Ultimate General: Civil War

Maneuver was a very important principle in 18th and 19th century warfare and this game captures that importance extremely well. Ai is smart enough which makes it challenging, but not overwhelming. I strongly suggest watching tutorials on youtube created by experienced players to learn how to manage your army in camp and on the battlefield.
I can't wait for Revolutionary War to be fully released as it looks great too. I'd LOVE to see an Ultimate General based on the Napoleonic Wars and those campaigns!

Look... Are there better RTS games out there? Sure. Sure there are. But, for some reason, this one keeps calling me back. I suppose I like it in spite of the linear storytelling. It is generally historical, to the extent that a video game can be, which doesn't really lend toward a non-linear experience. I don't know. There's something here that is very good.
I suppose the recommendation I have is as follows:
1. If you like real time strategy, this one is pretty good. 8/10
2. If you like historical content, this one is pretty good. 7/10
3. If you like fielding rather massive armies against an opposing rather massive army, this one is pretty good. 9/10
4. If you like rotating the camera to get different/better views of the battlefield, this one is really, very bad. 0/10
5. If you like having variety in your army composition, this one is better than most. 9/10
Basically, this is the best Civil War strategy video game I have played. For transparencies sake, I have played only 2 Civil War strategy video games, and I've enjoyed them both, but this one is better. Thank you.

This game has a lot of little features that Total War has failed to implement despite its long list of games that make this really fun despite its simpler graphics.
• Semi-autonomous units. Unit officers will adjust and engage threats on the march and in the field on their own and are not completely brain-dead like Total War units who will just walk into danger without question (don't get me wrong though they still sometimes need help). You can also delegate instructions to division-level officers and they will do their best to complete your orders. The drag-a-path movement feature allows you to create more complex maneuver orders when you want.
• The battles can be really dynamic sometimes. Instead of simply eliminating the enemy or holding a bunch of static objectives the battles often change or develop in real-time. Suddenly, you might find yourself performing a fighting retreat or a glorious assault on newly decided objectives. Reinforcements or ambushes can really shake up the battle. The AI in this game is also fairly aggressive and competent and will attempt to envelop you when possible so you need to always be paying attention to your flanks and for spooky business.
• The campaign-specific features like your career points and unit progression are really cool. I can level up my stats that benefits my army in different ways. You can also equip your units with different weapons between battles. It's pretty cool that I can give my battle-hardened 1st and 2nd Infantry brigades lever-action goodies and watch them go crazy. You can also spend reputation points from winning battles on getting other bonuses but if you spend too much your public support becomes weak.
• Supply wagon system for logistics (ammunition). You need to make sure you not only bring enough supplies for the battle but also know how to position your supplies and when to bring them to your depleted units. In longer battles the need to properly manage your logistics becomes really important.
• The line-of-sight and terrain system is pretty good. Heavier terrain slows you down, provides more cover, and makes you more sneaky. Open terrain lets you move faster and fire more effectively but you are very vulnerable.

Great game, especially if you have civil war history autism, and still a good game even if you don't. Just beware that the campaign isn't a free-form total war style campaign that gives you freedom of movement across a campaign map but instead a fixed chronological set of battles.

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☐ Beautiful
☑ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS
---{ Gameplay }---
☐ Very good
☑ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't
---{ Audio }---
☐ Eargasm
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf
---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma
---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☑ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer
---{ Game Size }---
☐ Floppy Disk
☐ Old Fashioned
☑ Workable
☐ Big
☐ Will eat 10% of your 1TB hard drive
☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it
☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data
---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☑ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls
---{ Grind }---
☑ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding
---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☑ Good
☐ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life
---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☐ Average
☑ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond
---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☑ Worth the price
☐ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money
---{ Bugs }---
☐ Never heard of
☑ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs
---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☐ 8
☑ 9
☐ 10

If you like total war, but prefer your battles to be slower pace with more tactical manoeuvres, this game is for you. Don't let the graphics trick you into thinking this is a simple game. A really brilliant game through and though.

First, I am a big Civil War guy. I love to read about the time period and events on and off the battlefield. If you share this interest, you, like I, are probably aware of how few games tackle this period and that none of them have ever been great. I would rank UGCW as the best I have played, but it is still a relatively limited game with some unfortunate mechanical flaws. There is no grand strategy, you raise/tweak your army before each battle and then have it out. Your performance in battle makes minimal difference on subsequent battles. Winning the Peninsula Campaign doesnt end the war in 1862 or even change where the next battle happens. You dont need to big brain any battles to be successful, but a basic understanding of the mechanics doesnt hurt. In general you just want to outflank the enemy and rout their units so you attain concentrated fire. Topography does play a role but concentration of fire and getting your artillery in close will nearly always win out. What the game excels at is allowing you to control your units very easily, letting you use units commanded by your favorite generals to lick some rebel/northern scum, and letting you play out all the big battles. Union and Confederate campaigns are 90% the same battles. The game also has some bsic rpg elements for army composition, letting you lel up and select upgrades for your units and comanders. Overall, 78/100 but scratches the Civil War game itch better than anything else. If you area Civil War buff, highly reccommend. If you like strategy games, I think its a fun and polished game but it wont take you down the rabbit hole if you like that complexity.