Strategy and Wargaming

Don of a New Era, the fourth installment in the Command LIVE series, has been released! This scenario explores what could happen if Russia decides to military intervene in Ukraine and Transnistria, and what kind of countermeasures NATO and US could take in response!

The Ukrainian conflict of 2014 has undoubtedly contributed to destabilize an already fragile region. All along the borders of Ukraine, Moldova and Russia, tensions are rising frequently, and no one knows exactly what would happen if Moscow, the biggest player, will decide to force the situation escalating the conflict.

Even if an open war could have limited military objectives, a new successful Russian intervention – probably justified by the necessity to help “the oppressed Russian minorities” – might have tremendous political repercussions, especially for Eastern Europe NATO countries.

What is certain, is that the air superiority will play a key role in an asymmetrical war involving unconventional forces, and both the USA and Russia have dispatched their best assets in the region, including stealth fighters as the F-35 Lighting II and the Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA.

If Russia fully mobilizes, could NATO prevents her moves?

Grab the game now!

For King and Country, Paradox announces Together for Victory

When the fires of war erupt and your nation is under siege from the greatest war machine the world has ever seen, it is good to know that you are standing shoulder to shoulder with your brothers and sisters around the world. Together for Victory, the first expansion for Paradox Development Studio’s World War II game Hearts of Iron IV (PEGI 7), shines a bright light on the British dominions and colonies that rallied around the flag in England’s darkest hour.

The centerpiece of Together for Victory is a set of new National Focus trees for five subjects of the British crown: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the British Raj in India. Make history with appropriate technology or alternate history paths, as well as new portraits, new leaders and new companies for the Dominions. Together for Victory is the first step in a process that Paradox hopes will tell the story of every nation in the great conflict.

Watch the Hearts of Iron IV: Together For Victory, Mood Trailer here.

Together for Victory will also include:

• New Autonomy system has different levels of dependency and status for subject nations – puppets, Dominions and fully independent states
• Continuous National Focus ideas will add new bonuses and improvements to your country as you take it through the crucible of war
• Nations can request a Lend-Lease agreement from their allies and friends if they are in dire need of equipment and vehicles
• And much more, including updates and changes to the combat system

Hearts of Iron IV: Together for Victory is coming soon to major digital retailers, including the Paradox store.

The day is approaching – Order of Battle: Blitzkrieg will be released on November 10th!

The latest DLC for the free-to-play game Order of Battle: World War II brings you back to the first two years of the World War II, two years in which Germany set Europe aflame and showed the world a new way to wage war…

Watch the trailer here.

With over 200 new units, 9 new nations and 12 single player scenarios Blitzkrieg will be the biggest expansion to date. It also comes with a huge free update to the base game, adding new multiplayer scenarios, a new Specialization system (including specialization trees for ALL campaigns!) and a tool to carry over your Core Army between different campaigns.

The war in Europe begins!

After violent demonstrations in Eastern Ukraine and Moldova, the Command: LIVE Team has been dispatched and has collected many evidences of mounting tensions, possibly fueled by Moscow. While the United States are concentrating their attention on what’s happening in the Middle East, a new conflict in Eastern Europe could allow the Kremlin to act more aggressively in the region.

Can NATO counter the Russian Ambitions?

Watch the report here.

Command LIVE: Don of a New Era will be available on November 2nd!

Flashpoint Campaigns: Red Storm gets one final polish as the team jumps headlong into development work on Southern Storm! Version 2.0.11 is availble and it brings tons of improvements to this masterpiece! Among all now is possible to turn Radio Messages on/off, new and improved Red Storm maps, and Radio Intercept Icon is ready and functional!

Other improvements featured are the following:

• New Intel panels from our custom Origins build and the scenarios we used at this year’s Origins Game Fair to do the Army Staff Training Exercises.
• Many AI enhancements and bug fixes for pathing, attacking, and grouping of AI led forces.
• A major boost to game speed from code optimization work. Should really be seen in larger scenarios.
• Several UI fixes and improvements to better show information.

But the list is very long so be sure to check the whole changelog here.

Get more information about the game on its official product page.

You can download the update from here.

We are happy to announce that Drive on Moscow is out on PC and Steam!

The second Shenandoah hit to be ported to PC, Drive on Moscow follows its predecessor Battle of the Bulge’s approach to wargaming: it represents the campaign for Moscow in a deep yet extremely immediate, fast paced and fun way!

You will lead the Wehrmacht or the Red Army in several different scenarios or in a campaign featuring the whole road to Moscow. Face an extremely competent AI and remember that you won’t fight only against the enemy army: it’ll be a race against time, for russian winter is unforgiving. See the gameplay changes dramatically thanks to the game’s weather system and dynamic map!

Even though the AI is excellent, the game truly shines in multiplayer. It was designed with multiplayer in mind, and we have implemented our new Tournament System into it. We at Slitherine believe that e-sports have a place in the world of wargames, and we intend to organize tournaments and leagues like we’ve done recently for other titles! Challenge players from any other platform thanks to its smooth crossplatform system.

What are you waiting for?

“The vastness of Russia devours us” – Gerd von Rundstedt

Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear, the adaptation of the famous tabletop wargame, is finally available on Steam!

Since its original release in 2012, the game has seen major updates and expansions, including a full implementation of the classic board game action system and a high resolution 2D maps and counters mode to complement the default 3D mode for the full board game experience.

Today Steam players will be pleased to find this masterpiece available integrating all the improvements made so far! In addition, existing owners will be pleased to find a new update to bring them up to the same level as the Steam release!
Ghost Divisions and Storms of Steel have been updated in the same way and you will find these great additions now available as DLCs which add a great deal of new content and gameplay to the original!

The cold embrace of Mother Russia is waiting for you!

In addition, we’ve released a new v1.42 update for our existing customers to bring you up to the same level as the Steam release. That is available here.

Our Command LIVE News Editorial team never stops keeping you informed! The fire seems still smoldering across the Don River, and rumors of multiple boarders skirmishes have been confirmed! If Russia mobilizes, could NATO prevents her moves? What could be her objectives?

Find it out in this in-depth analysis (.PDF)!

Gets more information about Command LIVE: Don of a New Era from its official product page!

The recent asymmetrical conflict in Ukraine is only the last one plaguing the region. Situation is still fragile in Moldova and Transnistria, where tensions between Pro-Russian separatists and the rest of the population are part of the daily agenda.

How far Moscow will want to go further in escalating the conflict? And will the NATO countries be able to overcome their differences and act as a whole?

Don of a New Era is the latest installment in the acclaimed Command LIVE series, and it aims to explore this what if scenario, designed with a huge emphasis on the high tech arsenals NATO and Russia could employ in a conflict like this.

A full analysis of the situation has been dispatched and will be available soon!

Get more information about Command Live: Don of a New Era from our official product page!

War in the West, one of the most impressive wargame ever created has been updated to version 1.01.37!

You can download the update following this link or here.

Version 1.01.37 Patch notes:

• Added a new Living Manual that contains New Features and Rule Changes since the initial release of the game.
• Added Optional City VP item to the Options screen. This impacts campaign games if toggled on. When on, the victory screen lists that the Allies start with -1200 city victory points due to this option. However, they can earn up to 1600 city victory points in total if they occupy the cities listed in the victory screen. When the cities are captured by the Allies, the points for the city are added to the total Optional City VP total, and this amount is also reflected in the Campaign column of the City Points. For example, at the start of the 1945 campaign, Paris (worth 400 points) and Antwerp (worth 200 points) are occupied by the Allies. Thus, the Optional City Points is equal to -600 (-1200+400+200), and this amount is reflected in the City Points Campaign score. The intention of this rule is to provide additional rewards for the Axis player to accept casualties and advance into Germany. While we recommend this game option for all games, we strongly suggest that this game option be turned on when not playing with the East Front Option. This prevents the Allies from accepting a Soviet takeover of Germany, while striving to maximize bombing points and minimize casualties. This was not politically acceptable to the Allies.

READ THE FULL CHANGELOG HERE!