Strategy and Wargaming

Today, SEGA and Relic Entertainment are launching a brand new update for the award-winning real-time strategy game Company of Heroes 2 adding two new community features to the game – Observer Mode and Mod Tools. The update will go live on STEAM at 2PM PST.

Observer Mode allows players to sync up and watch live multiplayer matches as they unfold. The feature will let them view games from a variety of different angles, at different speeds and player perspectives and grants access to live data that was previously inaccessible. It provides viewers the opportunity to analyze strategies and learn from the best players in the world. Players can also broadcast their feed through our integrated Twitch interface and showcase their skills to a broader audience.

Mod Tools are an eagerly awaited addition to Company of Heroes 2’s roster of community centric features and will equip the modding community with even more opportunities to create their own custom content. Allowing players to modify existing content to refine the game experience and giving them options to establish their own win conditions and game rules will ultimately create even more and diverse content available for everyone to enjoy.

Lobsters of Doom!!!! Strike that. Crabs of Doom!

Battlefront.com has announced the release of the Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy Vehicle Pack for Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy.The Sherman Crab anti-mine tank is just one of a number of unusual and exciting vehicles included in the Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy Vehicle Pack (for PC and Mac OSX)! How about the Churchill VII Crocodile or the French Char B-2(f) flamethrower tanks? Or the Churchill AVRE with a massive 290mm “Petard” mortar! The CM:BN Vehicle Pack includes over a dozen oddball vehicles that were too fun to leave out of the game.

The Vehicle Pack requires the base game upgraded to v3.0 but no other modules (however, to access module specific vehicles, that module is required; for example, you can’t access the British vehicles if you only have the base game and no modules).

The Vehicle Pack doesn’t include any missions or campaigns. The vehicles can be used right away in any new QuickBattle or in the editor to make your own scenarios and campaigns.

The Vehicle Pack updates your game engine from v3.00 to v3.10. It includes a number of bug fixes and other improvements to the engine that will also be part of future free patches.

Click here for complete vehicle information and more details!

Paradox Interactive today announced that “Wrath of the Nagas,” the new expansion for Warlock 2 that’s loaded with serpentertainment, is available worldwide for Windows PC and, for the first time, Mac and Linux. Wrath of the Nagas, which adds a new race of slithering sorcerers to the turn-based strategy wargame from Ino-Co Plus, is now available for $14.99 from digital retailers worldwide. Including a new game campaign, a new race to play as (or against), and new in-game units, mages, and lords, Wrath of the Nagas can be enjoyed today by all players of Warlock 2 without any sort of hisssssterics.

View the release trailer HERE.

For more information about Warlock 2: The Exiled, visit the games official website.

BattleGoat Studios is thrilled to announce the release of their latest Real Time Geopolitical Strategy / Wargame, Supreme Ruler Ultimate. Lead Designer and Co-Founder David Thompson commented, “This title represents fourteen years of what has been a labor of love. Supreme Ruler Ultimate is the culmination of all the design revisions and content we’ve created since forming the studio in 2000 and there should be something for everyone, whether they want to re-play WWII or take over the world from a near future Scotland or an independent Texas!”

Supreme Ruler Ultimate is available now for PC and Mac through Steam and other vendors.

SEGA of America, Inc. and SEGA Europe Ltd. today announced a pre-order incentive for Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault consisting of an all-new Company known as “Fox” Company. This band of Rangers is led by Captain Monte Durante and sits alongside the three Companies already included in the game; Airborne, Support and Mechanized. Players can choose up to three Companies on a campaign play-through; each with its own unique play style, specializations, abilities and Officer.

Captain Durante will have his own backstory for players to discover throughout the campaign, which will allow players to experience Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault from a whole new perspective. The “Fox” Company DLC will feature unique mission and company reports, thus representing a significant amount of additional gameplay options and outcomes, all free for those who pre-order.

“We are really excited to offer such a substantial piece of content to those who pre-order!” said Alex Price, Brand Director at Relic Entertainment. “There are a huge amount of playthrough options for Ardennes Assault already, but the inclusion of Fox Company adds even more variety to the game.”

To celebrate the announcement, SEGA and Relic will be running a free weekend on Steam for Company of Heroes 2 and Company of Heroes 2: The Western Front Armies from 10AM PST/6PM BST/7PM CET, Thursday October 16, 2014 until 10AM PST/6PM BST/7PM CET on Monday October 20. Steam users will be able to download and play the game for free during this period, so there has never been a better opportunity to try out the series. There will also be various price promotions on Steam for Company of Heroes 2 running alongside the free weekend should players want to make it a permanent addition to their gaming library, including 75% off of Company of Heroes 2 and 66% off of Company of Heroes 2: The Western Front Armies. Check the Steam product pages during the promotion for more information.

Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault is developed by Relic Entertainment and will be launching on November 18, 2014 for Windows PC digital download platforms. For more information log on to www.companyofheroes.com.

Keep your Powder Dry

“Not only strike while the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.” (Oliver Cromwell – English military and political leader)

Today we have the pleasure to announce that Pike & Shot is finally released and available on both our online store and on Steam. In order to celebrate this important milestone, we are offering a $10 discount to the early adopters during the week of the launch! We are also going to offer a free Steam key to anyone who bought a copy of the game from the Matrix Games or Slitherine store, once the game is available on this digital platform!

In the age of Pike and Shot, mighty struggles erupted across Europe for religious, political or dynastic causes. The greatest powers of that period were regularly involved in conflicts and struggles to increase their dominance over the continent. Some countries have also to deal with inner tensions and are torn apart between factions. War is in the air. But war has changed. Due to the development of new technologies, traditional medieval tactics have been substituted with a totally different approach to effectively utilise the new formations and weapons.

In these troubled times musketeers “gave fire” in a duel to the death, pikemen held stolidly against enemy assaults, and cavalry charged to glory or defeat. Players can march in the footsteps of the great leaders of The Thirty Years War, Italian Wars and the English Civil War and refight some of the greatest battles of the Renaissance. With its 30 full-sized historical battles, its random map and scenario generator, its easy-to-use PBEM++ multiplayer system and its gameplay simulating accurately the tactics of the period, Pike & Shot will thrill any history buff and fans of tactical challenges!

Get more information on Pike & Shot from its official product page.

Another century to play and greater customization in new expansion

The Father of Europe leads the youngest expansion to Paradox Development Studio’s best-selling grand strategy game, Crusader Kings II. Charlemagne, the newest expansion to Crusader Kings II, is available now worldwide for Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs. This major expansion adds new story events, another hundred years of gameplay and long requested game features to the widely popular grand strategy game of dynastic politics and family rivalry.

Charlemagne can be purchased from digital distributors everywhere for $14.99. New downloadable content (DLC) for Crusader Kings II is also available today, including the Dynasty Shields: Charlemagne collection, new portrait packs, and an e-book version of the medieval epic “Song of Roland.” Full details and purchase location can be found now at http://www.paradoxplaza.com/crusader-kings-ii-charlemagne.

See the Dark Ages end and the medieval world arise in Charlemagne through a new trailer.

As usual, the expansion will be accompanied by a host of free changes to the core Crusader Kings II experience, available in a major update that can be downloaded today. This free content includes a major overhaul to the nomadic tribes of Europe – now they are even more distinct from their neighbors hiding behind castle walls.

“Charlemagne” will introduce Crusader Kings II players to the man who became the “Father of Europe,” uniting much of the continent for the first time since the since the fall of Rome and founding the Holy Roman Empire. Including the ability to start a dynasty as far back as 769 AD, the expansion will include a series of story events surrounding the rise of Charlemagne. The expansion also features game options to allow players to chart their own places in history – such as a new in-game “Chronicle” that highlights a dynasty’s conquests, marriages, and labors for the faith.

Crusader Kings II is currently at 75% off on most digital outlets.

To learn more about Crusader Kings II, visit www.crusaderkings.com.

New content and Hexagonal Hexing Hexstasy Coming to Fantasy Wargame

Warlock 2: The Exiled, the fantastical turn-based strategy wargame from Ino-Co Plus and Paradox Interactive will soon release its first expansion: “Wrath of the Nagas.” Featuring a new game mode centered around the new-game creatures, a pair of new mages to lead that new race, and a new game campaign centered around that new race and their new mages, Wrath of the Nagas will add more magical mayhem to Warlock 2 than is probably safe. The new expansion will be available later this year on Windows PC from digital retailers worldwide, but only on this particular shard of Earth.

Wrath of the Nagas introduce the ancient Naga race to the worlds of Warlock 2 – a sinister people who have lurked outside the realm of Ardania since time immemorial, waiting for their chance to break back through the barriers and unmake reality. By purchasing the Wrath of the Nagas expansion, you have given them that chance. Way to go.

PRESS RELEASE/SCREENSHOTS

Herding Cats…In Space

By  T.J. Hafer @ IGN

I made the jump into Ancient Space, looking to replenish my fleet-based, sci-fi RTS reserves, and what I found did the trick—but only just. Around me shimmered a constellation of gorgeous environmental art, strong mission variety, and impressive tactical depth. But the more I saw, the more I felt weighed down by the gravity of uninspired story presentation, and gameplay elements that sound better on paper than they are in practice.

Read on…

Release date set for Crusader Kings II expansion and other DLC

“Charlemagne stubbornly did what he wanted and refused to listen to doctors, indeed he detested them, because they wanted to persuade him to stop eating roast meat, as was his wont, and to be content with boiled meat.” – Einhard

And who more stubbornly does what they want than Crusader Kings II players? In ten days you will have another century to beat into shape. New kingdoms, new characters, new events; Roland has sounded his horn and Charlemagne is coming.

Paradox Interactive today revealed that “Charlemagne”, the newest expansion to the best-selling strategy game Crusader Kings II, is scheduled to release worldwide on Tuesday, October 14, 2014. Charlemagne adds new story events, the ability to create new kingdoms, and an additional century to play. The expansion also features game options to allow players to follow their progress in history with the inclusion of a new in-game “Chronicle” that highlights a dynasty’s conquests, marriages, and labors for the faith.

The new video developer’s diary from the Crusader Kings II development team goes into some of the gameplay changes that await you.

Charlemagne will be available for Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs via digital stores everywhere for 14,99USD. In addition, Paradox will also release four new pieces of downloadable content (DLC) to accompany the new expansion for Crusader Kings II, which will let players further customize their in-game kingdoms beyond the options already included in Charlemagne.

New DLC designed for Crusader Kings II: Charlemagne will also be released alongside the expansion. Period appropriate clothing and portrait packs for the Early Middle Ages will be released for both Eastern and Western Europe and the Dynasty Shields: Charlemagne collection will give appropriate coats of arms. An e-book of the medieval epic “Song of Roland,” will also be released on October 14.

To learn more about Crusader Kings II, visit the games official website.