Ultimate General: Gettysburg is worth the $10 for "Early Access"
First I want to thank Phil at Sim-Deck for his post about this game.
I had just read a series of negative comments in the Steam Forums about the speed of this game (a worry I had from watching the pre-release gameplay footage) when I read his post and decided to pay the $10 to play the early access version of this game.
It is worth it. I played to a draw in the introduction scenario last night and then started up the second scenario and I am currently fighting for my life. The hour flew by as the game is very engrossing.
Pros:
1. Visually stunning
2. Challenging AI
3. Solid UI
Cons:
1. More clicks than your average strategy game. This isn't Red Dragon however or one of the Wargame titles.
2. When there are a lot of units on the map, as in scenario 2, it is hard to keep track of formations especially if they are bunched together.
3. It's unclear if leaders provide any benefit.
This plays much better than Total War. You can tell the designers (DarthMod, etc.) were very familiar with Total War's shortcomings because almost everything in the game feels like a well thought out improvement. (unit markings, strength points, morale and self-rallying, etc.)
All in all, if you like this period of warfare I recommend you pay for the early access. After playing this, I would also love to see a Ultimate General: Waterloo version of this game. Unless there are lots of new maps though, I worry that the title will grow stale quickly.
I had just read a series of negative comments in the Steam Forums about the speed of this game (a worry I had from watching the pre-release gameplay footage) when I read his post and decided to pay the $10 to play the early access version of this game.
It is worth it. I played to a draw in the introduction scenario last night and then started up the second scenario and I am currently fighting for my life. The hour flew by as the game is very engrossing.
 |
| Reynolds Corps arrives to reinforce Buford's men on the eastern slope of McPherson's Ridge. |
 |
| I played against a "balanced" AI that was very competent. Only a few times did I feel like it had the upper-hand on the battlefield and that usually coincided with the AI receiving a new reinforcement. The Iron Brigade was an incredible brigade for me. It held the extreme left flank with Gamble's Videttes and made a number of flanking movements against the rebel batteries on the heights there. I also used it to take pressure off of the center during the first scenario. |
 |
| You create the movements of your units by dragging your mouse which creates the arrows. |
 |
| Day 1 results. This took 30 minutes of gameplay. It didn't feel too fast. |
 |
| This is a screenshot from the second scenario which continues after the first one so you can have a linked campaign experience. |
Pros:
1. Visually stunning
2. Challenging AI
3. Solid UI
Cons:
1. More clicks than your average strategy game. This isn't Red Dragon however or one of the Wargame titles.
2. When there are a lot of units on the map, as in scenario 2, it is hard to keep track of formations especially if they are bunched together.
3. It's unclear if leaders provide any benefit.
This plays much better than Total War. You can tell the designers (DarthMod, etc.) were very familiar with Total War's shortcomings because almost everything in the game feels like a well thought out improvement. (unit markings, strength points, morale and self-rallying, etc.)
All in all, if you like this period of warfare I recommend you pay for the early access. After playing this, I would also love to see a Ultimate General: Waterloo version of this game. Unless there are lots of new maps though, I worry that the title will grow stale quickly.
Comments
Cheers!