Check out Boggit's quick whirl (http://grogheads.com/?p=8777) through Warhammer Armageddon and the DLC
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It's the same with all the panzer corps engine games. Same games different skins. If you've played one, you've played them all. Kind of the same with the BA engine games. I played the first BA game and Hell and have no desire to play anything else made with the engine.I glad some people can enjoy them but to me it's a tired formula. I suspect it will be the same with the new engine their developing for Steel Tigers. Makes sense from a business perspective to milk an engine you put alot of money and time into. Hopefully the new engine will be a lot more flexible, i suspect it will. Of course my gamer ADHD could also explain the above mentioned opinions.
^^
@-budd- :)
Well it's certainly true what you say about the basic engine, and the re-skinning issue, IMO too. I also agree that it makes commercial sense to develop 'new' games out of successful designs too.
To be fair it can be said of a huge amount of "series" games, most of which have a large following in the community. You mentioned Panzer Corps, but the same can also be said for the different stables of JTS games, like Panzer Campaigns, Squad Battles, SSI's Steel Panthers in their various iterations, AGEOD's AGE engine games, Combat Mission, the Eugen Systems games like Air-Land battle, or even Total War games. Sure there are subtle differences, but most "series" games operate from the same basic game engines. It doesn't make them bad games, and if you like them then you're onto a winner when a "new" iteration comes out, if you are looking for a game you like but with a different background, scenarios etc
As to the Warhammer Armageddon's dlc add on's, they are good if you're really into Warhammer Armageddon, but I couldn't find much that was really 'new' other than Space Marines in three different colours (and perhaps a slightly different unit roster/stats). My main cause of regret was the fact that the dlc didn't add any new opponents, which IMO would have boosted the value of the add-ons tremendously.
Personally, I don't have a problem with 'series' games. If I like the way a game engine plays, then I'm probably hooked for future iterations of it too. Then again if I don't like a game engine, then anything extending the series will have that same "meh!" factor that Panzer Corps holds for you.
I still get really excited when something completely 'new' and innovative comes out - even if it turns out to be the parent of a series - one that springs to mind is Rule the Waves, which is just SO different to what I'm used to - and I mean that in a good way, despite having had my a*se kicked from here to Mars by the AI in my first couple of games. ;)
good points and your examples are certainly on point. funny those other examples never occurred to me :idiot2:. Maybe its the engine and the design of those games using the engine. The puzzle like nature of the designs within hard time constraints that turn me off, god knows i've played enough of them. Another good point you made about liking an engine and wanting more, maybe thats why i've bought CO games 3 times and why i'm looking forward to DC3 and FPSS, same engines just more evolved and why i won't touch an AGE engine game after not getting into BOA2.You certainly made me rethink my perspective.
Wrapped in the warm fuzzies of my sojourn to Waterloo as I am, I feel something almost chilled and stale about hammering at this, but, seriously...when does the banality of this stop?
Milking something excellent is one thing, although it carries its own risks.
Milking the dessicated leaves dust to drink...