Why is it worth playing on Twilight Struggle. And how to learn to love the ports of the dimensions on PC

After the last summer sale in Steam, I feel somehow especially stupid. Not because I leaked a lot of money in the toilet – on the contrary, I took such a good package of those obligatory to familiarize things. Infinifactory , Amid Evil , Sonic Mania , Full collection Rusty Lake , Baba is you , Supraland … go through – I do not want, everything is different, everything is worthy.

But instead, I am sitting every free minute in computer adaptation of a board game released fourteen years ago. Which I bought in the same Steam back in 2016.

"We will bury you"

If you have never heard of a hunger Twilight Struggle , I don’t blame you at all: this thing, frankly, is niche. In 2005, she was then released by a not -so -well -known publishing house GMT Games , But, despite the positive reviews of critics, the project barely profitable. However, over time, more and more people recognized him, and in the end, in 2010, Twilight Strugheg escaped on the first line of the BoardgameGeek rating (in fact, the main online resource about board games). Yes, and fixed there until 2016.

This is how it looks alive. Photo by the publisher

In the context of the entertainment industry, this success is incredibly funny because Twilight Struggle is a historical wargam about a “cold” war. And she also looks like a caricature jerking wargam – that is, murderously boring. Twilight Struggle is similar to something that only your grandfather can play, meeting with old https://slotonauts-casino.co.uk/ comrades once a year. Nevertheless, the hundredths (tired of the ocean of mediocre crafts even worse than gamers) idolize her, and the press regularly calls Twilight Struggle the best game of all times; For reference-chess occupy a funny 427th line in the same rating. This is what to call the best video game in history is not conditional God of War , A "Vseslava sorcerer".

This year, Russian publishers finally realized that it would be nice to localize the game so caressed by the people, and Gaga Games released it under the name "Twilight Struggle". Of course, being a collector of the dwarf, I wanted to see why the whole fuss, and asked my friend to grab the box.

We played the party. Two, three. Not bad, not bad, then you have to try better. I spent my comrade home, and an hour later, out of habit, opening Steam, I suddenly remembered that once a long time, it seemed, I bought a PC port of this tough ..

And now he has taken possession of my life. Help.

Man, you are fighting the wrong way

In 2016, having launched the Steam version of the Twilight Struggle for five minutes, I quickly quit this business … as for sure and more than a dozen other players. All this reconstruction of the “cold” war, some dials, icons, an incomprehensible map-in a word, completely impassable jungle, and even in English (alas, there is no Russian localization on PC). How, what, why – the devil knows him, we must ask his grandfather.

It looks from the outside … peculiarly, but in fact the visual design is quite ergonomic and easily readable

In practice, everything is quite simple. One player controls the United States, and the second – the USSR. The party lasts only ten moves; In each side, eight cards are played in turn. All cards are the real events of that era involved in one deck that benefits either the USA or the USSR: the foundation of the CIA, the signing of the Warsaw Treaty, the Camp-David agreements, and so on. Players either implement the effect of the event on the map, or spend the glasses indicated on it on the operations – increasing influence (or reducing the stranger) in different countries, government upheavals … Well, you know – typical foreign policy everyday life.

The one who is the first to gain 20 victorious points wins, and the main way to get them is control over the regions (who has more countries, for example, in South America, well done). Which in itself is not very difficult, but there is one nuance: “Twilight struggle” is a game with a zero amount. That is, when one player receives glasses, the second loses them. And the confrontation of superpowers is essentially nothing more than tug of intercontinental rope. Opponents are constantly trying to act ahead of schedule and knock out the soil from under their feet, simultaneously preparing a bridgehead for future moves and not allowing the opponent to escape forward.

The United States has a shaky position in the Middle East, but there is an exit to Africa. The main thing is to knock out the "commander" from Iran

I agree, it sounds like a completely archetypal strategy … but only on the surface. In my opinion, the “twilight struggle” (at least her PC version) personifies everything that every self-respecting sessional “pungent” and other small timkylles strive: it packs indecently a lot of meaningful gameplay in a little time.

Don't get it to anyone!

If you agree with the statement of Sid Meyer that the games are chains of interesting solutions, then immediately see the genius of the “twilight struggle”: there are never simple dilemmas in it. If a map of the opposite camp came into the hand, it can (sometimes even need to) use it for glasses, but because of this, the event potentially unpleasant for you will work. Therefore, each move is a series of not just interesting solutions, but compromises.

Here, say, you play for the United States and you have a “security guarantees between the United States and Japan” – an excellent map, it actually gives Yankees undivided control over one of the key countries of Asia. It seems to be obvious that you need to play an event, but on the other hand – why? In this region, everything is fine with you (so far). It may be better to leave it for later? Or play for an increase in influence in Africa? Although … no, let's leave on the next move, now you can play the enemy card "Warsaw Agreement" – yes, it will help the advice, but Europe still has not fallen, it will not hurt him.

In the sense of "a ban on testing nuclear weapons"? But what about the radioactive ash and that's all?

At the same time, the game is almost symmetrical: both powers have unique events, but at the beginning of the party everyone is in approximately equal conditions. So, not only you are racking your head over the next compromise, but also your opponent. In the battle with the bot, this is not felt so much, but when playing with a living enemy, the air is directly electrified from the voltage.

Again a card engine – it is everywhere a card engine. Yes, it happens that it is not offensive to the offensive: I tried to make a coup, but the cube does not want to give North Korea democracy. An important round – and enemy cards came in the hand. This is unpleasant, but you can’t get anywhere from chance – you can only prepare in advance for the worst and play with the calculation of several moves ahead.

Space race is one of the few opportunities without fear of throwing a completely unpleasant enemy map into the scrap. There is not always a lot of use, but this also gives victorious glasses

On the other hand, the unpredictability of cards generates a genuine drama and increases rates. Either the United States has a black strip, then the USSR, the regions pass from hand to hand, the meter of victorious glasses stuck at zero – that is still a nervous. And sometimes the will of chance, coupled with the historicity of events, creates truly magical moments. You can first play the “murder of John Kennedy”, and followed by “John Kennedy's inauguration speech”. And what, no logical contradictions, everything is fine. In the zone-51 they keep not aliens, but necromancers.

And all this beauty happens quite quickly, because AI does not think about five minutes. And after a couple of parties, when you master the cards and gameplay nuances, the pace will accelerate even more – you will no longer have to read the text.

In fact, Steam is full of ports of very, very worthy tables. Race for the Galaxy , Scythe , Even an old woman Talisman – Touching the unusual gamers of the philosophy of gamedes is now easier now easier than ever

The only drawback and at the same time, the main advantage of the computer version of the Twilight Struggle is a digital. It may seem funny, but many desktopers do not tolerate the "electronic" ports of even the most beloved games – because "not that". Still, the touch of components is the most important property of board games as a medium.

On the other hand, the computer takes on all calculations. No need to mess with a layout on the table, and then collect the components back into the box; will not be able to make a mistake in mathematics or accidentally confuse the rules. In addition, the PC version even without discounts is indecently cheap, and goes with complete minced meat: local multiplayer, online matches, single game. Unless there is no translation, but who forbids you to take the Russian -speaking rules of the “full” table from the publisher's website?

I forgot about Destiny 2 , Slay The Spire , Mortal Kombat 11. Because in the entertainment industry, where the player’s time is worth its weight in gold, the Twilight Struggle manages to be not only one of the best desktop tactics, but also with the magnificent computer timekent, especially for those who love history.

In general, try. And then tell me how to defeat a normal bot, playing for the USA. Please.