Battleplan: American Civil War
- July 4, 2014
- The Mustard Corporation
Get on SteamBattleplan: American Civil War is a real-time/turn-based strategy game set during the American Civil War. Command Union or Confederate troops in 10 historical battles, managing battle plans and troop supply in strategic warfare. Its fast-paced gameplay and adjustable difficulty make it suitable for both casual and experienced players.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Lightweight strategy title that is easy to pick up and play, making it suitable for short gaming sessions.
- The game features a unique messenger system for issuing orders, adding a layer of strategy and realism.
- Despite its simplicity, the game provides a fun experience for casual strategy gamers and fans of the American Civil War.
- The game suffers from numerous technical issues, including crashes, freezing, and unresponsive controls.
- AI pathfinding is poor, with units often getting stuck or failing to follow orders, leading to frustrating gameplay.
- The focus on capturing points rather than engaging in traditional combat diminishes the strategic depth and can make battles feel repetitive.
- gameplay20 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Battleplan: American Civil War" is characterized by its lightweight strategy mechanics and a focus on depth over graphics, featuring historically accurate maps and unit details. Players experience a range of combat uncertainties, such as units occasionally refusing orders, which adds a layer of realism. While the tutorials effectively introduce the mechanics, some aspects, like artillery, require improvement. Overall, the game offers a rich strategic experience despite its minimalistic presentation.
“All in all, Battleplan: American Civil War is a meaty pocket-sized wargame that trades graphics for depth of gameplay.”
“+ includes a multitude of mechanics that showcase the uncertainty of combat; depending on various factors, for example, units can refuse orders or delay their implementation.”
“+ tutorials are more than sufficient to acclimate the player to the game's mechanics.”
“Battleplan: American Civil War could get by with its minimalistic graphics if, upon closer inspection, it had some real depth in the gameplay by the way of ultra historically correct maps and commander and unit details.”
“The artillery mechanics need a lot of work.”
“Lightweight strategy title with fairly simple mechanics.”
- graphics20 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Battleplan: American Civil War" are minimalistic and not high-end, reflecting a boardgame style that prioritizes gameplay depth over visual fidelity. While some players appreciate the simplicity and ease of use, others may find the graphics lacking, suggesting that the game is best suited for those who value strategic depth over graphical complexity. Overall, the graphics are functional but not a standout feature of the game.
“While this isn't the most graphical of games, it does reflect the 'boardgame' style of wargaming pretty well.”
“All in all, Battleplan: American Civil War is a meaty pocket-sized wargame that trades graphics for depth of gameplay.”
“It's not a high-end, graphics-intensive game.”
“The graphics are kind of bare bones, which is fine with me, and the interface is very simple and easy to use.”
“- absolutely no graphics to speak of.”
- stability8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- -12 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is reported to be relatively stable, with users noting it runs smoothly and is largely free of significant bugs or crashes. While some minor glitches exist, they are not considered game-breaking, contributing to a generally positive experience.
“The game is relatively bug-free, providing a smooth and enjoyable experience.”
“I appreciate how relatively bug-free the game is, allowing me to focus on gameplay without interruptions.”
“Overall, the game feels relatively bug-free, which enhances my overall enjoyment.”
“Never loads or freezes. I've verified cache files and redownloaded it; it has never worked.”
“Fun game, some glitches but none fatal. Historically accurate and challenging, kind of short but mods and DLC should help with that. Overall 8.5/10.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is appreciated for its quality, particularly the Civil War-themed tracks; however, players express a desire for a greater variety of Civil War era music to enhance the strategic experience.
“The strategy is the name of this game; I just wish it had a variety of Civil War era music being played in the background.”
“Also good Civil War music too.”
“Strategy is the name of this game, I just wish that it had a variety of Civil War era music being played in the background.”
- story4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is described as straightforward, primarily consisting of a simple mission list rather than a complex narrative. While it may lack depth compared to more intricate war games, it appeals to players seeking quick, uncomplicated battles.
“The campaign is really just a mission list that you play through.”
“I have plenty of more complex war games such as Combat Mission and Grisby's Humongous War in the East, but sometimes I just want a short, no-nonsense battle, and this game fits the bill.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability due to the absence of multiplayer options, additional game modes, and a lack of significant variance in objectives beyond the campaigns. However, the AI's use of various battle plans provides some depth, allowing for a degree of replayability within the existing framework.
“No multiplayer, variance in objectives, or additional game modes; this does little to help increase replayability beyond the campaigns.”
“The AI has a number of battle plans that they use against you in any given battle, and while that is where the depth ends, it is still enough for replayability.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for being intrusive, with users reporting frequent and disruptive advertisements for historical books that detract from the overall experience. Additionally, technical issues prevent the game from launching properly, further frustrating players.
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is reported to be well-optimized, running smoothly without any noticeable bugs, glitches, or crashes.
“+ seems to run smoothly with no obvious bugs, glitches, or crashes”
