Strategy and Wargaming

Legends tell of a great city deep in the jungle. It is rich in all the pleasures of mankind, and is so full of gold that the residents count this metal as nothing. The daring explorer that finds this city will bring glory to his king – and infinite riches to his pocket. Now Paradox Development Studio brings the adventure and politics of the Spanish conquest to life with the El Dorado expansion for Europa Universalis IV.

The centerpiece of El Dorado is the Nation Designer, a tool that let’s you customize your starting nation in a campaign. Choose your starting capital and neighboring provinces, modify your starting culture and leader and then lead this new nation to new and original heights of glory. The infinite replayability of EU4 has just gotten even more infinite, if that’s possible (the company mathematician is still on holiday).

This expansion’s historical focus on the Central American and South American theaters of exploration will challenge you with new decisions worthy of a king or conqueror. As the Aztecs, subject the Mexican plain to your rule but make sure you have enough vassal kings to sacrifice to your angry gods. As the Europeans, push deeper into the jungles of the Amazon, following rumors of lost cities and magical fountains. Defer to the Pope as he intervenes to divide the New World among squabbling empires.

Features include:

• A deep Nation Designer gives you new starting options for your games, including national ideas and custom monarchs
• Experience the new Nahuatl, Inti and Mayan religions with blood sacrifices or Sun Worship
• Send your conquistadors to hunt for the Seven Cities of Gold, or your explorer on exploration missions around the world
• Gold Fleets can traffic New World wealth back to Europe, and be targeted by your privateer fleets
• Use your trade fleets to hunt dangerous pirates
• Maintain good relations with the Pope so you can get a corner of the world to call your own in the Treaty of Tordesillas

Europa Universalis IV: El Dorado will be available on major digital delivery platforms for Windows, Mac and Linux next month.

For more information on Europa Universalis IV: El Dorado please visit the official Europa Universalis IV website.

As long, bitter winters set in across Europe and crops wither in the field, the Gothic people find themselves at a turning point. Furthermore, their homelands to the west of the Black Sea lie directly in the path of Attila The Hun’s terrifying ambition. To survive, they must learn to live as wayfarers, ranging far afield in order to find a secure, more fertile home.

Highlighting the themes of climate change, famine, and the threat of Hunnic conquest which drive mass migrations in Total War: Attila, this latest cinematic trailer presents a bleak vision of life at the dawn of the Dark Ages. As they approach the borders of Rome, the Goths realise their future hangs in the balance: the rider of the black horse has the power to decide their fate.

To survive in this world of turmoil and strife, certain factions have adopted a migratory lifestyle, characterised in Total War: Attila’s new horde mechanics. Unlike traditional Total War factions, whose development relies on static towns and cities, these migrating hordes are free to rove the map and pitch their tents where they will. Hordes represent the military might of an army combined with the economic, production and recruitment potential of a settlement, and offer players the first truly nomadic experience in Total War history.

For more detail on hordes and the mechanics of migration in Total War: Attila, a new spotlight video is also available here.

Matrix Games today announced that this Wednesday (January 14th) they are kicking off the 2015 weekly Twitch streaming sessions with To End All Wars, one of the biggest and most accurate World War One war games ever created! During this streaming session, Surtur will be playing the game, explaining basic gameplay mechanics to new players. The Ageod developers will also be present during the stream, ready to take on every question you might have.

But that is not all! For we will also be announcing something completely new for To End All Wars! So be sure to tune in and find out!

The Stream will be live on the official Slitherine Group Twitch Channel at 20:00 CET / 19:00 UTC / 14:00 EST.

Source: Blue’s News

GabberGames announces the release of War, the Game on Steam, calling this “PC strategy gaming for the masses.” That said, they also call this one of those games that’s difficult to master in spite of its simplicity, though one element that sets it apart from a typical RTS game is a spherical map, making for a more global version of a global conflict. This carries a 10% launch discount, and here’s word on gameplay:

War, the Game is a global Real Time Strategy game. Take the role of a supreme commander directing your armies across the globe. Use your strategic wit to battle AI and other players in realistic scenarios.
Conquer the world, city by city.

Easy to learn, difficult to master. War, the Game only has 7 army types. The game rules are simple and transparent. The first few scenarios teach you all you need to know. After that it is down to your braininess.

Variety is the spice of life. Take command of the armed forced of a large variety of nations. Scenarios require wildly different strategies to win that are not obvious as you start out. The AI is expanding so there is little time to decide. The network scenarios are also varied. 25 players in a big scrum or 1 on 1. With or without alliances.

Get more information via the official War, the Game website.

“No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now.” (Richard Nixon – former US President)

Early 1965 – Regular US military units are deployed on Vietnamese soil. The American government sends massive support to South Vietnam to prevent the Viet Cong forces from the North unifying the entire country under the Communist banner. This Cold War conflict was not only fought with classic weapons, but also with unconventional tactics in order to gain support from civilians.

Vietnam ’65, the new game developed by Every Single Soldier, aims to capture this unique warfare duality. This is why the your main task is not to crush yout opponent as you usually do in other strategy games, but to win the hearts and minds of the local population! Your main focus will be to plan and execute counter-insurgency operations so that you will prevent villages falling under Viet Cong influence. Thanks to a refined AI and a randomly generated campaign map, you should be ready to face tough and surprising challenges!

This atypical multiplatform tactical game is now ready to enter the beta phase on both PC and iPad; and we invite players to help us test it! By signing up for the beta, players will have a chance to be selected to be one of the lucky few who will be able experience Vietnam ’65 before release and help us with the final touches, ensuring a smooth release later this year.

Players can sign up for the beta by clicking here.

Get more information on Vietnam ‘65 from its official PC product page.

Start 2015 with Strategy Game Savings!

We are one week into the new year and already the temperatures are plunging. Time to settle in, stay out of the cold and cozy up to your monitor while playing the very best in independent strategy gaming. January is the time that Shrapnel Games offers you a look at their complete inventory of war and strategy games at discounted prices. You can save on our current inventory from January 8th thru January 22nd!

Take advantage of our annual sale to procure our hit new release Approaching Infinity. Released on December 15th, this game is already garnering praise from the space exploration and adventure gaming community. This is a rogue-like game of stellar exploration, planetary investigation, starship battles, diplomacy, crafting, commodity trading, and much, much more. Get it today at the sale price of $34.95.

Wargamers will appreciate such titles as War Plan Pacific, Salvo! and the Enhanced Edition of winSPWW2. All three of these titles are on sale for $34.95. War Plan Pacific is an exciting game that will remind gamers of the classic Victory in the Pacific. From Pearl Harbor to the surrender of Japan in a single session, War Plan Pacific plays fast yet retains a sense of history. Salvo! is an Age of Fighting Sail strategy game, while winSPWW2 is the game that should be on every tactical fan’s hard drive.

Gamers will also want to look at winSPMBT: Main Battle Tank ($33.95) and World Supremacy ($23.95). World Supremacy is a game of global conquest set in the modern era and winSPMBT is the Windows version of Steel Panthers Main Battle Tank. Both of these titles are on sale all month long.

Hardcore strategy gamers looking for the very best in modern warfare simulations will appreciate the entire ProSIM line of games being on sale. BCT Commander ($14.95), Air Assault Task Force ($34.95), ATF: Armored Task Force ($19.95), The Falklands War: 1982 ($34.95), Raging Tiger: The Second Korean War ($34.95) and The Star and the Crescent ($34.95). Take on a serious wargame with the micro-title, Battle Group Commander, for only $9.95.

Then there are the lighter strategy games. Perfect for the beer and pretzels crowd, you have Bronze, Air Command 3.0 and Space HoRSE for only $24.95.

Of course there is Scallywag: In the Lair of the Medusa, a single-player, action orientated dungeonbash of unlimited potential for $19.95. And finally, look for the pen and paper RPG optimized for the digital age, Total Eclipse by Disrupted Gears – also on sale now!

Remember the sale prices are in effect thru January 22nd! For more information on any of the games, including checking out demos, be sure to stop by www.shrapnelgames.com and view our complete catalog. There you’ll find full details on the individual titles, bonus items, and links to purchase.

How The Creative Assembly is planning an all-out assault in 2015.

By Stace Harman @ Eurogamer

This year the Total War series turns 15, and as recompense for making so many of us feel so horribly old The Creative Assembly is celebrating with a birthday blowout of new Total War titles. The recent release of the Wrath of Sparta content pack for Total War: Rome 2 is followed on 17 February by the next major release in the franchise, Total War: Attila – but the ferocious Hun does not ride alone. Instead, he’s flanked by two less traditional Total War experiences aimed at bringing in new players via the hit-and-miss gift horse of free-to-play.

Read on…

BitBunch is relentlessly continuing the development of Chain of Command WWII RTS.

The company had a great year in 2014, marking the announcement of Chain of Command. We have built the core engine technology on top of which the game’s features are being developed and put together a great team of game development professionals. BitBunch has also launched Twitter and Facebook accounts for Chain of Command, so commanders from all around the world can get latest updates from the HQ.

In 2015 we will release more and more details on Chain of Command: what it will look like, what it will sound like and most importantly: what it will play like. You can expect to see more art work, models, and textures such as the one featured in this press release: the first rendered in-game model, featuring the German Panzer Mark III tank. Our tanks are still in the hangar, but we are getting them ready to roll out!

“We are working hard on software development and environment generation,” said BitBunch co-founder, George van Venrooij. “Chain of Command is an ambitious project, with historical accuracy and innovative gameplay being its main distinguishing features. We are really excited to work towards launching the first demo version in 2015.”

In Q2 2015, we plan to release an early access version of Chain of Command to a limited group of users. Set in May 1940, this version will put the player in command of a German Panzer division in its attempt to cross the Meuse River and break through the French lines during the infamous “Blitzkrieg” in the West. This version will not only provide our community with the first taste of battle in Chain of Command, but will also help BitBunch gather valuable feedback for our development process. More details will follow as soon as they are declassified.

We expect 2015 to be a very exciting year so we are looking forward to it. To stay up to date with all news, large and small, follow Chain of Command on Twitter @CoCHQ, and click here to ‘Like’ the Chain of Command/BitBunch page on Facebook.

As always, feel free to get in touch with us via www.bitbunch.eu.

A deeper look into Army Management systems in development for Total War: Attila

Source: Gamer’s Hell

SEGA offers a new video for Total War: Attila, the follow-up title to Total War: Rome II scheduled to be available on February 17th, 2015, across all territories on both physical and digital formats. Developed by Creative Assembly, the next installment in the multi award-winning Total War series of strategy games will include some features that fans have been asking for, such as family trees and skill trees. It also features advanced street-fighting, civilians, complete settlement destruction and dynamic fire that can rage across a city as armies clash.

For more information about Total War: Attila, log on to www.totalwar.com.

Following the successful launch of Gary Grigsby’s War in the West earlier this month, we are happy to announce that the first update is now available, bringing the game to version 1.00.08. This patch contains a number of significant rule changes for campaign logic, as well as for the air model and various other parts of the game. In addition, the update provides you with several interface improvements and of course the priority issues have been fixed. 2by3 Games has put in some hard work to get this first update out before the holidays and we hope you will enjoy the changes as much as we do!

Gary Grigsby’s War in the West 1943-45 is the most ambitious and detailed computer wargame on the Western Front of World War II ever made. Starting with the Summer 1943 invasions of Sicily and Italy and proceeding through the invasions of France and the drive into Germany, War in the West brings you all the Allied campaigns in Western Europe and the capability to re-fight the Western Front according to your plan.

The full changelog can be found here.

Click here to download the patch, or use the automatic update tool.

Click here to find out more about War in the West.