Do you ever restart a campaign because your opening just feels wrong?

After a few bad early-game decisions, do you try to recover and adapt, or do you usually start a fresh campaign?

from Stardock.net Forums

Hey all,

Not sure if anyone else does this, but I catch myself restarting strategy game campaigns more often than I'd like to admit.

Sometimes I'll get 20 or 30 turns in and realize I made a few poor decisions early on, expanded in the wrong direction, or just had a rough start compared to what I usually aim for. At that point I'm tempted to start over instead of trying to recover.

I'm wondering how other players handle this. Do you stick with a campaign no matter what and treat it as part of the challenge, or do you restart if the opening doesn't go the way you wanted?

Lately I've been trying to force myself to play through mistakes, but it's definitely harder than hitting the "New Game" button.

Stardock Games other stardock games Type: Question
1,437 views 2 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

I used to restart a lot more than I’d like to admit, especially in 4X games.

Now I try to just roll with it unless the start is completely unplayable. Most of the time a “bad” opening just changes the story of the campaign rather than ruining it.

 

Reply #2 from Stardock.net Forums Top

I can relate to that. Some of my most memorable strategy game sessions actually came from recovering after a rough opening rather than having everything go perfectly. It changes the way you approach the rest of the campaign and often forces you to think more creatively.

I've noticed something similar in Stick War: Legacy as well. If I waste too many early resources or lose miners because I rushed an attack at the wrong time, my first instinct is often to restart. But when I stick with it, I sometimes end up finding a different strategy that still works, even if it's not the clean start I wanted. Those comeback wins usually feel a lot more satisfying than the matches where everything goes according to plan.

Lately I've been trying to resist the restart button unless the opening is truly beyond saving.

Galactic Civilizations IV