Supreme Ruler: Cold War
- July 29, 2011
- BattleGoat Studios
Supreme Ruler: Cold War is one of the best strategy games you'll play under the Paradox banner. And that is saying something.
Get on Steam"Supreme Ruler: Cold War" is a strategy game that lets you lead either the United States or Soviet Union during the Cold War era. You'll need to manage economic, diplomatic, domestic, and military decisions to navigate your nation through this tense historical period and expand your influence on the global stage. Key features include intense arms race, the formation of NATO, and the potential threat of a new World War.
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game captures the feel of the Cold War and offers a unique geopolitical strategy experience.
- Players can enjoy a high level of detail and complexity in managing their nation, including military, economy, and diplomacy.
- There is a strong modding community and potential for creative gameplay, allowing players to rewrite history.
- The game suffers from severe performance issues and is poorly optimized for modern hardware, leading to lag and crashes.
- There is a steep learning curve with a lack of tutorials, making it difficult for new players to understand the mechanics.
- The AI is often criticized for being unresponsive and predictable, diminishing the strategic depth of gameplay.
- gameplay25 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a steep learning curve due to the lack of a tutorial, requiring players to rely on external resources to understand the complex mechanics. While the game offers a straightforward approach to military conflict, it suffers from linearity and tedious micromanagement, with limited depth in political and peacetime scenarios. Despite these drawbacks, players find the gameplay enjoyable once they acclimate, and it is recommended for those seeking a different style from mainstream strategy games.
“Definitely a different style of gameplay than more mainstream games, but I recommend this game nonetheless (and perhaps even because of that).”
“So, it takes a while to get accustomed to the mechanics as is par for Paradox titles, but I have to say that Battlegoat did a fine job with this massive title.”
“[Great micro and macro management; great sound and music; campaign is a whole lot of fun; attention to detail and authenticity of strategy mechanics are impressive].”
“The gameplay and strategy itself is surprisingly basic and linear, not much depth to peacetime and warfare consisting of tedious micromanagement.”
“Completely incomprehensible gameplay, without any proper tutorial makes this game pointless without spending a lot of time trying to figure out how it works yourself or even with guides.”
“A lack of a tutorial is annoying, but YouTube exists, so take the initiative if you get confused or frustrated with the game mechanics.”
- graphics15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally considered primitive and clunky, with many users experiencing performance issues such as low frame rates, often attributed to outdated graphics card updates. While some improvements have been noted, the visuals are seen as an eyesore compared to more modern titles, yet the game can run on a wide range of computers due to its less demanding graphical requirements. Players are encouraged to overlook the graphics in favor of the game's depth in diplomacy and strategy.
“The graphics are still somewhat primitive but improved greatly and it almost has a charm to it.”
“Another plus about this game is that it can run on almost any computer that you would have today because it does not have these amazing, hyper-realistic, 3D graphics that everybody seems to need in 2014.”
“Unintuitive and clunky UI along with the overall visuals prove to be an eyesore.”
“15 frames a second; they blame some graphics card update.”
“Cold War has better graphics and the same extensive details.”
- optimization12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues even on high-end hardware like the RTX 3070 and i9 CPU. While some users suggest that deleting specific graphics files can improve performance, the overall experience is marred by bugs, stuttering, and a clunky user interface, indicating that it was not well-optimized for modern devices. Comparatively, its successor, "Supreme Ruler Ultimate," is noted to be better optimized and more engaging.
“I know that the lag can be unbearable for nearly all due to advancements in technology over the years; however, if you delete some files under the graphics folder, specifically the meshes of terrain and trees, performance will increase greatly. If you are content with being unable to see your unit and facility models like myself, you can delete the 'default' file to further increase performance!”
“Its successor 'Supreme Ruler Ultimate' is better localized, optimized, engaging, and for all intents and purposes, a better game.”
“The optimization in this game allows for a smoother experience, especially when adjusting the graphics settings to suit your hardware.”
“This runs extremely poorly and has a clunky UI; it clearly was not optimized for modern devices.”
“You will spend most of your time being frustrated at all the bugs and the stuttering plus the stupid AI.”
“This runs like dogshit on a 3070 RTX & an i9 CPU; optimization is trash, that's the problem with BattleGoat.”
- stability12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay and make it frustrating for users. Many players report that the game is not streamlined, often requiring extensive troubleshooting and resulting in a slow, low-resolution experience. While the concept is appreciated, the overall execution needs considerable improvement to enhance stability.
“The game is very buggy and is not very streamlined.”
“Have had many glitches in the gameplay to the point I'm not using it anymore until fixed.”
“Game is buggy, and though I think the concept is awesome, it needs a lot of work.”
- music9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game features a limited soundtrack, primarily consisting of a single 3-minute track that loops repeatedly, which some players found monotonous. However, the audio quality is generally praised, with good sound effects that complement the gameplay. Overall, while the music may lack variety, it fits the game's needs effectively.
“Audio: 8/10 - good music and sounds which fit each need.”
“[great micro and macro management; great sound and music; campaign is a whole lot of fun; attention to detail and authenticity of strategy mechanics are impressive]”
“There isn't much in terms of a soundtrack, with me hearing the same 3 minute track of music looped throughout the game.”
“There isn't much in terms of a soundtrack, with me hearing the same 3 minute track of music looped throughout the game.”
“There isn't much in terms of a soundtrack, with me hearing the same 3 minute track of music looped throughout the game.”
- story4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The story has been criticized for being a basic and generic World War 3 scenario, focusing on resource scarcity and rising global tensions, which many reviewers found unoriginal and unengaging. Overall, it fails to offer a compelling narrative that captures players' interest.
“Story: 2/10 - basic, generic World War 3 scenario where the world's resources start becoming few and country paranoia and xenophobia start turning into armed conflicts across the globe.”
“Generic story which is not worth looking at.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and lacking depth, with gameplay characterized by basic and linear mechanics that require excessive micromanagement during both peacetime and warfare.
“The gameplay and strategy itself is surprisingly basic and linear, lacking depth during peacetime and warfare, which consists of tedious micromanagement.”
“The gameplay and strategy itself is surprisingly basic and linear, lacking depth during peacetime and warfare, which consists of tedious micromanagement.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by players' amusement at the widespread dislike for playing as the United States, suggesting a lighthearted take on national stereotypes and player preferences.
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report that the game evokes strong emotions, with some expressing that its nonsensical elements surprisingly led to tears, highlighting its impactful storytelling or themes.
“This game makes no sense, and made me cry.”
