Strategy and Wargaming

“Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely.” (Dwight D. Eisenhower – Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe)

June 1944 – The Axis is retreating on all fronts. The German army does not have the strategic initiative anymore and is trying to strengthen its defensive lines in order to stop the progress of Russian forces on the Eastern Front, and to prevent any landing from the Allied forces in the West. The Atlantic Wall seems unbreakable but rumors about a possible seaborne invasion in the north of France puts the German commanders under pressure. And suddenly, on June the 6th, the Allied forces launch one of the most audacious operations of the whole war. The world’s destiny is a stake on the Normandy beaches…

Successor of the very successful Frontline: Road to Moscow that reached the top of the charts on iPad this past spring, The Longest Day moves the action west and focuses on the D-Day operation that turned the tide of the war. From developer 88mm, this new chapter of the Frontline saga preserves the strengths that made it popular – original art direction, variety of units, and streamlined UI – and introduces deeper gameplay elements to provide a more realistic simulation of the battlefield. As the 5 massive campaigns unfold, players will have to take into account more and more variables like landmines, flanking maneuvers, and encirclements in order to breach the heavy Axis defensive lines.

The game is now ready to enter the beta phase on iPad, iPhone and PC. And we invite players to help us test it! By signing up for the beta, players will have a chance to visit the Normandy beaches before release and help us with the final touches, ensuring a smooth release on iOS and PC later this year.

Players can sign up for the beta by clicking here.

Get more information on Frontline: The Longest Day from its official product page.

New launch trailer celebrates the release with footage of skirmish mode and online multiplayer

Fans of the classic castle building series can now return to the deserts of the Middle East circa 1189 in Stronghold Crusader 2, with the game out now on Steam. A new launch trailer has been released to mark the occasion, showing the developers battling it out in online multiplayer.

After two years of development Stronghold Crusader 2 is now available. Looking back on the game’s development, the team posted a thank you message on the official website:

“Thank you for supporting us and making Stronghold Crusader 2 possible. This is our first ever independently developed and funded Stronghold game, built with your encouragement, feedback and support over the past two years. It is far from the end for Crusader 2, with content updates, DLC and patches all planned to follow in the weeks and months after launch, but it gives us great pleasure to say that the game is now available on Steam!”

The game is now available on Steam, with a Special Edition that includes Stronghold Crusader HD, ‘The Art of Stronghold Crusader 2’ digital art book and full soundtrack composed by Robert Euvino.

Single-player Real-time Strategy Game Now Available on PC

Paradox Interactive today announced the galaxy-wide launch of Ancient Space, a new real-time strategy (RTS) game from developer Creative Forge. Featuring deep strategic gameplay and starring a cast of fan-favorite sci-fi actors from film and television, Ancient Space will challenge gamers to navigate a suspenseful single-player story campaign as they guide their fleets beyond the edge of the known universe. Purchase of the game, which is available at digital retailers for $19.99, includes a digital art book and the game’s original soundtrack. Ancient Space is available today for Windows PCs with a Mac release coming soon.

Purchase Ancient Space from the galactic merchant of your choice here: http://www.ancientspacegame.com/buy/

Explore the mysteries of Ancient Space in a gameplay video with developer commentary, showcasing the game’s strategic resource management and ship navigation.

For more information on Ancient Space, please visit games official website.

BattleGoat Studios is delighted to announce the Steam Early Access Beta launch of their upcoming Real Time Geopolitical Strategy/Wargame, Supreme Ruler Ultimate. Lead Designer and Co-Founder David Thompson commented, “We’ve been working towards this for fourteen years! Supreme Ruler Ultimate is the culmination of all the design revisions and content we’ve created since forming the studio in 2000. And it’s now time to involve our players in the final stage of development through Steam’s Early Access which will help provide the player testing and the feedback necessary to make sure Supreme Ruler Ultimate is everything that strategy gaming fans expect.”

Link to Steam Early Access: http://store.steampowered.com/app/314980

BattleGoat’s Lead Programmer and Co-Founder George Geczy added, “Supreme Ruler Ultimate brings together our vision for a truly epic strategy game that encompasses some of the most turbulent times of human history – World War II, the Cold War, and the challenges we face in the near future. We’re proud to have made one of the most detailed and comprehensive series of strategy games ever created.” Previous BattleGoat titles in the Supreme Ruler series are Supreme Ruler 2010, Supreme Ruler 2020. Supreme Ruler Cold War, and Supreme Ruler 1936.

Thompson went on to explain how the new game follows up the successful release of Supreme Ruler 1936 earlier this year: “Supreme Ruler Ultimate incorporates the content from our recent World War II version as well as our other past releases while expanding and enhancing the game features previously released. Anyone who purchased Supreme Ruler 1936 has been provided a 33% discount coupon via Steam towards Ultimate.” Supreme Ruler Ultimate is expected to be released October 17, 2014, and will be available for PC and Mac through Steam and other vendors.

About Supreme Ruler Ultimate

The pinnacle of fourteen years of development on the Supreme Ruler series of Real Time Geo-Political Military Strategy Games for PC and Mac. Supreme Ruler Ultimate incorporates the stories, campaigns, scenarios, and features from our previous releases and expands on them in our improved game engine. Take control of any nation in the world from World War II through the Cold War and into the near future as our world lurches from one crisis to the next! Play historical or modern campaigns with specific objectives, attempt one of the many Set-Piece Scenarios for a shorter game, or customize your gaming experience by picking any nation in the various era sandboxes and choosing your own preferred Victory Condition. With so many options to choose from, Supreme Ruler Ultimate provides virtually unlimited replayability!

Find out more about Supreme Ruler Ultimate  at the games official webpage.

Nival announces Blitzkrieg 3, the long-awaited return of the World War II real-time strategy series.

A decade ago, Nival cemented itself as a leader in strategy gaming with the launch of its now-classic Blitzkrieg series, which has won more than forty awards, including numerous Game of the Year and Editor’s Choice accolades. Today, Nival unveils Blitzkrieg 3, the next title in the acclaimed series, coming to PC and Mac in early 2015. Blitzkrieg 3 paints a realistic picture of World War II – away from the realm of politics or ideology, focused on the battles that ultimately shaped the world we live in today.

Players will become commanders of the era as they experience an interactive story of the second World War, blending single-player and innovative multiplayer gameplay. Classic single-player campaigns will be available for each party involved in the conflict – the USSR, the Axis and the Allies. Multiplayer is asynchronous, allowing players to make their way through the enemy defenses without needing to be online for hours on end.

“Since its establishment 17 years ago, Nival has been focused on the strategy genre – often mixing it with other elements to create new game experiences,” says Sergey Orlovskiy, CEO of Nival. “We feel that today’s rather rapid pace of life has caused the RTS genre to fall by the wayside. Blitzkrieg 3 is designed to re-invent RTS for modern gamers, using all of our experience to deliver something new and exciting.”

More information about Blitzkrieg 3 will be released in the coming months, but for now prospective strategists can take a look at the official website www.blitzkrieg.com, complete with gameplay footage, developer insight, screenshots and more.

Further, to commemorate the announcement of Blitzkrieg 3, the original titles with all the official add-ons are on sale on Steam for just $4.99/€4.99/£3.99. Get out there, commander!

Paradox Interactive today announced that Crusader Kings II, the grand strategy game of medieval marriage, rule and conquest from Paradox Development Studio, has now sold over one million copies worldwide. Launched in early 2012 to critical acclaim, Crusader Kings II has been purchased for Windows, Mac, and Linux computers a combined total of over 1,000,000 times, and is still providing players with new realms, new conspiracies, and new historical timelines. Paradox continues to support Crusader Kings II with free and paid content, with a new expansion, “Charlemagne,” coming soon. “Whenever we discuss the sort of games we like to make, and the sort of fans we make them for, Crusader Kings II is one of the titles we point to as a shining example,” said Fredrik Wester, CEO of Paradox Interactive. “I want to thank every one of those million fans who have picked up Crusader Kings II for proving our point about game design for the truly dedicated. We make games for people who want to dive deep and explore a title with endless possibilities, where each player develops their own in-game story – and our players have responded. Every day we read the unique tales from our fans of the lengths to which they’ve gone to preserve their dynasties. Paradox is committed to growing those experiences in Crusader Kings II and in our entire portfolio.” Paradox Interactive has also shared some data about Crusader Kings II to underline the scope of the game’s success. Not only has the base game itself sold over a million copies, but the catalog of DLC and expansions for Crusader Kings II have sold a combined total of approximately 7 million units. Crusader Kings II is played by an average of 12,500 players every day, and roughly 100,000 players in a month. The average Crusader Kings II player has a playtime of just over 99 hours. For more information on Crusader Kings II, including the upcoming Charlemagne expansion, please visit the games official website.

New gameplay footage, details on The Wolf’s combat style and recommended strategies against the series antagonist

Stronghold Crusader 2 has gone gold and to celebrate Firefly Studios has released new gameplay footage of the series’ most notorious AI opponent.

“Stronghold is known for its tendency to test players’ mental dexterity and with the resurgence of these kinds of games it makes perfect sense to include The Wolf” the developer said in a new blog post. “We want this addition to the cast of AI characters to reinforce our message that Crusader 2 retains the series’ sense of challenge. When you are victorious against The Wolf, or any character for that matter, it should feel like an absolute triumph.”

An opponent who taunts the player with lines such as “I would rather tear down your castle with a spoon than offer you assistance”, The Wolf does not mince words. As an AI Lord he is not the greatest ally, his aggressive attitude and unpredictable mood making military assistance or trade unlikely. As an AI opponent however The Wolf provides skilled Stronghold players with the worthy challenge they seek.

Skirmish matches against The Wolf are characterised by his ability to build strong defences early on, turtling until he can amass an army of the game’s most heavily armoured units. Rushing The Wolf is difficult, but the longer players leave him alone the more dangerous he becomes! In order to stand a chance, players must match his numbers and employ effective counter troops. Crossbowmen are required to pierce his troops’ thick armour and Pitch Ditch needed to set his Swordsmen ablaze. Units who are weak against armoured troops, such as the Whirling Dervish, should be avoided.

Stronghold Crusader 2 can be pre-ordered on Steam with 10% off, exclusive mini-campaigns and more.

All standard edition owners to be upgraded to latest expansion

Source: CVG

The upcoming Emperor Edition of Total War: Rome 2 will be given to all existing owners of the game free of charge. Due for release on September 16, Rome II: Emperor Edition will include numerous improvements and downloadable content. Sega announced that all owners of the standard edition of the game will be automatically upgraded to the Emperor Edition come September 16 and receive everything that comes with it.

The main addition is the new Imperator Augustus Campaign Pack DLC. This covers the events of the 2nd Triumvirate War, which led to the end of the republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire. Gameplay changes in the Emperor Edition include “overhauled building chains, a redeveloped and more impactful politics system, improved campaign and battle lighting”. All free downloadable content updates released since the game’s original launch in September 2013 will also be included, however the paid DLC – including the Hannibal at the Gates campaign and the Caesar In Gaul campaign – will not.

First-ever Galactic Gameplay Revealed in All New Video with Developer Commentary

Prepare for an interstellar mission to the outskirts of the universe as Ancient Space is now available for pre-order. The upcoming single-player real-time strategy (RTS) title from Paradox Interactive and CreativeForge Games will be released September 23, 2014 for PC and Mac.

Commanding a fleet to the outer reaches of deep space on a quest to discover what lies inside “The Black Zone,” Ancient Space will take players on an adventure that combines a compelling storyline with classic real-time strategy elements in a full 3D environment, challenging players to come up with strategies that utilize the x, y, and z axes as they progress through the campaign and upgrade their fleet of ships.

Start planning your expedition into the world of Ancient Space by checking out the gameplay video here:

Launching into the unknown, players will need to keep their wits about them as they make strategic decisions, battle the odds and undertake deadly missions in the dark recesses of space. Players will be joined by a cast of character voiced by recognizable actors from popular science-fiction television shows including Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, and more in this tale of strategic resource management and engrossing interstellar warfare.

For more information on Ancient Space, please visit www.ancientspacegame.com.

“War is not a river, or a lake, but an ocean of all that is evil” (Gustav II Adolf, King of Sweden)

Initially introduced to the lucky few who attended our 2014 annual convention “Home of Wargamers”, Pike & Shot is now mature enough to show more of the game to public! This upcoming strategy game designed by Richard Bodley Scott – the mastermind behind the Field of Glory table-top wargame rules – aims to simulate the majors battles in the age of Pike and Shot – the 16th and 17th centuries.

The period covered by this game is particularly interesting from a tactical point of view as lots of changes occurred on the battlefield at that time. In only two hundred years commanders have been substituting traditional medieval tactics with modern ones, inserting musketeers and artillery in the armies. Obviously the players will be able to feel this tactical revolution in Pike & Shot!

This setting, combined with the approachable and visually immersive Battle Academy engine, makes Pike & Shot a very engaging title for any gamer that has an interest for this period. 3 huge campaigns, a skirmish mode that allows to generate an infinite number of “What-if” scenarios and a multiplayer system powered by the famous PBEM++ come together for a captivating experience in the heart of the bloodiest battles of the Renaissance.

Pike & Shot is currently in beta and will release later this year for PC, with an iPad version following soon.

Click here to view the new screenshots and get more game information!