Clad in Iron: Philippines 1898 Reviews

very good ship graphics and controls clear and concise game manual plays well even if you simply choose to stay on the strategy map plays even better if you choose to go to ship level combat no crashes or problems on windows 7 64 bit if you like naval wargames with a bit of charm and plenty of historical accuracy then get this

This is an outstanding naval simulator covering an historical conflict. My playing hours are actually much higher than shown, as I typically keep Steam in Offline mode and my play hours are therefore not logged. And believe me, you can get lost for many hours in the Totem Games titles. Totem Games started out as a group of naval history enthusiasts who decided to create games. However, they didn't know how. Undaunted, they plunged ahead anyway and created, "Ironclads: American Civil War". That first title, while playable, was not stellar. But the fact that they created a playable game at all, having just begun and not being game developers, is pretty amazing. After that first title, each new release became better and better as they went on. This is their newest series, and the "Clad in Iron" series is their greatest achievement to date, though, "Ironclads 3" is in development, and I eagerly await its release. Totem Games is still made up of volunteer hobbyists, and the money that they receive from the sale of their games is used to purchase books, drawings, and other reference materials to further their knowledge of naval history and improve their games. The game-play in the, "Clad in Iron" series games is outstanding. All of their games, even the first, run fine under Windows 10 64-bit at high resolutions (I run all these titles at 2560 x 1440 with no problems). I have never experienced a bug during many hours of game-play in any of the Totem Games titles. If you're a fan of Surface Warfare and naval history, I highly recommend that you give these titles a try. There is a learning curve, and it will take you a short while to get competent at playing, but once you do I believe that you'll acknowledge that it was well worth the small effort to get going. There are helpful tutorial videos available from the developers on YouTube, and game manuals. Graphically, the environment in-game is pleasant, but where the games really shine is in the detailed historic ship models. The naval combat is utterly absorbing. Many times I have started one of these games intending to play for just a short time, and ended up involved for hours. I'm retired Navy and very fond of naval games, and I highly recommend all of the Totem Games titles. I own every one of their games and do not regret purchasing any of them. The "Clad in Iron" series is current, and fully supported by the developers and I'd recommend buying the complete bundle. Their past games are available on Steam as well, including the, "Ironclads 2" series, the original, "Ironclads" series and, "Victorian Admirals Anthology". While no longer officially supported, every one of the titles is very worthwhile, offering varying degrees of player involvement and you can purchase the, "10 in 1" bundle here on Steam (search "Ironclads 2") and have all of their previous games for a bargain price. Even their earliest titles run fine on modern PCs at high resolutions. All of the games include a, "config.exe" executable in the game folder. Be sure to run it to set your game options. Some of the earlier games don't include in-game menu option set up. But the config.exe in the game folder will take care of it. The later games have option menus in the game interface, but I always set up using config.exe. All-in-all, these titles are one of the best bargains on Steam for naval history buffs and lovers of Surface Warfare. You'll get many, many hours of enjoyment from the Totem Games titles and still want more. Very highly recommended!

I've played a lot more than 1.1 hours, dunno where steam got that. This was a game I picked up on sale then left sitting unplayed in my library for about 6 months. It seemed quite basic at first glance, with only a small strategic map and a short (26 turn) campaign. I bought it mostly because I like that era of naval combat and only a handful of games really give that period any attention, but my expectations were only middling. I was pleasantly surprised once I got to playing it. The strategic game mode has more depth and detail than I had expected, although there are some tooltips which are a bit unclear or not well explained, and I suspect this game was not originally made in English and has been translated which could account for some of this. Where this game really shines though is the tactical battles. They really FEEL!! The ships accelerate slowly, decelerate slowly, turn slowly, fire slowly - all of these things are BIG positives because you have to think a long way ahead, you can't just be impulsive and reactive. It also really plunges you into the immersion, actually feeling like your ships have some real substance to them. The sound effects are top notch and the damage control system is really cleverly designed; not forcing you to micro manage (it's all passive) but requiring you to make key decisions about when and if to disengage a ship, adjust range, change facing, or simply hope your crews can cope and prioritise eliminating the threat instead of escaping it. The other thing I really love about this game is that your assets actually matter. Losing a ship is a big deal; losing a big ship is a REALLY big deal. Repairing battle damage takes several turns, but you can choose to deploy damaged ships if you need to - that's a risk its up to you to calculate. Replenishing ammunition also takes time, so it's wise to make sure all your ships get some action to avoid excessively depleting your strongest ones. Honestly this is a really good little game, I'm genuinely impressed and surprised by how much it punches above its weight. I'm eager to see what else the developers come up with, as its very clear that a lot of genuine love and care went into this game. I hope to see much more from them in the future.

The protected cruise USS Philadelphia came very close to the flaming Spanish wooden frigate. The long 8-inch gun of the cruiser aimed at the center of the enemy ship. Volley! The Spanish ship disappeared in an instant flash of a huge explosion. On the screen appeared a message about a critical hit on the enemy. The wreckage of the Spaniard sank. For such a spectacle, I'm ready to forgive this game for all the roughness! And thanks for the great tutorial video. Now the game has become much clearer than in past games.

Well, what can I say? I spent the day off playing this game. Hmm ... This is strange! I did not expect and did not plan this. I thought I'd buy and play a little. Of course, this is not Civilization! But the "one more turn" syndrome is also present here. The game somehow unnoticed me. Ooooh, I have no supply at all. Wow, this bloody Spanish cruiser has sunk my transport again! Damn, I remember "Maine"! I came to my senses when, through stupidity, I lost all the large warships. No sir, I learned the lesson! I will no longer bring my squadron to the harbor with mines and coastal batteries. I drank coffee, gathered strength and even thought. How long have I ever thought about how to win the game? In any case, the second time my business went much better. I'm not Commander Dewey, but the Spaniards have no chance! I will free the Philippine Islands of them!

I could only attempt one battle before a crash to desktop. The UI and controls are horrible. I cannot recommend it. I'll come back to it because I've played the earlier games. If you have a 4K monitor, prepare a magnifying glass before you start the game so you can switch the resolution (the text is far too small).

I'm sure this game would be good if I could figure out how to play it. And this isn't in reference to the game mechanics, or the gameplay being a little slow... It's ENTIRELY in reference to the camera controls and a lack of an explained control scheme. The manual explains it as a "third person control scheme." Okay, what are the controls? I dunno. I feel like an absolute boomer as I stumble in a single paused battle desperately trying to figure out what I can do to get the view I want so I can make good decisions. Move the mouse? That moves the cursor. Hold right click? No. Left? No. Click the mouse wheel? No. Do I use numpad? Only if I want to be stuck in a top-down view I don't know how to get out of. Which is a shame, because I've already had a blast in naval battles and have absolutely no issues with the core gameplay; I think it's charming at worst. But the camera controls are an enigma, and so until I figure it out, the game remains unplayable.

With each new game, the developers (Totem Games) were approaching the time of the steel steam navy and the epic sea battles of the Sino-Japanese War of 1895, the Spanish-American War of 1898 and the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. In this case, the events unfold during the Spanish-American war in the Pacific. Because in reality, the resistance of the Spaniards to the US Asian Squadron (commander George Dewey) was small, the developers had to delve into the history books and to call for help alternative history. In reality, the expedition of the Spanish admiral Manuel de la Cámara to the Philippines was canceled, but the Spanish fleet still had warships that send them to Asia. Thus, we can say that the historical part is on the verge between truth and fiction. Damn, but who cares? What's new in the game itself? All units and buildings in the game now need to be supplied. Previously, everything was simple - take the biggest and strongest ships and destroy all. Now it is worthwhile to think several times how much the elementary movement of a large warship on the supply route will cost. Captured the enemy harbor and placed there a garrison of infantry - be prepared to spend on its maintenance! It's cheaper to defend than to attack. All this made the game in a strategic mode more interesting. What can I say about the simulator mode of combat between ships? At first glance, everything is as before. But if you look closely, it turns out that a very useful function has been added. Now you can visually determine the dangerous distance. Instead of the good old wooden sloops of Lincoln's time, we operate well-armed steel steamships (mostly). From such enemies it is useful to stay away and hope that your shells will fall more often and cause more damage to the enemy. I really do not advise you to engage in close combat, before the enemy ships are badly damaged. As before, I refrain from recommending this game to everyone. That would be untrue. This is a very special and largely unpolished game, but I like to play it.

I've only had this game for a few days, but I just love this! The graphics are stunning, and very smooth. The devs have done an amazing job. Its a sad thing for this wonderful time period to be ignored by many for too long, but no more. Great work, and thanks!

After the first start of the game you will be dumbfounded. You will not understand what to do. The game will just wait until you take the first step. No tutorial. No training mission. There is only a manual. But he does not try to explain step by step what to do. It seems that it is terrible. I want to get angry and write a rough overview. Write about what this is a bad game, and then compare it to Total War. For most, everything will be just like that! Therefore, I immediately warn that if you need a modern dynamic arcade strategy about ships, then immediately look for other options. This game will not work for you. And if you are looking for the most realistic simulator of sea battles, then this is an excellent choice. If in reality the gun charges a long five minutes, then in the game it will be so. If the radius of the turn of the steel cruiser is 500 yards, then be patient and wait. Similarly, with the time set speed. The steamer is not a torpedo boat and can not accelerate to 40 knots in a couple of minutes. Each speed dial node in the game must wait. And the speed drops when cornering, so every turn needs to be considered. In general, most of the time the player watches and waits. If you need such a game, you can not find anything better. It's almost a textbook. Oh, I forgot that not every projectile hits the target. Accuracy of shooting 10% is a lot. And for each hit shell will drown the enemy. Sometimes large ships with good armor have to be shot for more than an hour. At the same time, you can speed up the game time only twice. All that I have described for most people will be shortcomings. For most, but not for me.