Armoured Commander II

If you are running away from the game because there are no graphics, then you are missing out on an awesome thematic simulation with some gamey aspect. Yes, this game is in the sweet center of the game triangle making it one of the best games you can find. Truly! Although, you need to like this kind of game. If you do not like turn-based tactical battles, war, and tanks, that is not a game for you like every other games with those elements (especially the tactical battle part). A solid game all around except for one thing... The poor linear randomness mechanic. Linear randomness is bad in every game : - d100 (or bigger) are the worst of linear random rolls you can have in games as it makes extreme results as common as normal ones. - It ruins any tactical (or strategic in other games) decisions the player takes as everything is decided with a super random roll where probabilities are always bad. - Linear randomness is also anti-thematic and makes the simulation of this particular game not plausible. Catastrophic failues and great successes are as common as ordinary skill roll results. More normal shots than extremes would be better. - The percentile chances are wrong as hell. I missed three times in a row a 90% chance due to the bad linear randomness... which makes no sense. Solution for the armoured commander 3 (I doubt you could change the linear randomness to curved one for AC2 without alot of work) is to eliminate randomness and penalties to rolls of any kind. Use only additions (increases to dice rolls for boni to the skill rolls, and increases to difficulties for anything that would make the skill roll more difficult). That is what I use in my games for many years now, everything goes up and there are no multiplications, divisions or substractions, games with modern mechanics. I suggest something like 2d6 (NOT a random number from 2 to 12, but two random numbers from one to six added together) that way you have a curved randomness where the extremes happens less frequently than the shades of grey (e.g. five to nine) as a base. Then you can add also the modern mechanic of additions only with difficulty on one side and the boni to the 2d6 on the other. Shades of grey with the occasional great success or failure are more appreciated by players as tactical (and strategical) decisions they take matters. Linear randomness makes player decisions obsolete before they even take them. Also, makes some rolls automatic to accelerate gameplay. Not everything needs a roll (that is a modern game mechanic too). Like a chance of less than 1% or greater than 99% is automatic succes/failures. On 2d6, this would be if you need 2 or more to succeed, you do not need to roll, it is an automatic success (same if you need more than 12 it is an automatic failure/impossible action). It lessens the amount of unnecessary calculations for the game and your computer while simplifying the gameplay. I strongly recommand this game to anyone who likes turn-based tactical combat game, It is solid as I have mentioned and quite challenging without falling in the absurd difficulty like some games do with HP sponges, A.I. obeying a different set of rules than the player because the devs are too lazy to make a proper one (or they have better gear/more resources, mysterious boni that comes from nowhere. etc.). Thumbs up! And please, do continue to develop this game, and the next in the line with non-linear randomness. It is the only flaw your game has. :)

This is obviously a game made out of passion for the subject of armored warfare. The simplistic graphics allow for extreme gameplay depth, which the developer uses to the highest possible degree. If you're at all interested in WWII-era armored warfare, you have to play this game.

Don't let the screenshots fool you. Below the surface of old-school ASCII graphics, Armoured Commander II presents a rather mechanically detailed depiction of commanding a tank crew and fighting to live another day, across the entire course of a historical WW2 campaign - much easier said than done. The focus on the gameplay over the graphics leads to ACII having a massive variety of content - it's highly replayable, with dozens of playable vehicles, theatres of war, and gameplay modifiers. It also has modding support so that's nice. Obviously, it is incredibly easy to run and is mostly played with keyboard controls, so it's a very portable and accessible game. If you have an interest in WW2 tanks (I know there's a lot of you out there), consider giving this game a shot.

This is one of the most addictive games I have ever played, especially if you're a WW2 nut. It is a sort of mashup of solo tank warfare boardgames with quite a lot of added detail and unique twists. The amount of content in the game is honestly staggering, and all the major and quite a few minor vehicles of the major combatants of the war are represented. Some nice things are being able to carry your crew over to a new campaign, so you can play from 1939 to 1945 as a German or Soviet tank commander. The game rewards good tactics. Don't expect to go charging in to every situation and come out intact. There is some random bad luck at times, but trying to mitigate it as much as possible is part of the fun. The graphics are obviously old school, but you get used to them very quickly. There is a wealth of information available during game play and the graphics do not stand out after a bit. The game mostly uses keyboard (I haven't tried on the deck) and it becomes second nature to assign orders and blaze through a round of combat using keystrokes. Mouse control is mostly only used to mouse over a hex and get information on the enemy there. It is a lot faster than trying to point and click on orders. Playing a day's worth of combat, depending on how things go, takes maybe twenty minutes or so, maybe a little longer. Most of the campaigns are at least twenty combat days, so quite a lot of playtime for very little money. It is also truly "one more turn" addictive, trying to see if you can push your luck a little bit more and rack up a higher score, or sometimes just survive the day without getting your tank shot out from under you. I cannot recommend this game enough and would give it two thumbs up if possible. It is truly a great implementation of the core idea and a fine roguelike to boot. Great job and hats off to the dev for bringing this masterpiece to life!

Surviving North Africa, Burma and Italy only to be melted after first contact with a Panther is an exhilarating experience

You are an @ and you shoot at other tanks. Then you get shot at yourself. Eventually your @ gets hit. It might or might not penetrate your @'s armor and maim or kill your crew. The driver didn't make it. The rest of crew tries to make it out of the wreck before the ammo and fuel catches on fire and gets them all. The loader can't get his hatch open. A machine gun burst zips over your heads. Miraculously the gunner helps him get it unstuck and everyone (besides the driver) makes it out alive. The tank is a total loss. You're still coming to war tomorrow though, right? The new tank is already waiting and we got you a replacement driver. All of this is glorious ASCII.

Tank porn for tank perverts.

Phenomenal roguelike with gameplay as compelling and unique as its art and controls. This is an almost tactile computer game, and even though it’s rendered entirely in 2D quasi-ASCII, there is depth in every element. Turn-based strategy/tactics fans, history buffs, and tabletop wargamers would all enjoy. If you’re even remotely interested, buy it. I’ve played for years now, and it’s always a treat to come back to. Also, the dev is amazing.

There should be a lot more games like armcom2. That there aren't is a serious indictment on the kinds of experiences other developers and studios expose themselves to. This game should be shamelessly plagiarized and expanded upon. It deserves to be as influential as Dwarf Fortress, that's how good the foundation is, both conceptually and mechanically.

insanely fun and addicting. still only halfway through my first campaign but dang I should have got this game a while ago. if you're a fan of strategy, wargames, roguelikes or ww2 I highly recommend this game. even at full price its worth it, on sale it's a steal.