Turn-based tactics
Encyclopedia
Turn-based tactics or tactical turn-based (TTB), is a computer and video game genre of strategy video game
s that through stop-action simulates the considerations and circumstances of operational warfare
and military tactics
in generally small-scale confrontations as opposed to more strategic considerations of turn-based strategy
(TBS) games.
Turn-based tactical gameplay is characterized by the expectation of players to complete their tasks using only the combat forces provided to them, and usually by the provision of a realistic (or at least believable) representation of military tactics and operations. Examples of this genre include the Jagged Alliance
and X-COM
series, as well as tactical role-playing game
s such as the Final Fantasy Tactics
series and Nippon Ichi
games.
The gameplay of turn-based tactics games is the stop-action counterpart to that found in the real-time tactics
genre, and as such contrasts with other current wargame genres. For instance, in large-scale turn-based strategy
games battles are generally abstracted and the gameplay close to that of related board games, and real-time strategy
games de-emphasize realism and focus on the collection and conversion of resources into production capacities which manufacture combat units thereafter used in generally highly stylised confrontations. In contrast, turn-based tactics games' military tactical and realistic focus, emphasis on executing intricate and well thought through plans and comparatively short risk/reward cycle usually provide a distinctly more immediate, intense, careful and meticulous experience of battlefield tactics and mêlée
than strategy games of other genres.
As suggested by the genre's name, also fundamental to turn-based tactics is turn-based gameplay. The genre has its roots in tactical and miniature
wargaming
, the recreation of battle scenarios using miniatures or even simple paper chits using relatively intricate rules. Compared to other strategy games, games of the turn-based tactics genre often have distinctly detailed and complex environments due to the tactical implications of elevation, hard cover and line of sight
. Further, in most turn-based tactics games a player's force is maintained between battles. This allows units to become more proficient as they gain more battle experience and coupled with the often small and specialised squads used, can even encourage an affinity between the player and his or her troops, breaking down the stereotypical anonymity of the expendable, mass-produced units found in strategic games.
series (1987 onwards) and Lightning Bacchus (1989), Nintendo
's Wars series (1988 onwards), Hudson Soft
's Nectaris series (1989 onwards), and Gary Grigsby
's series of games for the Commodore 64
and Apple II
: Panzer Strike
(1987), Typhoon of Steel (1988) and Overrun! (1989). Under Fire
was released by Avalon Hill
in 1985, which bore resemblances to Squad Leader
but, despite the release of an expansion disk upgrading the player's abilities, remained a very limited effort constrained by the limitations of current computer hardware.
Battle Isle is a series of games developed starting in 1991 by Blue Byte Software
. Set on a fictional planet, Chromos, and inspired by the Japan
ese game Nectaris
, the games feature futuristic tactical battles played on a hexagonal grid
. Players control combat units, ranging from infantry
and tank
s to helicopters, fighter
s and bomber
s; as well as (especially in the later games) support
units, including ammo and fuel transports, scout and radar units, and road and trench construction vehicles. Battle Isle also spawned a man-to-man wargame, Incubation: Time Is Running Out (1997), an even earlier strategy
title to use fully 3D graphics and support hardware acceleration on the 3dfx Voodoo.
Steel Panthers
was released in 1995 by SSI
, very much resembling a board wargame translated to the computer; it gave a traditional overheard view, though numeric ratings were not visible on the screen depictions. Two sequels followed; Steel Panthers II: Modern Battles in 1996 and Steel Panthers III: Brigade Command 1939-1999 in 1997. Rights to the game and source code were later acquired by Matrix Games
who developed and released as freeware an improved remake based on the Steel Panthers III engine (but limited to the timespan of World War II); this was known as Steel Panthers: World at War! (SP:WAW). Another group, SP-Camo, developed and released Steel Panthers: World War II, and Steel Panthers: Main Battle Tank was released in June 2005. The SP-Camo games were based on the Steel Panthers II engine. Both the Matrix Games and SP-Camo versions had many fans and resulted in several releases with enhanced graphics, program code changes, and new unit types.
Another game originally scheduled to be a computerized Squad Leader/ASL was Combat Mission. While not the first 3-D tactical warfare game, it set an industry standard for realism, thanks to minutely detailed armor penetration modelling. There was no first-person element to the game, which placed a realistic burden of command on the player, and unlike earlier games like M-1 Tank Platoon or Muzzle Velocity, human intervention wasn't necessary to ensure that one's troops were capable of fighting with the same skill as the computer enemy. Despite a somewhat dated look to its graphics, the first title in the series, Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord received extremely high critical acclaim upon release in 2000. Two follow up games were released in 2002 and 2004, which improved the infantry game with better suppression and automatic fire modelling. The game featured a "WEGO" system, where orders were entered sequentially, and the turn was then executed simultaneously, with a "Tactical AI" carrying out both sets of orders. This type of system had been what the original board wargame designers of Firefight et al. had dreamed of, but were restricted to creating manually.
(board game
or video game) that models military conflict at a tactical level, i.e. units range from individual vehicle
s and squad
s to platoon
s or companies
. These units are rated based on types and ranges of individual weaponry.
This sub-genre is principally used to refer to RPG
-derived games as an alternative to the traditional turn-based system. In such titles, the system has been tailored to incorporate role-playing game characteristics. The term "tactical" was not widely used to describe such titles until Final Fantasy Tactics
was released, where it popularized the genre in North America, although games such as Shining Force
were part of the genre years beforehand.
There are several turn-based tactical games with multiplayer online gameplay featuring large numbers of players, such as Dofus
, Gunrox
, Poxnora
, and Riftforge. Darkwind: War on Wheels
, a combat-oriented auto racing simulation, is the only turn-based tactical game currently to have a persistent world
. It is also one of the few games to simulate turn-based auto racing.
, Pyrrhic Tales: Prelude to Darkness and the Gold Box
games of the late '80s and early '90s, also feature tactical turn-based combat. Some turn-based tactics titles, such as Jagged Alliance 2
and the X-COM
series, feature a strategic layer in addition to tactical turn-based combat.
Strategy video game
Strategy video games is a video game genre that emphasizes skillful thinking and planning to achieve victory. They emphasize strategic, tactical, and sometimes logistical challenges. Many games also offer economic challenges and exploration...
s that through stop-action simulates the considerations and circumstances of operational warfare
Operational warfare
Operational mobility, beginning as a military theory concept during the period of mechanisation of armed forces, became a method of managing movement of forces by strategic commanders from the staging area to their Tactical Area of Responsibility....
and military tactics
Military tactics
Military tactics, the science and art of organizing an army or an air force, are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. Changes in philosophy and technology over time have been reflected in changes to military tactics. In...
in generally small-scale confrontations as opposed to more strategic considerations of turn-based strategy
Turn-based strategy
A turn-based strategy game is a strategy game where players take turns when playing...
(TBS) games.
Turn-based tactical gameplay is characterized by the expectation of players to complete their tasks using only the combat forces provided to them, and usually by the provision of a realistic (or at least believable) representation of military tactics and operations. Examples of this genre include the Jagged Alliance
Jagged Alliance
Jagged Alliance is a tactical role-playing game released in 1994 for MS-DOS and in 2009 for the Nintendo DS. It is the first game in the Jagged Alliance series, and was followed by Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games and Jagged Alliance 2 .-Plot:Jagged Alliance takes place on the fictional south...
and X-COM
X-COM
X-COM is a series of strategy games created by Julian Gollop. In 2010 2K Marin announced the official reboot of the series, entitled simply XCOM. The original game has a cult following.- Original series :...
series, as well as tactical role-playing game
Tactical role-playing game
A tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
s such as the Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy Tactics
is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Sony PlayStation video game console. It is the first game of the Final Fantasy Tactics series and was released in Japan in June 1997 and in the United States in January 1998...
series and Nippon Ichi
Nippon Ichi
is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. They are responsible for such titles as Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Phantom Brave, La Pucelle: Tactics and Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure.-History:Nippon Ichi Software was founded in September 1991 in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, as an entertainment...
games.
Genre characteristics
Real-time tactics
Real-time tactics or RTT is a subgenre of tactical wargames played in real-time simulating the considerations and circumstances of operational warfare and military tactics...
genre, and as such contrasts with other current wargame genres. For instance, in large-scale turn-based strategy
Turn-based strategy
A turn-based strategy game is a strategy game where players take turns when playing...
games battles are generally abstracted and the gameplay close to that of related board games, and real-time strategy
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
games de-emphasize realism and focus on the collection and conversion of resources into production capacities which manufacture combat units thereafter used in generally highly stylised confrontations. In contrast, turn-based tactics games' military tactical and realistic focus, emphasis on executing intricate and well thought through plans and comparatively short risk/reward cycle usually provide a distinctly more immediate, intense, careful and meticulous experience of battlefield tactics and mêlée
Mêlée
Melee , generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters. A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit; each participant fights as an individual....
than strategy games of other genres.
As suggested by the genre's name, also fundamental to turn-based tactics is turn-based gameplay. The genre has its roots in tactical and miniature
Miniature wargaming
Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming that incorporates miniature figures, miniature armor and modeled terrain as the main components of play...
wargaming
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
, the recreation of battle scenarios using miniatures or even simple paper chits using relatively intricate rules. Compared to other strategy games, games of the turn-based tactics genre often have distinctly detailed and complex environments due to the tactical implications of elevation, hard cover and line of sight
Line of sight (gaming)
Line of sight, sometimes written line-of-sight or abbreviated to LoS, is a term used in wargames and some role-playing games . It refers to visibility on the playing field. Many abilities can only be used against an enemy within line of sight.In some games, miniature figures are used to determine...
. Further, in most turn-based tactics games a player's force is maintained between battles. This allows units to become more proficient as they gain more battle experience and coupled with the often small and specialised squads used, can even encourage an affinity between the player and his or her troops, breaking down the stereotypical anonymity of the expendable, mass-produced units found in strategic games.
History
During the 1980s, as microcomputers and personal computers became more powerful and more common, game developers turned their attention to designing tactical wargames for them. Some early tactical wargames for the computer included NCS's ElthleadLangrisser
is a five-part video game series created by Masaya, the software division of Nippon Computer Systems created in the early 1990s. The development team working under Masaya is CareerSoft....
series (1987 onwards) and Lightning Bacchus (1989), Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Wars series (1988 onwards), Hudson Soft
Hudson Soft
, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
's Nectaris series (1989 onwards), and Gary Grigsby
Gary Grigsby
Gary Grigsby is a computer wargame designer and programmer.-Career:Grigsby's games were published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. from his first game design in 1982 until 1997. During that time he created several titles that are considered classics of the wargame genre, including Kampfgruppe,...
's series of games for the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
: Panzer Strike
Panzer Strike
Panzer Strike is a 1987 tactical level simulation of small unit actions game set in World War II. It was made for Apple II and Commodore 64 and was released by Strategic Simulations, Inc. The game included an editor as well as over 250 weapon types; single scenarios can last up to 2 hours...
(1987), Typhoon of Steel (1988) and Overrun! (1989). Under Fire
Under Fire (computer game)
-Description:Under Fire was a tactical level computer game released by Avalon Hill's computer division in 1985 but like most Avalon Hill computer games, was behind the industry standards for graphics and gameplay. It was not billed as a computer version of Squad Leader, though it did bear some...
was released by Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. Its logo contained its initials "AH", and it was often referred to by this abbreviation. It also published the occasional miniature wargaming rules, role-playing game, and had a popular line of sports simulations...
in 1985, which bore resemblances to Squad Leader
Squad Leader
thumb|Squad Leader game package.Squad Leader is a tactical level board wargame originally published by Avalon Hill in 1977. It was designed by Hall of Fame game designer John Hill and focuses on infantry combat in Europe during World War II...
but, despite the release of an expansion disk upgrading the player's abilities, remained a very limited effort constrained by the limitations of current computer hardware.
Battle Isle is a series of games developed starting in 1991 by Blue Byte Software
Blue Byte Software
Ubisoft Blue Byte is a video game developer based in Düsseldorf, Germany, founded in 1988. The company has produced popular titles like Battle Isle and The Settlers. In 2001, the company was purchased by Ubisoft.-History:...
. Set on a fictional planet, Chromos, and inspired by the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese game Nectaris
Military Madness
Military Madness is sci-fi-themed, hex map turn-based strategy game for the TurboGrafx-16. The first game in the Nectaris series, it was developed by Hudson Soft....
, the games feature futuristic tactical battles played on a hexagonal grid
Hex map
A hex map, hex board or hex grid is a gameboard design commonly used in wargames of all scales. The map is subdivided into small regular hexagons of identical size.-Advantages and disadvantages:...
. Players control combat units, ranging from infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
and tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s to helicopters, fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
s and bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
s; as well as (especially in the later games) support
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
units, including ammo and fuel transports, scout and radar units, and road and trench construction vehicles. Battle Isle also spawned a man-to-man wargame, Incubation: Time Is Running Out (1997), an even earlier strategy
Strategy
Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked...
title to use fully 3D graphics and support hardware acceleration on the 3dfx Voodoo.
Steel Panthers
Steel Panthers
Steel Panthers is a series of computer wargames, developed and published by several different companies, with various games covering battles from 1930 to 2020. The first game was released in 1995, and the most recent was released in 2006 and is still updated regularly. Players control individual...
was released in 1995 by SSI
Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Strategic Simulations, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher with over 100 titles to its credit since its founding in 1979. It was especially noted for its numerous wargames, its official computer game adaptations of Dungeons & Dragons, and for the groundbreaking Panzer General...
, very much resembling a board wargame translated to the computer; it gave a traditional overheard view, though numeric ratings were not visible on the screen depictions. Two sequels followed; Steel Panthers II: Modern Battles in 1996 and Steel Panthers III: Brigade Command 1939-1999 in 1997. Rights to the game and source code were later acquired by Matrix Games
Matrix Games
Matrix Games is a publisher of computer games, specifically strategy games and wargames. They are based out of Staten Island, New York.Their focus is primarily but not exclusively on war games and turn-based strategy...
who developed and released as freeware an improved remake based on the Steel Panthers III engine (but limited to the timespan of World War II); this was known as Steel Panthers: World at War! (SP:WAW). Another group, SP-Camo, developed and released Steel Panthers: World War II, and Steel Panthers: Main Battle Tank was released in June 2005. The SP-Camo games were based on the Steel Panthers II engine. Both the Matrix Games and SP-Camo versions had many fans and resulted in several releases with enhanced graphics, program code changes, and new unit types.
Another game originally scheduled to be a computerized Squad Leader/ASL was Combat Mission. While not the first 3-D tactical warfare game, it set an industry standard for realism, thanks to minutely detailed armor penetration modelling. There was no first-person element to the game, which placed a realistic burden of command on the player, and unlike earlier games like M-1 Tank Platoon or Muzzle Velocity, human intervention wasn't necessary to ensure that one's troops were capable of fighting with the same skill as the computer enemy. Despite a somewhat dated look to its graphics, the first title in the series, Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord received extremely high critical acclaim upon release in 2000. Two follow up games were released in 2002 and 2004, which improved the infantry game with better suppression and automatic fire modelling. The game featured a "WEGO" system, where orders were entered sequentially, and the turn was then executed simultaneously, with a "Tactical AI" carrying out both sets of orders. This type of system had been what the original board wargame designers of Firefight et al. had dreamed of, but were restricted to creating manually.
Tactical wargames
Tactical wargames are a type of wargamesWargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
(board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
or video game) that models military conflict at a tactical level, i.e. units range from individual vehicle
Vehicle
A vehicle is a device that is designed or used to transport people or cargo. Most often vehicles are manufactured, such as bicycles, cars, motorcycles, trains, ships, boats, and aircraft....
s and squad
Squad
In military terminology, a squad is a small military unit led by a non-commissioned officer that is subordinate to an infantry platoon. In countries following the British Army tradition this organization is referred to as a section...
s to platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
s or companies
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
. These units are rated based on types and ranges of individual weaponry.
Tactical role-playing games
- Main article Tactical role-playing gameTactical role-playing gameA tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
This sub-genre is principally used to refer to RPG
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
-derived games as an alternative to the traditional turn-based system. In such titles, the system has been tailored to incorporate role-playing game characteristics. The term "tactical" was not widely used to describe such titles until Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy Tactics
is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Sony PlayStation video game console. It is the first game of the Final Fantasy Tactics series and was released in Japan in June 1997 and in the United States in January 1998...
was released, where it popularized the genre in North America, although games such as Shining Force
Shining Force
Shining Force, known as in Japan, and otherwise known as Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention, is a 1992 turn-based strategy role-playing video game for the Mega Drive/Genesis console...
were part of the genre years beforehand.
MMOs
- Main article Massively multiplayer online gameMassively multiplayer online gameA massively multiplayer online game is a multiplayer video game which is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. By necessity, they are played on the Internet, and usually feature at least one persistent world. They are, however, not necessarily games played on...
There are several turn-based tactical games with multiplayer online gameplay featuring large numbers of players, such as Dofus
Dofus
Dofus is a Flash based massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed and published by Ankama Games, a French computer game manufacturer. Originally released solely in French, it has since been translated into many other languages. It is primarily a Pay to Play game, though it still...
, Gunrox
Gunrox
Gunrox is a multiplayer-only turn-based strategy "squad tactics" game that went live in 2008. The game was created by Enkord, a company known for their flash games.- Squad tactics :...
, Poxnora
PoxNora
PoxNora: Battlefield of the Immortals is a multiplayer online game that combines a collectible card game with a turn-based strategy game in a fantasy setting. PoxNora was originally launched via Java Web Start through a browser and can be played on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux...
, and Riftforge. Darkwind: War on Wheels
Darkwind: War on Wheels
Darkwind: War on Wheels is an independently developed 3D turn based racing and vehicle combat massively multiplayer online game for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux...
, a combat-oriented auto racing simulation, is the only turn-based tactical game currently to have a persistent world
Persistent world
A persistent world is a virtual world that continues to exist even after a user exits the world and that user-made changes to its state are, to some extent, permanent...
. It is also one of the few games to simulate turn-based auto racing.
Genre blurring
Some CRPGs, such as The Temple of Elemental EvilThe Temple of Elemental Evil (computer game)
The Temple of Elemental Evil is a computer role-playing game by now-defunct Troika Games. It is a re-creation of the classic Dungeons & Dragons adventure of the same name using the 3.5 edition rules. The game was published by Atari, who then held the interactive rights of the Dungeons & Dragons...
, Pyrrhic Tales: Prelude to Darkness and the Gold Box
Gold Box
Gold Box is the name for a series of computer role-playing games produced by SSI. The company won a license to produce games based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game from TSR, Inc...
games of the late '80s and early '90s, also feature tactical turn-based combat. Some turn-based tactics titles, such as Jagged Alliance 2
Jagged Alliance 2
Jagged Alliance 2 is a tactical role-playing game for PC, released in 1999 for Windows, and later ported to Linux by Tribsoft. It is the third game in the Jagged Alliance series, and was followed by two expansions: Unfinished Business and Wildfire...
and the X-COM
X-COM
X-COM is a series of strategy games created by Julian Gollop. In 2010 2K Marin announced the official reboot of the series, entitled simply XCOM. The original game has a cult following.- Original series :...
series, feature a strategic layer in addition to tactical turn-based combat.