Critical Moves - Strategy Gaming

Critical Moves - Strategy Gaming

di Critical Moves Podcast
Videogames
The Last General Dev on Drones, Delays and Doing It All Alone (Ep.98)
Alejandro Nunez is building The Last General entirely alone: a massive scale RTS where you command thousands of troops with high level strategic orders, then jump into any tank, plane or drone in first or third person whenever you want. We sat down with him to talk about the game's rapid rise to 158,000 wishlists, the FPV and kamikaze drones inspired by the war in Ukraine, why early access has slipped from 2025 to May 2027, and what's eaten up that extra time. We also get into the twelve fictional nations, their asymmetric designs, the campaign structure, and yes, whether there will be nukes. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2566700/The_Last_General/ https://discord.com/invite/thelastgeneral https://www.thelastgeneral.com More from Critical Moves Podcast: Web: https://criticalmovespodcast.com Forum: https://criticalmovesforum.com Newsletter: https://criticalmoves.beehiiv.com Spotify: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/spotify Apple: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/apple Amazon: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/amazon Discord: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/discord Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalmovespodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CriticalMoves_ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalmovespodcast Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CriticalMoves Critical Moves examines strategy games through weekly Friday episodes and Monday news updates. Six hosts across multiple continents analyze recent releases, forgotten classics, and industry developments without the typical podcast theatrics. We cover real-time strategy, 4X civilization builders, turn-based tactics, and hybrid games that blur genre boundaries.
E98
11 set 2026
46:11
Can RTS Be Saved? (Ep.97)
RTS isn't the genre it once was. Al is joined by Jack and Nuno to work through why real-time strategy fell off the map - the shift from PC to console, the rise of FPS, mobile and MOBAs, and the loss of Westwood and Blizzard's hold on the genre - and whether the games on the horizon can bring it back. Along the way: the multiplayer-versus-single-player question, why so many well-funded RTS projects keep failing, and the upcoming titles worth watching, from Total War: Warhammer 40,000 and Game of Thrones: War for Westeros to Dawn of War 4, Stronghold 4, Zero Space and a wave of indie and double-A releases. More from Critical Moves Podcast: Web: https://criticalmovespodcast.com Forum: https://criticalmovesforum.com Newsletter: https://criticalmoves.beehiiv.com Spotify: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/spotify Apple: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/apple Amazon: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/amazon Discord: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/discord Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalmovespodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CriticalMoves_ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalmovespodcast Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CriticalMoves
E97
4 set 2026
53:43
What Even is a Drexy? | The Death of 4X (Ep.96)
New face on the pod. Drexy joins us for the first proper sit-down — where he came from, how he got into strategy games, and why he reckons 4X is quietly dying on its feet. We get into what actually makes a 4X a 4X, whether genre-blending is the only way forward, Civ 7's troubles, the rise of the solo dev, AI in game development, and the mechanics the genre keeps getting wrong. Drexy's been playing and thinking about strategy games for longer than he'd care to admit, and knows the genre inside out. More from Critical Moves Podcast: Web: https://criticalmovespodcast.com Forum: https://criticalmovesforum.com Newsletter: https://criticalmoves.beehiiv.com Spotify: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/spotify Apple: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/apple Amazon: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/amazon Discord: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/discord Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalmovespodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CriticalMoves_ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalmovespodcast Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CriticalMoves Critical Moves examines strategy games through weekly Friday episodes and Monday news updates. Six hosts across multiple continents analyze recent releases, forgotten classics, and industry developments without the typical podcast theatrics. We cover real-time strategy, 4X civilization builders, turn-based tactics, and hybrid games that blur genre boundaries.
E96
28 ago 2026
1:03:51
Virtual Economies in Strategy Games (Ep.95)
Jack and Adam dig into how strategy games model their economies — from Victoria 3's fully simulated supply and demand to Stellaris treating resources as a means to an end. Along the way they cover limited versus unlimited resources, why money can feel like a cheap way out of a tight spot, the wildly different scales games use for wealth, and whether they'd rather play scarce or swimming in surplus. Games discussed include Victoria 3, Stellaris, Crusader Kings, Hearts of Iron 4, Anno, Tropico, Civ 6 and 7, Offworld Trading Company, City Skylines and more.
E95
21 ago 2026
1:00:55
Strategy Gaming on a Budget: Free and Cheap Ways to Play (Ep.94)
Al is joined by Adam and Jack to work out how to build a strategy library on a budget, or for nothing at all. This one came straight from the Critical Moves Discord: community member Cooper asked us to revisit the cheaper alternatives after Episode 89, so here it is. We get into price tracking with GG.deals and whether the cheap key sites can be trusted, the best free games led by Beyond All Reason, free-to-play routes into Crusader Kings and the wider Paradox catalogue, and whether Xbox Game Pass and Prime Gaming earn their keep. From there it is the case for playing older titles, GOG and its preservation work, the games that never seem to leave the sale page, and the modding scenes that turn a cheap base game into hundreds of hours. Got an episode idea? Come and suggest one in the Discord. Beyond All Reason — https://www.beyondallreason.info/ 0 A.D. — https://play0ad.com/ OpenTTD — https://www.openttd.org/ OpenRCT2 — https://openrct2.io/ Unciv — https://yairm210.github.io/Unciv/ FreeCiv — https://www.freeciv.org/ OpenRA — https://www.openra.net/ OpenXCOM — https://openxcom.org/ Mindustry — https://mindustrygame.github.io/
E94
14 ago 2026
52:28
Strategy Simulations and War Games: Where to Start (Ep.93)
Jack, Adam and Nuno get into strategy simulations and war games: what separates a war game from an RTS or a turn-based strategy title, why so many people love the idea of them but bounce off the reality, and how to find a stepping stone over the barrier to entry. They work through Ultimate General: Gettysburg, Combat Mission, Men of War and Call to Arms, the abstraction problem, and whether Stellaris even counts as a simulation. It winds up in X4, War Thunder and mil sims like Squad, Hell Let Loose and Arma, and whether those belong under the war gaming umbrella at all.
E93
7 ago 2026
1:13:01
Strategy Board Games: Eclipse, Dune and the Tension Video Games Can't Match (Ep.92)
Tim and Adam step away from the screen this week to talk about strategy on the tabletop. It turns out board gaming and strategy gaming sit right next to each other, and the two get into what the medium does better than a PC ever could. They make the case for Eclipse: Second Dawn as the finest strategy board game ever made, argue over whether Twilight Imperium is worth an eight hour commitment, and marvel at the Europa Universalis board game that ate a whole weekend and still only reached the halfway point. Along the way they dig into the real divide in board gaming, victory point optimisation versus everything else, and why direct conflict at the table can end friendships in a way a stranger on the internet never could. There's plenty on the crossover too: how deck builders like Dune: Imperium shaped Hearthstone and Balatro, why Tabletop Simulator captures the social side more than the play, and where the Civilization adaptations get it right and where they fall flat. The 1979 Dune gets its due as a masterclass in asymmetry, and the episode closes with first game recommendations and a handful of honourable mentions.
E92
31 lug 2026
49:55
Sanctuary Shattered Sun: Kickstarter Live! T5 Titans, Shatter & Freeze (Ep.91)
Jack and Drexy are joined by nine2 and FoneE from Enhearten Media, the team behind Sanctuary: Shattered Sun, on the day their Kickstarter and free demo finally go live. This is a proper deep dive: five years of development, the technical architecture that took most of that time to get right, and the three hero features that make this RTS stand out, a Dyson sphere battlefield you can physically shatter, a freeze mechanic that turns oceans to ice, and the colossal T5 titan units built to end stalemated games outright. The conversation covers the studio's Patreon-to-Kickstarter transition, why they chose to launch with a working demo rather than a wish and a trailer, how the stretch goals are structured from finishing land combat through to air units, campaign missions and beyond, and the team's philosophy on balance, community modding and keeping a game alive for decades without relying on live servers. There is also a candid section on why communication has been patchy for years, and what changes now that the big Kickstarter reveal is behind them. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1699050/Sanctuary_Shattered_Sun/ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/enhearten-media/sanctuary-shattered-sun If you back one strategy Kickstarter this year, this episode makes the case for why it should be this one.
E91
24 lug 2026
1:25:45
The Strategy Games That Defined the 1990s (Ep.90)
Marking episode 90 with the only decade fitting for the number, Al is joined by Joe, Adam and Drexy to work through the strategy games of the 1990s and the genres they created. The conversation covers Sierra's city builders including Caesar 3 and Pharaoh, the birth of the RTS through Dune 2 and the Westwood versus Blizzard debate, the rise and eventual oversaturation of Command and Conquer clones, and how Starcraft's competitive scene in Korea gave it a longevity that outlasted Westwood's single player dominance. There's a proper detour into esports history, tracing a line from Quake through Starcraft and Counter-Strike to League of Legends and Dota, and a genuinely surprising story about Games Workshop turning down Blizzard's request for a Warhammer licence, a decision that arguably shaped Warcraft and eventually World of Warcraft. The group also covers the birth of 4X games with Civilization, Master of Magic and Master of Orion, god games through Populous and Megalomania, the console versus PC strategy divide, and closes with recommendations for which 90s strategy games are still worth playing today. https://dark-reign.net More from Critical Moves Podcast: Web: https://criticalmovespodcast.com Forum: https://criticalmovesforum.com Newsletter: https://criticalmoves.beehiiv.com Spotify: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/spotify Apple: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/apple Amazon: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/amazon Discord: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/discord Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalmovespodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CriticalMoves_ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalmovespodcast Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CriticalMoves Critical Moves examines strategy games through weekly Friday episodes and Monday news updates. Six hosts across multiple continents analyze recent releases, forgotten classics, and industry developments without the typical podcast theatrics. We cover real-time strategy, 4X civilization builders, turn-based tactics, and hybrid games that blur genre boundaries.
E90
17 lug 2026
55:35
The RAM Apocalypse: Why Gaming Got So Expensive (And What To Do About It) (Ep.89)
Al, Drexy, and Joe tackle a question hitting every strategy gamer's wallet: is modern gaming too expensive? From the RAM price surge and the Steam Machine's launch price to Civ 7's $70 tag and Football Manager delisting its own back catalogue, the panel breaks down where the real cost pressure is coming from, and argues the case for mods, indie studios, and simply not buying on day one. Topics covered: hardware price inflation, console pricing, AAA price increases adjusted for inflation, DLC-as-vehicle releases, indie studios outperforming AAA at the awards, mod culture as a cost-saving strategy, and the ethics of delisting older game versions. More from Critical Moves Podcast: Web: https://criticalmovespodcast.com Forum: https://criticalmovesforum.com Newsletter: https://criticalmoves.beehiiv.com Spotify: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/spotify Apple: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/apple Amazon: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/amazon Discord: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/discord Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalmovespodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CriticalMoves_ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalmovespodcast Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CriticalMoves Critical Moves examines strategy games through weekly Friday episodes and Monday news updates. Six hosts across multiple continents analyze recent releases, forgotten classics, and industry developments without the typical podcast theatrics. We cover real-time strategy, 4X civilization builders, turn-based tactics, and hybrid games that blur genre boundaries.
E89
10 lug 2026
49:19
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