Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
- August 21, 2020
- Grand Engineer Corps
- 27h median play time
Get on Steam"Grand Tactician: The Civil War " is a real-time strategy game that combines a strategic campaign with tactical battle game-play, allowing players to choose their side in the American Civil War and participate in historical battles. The game features five campaign scenarios, twenty stand-alone battles, and the ability to change history through various what-if scenarios. Players must manage and support great armies, maneuver them to defeat the enemy, and consider the morale of their citizens.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Incredibly detailed and immersive gameplay that captures the complexities of the Civil War.
- Offers a unique blend of grand strategy and tactical battles, allowing players to manage armies and engage in real-time combat.
- Active development team that is responsive to community feedback and regularly releases updates and patches.
- The AI is often inconsistent and can behave irrationally, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- The user interface is clunky and not very intuitive, making it difficult for new players to navigate and understand the game mechanics.
- Performance issues, especially during large battles, can lead to significant lag and a decrease in frame rates.
- gameplay227 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this title is characterized by a steep learning curve and a complex array of mechanics that can be both engaging and frustrating. While many players appreciate the depth and historical accuracy, they also report issues with clunky interfaces, unclear mechanics, and bugs that disrupt the experience. Overall, the game shows potential for immersive strategic gameplay but requires significant refinement to enhance usability and enjoyment.
“The gameplay mechanics are quite in-depth and intriguing.”
“This game has plentiful tooltips and one expansive (albeit very basic) tutorial video; but nothing really that helps you take the in-depth dynamics and mechanics of gameplay and how they are utilized in determining overall strategy.”
“The real-time nature of the game makes it immediate and thrilling to play, but at the same time the gameplay feels fairly historical, whilst providing the opportunity to try ahistoric solutions.”
“It's a very dense game with a lot of mechanics that aren't entirely intuitive.”
“The tutorial is completely useless, and there is no rhyme or reason to any of the mechanics.”
“The game has several major flaws in the mechanics or at least how those mechanics are implemented.”
- graphics157 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many users noting that they appear outdated, often likening them to titles from the 90s or early 2000s. While some appreciate the aesthetic and detail in certain aspects, such as the campaign maps and overall art direction, others criticize the performance issues and lack of polish, particularly during large battles. Overall, the graphics are considered serviceable but in need of significant improvement to meet modern gaming standards.
“This is a truly beautiful game, strictly on the aesthetic level.”
“The graphics are good enough to represent the large battles and a large theatre of war.”
“Zooming all the way out to see the country/political view and then zooming way in for a close-up view of the terrain and armies works flawlessly and is graphically just gorgeous, making use of authentic-looking Civil War era type maps that help to immerse you in the history.”
“At the highest zoom level, the graphics are from the 90s.”
“The graphics are a pathetic joke.”
“The game has relatively primitive graphics.”
- stability140 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous users reporting persistent bugs, glitches, and AI issues that significantly detract from the overall experience. While some players acknowledge the game's potential and the developers' responsiveness to feedback, many express frustration over the game's current state, deeming it too buggy and unstable for a $45 price tag. Overall, it appears that while the game has ambitious elements, it remains a "buggy mess" that requires substantial updates and fixes.
“In any case, it's not that buggy and vastly surpassed by the superlative design and the effort of the devs to update and upgrade.”
“The best part is that the developers are always answering questions and responding to issues with the game very quickly, so I would not worry about bugs in the long term.”
“If one is expecting a polished, bug-free experience, I would wait; some things such as save slots or mid-battle saves aren't yet implemented and that is a deal breaker for some.”
“For what I spent $45, it's a huge letdown... the long and short of it is that it's very buggy, super jank, awful AI, and like I said, for the price it should have been better.”
“The game in its current state is a buggy, glitchy mess.”
“Unfortunately, the game can be quite buggy as I've lost an entire Confederate campaign save when a battle I was playing didn't load past the battle results screen.”
- music73 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its authenticity and ability to immerse players in the Civil War era, featuring well-known period songs and delightful fiddle tunes. However, some players noted the soundtrack's repetitiveness and occasional dropouts during battles, leading to a desire for a more extensive selection. Overall, while the music enhances the game's atmosphere, its limitations have prompted some players to seek alternative playlists.
“The soundtrack is superb and you'll learn to love the fiddle.”
“The music captures the period very well.”
“The music is very nice, authentic civil war music that I actually keep on a lot of the time, unlike many strategy games.”
“Despite all the glaring flaws - a 131 slide PowerPoint presentation for a 'tutorial,' baffling and stupid AI, a UI that was designed to be difficult, god-awful repetitive music, font that seems to be chosen to be difficult to read, and weird artificial limitations to try and 'hide' how bad the AI is - they might enjoy it.”
“There is no music or anything when playing battles, just generic battle sounds.”
“Also, $9 for a soundtrack of music that is mostly royalty-free is an embarrassment.”
- optimization67 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting severe performance issues, particularly during large battles, resulting in low frame rates and frequent stuttering. Despite some updates aiming to improve performance, many users feel that the game remains unacceptably laggy and riddled with bugs, detracting significantly from the overall experience. While there is potential for enjoyment, the current state of optimization is seen as a major barrier to fully appreciating the game.
“Performance is generally okayish, though larger battles do increase loading times and drop frames.”
“With the recent update, graphics and optimization are much better, still rough around the edges and not anywhere near done but fantastic game overall.”
“This game could definitely be optimized better and some bugs worked out, but it is very enjoyable so far.”
“Should a game that is marketed at triple-A price and remains an unoptimized slog be judged by a mod that adjusts nearly every core gameplay system?”
“Totally unacceptably bad performance to the point that it negates whatever gameplay it may offer.”
“The current performance of the game, even on the lowest settings, does not give much hope for a properly playable end product.”
- replayability22 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while it offers numerous alternative historical paths and strategic choices that enhance replay value, some players find the inherent limitations of the conflict and AI challenges reduce overall replayability. Many appreciate the depth and variety in campaigns and decision-making, but others feel that the game could benefit from further refinement and additional options to fully realize its potential. Overall, it has significant replayability, especially for those interested in exploring different scenarios and strategies.
“The game has great replayability by allowing for ahistorical but plausible paths such as British intervention on either side, industrializing the South, a more strongly abolitionist North, or what if the US took Cuba before the war and it seceded with the Confederacy?”
“Excellent replayability, with numerous decisions on many levels.”
“It has major replayability and you'll learn a lot of Civil War history just by playing this game.”
“Inherent limited replayability due to the nature of the represented conflict, which does not allow for a lot of variations in tactics or strategy.”
“For this reason, the replayability suffers.”
“You will have a large amount of depth that will be before you; I really only wish there were more options for replayability, the Union is a walkover and the South is a joke.”
- grinding19 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often feeling overwhelmed by repetitive battles and vague instructions that require significant time investment to master. While the game offers depth and strategic elements, many reviewers express that the constant need to re-engage in battles and manage resources can detract from the overall enjoyment, making it feel more like a chore than a challenge. Despite these issues, some players still appreciate the game's complexity and engaging mechanics, provided they are willing to invest the necessary time and effort.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“It becomes tedious fighting the 6th battle of Chancellorsville in one month.”
“Overall the game is pretty good, but there are things that need work, like enemy AI on campaign and in battle, where if you defeat an army they will typically regroup and keep attacking after a day or two even if they lose over 10,000 men, and the campaign can get grindy as the enemy can and will constantly attack an invading army (I have fought the Battle of Washington DC 15 to 20 times right now) like AI will recover remarkably quick.”
“There is a long-term grindy feel to it, and from the beginning the devs have told us this; it is more a game where you sit down with your coffee and do some thinking.”
- story15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is characterized by its flexibility, allowing players to choose their backstory and influence the narrative through interactions and special missions, reminiscent of Ageod's Civil War. While some players appreciate the historical context and the ability to engage in unique battles, others find the repetitive nature of combat detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the game offers a blend of historical storytelling and player-driven narrative choices, though opinions on its depth and engagement vary.
“I really love the idea of being able to choose the backstory before the campaign.”
“And it even tells a story.”
“Instead of closing out with a generic recommendation, I'll leave this review off with the story of the battle of Harrisburg.”
“☐ no story”
“It's really boring after a while to fight the 18th battle of Missionary Ridge even if the conditions for engagement are always different every time; this isn't World War I.”
“If you're looking for a bit of story with your civil war game?”
- atmosphere10 mentions
- 70 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its beautiful graphics, immersive soundtrack, and depth, creating an engaging experience for players. While many enjoy the overall ambiance, some note that the presentation of information could be improved for better accessibility. Overall, the atmosphere significantly enhances the enjoyment of the gameplay.
“Beautiful atmospheric music and sound effects.”
“Only a few hours into my first 1861 campaign, there is a great atmosphere and feeling in the game (especially when the music plays).”
“The real reason to embrace this simulation is the atmosphere.”
“Ambitious with tons of depth and atmosphere.”
- humor9 mentions
- 89 % positive mentions
- -22 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is derived from its numerous bugs and AI mishaps, which often lead to absurd and comical situations, such as artillery units blindly charging into enemy lines or brigades teleporting across the map. While the developers' ambitious vision is evident, the game's complexity and ongoing issues have resulted in a mix of frustration and laughter for players, who find the glitches both entertaining and indicative of the game's overall quality.
“It's actually hilarious to turn on AI control as your myopic artillerists will simply push their guns right into enemy lines because they can't see them from 10 meters away.”
“While updates have improved AI as well, some have also buggered it in funny ways, like the most recent.”
“A kind of funny but at the same time, game-breaking bug, was when a Confederate naval squadron somehow lodged itself firmly into the Appalachian Mountains, while simultaneously finding its way into the Great Lakes, with movement arrows zig-zagging across the entire continental US.”
“They are making a game that is so overly complicated it's not funny.”
“The jokes fall flat and feel forced, lacking any real wit.”
“The humor tries too hard and ends up being cringeworthy instead of funny.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the emotional experience of the game to be a mix of intellectual engagement and frustration, with some appreciating the strategic depth while others feel disillusioned by the tutorial and development quality. The emotional responses range from nostalgia for academic challenges to disappointment in the game's execution.
“The fusion of real-time strategy and RPG elements creates a gaming experience that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally engaging.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game is criticized as being overly focused on profit, with some users labeling it a cash grab, suggesting that the game's financial strategy detracts from its overall value and experience.
“This game at this point is nothing more than just a cash grab.”
