Totally n00b question on Games

Hi Folks...

Here is the scene: I am not an avid gamer like some of you folks. My exposure to games ahs been some online text-based strategy games (which are all free) and a few old stand-along games such as Panzer General and Blitzkrieg etc. So, all in all, not on the cutting edge of gaming.

However, I want to get into gaming. On these threads I read about gaming machines (desktops and laptops). I read about their pros and cons etc. I also read about online options like Steam and others.

Here is my question: To get into gaming (albeit in a small entertaining way, primarily to spend a few fun evening at home after work), what should I be looking at? Should I looking into consoles or opt for laptop/ desktop games and solutions? I have no problems in investing in consoles and games - moneywise that is.

So, basically what I am asking is your advice as to how to start with gaming. While I like the idea of playing against people online, I prefer to restrict myself to the strategy games that I am currently playing. I should also mention that I am into the traditional form of war-gaming in a big way. I wonder if there are any online versions/ options for this.

Apologies in advance for the n00b questions which, I am sure, is also reflected in how I must have phrased my post.

Thanks in advance.

(Mods: If this is in the inappropriate thread, please feel free to do the needful. Thanks.)

 

If you're pretty social, buy a Wii.

 

I would go with PC games, laptop or desktop they dont really make a difference. since you are just about to start, you dont need a monster of a computer anyways. anything with a fairly recent dedicated video card will get you started. no point investing 600 bucks to buy a dedicated gaming console or what ever a PS3 or Xbox 360 cost these days

 

Turn-based, strategy laden computer wargaming is rapidly becoming extinct...

It has been replaced by Real Time Strategy, and somewhat, by multiplayer FPS or tactical shooters...

If you're looking to get into online gaming, I would recommend a console...the modern consoles make it very easy to play online...I'm just not sure you'll find a game to your liking...Civilization Revolution would be closest...I have my preference of the Big 3 (obviously the one I purchased), but I won't mention it so as not to derail your thread...I don't think you want a PS3 vs 360 vs Wii debate...it will turn you off from gaming real quick...gamers are very passionate and very annoying...

Strategy games still exist in decent numbers on the PC, but they tend to be niche products not readily available at Best Buy or Gamestop...but you can find them online...not sure about online capabilities of the games or size/activity of the communities around them...but if you still prefer wargames, I guarantee you that there are a couple of thousand people, at least, out there looking for you...you won't need a high powered machine to play most of those niche products...they aren't very graphically intensive...

Last wargame I played was Operational Art of War...I still play it from time to time but it was a struggle getting it to work with XP on modern hardware...

 

I am not sure I understand what you by 'if you are pretty social'. If this means I will be having people over at home to play with, the answer is no...rather very likely not! This game time will be my 'own' time, if you get what I mean.

 

Hmmm...thanks..this is something to think about!

 

Yeah...I am a big fan of Norman Kruger's TOAW!!! I don't think a better and more detailed wargame outside the Military Establishments was ever created. Pity I lost my only copy and am now finding it difficult to replace it. And what you mention about them working on a Vista system (I just moved out of the XP world) will also be a problem!
Well, I also enjoyed the Total War games. Very interesting and like the graphics. I don't quite know what you mean by 'real time strategy' games. Can you give me some examples that perhaps I can look up?

About your statement: "I don't think you want a PS3 vs 360 vs Wii debate...it will turn you off from gaming real quick...gamers are very passionate and very annoying..." Lol!!! Thanks for the heads-up!

But then I have two further questions on this:

(1) Is there any place where I can get a concise but clear summary of the differences between these three systems and how they compare with PCs for gaming? How else would I be able to decide?

(2) While I did express my preference for war-gaming, that is only because it is in someway connected with what I do (the latter is of course irrelevant here). But this does not mean that I am not interested in newer gaming experiences. However, though I am almost ashamed to say this: A while back, I did play games like Doom (the various releases), Castle Wolfenstein (also the various releases) and games like that. The 1st person shooter games are OK for a round or two, but they quickly become boring (to me). I am just looking for some fun times after work and the more intense they are the better.

Cheers!

 

What are your computer specs now? I might be able to hook you up with an extra copy of Half-Life 2 I have.

 

Well...its a pretty low-end Acer 5920 (C2D); T5550; 1.8Ghz; 2GB RAM; 250 GB HDD (5400rpm); and worst of all x3100 Integrated Graphics (though it is sufficient for what I do now); Vista Home Premium SP1

Thanks for the offer.

 

Half Life 2 is the most acclaimed FPS of all time, so if you do want it, just create a Steam account (Steamgames.com), and let me know.

 

Total War series are RTS when you switch from the strategic screen to combat...other RTS games have a lot more resource management and tech tree research...

Warcraft and Command & Conquer made the genre popular in the 90's...

Company of Heroes is a WW2 RTS that's quite popular with a sequel/expansion on the way...World in Conflict is an RTS based on the Cold War not being so cold in the late 80's...Dawn of War games are sci-fi/fantasy RTS based on the Warhammer 40K Universe...

I would suggest wikipedia...impartial and concise...but no direct comparisons...

My two cents...360 and PS3 are hi-def machines designed for 'hard-core' gamers although they also have several casual games...Wii is not hi-def and targets the masses and has a very innovative control scheme...

And I always suggest spending more time looking at the software that runs on the hardware vs the hardware...just a few minutes on a gaming website looking over the Top 10 games for each console will probably give you a good idea of which console would be best for you...and unlike the $600 quoted, the consoles are almost affordable these days, at least in the US (Wii: $250, 360 Arcade: $200, 360 Pro: $300, PS3 80GB: $400, but includes a Blu-Ray player)...

I love the FPS genre...but then disco balls amuse me for hours, too...I actually preferred Duke Nukem to Doom...but I spent many hours chasing my friend with a chainsaw...if 'newer' and potentially online experiences are what you're after, I would suggest the console of your choice...the only experience you'll miss is the PC-based Massively Multiplayer Online games like World of Warcraft or Everquest...I hate those so I'm biased...once you play Call of Duty 4 online, you'll be hooked...

 

Now that was an excellent summary! Thanks a ton! Quite a few things are clearer now. I will go and look up the info you provided for more details. One last point...can you recommend some of the better Gaming Sites where I can get a grasp of what is around and the emerging trends?

Thanks again and (assuming the site database works) a +1 rep for you!

 

Thanks I really appreciate it. If I do sign on with Steam, I will take the liberty of dropping you a line!

Cheers!

 

Careful, we have a huge thread here over a guy that got his entire account locked out over a gifted game. Then again, you don't have any games on there, I guess it's not as big of a deal, but you might get locked out, somehow, from Steam.

 

For the best strategy and war gaming for single and multi player buying a computer is a no brainer. You get all the strategy games that the console will never have or have half cooked versions of that aren't worth your time. I would say grab a desktop as it is cheaper than a laptop and you can upgrade it much easier and cheaper as you go to keep up with the times.

If you want something mobile though and have 2k to spend a nice Asus laptop would have you gaming nicely for a year or two before you'd have to consider a new one. Really its up to you.

For me when I was sedentary I had a desktop computer as it allowed me to have a bigger screen and a better computer for cheaper and I also had my HDTV and Xbox 360, but didn't play it nearly as much as the computer as I like my first person shooters and strategy games the most and the console just cannot offer what the computer has to offer. I recently moved countries for half a year so I sold my desktop and bought a laptop to game on and I must say it is pretty killer having a gaming computer on the go, but as I said before if you don't want to bring it around with you a desktop is a much better choice.

On the other hand a console is grab and go, so if you don't want to have to deal with installing games and making sure you have up to date drivers the console is the way to go, but then you do sacrifice pretty much the entire strategy genre and your first person shooter games are quite pathetic on consoles in my honest opinion.

I'd say buy a nice desktop from a real computer store (that means no futureshop, bestbuy etc...) look at newegg.com or something.

 

Hmmmm....Thanks! That gives me food for thought. I think mobility will be an issue with me...so a laptop will probably the way to go - obviously, the Acer that I have right now will not suffice - so probably a more powerful machine will be in order - as you suggest.

Can you suggest some strategy games (not FPS) games that are readily available for the PC? And, is XP still the way to go in terms of OS?

Cheers!

 

I hope I don't hurt the moderators' feelings here...I don't know who their sponsors are (Dell hits you with an advertisement everytime you show up...but I don't think Dell runs a gaming site...)

I usually go to gamespot.com...ign.com seems popular...

Let the moderators suggest a site which will help with the revenue stream to this forum...

 

If portability is your concern, then a laptop or PSP or DS are your only choices...I love my PSP, but I don't think it will do what you're wanting...my son has a DS and I definitely don't think that's what you're wanting...so, that's leaves a laptop...

And Exostenza is right...there are very few strategy titles for the consoles (however, PC strategy titles aren't exactly booming right now...) and if you've ever played an FPS with keyboard and mouse, console controls feel awkward...

I probably split my time equally between my laptop and my console...in fact, if I'm really honest, I still find myself playing my PS2 more than either (God of War, Ratchet and Clank)...my laptop is no longer in production, but you can pick them up from eBay for around $800...it plays almost everything (I can't say everything because I don't own everything)...I do have to scale back resolution from the native 1920x1200 to 1280x800 to play Crysis, Gears of War, HAWx, Fallout 3, Oblivion, etc.

Slim pickings lately...Civilization IV and Colonization, Heroes of Might and Magic V, King's Bounty, Fantasy Wars, Galactic Civilization 2...those are all turn-based, non-twitch gaming...nothing really in the wargame area...Strategy First is probably the premier publisher these days...they are the closest you'll come to SSI in the 21st century...check out their website...

And for me, OS is still definitely XP...I do not have a DX10 capable graphics card, all PC games will still run with DX9 and XP, and, most importantly for me, some older games will not run with Vista...it was a pain getting them to run with a dual processor under XP...

 

My suggestion for laptops ia try and spend as much as you can now because that translates into a longer lasting computer and more money saved in the long run. It really depends what kind of gaming you are doing. If you want to stick to turn based strategy games most of them do not require an amazing computer to play on, but I would still recommend spending at least 2k on a laptop if you can so it will last you a few years. As for operating system I would go Vista 64bit as it can actually handle 4gigs of a ram and the video memory of your gfx card while XP is limited to 3 gigs total which means if you have 4 gigs of ram and a 512mb 3d card you can actually only page 2.5 gigs of ram and 1.5 gigs goes to waste. 64 bit is the future and games are already coming out in 64 bit which can handle a lot more throughput and up to 128GB of ram rather than a pitiful 3GB. I have been on Vista since SP1 and I have never run into a single problem with compatibility and for me the operating system has been more stable than XP and SP2 for Vista is coming out soon to boot! Also when Windows 7 comes out it will be cheaper and easier for you to upgrade from Vista to it and Windows 7 seems to be shaping up into a really great OS and everything in Vista will be compatible with Win 7 and everything in XP won`t be which is one of the major reasons MS put out Vista so the world could have a chance to move all the software and drivers over to Windows 7 compatibility and they are dumping old windows compatibility from XP downward in an attempt to clean out the system which I think is exactly what they have needed to do for a long time.

My advice would be to get the Asus G50Vt-B1 and try to flash the card to a GTS (I made a tutorial myself and flashed my comp with no worries and gained about 15 percent 3d performance). The B1 model has all the bells and whistles and has a better proc than my computer does and more hard drive space. It should do you for about 2 - 3 years if you can stand not playing everything on high in a year or 2.

As listed above there are so many great strategy games for the computer and since most of them do not require a beast of a computer to play you should be able to play them all on high gfx for a couple years to come.

Civ IV with all the expansions (can be had on steam if you have it) will give you hundred of hours of enjoyment as will the complete Heroes of Might and Magic set (steam too). Kings Bounty the Legend doesn`t change the formula at all, but is a really fun polished strategy game that I lost countless hours to. Galactic Civilizations II with all the expansions will give you hundreds of hours of game play and is a really awesome experience. If you like RTS then Supreme Commander, Company of Heroes with exp packs and 4X RTS Sins of a Solar Empire with exp pack are amazing and I have been playing them straight since their releases.

Really you have tons to choose from and since you are starting now these games can keep you busy for well over a year and who knows what will be out by then! If you hop onto steam and check out the strategy first lineup they have games that will keep you busy forever as well.

As for a site to check out game ratings stay clear of IGN as everything is way overrated there and I am sure they take payoffs to rate things high they really are just a terrible place for credible game reviewers. I like gamespot for the most part as I tend to agree with most of their ratings.

Happy gaming and don`t hesitate to PM me if you have any questions!

One thing to note I really suggest you buy Asus as from what I have seen they have the best bang for your buck and since they all come with a free 2 year warranty they are built better than most other laptops out there.

 

And that's where we differ a little...I bought my current laptop this time last year for just under $2000...this is my third laptop...(Toshiba 315CDT in 1998, Toshiba 5205-S119 in 2003)...my < $2000 laptops tend to game for about 5 years...at the end of that cycle, I have to severely limit the graphics options (before I bought this laptop, I was playing Far Cry, Half-Life 2 and Unreal Tournament 2004 at 800x600 just to keep the FPS playable).

Currently, I don't feel like I'm being deprived because I can't play Crysis at 1920x1200...I was worried that my laptop might not run HAWx, but it does fine, and HAWx looks gorgeous at 1280x800...I'm waiting to see how the laptop will do with Resident Evil 5...

There are several factors that go into a laptop besides the CPU/GPU...I hated moving from my 15" laptops to a 17", but the 17" that I own is one of the 'smaller' 17" laptops that you'll find...at the time I bought my laptop, Alienware had just released their 15" with an 8800m GTX...Dell had its m1730 with dual 8700s available...I spent a lot of time doing a lot of research (in fact, I published a huge FAQ over in the Alienware forum about a laptop that I didn't own based on specs and conversations with Alienware customer support), and, in the end, opted for something older and cheaper and I'm quite happy...I'm a very avid gamer and have been for about 20-some years...I don't quite have the time available as I used to, but I keep up with the trends...

I have a pitiful 3GB of RAM so not only is it pitiful in terms of size, but I also have to run asynchronously since I have mismatched sticks (1x1GB and 1x2GB)...but again, I don't find RAM bottlenecking my games...the only current game where it may possibly be an impact is Supreme Commander...and I'm not such a luddite to think games will never use 128GB of RAM (people were having to work around the 640K barrier in DOS using extended and expanded memory within a few months), but I think your laptop will be obsolete for other reasons prior to challenging the XP RAM limitations...and XP had a 64-bit version, and Crytek even developed an optimized version of Far Cry for it...I don't think it was leaps and bounds better than the 32-bit Far Cry in terms of speed, and it definitely wasn't in terms of gameplay...

All depends on what you're trying to run...have you tried Longbow 2 or System Shock 2? You probably have no interest in playing those games, but I do...

Be careful with the optimism...every one always gets really excited over every new OS that Microsoft forces down our throats...if I had my way, we would still be using a version of DOS, and you would still load your own drivers, and force your own networks vs having dozens of processes running in the background, half of which give you no idea of what they're doing...Vista was a big disappointment...it came installed on my current laptop, and I formatted the HDD and did a clean install of XP...

If Windows 7 really turns out to be that good and when games require Windows 7 to run, I'll buy a laptop with Windows 7 and the machine on my lap will become my legacy gaming laptop...but I'm not holding my breath on either of those if's...

I absolutely agree with you on the last point...no matter how much we scream and howl as end-users, at some point, Microsoft has to divorce themselves from their past sins (they weren't evil...they just didn't know any better at the time) and create a brand new OS that makes no claim of compatibility with previous OS's...personal users will be the first to adopt, and businesses will adopt as they upgrade their software...if that's what Windows 7 is, then I applaud Microsoft and will be the first in line to scream at them for having hundreds of dollars of worthless software when I upgrade...

 

two gaming sites that i frequent are:

www.ign.com

www.gamespot.com

in general, their average user review combined with the site's review pretty much sum up the value of the game, higher numbers obviously being the better choices.

if you're looking to game on laptops, then welcome to the community! i actually prefer it over gaming via desktops, despite the better performance from desktops. however, don't let a non "gaming / enthusiast" card stop you from playing games. lower to middle end cards can play the games, just on a lower visual quality setting, and in general, the lower quality setting's aren't that awful.

for the price, my current notebook is well worth it should you be able to find a cheap one. it's compatible with ATI's last generation high end GPU's, which adds to the longevity of the notebook, so don't hesitate buying an older notebook, especially if you're not interested in playing games at max quality on very high resolutions and maintaining high frames per second.

not quite sure what has been said about the OS, but windows XP still remains a very good OS, and it works with current games as well.

also, if you're into the RTS genre, try a throwback game:

Age of Empires II

it's an awesome and easy RTS, that has a fun single player and campaign mode. i'm not sure how many people play it online anymore, but it is still very, very fun!

 

A great site that i use is neoseeker.com for games,hardware plus a little bit of news too.

 

neoseeker is a nice site, thanks for the tip!

 

I will definitely second what "IWantMyMTV" said. Civilization IV is a fantastic game. I suggest you go with the Gold Edition if you do decide to get it. It comes with the "Warlords" expansion, which is great.

 

I'm another Civ IV fan - i recommend the Beyond the sword expansion as well. Don't let the name fool you, if you're a wargamer - there is plenty of military opportunities for warmongers in the expansion!

Oh, and if you want a look at the game, a great civ site is www.civfanatics.com.

 

Civ gold on steam gives you civ iv and the 2 expansions and its worth every penny.

 

He paid for a gifted game, which is against the terms. Granted I think it's excessive and wrong to lock out someone's entire account, but Steam puts in the gift game ability for a reason: so you can gift games.

 

For starting out in gaming, I recommend a gaming laptop simply because it can make gaming more enjoyable. You will be able to game pretty much where ever you feel like without being limited to a desk only.

For a first gaming laptop it is a good idea to get the best one you can, perhaps go for a 15.4 Nexus or one of the mid range Sagers.

I purchased an Xbox 360 and tried gaming on my desktop but after buying a gaming laptop, I find I only use that now. I will be selling my Xbox 360 along with all games soon.

 

I disagree, the price you have to pay to get a gaming notebook that makes your game look pretty is a large investment, and you can pay half that for a mid-high end desktop with 24" screen.

 

Hmmm...

I have a Gamecube, PS2, 360 (shhh...I don't want to start the fanboy wars), PSP, older gaming laptop (XPS m1710) and a couple of desktops...

I install all my PC games on the laptop which means I never use the desktop for gaming...I'm quite happy with the visuals and gameplay of every game I have installed on my laptop...and it's a fairly lengthy list ranging from Master of Orion all the way through my latest, HAWx...I love my laptop and the portability...my entire gaming catalogue goes with me in a backpack that weighs about 15 pounds...along with all my music...lots of e-books and some movies (actually, TV episodes)...

My PSP is great for quick fixes...I own several UMD games (just bought Secret Agent Clank), but mostly find myself playing Sega Genesis games on the PSP...I dreamed of being able to do that in the early 90's...Sega Genesis full speed on a handheld...technology is wonderful...

I don't use the Gamecube much anymore...occasionally, I play Super Smash Bros. or Super Mario Karts with my 6 year old son...and it's the only platform for which I bought Resident Evil 4 which is classic regardless of what genre you like...one of the few story-driven games that I've actually played through multiple times...

My PS2 sees lots of use...Ratchet and Clank and Buzz Jr. with the 6 year old...Karaoke Revolution, Guitar Hero (I, II, III and 80's) and Buzz! with family and friends...everyone loves Buzz! Every Friday that I'm off work, friends want to come over and play Buzz! In fact, a few went and bought PS2's just to play the game...and I'm still plodding my way through God of War 2...God of War was cool...I didn't like it as much as Resident Evil 4, but I liked it enough to play the second one...I was about half way through when my son formatted my memory card...I hate repeating stuff but I'm forcing my way through it...my wife was mad because she lost all her outfits on the Karaoke Revolution games...

I put off buying a 360 forever...until Guitar Hero: World Tour...and then I could resist the drums no longer...I didn't want to pay for a full kit for the PS2 so I finally took the plunge and bought the 360 last November...it is incredibly easy to find and play friends through XBox Live...I HATE online gaming and have ever since Diablo...but playing a toy plastic guitar while my best friend from high school plays toy plastic drums half a continent away is pretty cool...Scene It! is a fun trivia game with independent buzzers like Buzz! but not quite as fun as Buzz! (there's no host to mock you)...and my 6 year old son loves Force Unleashed (the story is actually pretty cool if you're a Star Wars fan and gameplay feels a lot like God of War)...

Each platform has its strengths...you just have to decide what you want...for PC gaming, it's a laptop for me...but I don't necessarily prefer PC gaming to console gaming...I enjoy both...if I'm by myself, I play games on a PC...when the party is at my house, out comes the 360 or PS2...but both those platforms also have very well done, deep single player games...the 360 shares a lot of titles with the PC, and usually on shared titles, I buy the PC version...$10 cheaper and portable as discussed before...I thought I was going to have to buy HAWx on the 360, but my laptop ran the demo fine so I purchased it for the PC...

If I was forced to choose, I would choose my PC, but mainly because I have an extensive game library for it...if I was forced to start from scratch, I would probably take my PS2...but for 'current' gaming, it would be the 360 if forced to start from scratch...

 

Wow....thanks guys! A lot of very helpful suggestions here!

Considering my situation, here is what I am looking at:

I will probably opt for a PC-based environment. Why? Simply because I am mobile a lot of the time and spend interminable evening hours in hotel rooms around the world after a strenous workday. Further, I have this thing for strategy games (I play a lot of chess too, but that is another matter!).

As for games, I liked some of your suggestions and will actively look for the titles - depending of course on my location!

As for the laptop, no doubt I'd feel odd lugging around 2 machines - one for work, the other for pleasure! But then, I am in the process of deciding whether to go with the Samsung N20 or a very light weight 13" machine for work. The gaming machine will need to be reasonably well equipped, but I don't think lugging a 17" machine is an option. Or, is it?

I have been reading about Steam and from what I have read thus far (including some of your experiences), I am not sure I would like to be a part of it.

I used to love some of the games that SSI used to release, but I don't think they are around anymore, which is a real pity. And, I know for sure that my fav wargame (TOAW) is no longer available....unless I find a dusty copy in some backwater!!

Cheers!

Edit: Also, what do you guys generally do - is your gaming machine (assuming here that is a laptop) a dedicated machine for games, or do you multi-task it? I was thinking of dedicating a laptop only for gaming - maybe also have some music and my fav movies/ documentaries on it too....

 

I had a 17" Asus that I carried to work every day - if you get a good case for it, i didn't think it was so bad (but, then again, I didn't have a lot else to carry; what I did have generally fit into the sides of the computer case, so my typical load was computer, coffee, and lunchbag... )

Just ordered another 17" - and a heavy one at that. (Note: in this range, heavy is like 10-12 pounds or so). For me, as I play a lot of games, I really enjoy the larger screen. Also good, in my mind, for movies - you might like that too as a break from games if you spend a lot of time traveling.

For you, if you have to carry a bunch of other stuff (a briefcase, or lots of additional equipment) then you may need to go smaller. My recommendation would still be the 17" if you think it'll work with your travel style, as I don't think it's all that bad, but you have to decide if it's worth the extra size/weight for the travelling you do.

You could always go 15", I guess, but in my mind it's 90% of the way to a 17", so why not go the extra bit?

EDIT: As for the second question, mine is probably 80% used for gaming, but I also use it for non-game entertainment (music, movies), communication (skype/webcam with parents and sister back home), some school while I finished up my classes, and some work stuff. So I guess it's multipurpose, with a big dose of gaming!

 

lineS of flight,

Welcome to the gaming community. Based off of your usage I would recommend that you get a 15.4” gaming laptop. It does not make sense for you to travel around with two computers; one for work and one for games. The 15.4” laptop will be small enough to carry around but large enough to play games and match movies. You can find a professional looking 15.4” laptop that would be more than enough for any task you would need to perform for work and would also be able to play any current games starting at around $1,300 such as this one here. The laptop that I linked to is currently the best 15.4” gaming computer on the market and will provide great value for your money. Xoticpc has great customer support and comes very recommended, however there are other resellers as well such as powernotebooks that offer the same computer. Let me know if you think you might be interested in the PC I linked to and I would be happy to provide you with more information and even guide you through step by step with the customization and ordering process. Otherwise, just continue to provide as much information as possible and I will try to help you the best I can.

As for strategy games, I recommend Age of Empires III and the 2 expansions. It is an RTS set in the Americas between roughly 1400 and 1850. It follows the discovery, coloinaization, and eventual independence of the Americas as well as some early American history. The campaign mode and story, as well as many of the units, are historically based and very engaging. As with many RTS games you are constantly fighting the battle between military and economy. Do you invest in military early on and try to defeat your opponent as quickly as possible? Do you build up defenses and try to stave off your opponent’s attacks while strengthening your economy? Do you forgo defenses and try to create a booming economy while your opponent waste money on defense that will be useless by the time your are ready to attack.? When in the heat of battle which units do you choose to use? Which units will best counter your opponents army? The countering system and balance of the game are very well thought out and will provide you hours of gameplay with very good replayability. There is also still an active community of RTS gamers who play this game if you did end up deciding to play online.

If you are looking for a slower paced turn based strategy game than look no further than the Civilization IV series which others have mentioned.

If you would like more info on RTS games and their difference from turn based games then I suggest you read this article.

Let me know what you think and if you have any further questions. Hope that helps.

 

you want strategy?? old school?? pc??

heres some few games:
-starcraft <--- 1998 game but still a huge community still playing it (Koreans)
-Age of Empires 3 <--- good stuff
-Warcraft 3 <--- still extremely popular, especially a mod map in warcraft3 called DOTA (defence of the ancients). Dota is extremely popular and is even played in worldwide competitions.
-World in conflict <--- good WWII strategy game, full of action

go look into those and have fun

 

Thanks for the links! The Sagar really does look good and not as expensive as I thought it would be! I am seriously considering it! The wiki article was also excellent in allowing me to get my bearings! I now have some idea as to where I would like to go with my gaming!

As for games, CivIV sounds good as does World in Conflict (suggest by badadee...thanks!)

I am now quite certain I will have to go down the PC route and even more, I will have to have a dedicated machine for games - so the Sager (or a machine in the same class) looks good. I was also wondering about one thing. While looking at the Sager, I found that there is an option for buying a 1TB external drive. Now I already have a 250 GB external drive in which I store my movies and documentaries. So, when I watch them, I just hook that up. Can the same thing be done for games? As things stand now the current external drive is small and slim and is excellent for carrying around.

The last thing is the OS. From what I have read and as has been mentioned earlier, XP is the way to go. This means that unless I am dual booting, I will have to have a second machine - my work requires that I am on Vista and with Win 7 coming up, its going to that. I don't mind either from a personal point of view, but the tech support has a mind and logic of its own. So, is there anyway for the games to work on Vista (and subsequently on Win7) or is thew dual boot/ 2nd machine the way to go?

Thanks for your help and thanks to all of you who have been kind enough to share your ideas, comments and observations! I really appreciate your help!

Cheers!

 

Ya know, I was a pretty vocal anti-Vista guy when it came out, but anymore I find it's not an issue. The newer games seem to run fine, and some older games that I once had trouble with seem to also be fine under Vista.

So, if you're concerned about gaming under Vista, just make sure you have a system with a decent amount of RAM, and I think you'll be fine. Now, if you have other reasons that make you prefer XP (or it's just your preference) I totally understand.

But I'd think the pain of having two different machines (or even a dual boot) isn't worth it - I'd just go one good system, with Vista 64 and 4G RAM.

 

Ok...so you are suggesting a 64-bit machine? Aside from it being able to use the 4GB of RAM, any other reason?

 

I run the majority of games off an external USB drive, and after that one fills up, I'll carry around a 2nd external USB drive with games. I'm a packrat, and if I enjoy the game, I leave it on the HDD. I copy the icons to the internal drive so when the external is unplugged, all my shortcuts still look pretty. I even run Steam off my external drive.

I don't hate Vista enough to use a dual boot configuration, or worse yet, carry around two machines. Vista will work fine, especially with games that were designed around XP. There were initially some sound issues with games designed for XP running under Vista, but those have been ironed out. The compatibility trouble comes when trying to run games designed for 95/98 that didn't use the NT kernel. Some work, some don't under Vista. If you're sticking to more current games, Vista will be fine.

 

Nope, that's it, just to get all your RAM usage at 4G. I think 4G is the gaming sweet spot right now, it'll allow you to do a lot, and going 64 bit will give you all of it.

It also gives you room to upgrade should you want to go more than 4G, should the need arise in the future.

 

OK. Thanks. Good to know.

 

The info about the external USB drive is very good for me!!! This way, I guess I could just get a 1TB external drive and partition it and use it for a number of work and play purposes, while keeping my laptop clean of games. Plus carrying an external harddrive is MUCH easier than a second laptop!!!

About Vista and games...well I just found a very old copy of Panzer General in my stash. It used to work fine on XP...what do you think? will it work on Vista?

 

Game-related files will still show up on your internal drive...every game has to modify the Windows registry...and saves and configs typically go into game folders under the 'My Documents' folder...there are also uninstall files that go into your 'Windows' folder...there's still a footprint on the laptop so if work is providing the laptop, you may want to check with your IS folks about what they will and won't allow

DosBox runs fine under XP and Vista...if it's the DOS copy, you can get DosBox to run Panzer General no problem...if it's the Windows 95 version, it may be difficult...I had a rough time getting People's General to work correctly...after much internet browsing, I finally got the intro movies and the map overlay to work...Panzer General shouldn't be as difficult, but I don't know about the Windows version under Vista...

And the version of DosBox that I use does not 'install' itself in Windows...if you ran it from the external drive, your company's IS would probably never know...same is true for most emulators...Project64 for the Nintendo 64 is different...

 

About Panzer General...the copy I have only says the following:

"Microsoft Windows XP/ ME/ 98/ 95 compatible"

Oops...its Panzer General II, the original PG was a dos version

 

I don't remember PG 2 being problematic in XP, so it should run fine under Vista...

 

Well...I loaded up PzG2 on my machine. Install went smoothly...played a few turns too...and then suddenly the screen went black and the machine became unresponsive. Had to hit to hit the power button to get back.

Edit: And yes, I agree, PzG2 on XP worked fine...spent many a happy hour with it!