Josh Jansen wrote:
Have either of you played Forge of Freedom? Its on sale and Im considering it.
Quaama: Have you played War in the East 2 yet?
I'm sorry for the delay in responding. I somehow overlooked your post [I only noticed it when I saw a new post in this thread and went back to see where I last visited it].
Yes, I have Forge of Freedom but haven't played it for some time as I notice it's not on my computer which I bought in June this year (just on an external hard drive). The AI is not great but it can be some fun. I have only played as the CSA.
It's a mix between IGOUGO and real-time. The strategic moves are IGOUGO while the battles are real-time. [Note: From memory you need to select 'playing the battles yourself' in order to play them or the AI does a calculation on who wins.] You should have a much better chance of winning the battles if you play them (it increases the length of the game) because the AI Generals are not too bright. The battles are fun because it's a good 'miniatures experience' and smoke is even considered (obscures visibility) but they do not represent real battlefields (they are generic maps based upon where they are fought and the time of year).
Strategically I usually send Lee, and a couple of other well-rated Generals, to the west to secure the Mississippi then head north. That often causes me to lose Virginia by 1864 but by that stage I am advancing in the far west and north from Kentucky. You'll probably lose Virginia over time, even with Lee there, due to the sheer weight of numbers (you'll lose it a lot quicker if you let the AI conduct your battles).
It's not a great intellectual challenge but it can be fun, especially in the battles (though they can be very time-consuming to play).
'Go West, young man, go West.'
I have not played War in the East 2. I have been tempted to buy it on a number of occassions but wonder if it is sufficiently different/improved from WitE 1 to justify the expense. I would appreciate comments on it.