Another kriegsspiel on the PC? HistWar les Grognards

Uncle Billy wrote:a. Yes. You can issue orders at any time. You can pause the action whenever you like.

b. 1:10. This can be changed. You can play at 1:2 & 1:1 but I believe there are gameplay problems at those ratios.

c.Dunno. I have heard that it is greatly improved over the initial versions but I don't know if it is the latest version of the game.

Thanks Uncle Billy. A few supplementaries, if you will bear with me........

(a) Is game real time = actual real time? And can you speed it up in SP?

(b) Do you know how low you can get the ratio before you hit gameplay problems... ie can you go as low as 1:3?

Martin (J)

Martin wrote:Many thanks for comments guys. I think I have more of an insight now. A few more questions please:

(a) Time: is SP played in real time?

(b) Numbers: what is the figure scale?

(c) Demo: is there a good playable demo now? Downloaded the demo when the game was first released, and found it hard to use. I *think* I saw the comment that the demo did not do the game justice at that time. Is that still true?

Martin (J)

Martin, anyway if you plan to purchase it in the next months, consider that the version 2 is already planned after version 05.

(a) Is game real time = actual real time? And can you speed it up in SP?

(b) Do you know how low you can get the ratio before you hit gameplay problems... ie can you go as low as 1:3?

a. The normal setting is actually accelerated time. Remember, these are 6 to 8 hr long battles. I don't remember if you can slow it down to 1:1. It can certainly be sped up.

b. I used 1:5 a few times without problems. That was the only different ratio I tried.

Martin, anyway if you plan to purchase it in the next months, consider that the version 2 is already planned after version 05.

This might take another decade to see the light of day. It's a french production.

Histwar: Napoleon, the second game has been released. I bought it but have only had time to test it out for 30 mins.

From my brief play and what I have gathered from the forums, it is largely the same as HW2 at the moment but with better terrain and map graphics. It does look nice.

More changes are planned with better AI and nicer uniform graphics.

Unfortunately, an effective zoom feature is still not present for HITS type play.

I will report more back.

here's a quick testplay vid done by a community player:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtdLvEwvPSE&feature=c4-overview&list=UUR-tnTNlGZTmNGbs5H3wUDQ

Mike

Yes please do report back, Grog. I've periodically thought about getting this, and with Xmas coming-up.............

But your post implies that the AI and HITS game-play limitations are still likely to be there , at least for the time-being.

Martin (J)

Looking at the video the graphics do look certainly better than the Demo of the previous version I had seen some years ago.
Soldiers look like clones (ok...), but it looks like there is also only 1 tree type (ugly). How about the terrain, are all maps that flat?

There are further videos after the first one, Stefan. The second one I saw was Salamanca, which certainly had more ups-and-downs. The colour palette also looked better, I thought.

Martin (J)

I looked at Salamanca... but after watching it, I found out that the video was from NTW3 and not HistWar!

Leffe7 wrote:I looked at Salamanca... but after watching it, I found out that the video was from NTW3 and not HistWar!

 
Really!  Just as well one of us is observant  

Its a huge improvement over what I saw a few years ago though I'm not a fan of the rather washed out gloomy greyness over everything. It looks like you're playing the game in the smoking compartment of a train. One thing I like about HW is that the battalions have each company defined separately so that you get light and grenadier companies with the correct uniforms and in the French battalions even each fusilier company has the correct pom-pom colour on their shakos.

When I saw HW years ago the units were tiny with about 30 sprites per battalion, I'm glad to see now the units are much bigger, or there's the option to have them bigger. I am not sure what was going on with that apparently confused mass of Prussian infantry at the start of that video, presumably a unit in a disorder status for some reason.

Stefan, we've been brought up to be familiar with SoW's terrain which is hugely exaggerated in the vertical plane, so HWs terrain which seems to all to scale seems flat in comparison, but its how flat terrain generally was on most non-Spanish Napoleonic battlefields.

Not sure what you were watrching Stefan but I can see numerous types of tree. The colours and shapes are quite distinct. Its an autumn setting for the battle so many are brown-coloured but there's no doubt there's lots of different ones. Each wood is a square block though which looks strange.

I do like that Histwar shows so much empty space on the battlefield, which is how it should be, SoWs battlefields always feel much too crowded to me which is possibly a result of it using a "wargame" solution to the scale of things.

The improvements in graphics are noticeable, how much has gameplay been improved though?

Had a bit of a play. I used to play HWLG quite a lot SP,MP and PBEM.

It has to be said, the landscapes are beautiful and the atmosphere very good. I agree with martin, that they represent a more realistic representation of a Nap battlefield than SOW or anything else I have tried.

Its difficult to be able to comment on improvements in gameplay because I have not given it a good test (only SP for now) but it is much the same game as HWLG but with improvements in the graphics and some GUI changes.

To me, HW games are great at the level they represent and I look forward to seeing it develop but it does lack that immediacy and the pace and excitement that you get with SOW. I'm also hooked on HITS and couriers, which HW doesn't quite get right. Telescope and Courier sprites are lacking.

I might well enjoy a game of HW:N for a change but only if I have no SOW offers on the table.

Mike

Some nice screen shots, here.

http://napbc.freeforums.org/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=6238

http://www.histwar.org/forum/index.php/topic,7709.0.html

There have been some improvements in the game and graphics already. The 'smokey train' effect can be turned off.

If not already, we might well have another KS worthy Nap game in a few months time. PBEM games are a good option for those not wanting to use up MP time.

I'll see about making a short vid come the new year

Thanks for keeping us updated. I'm definitely interested, but am still wondering if it needs to be further developed.

Martin (J)

A nice vid showing off the terrain. The camera can now get lower when in 2:1 scale, which shows off the troops better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNn5EU52yN8&feature=youtu.be

Can HW limit your camera view? The problem here is still that the camera can fly anywhere. I know there's a delayed order response time that takes into account the distance from general to troops though the game doesn't use courier sprites.

Some of the recent screenshots appear to use 3D models for the troops. In that video I can't decide if they are 3D or 2D, frustratingly the camera doesn't hold still long enough! If they're not 3D then the 2D sprites are exceptionally good.

You can set the camera to CinC only and play at ground level . Having said this, I'm not sure if this setting can be used for MP.

It is complicated by the fact that, unless you are playing the CinC then you do not have a sprite representing YOU the player. You can flick between commanders and units under your control and view them from ground level, though.

Another strange aspect with HW:LG MP was that a subordinates sighting of enemy units was dependent on what the CiC could view from his position. This meant that your CiC player would have to ride around the battlefield in order to 'spot' enemy units for you. It was a while ago since I played MP, so this might have changed by now

IIRC a French gent by the name of Jean is the developer. Are you a member of his forum? Might it be worth asking for such features?

Yes, Jean M Mathe (JMM) is the bloke.

I've followed this game from its early beginnings, perhaps 5yrs. I bought the game as soon as it came out (I'm No79, I think) and played it for a while until SOW cought my eye.

There is a subforum for 'Grenadiers', which is for a few of the most ardent supporters (or perhaps those who paid for the 'bells and whistles' version).

I wasn't the most vocal of forum contributors but I did write a few pieces requesting features that would, in my view, enhance the MP experience and advocated HITS type features, such as a more effective 3D zoom (telescope) feature.

After a few lengthy pieces, from which I got zero response, I came to the conclusion that it was not the direction JMM wanted to go in, or the community, for that matter. The direction might be beginning to change though.

Games that I played would, by the design of the GUI, often involve a large amount of game time on the 2D map view but the new game is much more friendly to giving orders in the 3D 'counter' view, which is a big improvement but still feels like an elaborate game of chess.

There are a lot of things in the pipeline, though. But going on the present pace that the internal engine is going, I don't expect they will get it right for another year or three.

Thats not to say that its not already a good game. I will likely be playing it from time to time, hopefully MP before too long. An PBEM would be good. If there's anyone who has the game or wants to buy it, then I would gladly walk through it on TS.

I believe you can download the Demo here:

http://www.histwar.org/mods/file.php?id=243

Another nice vid here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNhztjh2GfI&feature=youtu.be

I've been following this game for what seems like at least 10 years.   I had downloaded the demo a few years ago to mess around with it and found it completely lacking.  I'm referencing the original Les Grognards.   Is Histwar 2: Napoleon any better?   Seems like it's just more of the same with an unfinished product filled with promises of future wonderfulness that is not much different than before.   Am i wrong about this and has it now become a more worthwhile game?   To me, it's always had such promise and failed to live up to it. I think the fact that they incomprehensibly sell like 15 different versions/packages on their website is a microcosm of the overall game and particularly the UI. Making what should be simple relatively complex..........

Thanks!

Any views on this one folks? It seems to be set at a higher level than SOW, with less granularity, but allowing you to play much larger battles.

I believe it's an upgrade of the predecessor game called Histwar: Les Grognards. I understand this particular game has been out since the end of 2013, and there have been a number of revisions since then. Am wondering if anyone has tried a recent version?

Martin (J)

Hi Martin

I own this one but I havn't played it for a long time, although I still follow the forums.

Although the game creator, JMM, continues to work on it, I believe it is considered too 'broken' for a decent game at this time.

I think there is great potential but would not advise anyone to buy at this time.

I will keep you informed if it starts to play well

Mike

Yes please do Mike!

I must admit that I don't find the game forum particularly easy to penetrate.  I sometimes think I'm reading about this game, and someway down the thread it's apparent that it's the previous version being discussed.  

Here is the most informative thread I've found  http://www.histwar.org/forum/index.php/topic,8429.msg110078.html#new

This seems to indicate that a new patch is currently being worked on.  Perhaps when that's out, and folks have tried it, will be the time to reconsider?

Martin (J)

Thanks Martin

I'll let you know, although I don't really hold out much hope for the game. The 'new patch' has been years in coming. Previous patches seemed to bring in more issues to be sorted.

I personally feel he has bitten off more than he can chew and, working on the game virtually single handed (except help with Graphics), he hasn't the time or perhaps knowledge to make it work.

Nice concept but I'm sure it wouldn't immerse me enough to pull me away from SOW HITS play.

The scale of Histwar is what attracts me. But it's all moot if the game is not playable.

As you say Mike, the patch has been a long time coming.

Martin (J)