adding extra health to Taliban units so there is the threat of them returning, are just a few examples, and it has already led to some memorable scenarios in the short time I have been playing, with many more sure to come.”
“This makes the game more playable than most games.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game has been widely criticized for being repetitive and boring, leading to a lack of engagement over time. While some players find the graphics acceptable, the soundtrack detracts from the overall experience, with many suggesting that turning it off and playing alternative music significantly enhances gameplay.
“The music enhances the overall atmosphere of the game, making each mission feel more immersive and engaging.”
“The soundtrack perfectly complements the gameplay, adding an extra layer of excitement to the experience.”
“The music selection is diverse and well-curated, keeping the energy high throughout the game.”
“The music and sound are the most boring I've heard in a very long time.”
“The sound, music, and graphics are so dull that the game becomes boring very quickly.”
“The looping soundtrack during missions gets a little old after a while.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game faces significant optimization issues, with players reporting serious FPS drops and stuttering during specific actions, likely due to inefficient code that scans the entire map repeatedly. This has led to frustration among users, highlighting the need for better optimization to enhance performance.
“My computer science brain is telling me that this is because the game is scanning every hex on the map during these actions (probably more than once for the FOB case). Some code optimizations could solve the problem, but it's still appalling that this issue is present.”
“This game, however, suffers from serious FPS drops and stuttering during certain actions.”
“My computer science brain is telling me that this is because the game is scanning every hex on the map during these actions (probably more than once for the FOB case), so some code optimizations could solve the problem. It's still appalling that this issue is present.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is noted for its clever and unexpected scenarios, such as the absurdity of influencing Afghan elections, which adds a layer of satire to the gameplay. Overall, players find the comedic elements to be both amusing and thought-provoking.
“It's funny, right?”
“I also find it hilarious how you're tasked with influencing Afghan elections.”
