Topic: Halo Wars?

[bustin98]

Any players? I'm kinda addicted to it. I'm trying to figure out the best strategy at getting things going in the skirmish part of the game. I'm playing with the difficulty set to auto, which is represented by a number I assume is 1 to 100. And I usually play as human. I do ok up to around 77. Then I get pounded by vehicles and I don't even have the resources to build a vehicle depot. Also, playing with AI players on your side sucks on the higher difficulties. They don't do **** and get wiped out fast or refuse to help me when I'm getting wiped out.

I'd go online to play random battles, but I still feel like a noob and will get bested by jerks who know all the glitches and what not. I really just want to play with people against bots, but I don't think that option exists.

[Dirk Temporo]

Glitch exploits in an RTS? wat

[KDR_11k]

I only played the demo, it felt a bit too close to Starcraft for comfort. Unit selection felt pretty clunky, especially when using special abilities (I usually want to apply only one type of those to one target, not have the jeeps ram it, the marines nade it and the tanks use antiinf rounds on it). I tried to churn out as much inf as I could early on, even going dual rax with everything else filled with supply depots (they're only 100 res, you can make a few and then sell them if you need the space). With enough inf you can chew through those neutral enemies in no time and capture yourself some extra res production. Are vehicles really that necessary? Inf can be upgraded to have bazookas and those rip stuff up pretty damn fast, just tech to zook ASAP and you can probably take your time with the rest of the tech tree?

[bustin98]

Well, the inf gets eaten up quickly by the conv leader or the pack that beams in behind it. I guess if I plan a rush with inf then it may not be a big deal. But if the game is nothing but a bunch of rushes then it takes the fun away of having the ability to create flying vehicles and what not. That doesn't exactly inspire me to play.

Also, if you have a group selected and there are different types in the group, right trigger cycles through the types. I was watching some videos on youtube and one shortcut the demonstrator wasn't using was the double click on the left stick to move the rally point. There is a bug though where if there is an elephant out producing inf and you have a rally point for it set, then you reset the rally point for the base, the elephant's rally point is moved there as well. Lame.

I should point out the only RTS experience I have is Warcraft II. Yeah, don't even think I can play it anymore (not sure, sound cards might be the sticky part). Any relation to Starcraft or other RTSs is lost on me. I guess that makes me part of the target audience for Halo Wars...

[Stratos]

I haven't been watching this game, but if it's like Starcraft and there is a demo I'll check it out.
You sound like some of my friends, bustin98, they only will play humans versus computers. They don't like losing apparently. I play for the thrill of the hunt, the kill. The thrill of sparring against another human mind. My blood gets pumping when I face against a human element.
If I like it and get the main game then I'll play with you against comps though.

*EDIT*
I feel silly, is this really only for 360? I thought there was a PC version.

[bustin98]

Well, now, lets get in the ring with a FPS and I'll give you some human on human sparring.

What I like is the coop of a group taking on another group and besting them. Ok, so I like the Horde mode in Gears of War II a little too much. Its not that I don't want to lose. Sometimes losing is what it takes to learn to win. But, as I said, I am new to the RTS genre and if I'm going to die in an online match, I really would like to know what I'm doing so I die because I'm not smart enough instead of dying from ignorance.

[Stratos]

Well, now, lets get in the ring with a FPS and I'll give you some human on human sparring.

What I like is the coop of a group taking on another group and besting them. Ok, so I like the Horde mode in Gears of War II a little too much. Its not that I don't want to lose. Sometimes losing is what it takes to learn to win. But, as I said, I am new to the RTS genre and if I'm going to die in an online match, I really would like to know what I'm doing so I die because I'm not smart enough instead of dying from ignorance.

I remember I was playing a team game of StarCraft once and one guy on my team apparently was playingan RTS for the first time ever because they built all sorts of random tech buildings and anti air defense towers. They didn't speak English either so we couldn't communicate with them either. I don't blame you for wanting to get better at the game before going online.

[KDR_11k]

I haven't been watching this game, but if it's like Starcraft and there is a demo I'll check it out.
You sound like some of my friends, bustin98, they only will play humans versus computers. They don't like losing apparently. I play for the thrill of the hunt, the kill. The thrill of sparring against another human mind. My blood gets pumping when I face against a human element.
If I like it and get the main game then I'll play with you against comps though.

*EDIT*
I feel silly, is this really only for 360? I thought there was a PC version.

If you can play Starcraft stay with that. I've seen HW described as "My First StarCraft", it feels much simpler than SC. It's just that it looks like they were cribbing notes from Blizzard. Just go play CoH or DoW2 or something instead.

I remember I was playing a team game of StarCraft once and one guy on my team apparently was playingan RTS for the first time ever because they built all sorts of random tech buildings and anti air defense towers. They didn't speak English either so we couldn't communicate with them either. I don't blame you for wanting to get better at the game before going online.

Oh I played against people like that in a LAN game of RA2, after I crushed a base that was defended with one measly tesla coil (my army had at least 20-30 tanks and craptons of infantry of all types) there was a lengthy debate about whether I violated the "no rush" rule. At that point I already had a second base, was raking in the money and running a few facs at full load. Some people know how to play RTSes and MANY don't. Many people I knew thought that floating 30k+ credits in RA2 was normal.

[Stratos]

I haven't been watching this game, but if it's like Starcraft and there is a demo I'll check it out.
You sound like some of my friends, bustin98, they only will play humans versus computers. They don't like losing apparently. I play for the thrill of the hunt, the kill. The thrill of sparring against another human mind. My blood gets pumping when I face against a human element.
If I like it and get the main game then I'll play with you against comps though.

*EDIT*
I feel silly, is this really only for 360? I thought there was a PC version.

If you can play Starcraft stay with that. I've seen HW described as "My First StarCraft", it feels much simpler than SC. It's just that it looks like they were cribbing notes from Blizzard. Just go play CoH or DoW2 or something instead.

I remember I was playing a team game of StarCraft once and one guy on my team apparently was playingan RTS for the first time ever because they built all sorts of random tech buildings and anti air defense towers. They didn't speak English either so we couldn't communicate with them either. I don't blame you for wanting to get better at the game before going online.

Oh I played against people like that in a LAN game of RA2, after I crushed a base that was defended with one measly tesla coil (my army had at least 20-30 tanks and craptons of infantry of all types) there was a lengthy debate about whether I violated the "no rush" rule. At that point I already had a second base, was raking in the money and running a few facs at full load. Some people know how to play RTSes and MANY don't. Many people I knew thought that floating 30k+ credits in RA2 was normal.

Yeah, some friends of mine got mad when they discovered that I would move out so fast and be fielding three mining bases within a short time that they told me it violated the no rush rules because I left my base- and there is always a no rush rule with them!

I also remember meeting a new guy in my dorm that liked Starcraft, I was so happy because I was desperate for some good PvP play and I had no idea how good he was. I ran a zealot rush and flattened him. I was elated when he stormed into the room and scared me half to death because he was livid. He said that of course I won since I used dirty, immature and childish tactics like rushing. I let him think he came close to winning  the next game because I was so freaked out by it.

Wasn't Halo supposed to originally be an RTS as opposed to an FPS?

[bustin98]

Bungie's Marathon series was the launching IP for Halo. Marathon is a FPS for the MAC, which was funny back when it was announced that Microsoft was buying Bungie. And Marathon is available as a download on the 360.

[KDR_11k]

Halo was initially meant as a more strategic FPS I think.

Yeah, some friends of mine got mad when they discovered that I would move out so fast and be fielding three mining bases within a short time that they told me it violated the no rush rules because I left my base- and there is always a no rush rule with them!

Pfft, tell them you didn't leave your base, you just expanded the definition of your base. Seriously, scrubs are fucking annoying to play against, especially with stupid "no rush" rules. A "no rush for X minutes" rule at least makes SOME sense because you know when the time is up but I was facing an undefined "no rush" rule. My personal stance on that was that the guy I curb stomped already had a tech center up and thus full tech, that looks to me like he's done building up his basic stuff and ready for war. Not my fault he didn't build an army before then!

[Dirk Temporo]

If you can play Starcraft stay with that. I've seen HW described as "My First StarCraft"

My First RTS is fitting, as Halo was My First FPS.

[Stratos]

If you can play Starcraft stay with that. I've seen HW described as "My First StarCraft"

My First RTS is fitting, as Halo was My First FPS.

Wasn't the first Battle for Middle Earth supposed to be an easier RTS for new players? How does that stack up to it?

Halo was initially meant as a more strategic FPS I think.

Yeah, some friends of mine got mad when they discovered that I would move out so fast and be fielding three mining bases within a short time that they told me it violated the no rush rules because I left my base- and there is always a no rush rule with them!

Pfft, tell them you didn't leave your base, you just expanded the definition of your base. Seriously, scrubs are fucking annoying to play against, especially with stupid "no rush" rules. A "no rush for X minutes" rule at least makes SOME sense because you know when the time is up but I was facing an undefined "no rush" rule. My personal stance on that was that the guy I curb stomped already had a tech center up and thus full tech, that looks to me like he's done building up his basic stuff and ready for war. Not my fault he didn't build an army before then!

We always have to wait thirty minutes so they can build up carriers. Half of them don't know how to play competently w/o carriers, and it has to be a hacked money map so they can shamelessly turtle. Any time I convinced them to play a normal map I tended to trounce them. Even when it was me against multiple people. I like the 'expanding my definition of base' thing, but we almost got into a fight over their silly fairness rules. I prefer to play by the constraints of the game, not extra rules added by players. It's bull that they also banned attacking their command centers.

[Ymeegod]

Halo Wars is RTS lite IMO.  It's not a bad console RTS but you're limited to two races (online) and only play as humans during story mode.  The single player mode lasts 8-10 hours (15 missions ). 

As for KDR's problem, you can select seperate groups with the right trigger.  Copied from website:
"Right Trigger
While commanding entire platoons is great for troop movement, it's important to have access to unit-specific commands when the bullets start to fly. In Halo Wars, the Right Trigger is used to cycle through your individual units without sacrificing control of your army.

For instance, let's say your army clashes with a widely varied enemy force. Units must be ordered to attack enemies that they're strongest against. Quick use of the Right Trigger will have your Warthogs running over Grunts, your Flamethrower squads engaging Hunters, your Spartans jacking enemy vehicles, and your anti-air Wolverines blasting Covenant Banshees out of the sky.

Once you're done issuing unit-specific commands, tap B to regain full control of your entire army.
"

So you can actually get your units to attack a certain way but my grip was with ai's pathfinding abilty and no army formation.  I tried to get them in somewhat of a formation by manual control but as soon as an emeny appears they scatter . 

Still for console owners Halo Wars isn't to bad but still flawed IMO.  Civ Rev is still the console RTS to beat.

[Morari]

A strategy game for a console? Hehehehe.....

[NWR_insanolord]

Civ isn't an RTS, it's turn-based. This is (hopefully) the only time I'll ever agree with Morari, though, strategy games are about a billion times better on PCs with the exception of Pikmin and it's various imitators.

[Spinnzilla]

My little brother has this.  It's very weird at first but it's grown on me.  The purple things that can shoot lasers from like mile away are pretty bitchin'. 

But Warlords Battlecry will always be the best RTS.