Sorry for posting this on two boards on this site, but the board for the series is a bit inactive, and I need an answer to this before the sale ends.

Anyways, Hi there, how's it going? This is my first time posting on the GOG.com forums.

Before I start, let me say right away that I have no desire to touch the multiplayer in pretty much any rts, and if I get these games, I probably won't even touch anything outside of the campaign.

Anyways, I'm not really that into the RTS genre, as I really don't get a lot of them.

I've enjoyed a few of them however, and maybe this can give you an idea of if I'd be able to handle this game or not.

I've played two of the Command and Conquer games (The original, and Red Alert.) They were beyond fun!

I've also played some of the original Spellforce. It was one of the most unique experiences I have had in a game, and I'll probably the whole series that is here when I see it on sale.

But then I look some extremely complex rts that I can't handle at all, like what I've played of the Demo of King Arthur: The Role Playing Wargame, .

This game of course is something quite different, and it looks like something that could be quite fun, but I'm not sure how to explain why it feels this way.

Eh, this post is all over the place, and I apologize for this fact, but I can't think of a better way to put things. I guess what I'm asking is, ground Control looks as if it could be fun, but I'm not sure how I'll be able to handle it. Maybe you could give me some basic advice on how to do well in a game like this, so it doesn't seems so intimidating.

Thank you for your time.

If you can't handle Ground Control, you can't handle any kind of RTS bar none. It's really more of a tactical game then a typical Command and Conquer game as you get x number of units and are told to do x, y and z. It's as simple as that. It doesn't get much simpler then Ground Control to be honest.

Haven't played Ground Force, but I doubt it could be harder than the original C&C and Red Alert. Just play a Skirmish map with AI, 8 players and mega map size, Hard difficulty, see how long you can last.

So what you're saying is that it's a game where each level you are given a certain amount of units at the beginning of the level, and just go through it, and the idea is just to keep them alive, while killing everything else?

Because if it is that way, that sounds pretty interesting.

Pretty much.

It is a fun game but can get very hectic because you cannot dial down the game speed or pause and issue commands.

But you can assign units to the groups?

I am not any master of RTS genre, but using groups to issue commands always helps me. It makes units deployment way easier, also helps you to respond to events in combat heat faster

So the game is mostly about preparation?

The game is excellent and only 3$ atm. All the time spend on this forum could be spent actually trying it out. I can recommend it (both actually). I'm certainly no strategy expert but I enjoyed those two (and World in Conflict "sequel").

Therefore, take the leap of faith. Worst case scenario, you donated 3$ to GOG and Massive Entertaintment.

And in this game, unlike others of his time, the terrain plays a very important role and the armoured units are more or less damaged depending on which part is attacked (front, side, rear).

Also, the units are gaining experience throughout the campaign, making their survival more valuable to you.

I don't know how good you are, but I can tell this game gets on the hard side later on. And the expansion is even harder.

And the game is more about execution than preparation. It's about micromanaging your units, though it's not as annoying as micromanaging uses to be because the number of units is limited.

On the unfortunate side, there is no ending to the story, and Ground Control 2 is set so many years later it won't even matter anymore (we don't get to know what happened).

I would say so. If you can be bothered to listen to/read the mission briefing, you should get a rough idea as to what you will be facing, and prepare accordingly. Usually it just boils down to countering air units or protecting your artillery so it can level the enemy base.

You should remember that your squads will be replenished to full fighting strength in between missions as long as at least one unit in it survives. For instance, if you lose seven marines out of the eight you get in a squad, you should make sure the sole survivor gets through. This is particularly tricky with artillery, as the squad consists of just one SPG. You can't deploy all of your army in most missions, so you can afford losing a few squads.

I'll give you a tactical hint that could be considered cheating: always keep at least one unit of standard infantry ready to deploy in your APC (two if possible, I can't remember how many actually fit in that sweatbox). There are two reasons for this: first of all, enemy infantry can be a pain in the ass for heavier units that can't target them effectively, so you'll always have some infantry to support your heavies. Secondly, you can exploit the weak rear armour of armoured enemy units by engaging them with regular ground troops, rushing the APC through the enemy formation and deploying the infantry right on their arses. The enemy can turn around if it wants, but that'll just expose it to your tanks. Works like a dream.