Strategy and Wargaming

Also includes original Sudden Strike Trilogy free of charge to all Steam pre-purchase customers

Kalypso Media is thrilled to announce the launch of a Steam beta testing campaign for upcoming strategy title Sudden Strike 4, available to all Steam (Windows PC) pre-purchase customers starting…now! As an added bonus, Steam pre-purchase customers will also receive immediate access to the original Sudden Strike Trilogy (worth £12.06 as a bundle or £4.49 individually per game) completely free, also launching on Steam today for the very first time, complete with new cloud saving support, giving long-time series fans a hit of nostalgia and a look at the series’ evolution to newer players.

The beta will run all the way to the game’s full release on 11th August 2017, offering pre-purchase customers a first look at Sudden Strike 4, with access to the game’s tutorial, three singleplayer missions (Battle of the Bulge, Stalingrad and Balaton Defensive Operation) and two multiplayer/skirmish maps. Testers will also have exclusive access to the Beta Test Forum on Steam, where they can submit feedback and bug reports to the developers as they continue to polish the game in the run up to launch. The beta will be available in the following languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian, Polish, Korean, traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese.

To celebrate the launch of the Sudden Strike 4 beta, Kalypso has released Part 4 of its ‘General’s Handbook’ video series, which goes into detail about everything players can expect to see in the beta campaign.

• Watch Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 of the ‘General’s Handbook’ video series
• View Sudden Strike Gold, Sudden Strike 2 Gold and Sudden Strike 3 on Steam
• View the Sudden Strike Trilogy bundle on Steam here

About Sudden Strike 4
Developed as a fully-fledged series entry and not a remake or reboot, Sudden Strike 4 sends you off on three extensive campaigns set amongst the battlefields of World War II. Commanding the British and American, German or Soviet troops, you will lead over 100 different units into battle, including the German bomber Heinkel He111, the Russian T-34 tank, the British Hawker Typhoon fighter plane and the notorious German Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger. In a first for the Sudden Strike series, you can now choose from one of nine individual commanders, such as George Patton or Bernard Montgomery, who will each allow for different approaches to combat and boast unique abilities.

Prove your tactical expertise in over 20 demanding single player scenarios, the challenge-focused skirmish mode, and the competitive multiplayer mode. A new reward system rewards clever and tactical play, awarding the player with skill points and bonus content, such as historical film footage of the era.

Fellow wargamers, if you can’t wait to challenge yourself in desert warfare, then we have a news for you! Desert War: 1940 – 1942 is about to enter its beta testing phase, and we ask players to help us in important stage!

If you are of a mind to contribute to polishing the game, then look no further and apply by clicking here!

From the product page:

“Desert War is an operational level, ground-centric wargame that recreates the epic tank battles fought between the Axis and Allies for possession of Libya and Egypt.

It consists of a series of historical and “What-if” scenarios that allow the players to explore the ebb and flow of the actual conflict.”

It’s 2018, the near future and the World is on the verge of a Third World War.

Tensions in the Korean peninsula region are erupting on a scale rarely seen before. Many countries have pursued particularly muscular policies in recent years, hardening a situation, ready to light the fuse at any moment.

China’s political elites are seeing the chance to fulfill their ambitions of a Chinese sphere of influence over the Pacific, and even if the United States are refocusing their military efforts in a revamped War on Terror, they haven’t left their interests in the region unprotected.

Now the question is not when, but who will be the first to strike?

Chains of War, the latest installment in the C: MANO series is finally here! Be ready to face the apocalypse of an ultra-technological war, where all the rules have been subverted!

Tactical EMP weapons, railguns, high-energy lasers, communications disruption by network/cyber-attacks– and more! – have been implemented, making Command: Chains of War more challenging and realistic than ever!

Load mobile forces on ships, aircraft and even submarines, and unload them on any suitable point on the battlefield, with the new “Cargo, landing and airdrop operations” feature!

Watch the official Command: Chains of War launch trailer here.

Are you ready for the next generation of war? Grab the game now!

Paradox Interactive and Eugen Systems Bring Historical Weight to WWII Tactical RTS

Two giants of historical strategy put their love of the past on display in Steel Division: Normandy 44. The World War II themed real-time strategy game from Paradox Interactive and Eugen Systems is rooted in a deep appreciation of history and an understanding of the limits and possibilities of games.

In a new behind-the-scenes video from Eugen Systems, Creative Director Alexis Le Dressay and his team expand on the research that went into the development of Steel Division: Normandy 44. Division battlegroups, unit design and map choice are all based on attention to period detail and historical accuracy.

Players can now pre-order Steel Division: Normandy 44 for $39.99/£34,99/€39,99, or the Deluxe Edition for $59.99/£49,99/€59,99. Both versions include two historical aces as a pre-order bonus, giving division leaders new cosmetic faces to put in command of their vehicles.

Pre-ordering Steel Division: Normandy 44 also gives players access to the multiplayer beta, which allows players to face off on the battlefields of Normandy with Steel Division’s unique battlegroups in advance of launch. Steel Division: Normandy 44 will receive its final pre-launch beta update this afternoon, which will add two new divisions (the British 6th Airborne and German 352.Infanterie Division) and maps of Odon and Carpiquet for players to master!

Steel Division: Normandy 44 will be available on Steam and the Paradox store on May 23, 2017.

For more information on Steel Division: Normandy 44, and to pre-order the game, please visit the official Steel Division: Normandy 44 website.

[North Africa] was the only theatre where the principles of motorized and tank warfare, as they had been taught theoretically before the war, could be applied to the full-and further developed. It was the only theatre where the pure tank battle between major formations was fought.” — Field Marshall Erwin Rommel

Matrix Games is very proud to announce a new wargame is in the making, Desert War: 1940 – 1942!

Take the lead of the Italian-German forces or the Commonwealth and relive the key moments of the war!

In Desert War, your main concern will be the safety of your supplies! Make sure to not overstretch your lines and be prepared for enemy incursions within your perimeter!

The game employs a WEGO system that will make you plan your moves very carefully: will you wait for reinforcements, leaving the initiative to the enemy or will you try to exploit his mistakes, possibly risking your entire frontline?

The choice is yours!

Get more information about Desert War: 1940 – 1942 from its official product page!

A Tsar is Born. Can You Bring Third Rome to Glory?

For 500 years, the princes of Russia have kept the faith. Through civil wars and Mongol conquest, the word of God has not just survived, but has united our people. Those princes who embrace the church will find glory, those who turn their back will be cast to dust. There have been two Romes, and both have fallen. Muscovy is the third.

There shall be no fourth.

Paradox Interactive and Paradox Development Studio are thrilled to announce Europa Universalis IV: Third Rome. The first immersion pack for the best-selling historical strategy game introduces a wealth of region-specific content, and takes a deeper look at one of the greatest powers of the early modern era – Russia. Russian cultured nations will find new interactions for their government and the Orthodox Patriarchate, deepening the experience of playing this rich and fascinating region.

Russia now gets two unique governments, with special abilities that allows them to tighten their grip on power. Use your administrative ability to reduce provincial autonomy. Call on your diplomatic resources to suppress incipient revolts. Use your military resources to quickly recruit streltsy units for your army. Rule with the iron fist that comes with a divine blessing.

Features of Europa Universalis IV: Third Rome include:

• Tsardoms and Principalities: New ranks of Russian government with new abilities and, for Tsars, strong bonuses including the right to claim entire States – not just provinces
• Iconography: Commission great religious icons for the Orthodox Church, boosting your empire’s power depending on the saint you choose to revere
• Patriarchs: Consecrate highly developed provinces with Patriarchs, adding to the authority of the Orthodox Church, but for a cost.
• Streltsy: Special Russian soldiers that excel in combat, but raise the cost of stabilizing your empire
• Siberian Frontier: Russian nations can slowly colonize uninhabited border regions, with no fear of native uprisings
• New Graphics: Includes three full unit packs and new portraits for Eastern Europe.

As usual, Third Rome will be accompanied by a free update to Europa Universalis IV, available for everyone who owns the base game.

Watch the Europa Universalis IV: Third Rome Announcement Trailer here.

Without any doubt, the United Kingdom as we know today, couldn’t exist without the conflict known as the “English Civil War”. For 9 long years, from 1642 to 1651 the country saw two major factions fighting each other to the end not just for supremacy, but to build the foundations of the new English Society for centuries to come.

Starting with inconclusive battles and with practically untrained troops, this conflict ended with the establishment of probably one of the best armies England ever had – the New Model Army – and with the initial structure of a Constitutional Monarchy that remains a part of England to this day.

Even though Parliament only achieved final supremacy in the management of government affairs 40 years later during the Glorious Revolution, the seeds of change which ultimately lead to the creation of the English Kingdom similar to its present form, can be directly linked to the battlefields of Edgehill and

The new turn-based grand strategy game developed by Ageod and published by Matrix Games aims to recreate this bitter and decisive war with historical precision. With a detailed selection of the historical units of the conflict you will find the Covenanters, Newcastle’s whitecoats, Cromwell’s Ironside’s, the New Model Army or the Cornish legendary infantry.

Players can build and manage their armies, throughout the campaigns set in the various theaters of operations like Yorkshire, Cheshire, Lancashire, Bristol, Lincolnshire, and more.The game includes an innovative card system that lets you trigger general “war” events such as the Commission of Array, Recruitment, Break Blockade.

More Historical Events are triggered throughout the game giving the player crucial decision points. These cover anything from the seize of a city, The arrival of the Queen to Covenanters intervention.

Watch the English Civil War release trailer here.

The public beta phase of the v1.12 update (the companion to the upcoming “Chains Of War” DLC pack) has been concluded, and the “Gold” version is now going through the production paces. We have already covered most of the new major features in the DLC, such as communications disruption, aircraft damage and the new weapon types. Today we are looking at arguably the most anticipated new feature of v1.12: Cargo, amphib and airdrop operations.

About Chains of War:

20 minutes into the future, a spark erupts in the Korean peninsula that will lead to a theater wide conflagration embroiling the entire Western Pacific and drag all major powers into it. With nothing less at stake than control over the world’s busiest trade routes and containment of the emergent superpower, the Pacific becomes the world’s stage – and the players are getting down to brass tacks, for this is the game that no side can afford to lose.

The geopolitical nightmares of the new century: The creators of the award-winning “Northern Inferno” shift their gaze from the Atlantic to the Pacific and bring into focus the challenges of the early 21st century: The ever-present tensions between North and South Korea reach a boiling point, while China and the US vie for control of the strategic choke points and bases through which the world’s commerce functions. Will the US maintain its strategic pre-eminence in the most important world theater or will China complete its ascend to superpower status?

The new gears of war: Think the new war in the Pacific will be just like the 1940s but with better bullets? Think again! All-new systems and technologies radically change the face of modern high-level conflict. Network and cyber attacks pull apart carefully constructed communications networks, leaving forces in the field blind and separated from their consorts. Electromagnetic pulses delivered from high-altitude nuclear detonations or tactical EMP weapons fry vulnerable electronics, disarming powerful units in a split-second. Massive anti-ship ballistic missiles threaten to turn aircraft carriers into sinking, burning hulks. Railguns deliver accurate, punishing fire at long ranges, challenging the post-WW2 reign of guided missiles. Anti-satellite weapons disrupt the critical communications & intelligence nodes orbiting high in the stars. High-energy lasers burn their targets with intense beams invisible to the naked eye. Are you ready for the intricacies of 21st century war?

The “Release Candidate” (ie. public beta) phase of the v1.12 update (the companion to the upcoming “Chains Of War” DLC pack) is wrapping up on the MatrixGames forum.

The feedback on the new additions like sonar masking, the new 2x time compression step and much improved 4K/UHD support has been very positive. We have already covered two of the new major features in the DLC, communications disruption and aircraft damage.

Today we are looking at some of the new weapon systems introduced in v1.12.

Chains of War is a new DLC release for Command: Modern Air/Naval Operations, the premier game of air & naval combat and the Pentagon’s hottest new simulation tool.

About Chains of War:

20 minutes into the future, a spark erupts in the Korean peninsula that will lead to a theater wide conflagration embroiling the entire Western Pacific and drag all major powers into it. With nothing less at stake than control over the world’s busiest trade routes and containment of the emergent superpower, the Pacific becomes the world’s stage – and the players are getting down to brass tacks, for this is the game that no side can afford to lose.

The geopolitical nightmares of the new century: The creators of the award-winning “Northern Inferno” shift their gaze from the Atlantic to the Pacific and bring into focus the challenges of the early 21st century: The ever-present tensions between North and South Korea reach a boiling point, while China and the US vie for control of the strategic choke points and bases through which the world’s commerce functions. Will the US maintain its strategic pre-eminence in the most important world theater or will China complete its ascend to superpower status?

The new gears of war: Think the new war in the Pacific will be just like the 1940s but with better bullets? Think again! All-new systems and technologies radically change the face of modern high-level conflict. Network and cyber attacks pull apart carefully constructed communications networks, leaving forces in the field blind and separated from their consorts. Electromagnetic pulses delivered from high-altitude nuclear detonations or tactical EMP weapons fry vulnerable electronics, disarming powerful units in a split-second. Massive anti-ship ballistic missiles threaten to turn aircraft carriers into sinking, burning hulks. Railguns deliver accurate, punishing fire at long ranges, challenging the post-WW2 reign of guided missiles. Anti-satellite weapons disrupt the critical communications & intelligence nodes orbiting high in the stars. High-energy lasers burn their targets with intense beams invisible to the naked eye. Are you ready for the intricacies of 21st century war?

Developer Cats Who Play has announced that it is working on the first big expansion to “Syrian Warfare“, titled “Syrian Warfare: Return to Palmyra“.

A new single-player campaign, as you might infer from the title, will be focused on the dramatic events between December 2016 and March 2017, when the ancient city was once again captured by the terrorists, and an imminent threat loomed – the enemy could now quickly advance into territories controlled by the government, with access to large cities. However, thanks to the tenacity of the Syrian army and its allies, including the Russian air forces, the opponent’s advance was halted and then turned back.

The plot will focus around a detachment of the elite Syrian unit Tiger Forces. Despite being caught flat-footed by Daesh’s sudden assault, they defended their positions on Palmyra’s outskirts to the end, got surrounded and fought their way to the T4 air base, where they had a big role in the defense of the air base and the following retaking of Palmyra.

The player will have control over new squad types (including, as mentioned, Tiger Forces squads); Lebanese volunteers; and the forces of the 5th Legion, freshly formed with the help of Russia. The game’s arsenal will be expanded with new weapons: mounted grenade launchers, recoilless guns (both infantry variants and mounted on technicals), high-caliber heavy machineguns. The game’s tank park will have new modifications of the T-55 and T-62 tanks in store. The air forces will see the additions of the Russian Ka-52 “Alligator” helicopter, Syrian “Gazelle” light attack/scouting helicopter and remote-controlled drones. The terrorists will also have weapons previously unseen in the game: American Humvees captured from the Iraqi military, anti-tank TOW missiles, heavily-armored VBIEDs, quadcopters.

The game’s mechanics will also be refined, including the dissatisfactory pathfinding algorithm.

The “Syrian Warfare: Return to Palmyra” expansion’s release is planned for the end of summer 2017. It will require the base game “Syrian Warfare” to run.

Find out more on the official Syrian Warfare webpage.