Strategy and Wargaming

Fulqrum Publishing and Ukrainian studio Best Way are excited to announce the Frontline Hero pack, a new DLC pack for real-time strategy game Men of War II, free for players purchasing Men of War II within the first week of launch on May 15th.

The Frontline Hero pack provides exclusive cosmetic features for player profiles, including two exclusive profile badges and six exclusive avatars, a set of 10 wallpaper images, and an instant unlock of four collectible tank units. It provides fans of Men of War II with a chance to stand out from the crowd.

The Frontline Hero Pack instantly unlocks the following collectible units*:

M4A3E8 “Sherman”

Panther Ausf. A

T-34-85

T-34-85M

*All units are also available for unlocking via in-game actions.

Don’t stop the tanks! For players who want to go beyond the battlefield, a Deluxe Edition of Men of War II will also be available. This comprehensive edition offers players the full game, the Frontline Hero Pack, a digital artbook offering a behind-the-scenes look, and the official soundtrack to score their victories. The Deluxe Edition is priced at $54.99 USD / £45.99 GBP / €54.99 EUR, with a 10% discount for the first week.

Men of War II will be available for PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and other digital stores on May 15, 2024, retailing for $44.99 USD/£37.99 GBP/€44.99 EUR. For more information, visit the official Fulqrum Publishing website.

Another year and anither anticipated Upgrade, Fixes and Additions have arrived. This game is now in it’s Twenty Sixth year with the release of WinSPWW2v17, bringing the total number of versions/upgrades of the game release to 38. Since the time the first tentative steps were taken to begin modding SP2 into a WW2 based game to today at least 9600 days have passed… that’s over 7400 days longer than WW2 lasted. We say Impressive!

First, DO NOT apply the upgrade patches while in the midst of a secure PBEM game as the game will fail.

Available for immediate download, this patch is ready to run. So, let’s take a look at what the great guys at Camo Workshop have given us…

The 2024 consolidation patch updates any version of winSPWW2 version 9 and up to version 17. winSPWW2 version 17.0 includes:

1. Two new standard infantry unitclasses (UC172 and UC179) replace the old Bicycle unitclasses that were no longer used and were of no real use in the game in their old form.

2. Electronic garbage was appearing along the left side of some maps. This has been corrected

3. All “cavalry” unit classes now behave the same way in the same terrain types.

You can download the upgrade HERE.

More game information can be found on the winSPWW2 webpage.

Slitherine Games has released the Scramble: Battle of Britain – Flight School, Episode #4 video.

Watch Flight School, Episode #4 “”Aircraft Control” HERE.

Aircraft in Scramble simulate in 3D space with six degrees of freedom: three degrees for XYZ position, and three degrees for rotation about the XYZ axes. Simulation is the foundation of Scramble gameplay depth, and analog control of the airplanes allows players to replicate most of the maneuvers they are familiar with from real-world aerobatics and dogfighting, but controlling airplanes is a hard problem to begin with, and designing a control scheme for the turn-based environment of Scramble proved one of the longest lasting challenges our team faced.

In Flight School Lesson 4 we will introduce you to the Turn/Climb Assist – our default Scramble control scheme – and we will explain how it couples some traditional aircraft control inputs to provide an intuitive piloting experience for all players, regardless of their familiarity with piloting airplanes.

Read the full article HERE.

Scramble Battle of Britain is a turn-based tactical dogfighting game that puts you at the heart of the action. Lead your squadron of pilots in a desperate battle for air supremacy. Fully-simulated flight physics and powerful camera tools let you plan and execute your attacks with perfect precision.

Engage in intense aerial battles as Luftwaffe and RAF fighter squadrons clash over the English Channel. Plan your flight paths, execute breathtaking maneuvers, rewind time to evaluate battle damage, and outsmart your opponents with strategic brilliance and captivating aerobatics. Get ready to take control of the skies!

New Missions and Other Historical Content Now Live

Over a dozen nations get makeovers in Winds of Change, a new expansion pack for Europa Universalis IV, available now. This expansion pack adds new historical content for nations as different as the Aztec Empire that dominated 15th century Mexico, to the Mughal Empire that emerged out of Central Asia to dominate India for three hundreds years, to the trading republics of Venice and the Netherlands, each controlling the seas to guide precious cargo home.

Watch the Europa Universalis IV: Winds of Change – Official Release Trailer HERE.

This historical content takes many forms, including expanded and branching mission trees, unique government reforms that reflect the characteristics of certain nations, new decisions and events, and special mechanics that allow you to leverage cultural abilities for unique bonuses.

Europa Universalis IV: Winds of Change includes new historical content for:

Europa Universalis IV: Winds of Change is now available for the suggested retail price of $19.99/£16.75/€19.99. More game information is available at the official Europa Universalis IV website or via the games official Steam page.

The second DLC for Absolutely Games’ strategic epic launches today with a new Special Ops Map, Special Ops missions, weapon, weapon variant, and clothing set.

Absolutely Games and Team17 Digital have today launched the Agent Pack for WWII-based strategy epic Classified: France ‘44. Available for PC1, PlayStation®5, and Xbox Series X|S, the Agent Pack grants players new gear for their covert operations, including a new Special Ops map, ‘Radar’; Two new Special Ops missions, Over Hill Under Hill and Make Every Kill Count; a new weapon, the Winchester 1912; a new weapon variant, Beretta ‘Compact’; and a new clothing set, Female Resistance ‘Agent’.

An original take on the turn-based tactics genre, Classified: France ’44 authentically captures the challenges of World War II firefights, shining a light on a lesser known story. Players will take charge of the Jedburghs: a group of special forces dropped deep in the heart of Nazi-occupied France, working with the Resistance to disrupt and sabotage enemy forces in the lead up to D-Day.

The season pass for Classified: France ’44 can be purchased for £19.99/$19.99/€19.99, granting access to all four DLC packs, with the individual DLC packs 1-4 available for £5.99/$5.99/€5.99 each.

For more information on Classified: France ’44, visit the official website. PC users can purchase the game via Steam.

The eagerly awaited World War II RTS gets ready for its PC launch

Fulqrum Publishing and Ukrainian studio Best Way are excited to announce that their highly anticipated RTS title Men of War II releases on May 15, 2024 on PC. A date long-term fans may appreciate, as this marks the 10th anniversary since the full release of Men of War: Assault Squad 2.

Following a number of public playtests last year, the team at Best Way opted to spend extra development time to incorporate feedback from the community. The fans will be able to enjoy the fruits of this extra labor at launch, as the game has received numerous technical improvements and bug fixes, as well as balancing and various upgrades to audio-visual quality since the last Open Beta.

Men of War II will launch with three playable nations – the Soviets, Americans and the Third Reich – each with their own narrative campaign, as well as two further Historical campaigns, a dynamic Conquest campaign and a skirmish-like Raid mode. All of the single-player content can also be played in co-op with up to five players, and the game offers extensive PvP and PvE multiplayer options, including ranked match-making for all three battle setups (Battalions, Combined Arms and Classic Mode).

The new chapter in the evolution of the top-rated RTS franchise provides a World War II real-time strategy experience like never before with an unprecedented number of units with different specialisations to command, unyielding attention to historical fidelity, advanced enemy AI, new levels of visual and audio excellence; and with a plethora of customisable gameplay options and modes for single-player as well as PvP and co-op multiplayer, Men of War II appeals to both the hardcore RTS aficionado and the more casual fan alike.

Watch the new Men of War II Release Date Reveal Trailer HERE.

Men of War II will be available for PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and other digital stores on May 15, 2024, retailing for $44.99 USD/£37.99 GBP/€44.99 EUR. For more information, visit the official Fulqrum Publishing website.

Winds of Change Add-On Arrives on May 8

The eventful centuries of the Renaissance, Reformation and Revolutions saw the unseating of many ways of life and the upending of traditional arrangements. In Europa Universalis IV: Winds of Change, you can explore new and exciting histories of many of these dramatic changes.

Winds of Change is an upcoming Expansion for Europa Universalis IV, Paradox Interactive’s flagship historical grand strategy game. Scheduled for release on May 08, 2024, Winds of Change adds more focus to key regions of the world. New mission trees, new government reforms and new national mechanics are in place for over a dozen nations.

Watch the Europa Universalis IV: Winds of Change – Official Announcement Trailer HERE.

Europa Universalis IV: Winds of Change includes new historical content for:

Europa Universalis IV: Winds of Change will be available on 08 May 2024 for the suggested retail price of $19.99/£16.75/€19.99. More game information is available at the official Europa Universalis IV website or vial the games official Steam page.

Slitherine has announced that signups for the beta testing phase of Scramble: Battle of Britain are now open.

SIGN UP HERE

Scramble Battle of Britain is a turn-based tactical dogfighting game that puts you at the heart of the action. Lead your squadron of pilots in a desperate battle for air supremacy. Fully-simulated flight physics and powerful camera tools let you plan and execute your attacks with perfect precision.

Prepare to storm the frontlines of one of World War II’s most iconic campaigns, as Headquarters: World War II is out now on Steam. This brand new turn-based strategy title from Slitherine Software and Starni Games enables players to experience both sides of the Normandy Campaign in tense battles as the UK, the USA, or Germany.

Set during the Normandy landings, Headquarters: World War II features three-plot driven campaigns (United Kingdom, United States, and Germany), that span nine operations each. Alongside these three campaigns, the game features a Skirmish Mode, a Map Editor tool, a random map generation tool, and a Multiplayer Mode for up to four players.

In Skirmish Mode, players can test their skills against AI on six different skirmish maps. Quick thinking and versatility are required here, as these maps contain different victory conditions. The game also supports multiplayer battles for up to four players both with real-time connection or using Slitherine’s CombatHQ system.

With units boasting multidimensional armour and terrain offering diverse advantages, every decision carries weight on the battlefield. Positioning is essential to consider, as fences and other obstacles can be used for directional cover and attacking from different elevations of terrain will have an impact on the player’s line of sight and overall combat effectiveness.

Utilising the power of Unreal Engine 4, all units and scenery within Headquarters: World War II are created with the finest attention to detail.

These striking visuals help to add a touch of realism to the horrors of war, with players encountering sights such as burning tank hulks, ruined houses, shell craters, smoke, death, and destruction.

Watch the release trailer HERE.

Slitherine has announced that Field of Glory: Kingdoms will be released this June.

Field of Glory: Kingdoms is the new game from award-winning studio AGEOD, makers of some of the best grand strategy games of all times. It is set in 1054, just after the Great Schism, and it encompasses more than two centuries of epic European, African, and Middle Eastern history.

Kingdoms continues and expands the concept of national traits, just like its predecessor Empires did, but significantly broadens it both in number and diversity. The assumption here is that certain nations (or often groups of nations with the same culture) had specific traditions or approaches that cannot be covered by general rules applicable to everyone. Thus, it represents a blend of pragmatism and humility, recognizing that a game cannot replicate the entire complexity of the real world, and therefore, abstractions and simplifications are necessary.

Find out more about Field of Glory: Kingdoms from this press release.