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[Alex Connolly]

Great review, Eat! Added to the OP. Seems like it really resonated with you!

 

[EatChildren]

Yeah, its a really fantastic game. I was really surprised, to be honest. It doesn't copy anything and is totally originally, and despite being so accessible and easy to learn its really deep and complex in how battles can play out.

And there's a ton of really polished well made content to play. Long, fun campaign, lots of maps, great graphics, etc etc etc.

Im expecting it to be mostly ignored due to Civilization V and StarCraft 2, but this game really deserves attention. Especially from people who like strategy but maybe find the genre a bit intimidating to get into. The learning curve is so smooth you wont even notice it.

 

[Alex Connolly]

Yep, talk about a tough month to drop into. Loving it more and more, though.

Maybe a sale or something down the line? I still think it's worth paying full price for. Some great meta gaming going on, too, like people creating actual WWII abstracted battles in multiplayer - right down to unit type and relative number.

 

[lastplayed]

Nice review EatChildren!

I wonder what sort of DLC support RUSE will get in the coming months... if any. The Pacific theatre maybe? Some of the larger maps would support islands surrounded by naval units. That could be pretty fun.

 

[Alex Connolly]

I wonder how they'd be able to integrate the island hopping aspect of the Pacific theatre. Either way, it'd be majestic to watch carrier fleets and fighter-bomber squadrons buzzing about.

Enjoyed trying to tackle Operation Sealion last night. Really great little missions within that section of the game, tough as nails - especially if you're trying to achieve all the sub-mission targets.

 

[Liberty4all]

here is our review over at MSXBOX-WORLD: http://www.msxbox-world.com/xbox360/reviews/review/580/RUSE.html

 

[Liberty4all]

Have been playing a good bunch of games online and i see some metagames tendencies showing.
The most prominent is people going for easy quick wins using paratroopers. They capture your buildings at the beginning collapsing your whole strategy. Right now it is imperative to create some defenses before anything else or you'll be trapped.
My recommendation is to build AA and infantry and let them come...lol.
Of course, if you're more of an aerial player, you can use fighters as defenders.

Similar metagame is for italian players rushing your supply depots with light and quick tanks. Some AntiArmor is also a good idea at the beginning.

I've scored many victories against all those rush gamers.

The thing i like about this game is that you can implement many different strategies. The most sarisfying moments come when you annihilate those that go for easy victories relying on unbalanced or unrealistic strategies.

Have you seen more metagame tendencies?

yeah i got ruined by paratroopers the other night. very annoying. My problem is that i was playing as the russians who don't have the infantry nest placements the Americans do.

 

[kerrak]

yeah i got ruined by paratroopers the other night. very annoying. My problem is that i was playing as the russians who don't have the infantry nest placements the Americans do.

This is another wonderful aspect of this game. 6 factions, each faction has some pros and cons. You need to adapt your gameplay both to your strengths/weaknesses as much as those of your oponents.
Sometimes slight differences in units as the one you mention have a real impact on the field.

 

[Alex Connolly]

I tell you what, even a few Wirbelwinds can't halt the onslaught of some Hurricanes under Blitz and Fanaticism. Deadly! When that seems to be the case, it's a radio-silence defence or bust! Especially since the fighter-bombers can't target what they can't see...unlike their Lancaster counterparts! But a Lancaster squadron vs. a few Wirbelwinds...that's a fight worth watching.

 

[glaurung]

Stuffed this into my new PS3 slim yesterday once I was fed up with the blurry Halo Reach.

Only played through the first mission, but chose the hardest difficulty off the bat. I have to say that I like it a lot, even though RTS is not my forté.

What's with the regenerating tank health? Does that apply to all units?

 

[Alex Connolly]

I'm under the impression that all unit health regeneration is an abstraction of routing to complete annihilation. There's a nice little facet to routing, especially when applying fanaticism to units for that final bit of cavalier punch.

It might seem strange - the health regen - but I figure it's more a case of what army would keep damaged and broken war gear on the field without making an effort to repair them, given enough time.

 

[kerrak]

What's with the regenerating tank health? Does that apply to all units?

Yes, and in fact i find it a very well thought game mechanic. In war, units usually were almost never annihilated, but most times were disorganised and/or routed, consequently giving up terrain and reorganizing later at safer points.
Of course, not as quickly as in game time terms, but anyway.
You can use this tactic to your advantage, as you can try to defend from weak attacks simply by retreating. You can even use fanatic to retreat faster to safe points.

 

[chubigans]

I love the game (especially the Move support) but I can't even beat the second level (protect the town from incoming tanks at all sides). I'm on the Normal difficulty but maybe I should tone it down to easy.

Any tips on that level?

 

[Alex Connolly]

Yeah, I gotta agree with the Fanatic ruse. It's incredibly versatile, good for many sticky situations. Just fiddled about in the Sealion operation mission again, and damn, did it help to organise the end assault and keep a few units still rolling under the strafing of some seriously annoyed RAF.

I love the game (especially the Move support) but I can't even beat the second level (protect the town from incoming tanks at all sides). I'm on the Normal difficulty but maybe I should tone it down to easy.

Any tips on that level?

Chubs, all I can offer is keep your AT guns closer to Kasserine, although run them a little further out to the West to clean a few Italian units up - since it's the second-last of the bull-runs. Running East along the river is a tough one, because you want to get the range on the inbound armour but it's a kampfgruppe of tanks and infantry...so slowly draw all forces back in towards Kasserine, perhaps even to get some AT fire ranging in from the Western side of the city.

The big problem is when the German division arrives, so my advice is to get your AT guns on the Eastern side, slot your American para in the city for an ambush (it takes some fiddling, especially under fire), and just keep backing your units off towards the northern canyon and Eastern riverbank if they're feeling the heat too much.

 

[chubigans]

Oh! I was spreading out my troops outside the city...maybe that's why I was being massacred. Thanks, I'll try that!

 

[Alex Connolly]

Oh! I was spreading out my troops outside the city...maybe that's why I was being massacred. Thanks, I'll try that!

Feel free to push your AT guns out a bit, but make sure they've got infantry close by in case enemy troops appear - something the AT guns have no defense for.

Once you start feeling the burn, start to pull them back in - and don't forget to stack on the ruses! Don't give them an inch!

 

[Fersis]

You not gonna guess who got R.U.S.E today.

Hint :





<------

love this game with move support, hopefully more games like this come to ps3. im playing on beginner though but still having fun

Move may bring more RTS to PS3.

 

[tribal24]

love this game with move support, hopefully more games like this come to ps3. im playing on beginner though but still having fun

 

[Alex Connolly]

You not gonna guess who got R.U.S.E today.

Great news! Hope you dig it, man. By the by, Play-Asia sent me an email saying they've been inconvenienced by Sony not shipping Move units to wholesalers from the start, so it'll be a bit of a wait. Oh well, it's not like it controls like crap!

 

[kerrak]

I've already logged 25 hours of playtime, and the game doesn't cease to impress me. I'm on PS3 psn=kerrak, add me if you want to play some coop.

 

[Alex Connolly]

I've already logged 25 hours of playtime, and the game doesn't cease to impress me. I'm on PS3 psn=kerrak, add me if you want to play some coop.

I'll take you up on the offer, sir. Adding ASAP.

 

[Fersis]

I've already logged 25 hours of playtime, and the game doesn't cease to impress me. I'm on PS3 psn=kerrak, add me if you want to play some coop.

Will add you tonight.

Gonna finish the campagin first before(Its a tutorial for MP!) going online.

The operations section of the game is a good primer for multiplayer, I reckon, so mess about with that to break up the campaign missions. It's damn glorious.

The whole thing is so damn glorious!

Is it me or do you like this game?

 

[Alex Connolly]

The operations section of the game is a good primer for multiplayer, I reckon, so mess about with that to break up the campaign missions. It's damn glorious.

The whole thing is so damn glorious!

 

[Alex Connolly]

Is it me or do you like this game?

Oh, it's okaaaay. You'd think I had been waiting for it for a long time or something. :lol

Just had my first multiplayer team battle with Kerrak! He's a fantastic leader, really knows his stuff! It was a big learning curve for me, just with how dynamic things can get. We lost one of our opponents from some sort of connection issue, but it was terrific nonetheless.

Thanks a bunch, Kerrak! Next time I'll get my early game off and running a bit more fluidly.

 

[kerrak]

Don't overrate me, i think our opposition wasn't particularly hard on this game.
But yeah it was very fun!

 

[Katana_Strikes]

I think I'll order this up. I've not got any games till October so it might just be a great filler now I have Move also.

 

[Alex Connolly]

Kerrak, I think for my first online game, I needed a guiding hand. So, thanks again. You're right, it was a pretty small map...but still, great first experience.

Just wanted to let you fellows know the RUSE HQ Broadcast is now available on iTunes, finally in the search category. It's a casual first episode, but we're recording another next week with a lot more in the way of news and responses, plus a few technical tweaks. Stay tuned.

If you've anything you'd like raised in the broadcast, let me know.

 

[Fersis]

Played with Kerrak against the AI last night.
First online match ever too!

Wanna play some matches this weekend man?

 

[Alex Connolly]

At my wife's parents house for the weekend, sadly...I'm really hankering for some RUSE, too. Wish I was home!

EDIT: But Fersis, impressions! How're you liking it? I might be able to have some multiplayer during the week, too.

 

[kerrak]

This weekend i'll be connected intermitently. There will be options to play for sure.

 

[ghst]

i found this review, thought you guys (and anyone who's played an rts since 1995) might get a kick out of it, courtesy of dean bowman at ready up:

http://ready-up.net/reviews/r-u-s-e/

For years the real-time strategy genre (RTS) has been mired in the turgid, tiberium soaked legacy of Command & Conquer. Once a pioneering game, it’s regular as clockwork sequels have done little to improve the series beyond the occasional graphical overhaul and a handful of new units. The formula always remained the same: build base, farm resources, amass army and storm your enemy with enough troops to ideally drop the frame-rate. Other strategies could be undertaken by the hardcore (like storming a base with a hand full of cigar-chomping commandos) but they were rarely encouraged by a game that was in essence, as subtle as a breezeblock strapped to a nuke. Other series’ emerged, most famously Age of Empires, but were little more than copies in historical garb.

This is as much a problem with the genre itself than simply with the game. In fact ‘real-time strategy’ is a bit of a contradiction in terms. Strategy is about planning and preparation, or it should be at least. The reason games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Valkyria Chronicles are so brilliant is because they are both built upon incredibly tight turn-based mechanics.

according to the guy's profile he is a self confessed weeaboo who doesn't play pc games. who'd have guessed.

 

[TheExecutive]

Just played the demo with Move. SOLD! Great fun and the move is intuitive and easy. Loving the combo.

 

[Alex Connolly]

i found this review, thought you guys (and anyone who's played an rts since 1995) might get a kick out of it, courtesy of dean bowman at ready up.

According to the guy's profile he is a self confessed weeaboo who doesn't play pc games. who'd have guessed.

Oh dear! Oh dear indeed. It seems the basic tenets of an RTS simply aren't his bag. Which, of course, is written off as the genre's fault for not being...er...like Valkyria Chronicles, or something?

EDIT: The RUSE Three Moves Ahead podcast is up! Should be a good listen, folks.

 

[Quasar]

EDIT: The RUSE Three Moves Ahead podcast is up! Should be a good listen, folks.

It is awesome. Certainly sold me on the game.

 

[Alex Connolly]

Yeah, listened to it today and damn, Rob loved it! In fact, despite Julian's aversions to some of it - and he's probably the best testbed for the "everyman" on Three Moves Ahead - everyone seemed quite taken by it.

Good stuff.

 

[Fersis]

So i played an online match last night... got destroyed. :lol

Whats the deal with artillery, you can fire without targeting? Crazy range too.

Campaign progress:

Spoiler

Just got to level 8 i think, were you get airplanes for the first time.

EDIT: Remember that you can redeem 40 UPlay points for a D-Day map!
EDIT 2: Nice work Pylon_Trooper, theres a link in the official RUSE website to your 'podcast'.

 

[Alex Connolly]

Fersis, some artillery definitely don't need a target to begin the smackdown. Every faction is rather different, which a lot of people don't seem to know outside of the people who play the game!

Hope you're enjoying it. I saw you online earlier, but I had chores and errands to complete, so maybe next time!

In other news, the second episode of the RUSE HQ Broadcast is up! Find it via iTunes or the direct links in the OP. We touch on patch news, piracy and cheating, tourneys and the mysterious appearance of Japan in a bugged menu. Also, the question of Britain's efficacy - is she an underpowered nightmare, or an ultra-specialist?

Enjoy.

EDIT: Rock, Paper Shotgun did a great discussion on it, too!

 

[lastplayed]

Nice. Downloading now!

 

[lastplayed]

Wow, haven't heard the Dad's Army theme for a while. :lol

It's a real shame about the piracy. I suppose it has to be expected, I just hope it doesn't impact any plans for expansions or sequels. Another good episode, keep 'em coming!

 

[Fersis]

How do i download the second Broadcast without downloading iTunes ?

 

[Katana_Strikes]

Just finished the game. I enjoyed it though I felt the difficulty was all over the place at times. I'd have liked some sort of level up system for your units and being able to keep hold of the selected units even after issuing an order. Move is a joy to play the game with though when units are close together it's sometime fiddly to select a certain one in the heat of battle. Story wasn't great and you knew from the start who

Spoiler

Prometheus

was, with no attempt in trying to hide the fact. Also sound was poor/low on the cutscenes.

I'll tuck into other modes later, but it'll certainly be a game I'll go back to, as it's quite addictive despite some of its flaws.

 

[Alex Connolly]

Fersis, bookmark THIS for all your RUSE HQ Broadcast needs. Direct links within.

And Katana, if you go into the options and select 'Sticky Reticule' or something along those lines, selected units stay selected after you give them orders. It's a godsend for some, I love it.

Haven't been able to play much of late - our first daughter was born last week, so the world of RUSE has been put on hold for the moment - but be sure I'll be back into it as soon as time allows. It'll be a weeknight thing from next week, I suspect.

EDIT: Last, cheers for the feedback. Yeah, it was a deathmatch for the break music between the Dad's Army theme and Vera Lynn. The Home Guard kicked that bird to the curb!

 

[Katana_Strikes]

And Katana, if you go into the options and select 'Sticky Reticule' or something along those lines, selected units stay selected after you give them orders. It's a godsend for some, I love it.

Oh wow, must try that now.

 

[Fersis]

Congratulations on the little Pylon_Trooper !!

EDIT: You know what? Im really liking the campaing story. Its weird to see a cocky/douchebaggy main character.

 

[kerrak]

Congrats Pylon!!!
I have a 4 yo daughter and we are waiting for a brother for her around christmas. I can tell you by experience sons are the best experience in life.

 

[lastplayed]

Haven't been able to play much of late - our first daughter was born last week, so the world of RUSE has been put on hold for the moment - but be sure I'll be back into it as soon as time allows. It'll be a weeknight thing from next week, I suspect.

Grats!

 

[Maastricht]

Haven't been able to play much of late - our first daughter was born last week, so the world of RUSE has been put on hold for the moment - but be sure I'll be back into it as soon as time allows. It'll be a weeknight thing from next week, I suspect.

EDIT: Last, cheers for the feedback. Yeah, it was a deathmatch for the break music between the Dad's Army theme and Vera Lynn. The Home Guard kicked that bird to the curb!

Many congrats - as a father of a 2yo son (which will likely be our only) I think the first months after (and just before) the first child is born can be fairly chill, in that both mother and baby tend to sleep a *lot*. Of course it may be different for you.

Scary thought: in about a year your daughter will be able to find her way around an iPod Touch/iPhone. *shock*

 

[Alex Connolly]

I tell you what, you can't find a nicer thread on GAF than this one. Our numbers may be small, but damn, the folks are great!

Thanks for your thoughts, guys! Hope to get back to RUSE in the next week, but it's a bit of a crazy feeling to join the RUSE dads!

By the by, glad you're enjoying the campaign, Fersis! It's a bit of a downer from what they hyped it up to be...but if taken like reading an old Commando comic, then it's fine.

 

[Corto]

Congrats on the Junior Trooper! We have a 14 months old boy that just started walking without aid, and unlike Maastricht we had some problems with his sleep. But now all is good. Wish you luck!

As for RUSE I still didn't get it as I was waiting for my birthday to gift it to myself hehehehe. Will do this next friday.

 

[Alex Connolly]

It's been a week thus far, Corto, and feeding duties make nights a rather arduous process. Still, we've both got weary smiles on our dials as we fuss over the new arrival.

Speaks volumes of the GAF RUSE community...we're almost a full compliment of fathers! I can't speak for dear Fersis, but I imagine he's a free man with his heart only for Ted Price and SNK.

Not a bad time to get into the game, too, Corto. Patch has arrived, at least on PC, if my RUSE HQ Broadcast comrade Joey is on the money. Allegedly, the patch doesn't fix the connection issues that've been happening to a lot of players (generally seems to happen when one player in multiplayer has a weak connection, therefore making the game lag for everyone else), but cheating has been slapped down and a good number of bug fixes are in there.