Strategy and Wargaming

Gary Grigsby’s War in the West, the huge wargame that was released at the end of last year, has received yet another update. Patch 1.00.11 brings a great deal of changes and balance fixes, that create even more historical gameplay than this extraordinary detailed game could already bring to the table. In addition, the patch boasts a handful of AI improvements, as well the implementation of many new aircraft photos and unit symbols.

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.

The patch can be downloaded and installed automatically by launching the updater tool. The manual download can be found here.

Click here to find out more about Gary Grigsby’s War in the West.

“So long as the opposing forces are at the outset approximately equal in numbers and moral and there are no flanks to turn, a long struggle for supremacy is inevitable” (General Sir Douglas Haig – British commander)

Praised for its historical accuracy and its capacity to properly cover a huge conflict that involved thousands of men and units, Ageod’s WW1 wargame, To End All Wars, amazed history buffs last summer. However, the huge scale of the Grand Campaign was demanding a lot of time and a deep involvement from the players. So the developers went back to the WW1 battlefields and selected a list of smaller scenarios able to not only offer an original approach of the war, but also to provide true tactical operational challenges to their fans!

As a result, we are pleased to announce today a first expansion called Breaking the Deadlock, introducing some key confrontations of the Great War!

The game features five historical scenarios:

• Serbia (1915) covers the decisive Central Powers offensive in Serbia dedicated to secure the area and build a safe and effective supply chain between Germany and the Ottoman Empire.
• Rumania (1916) narrates the entry of Rumania into the war on the Allied side after having been neutral for 2 years, and the Central Powers rapid counterattack in the Balkan theatre.
• Caporetto (1917) begins with the Germans sending support to the Austrian army on the Italian Front, resulting with some unconventional warfare tactics based on gas attacks and use of assault troops.
• Palestine(1917-1918) the British and Ottoman Empires confront each other in the Middle Eastern theatre. Players will have to deal with logistic challenges and unusual terrain types to be victorious on this exotic battlefield.
• 1916 Campaign (1916-1918) is a fresh new starting point of the Grand Campaign. Victory has not picked her side yet!

The game is currently in a late beta stage and will be available on February the 24th.

Get more information on To End All Wars – Breaking the Deadlock from its official product page.

A not so Phoney War

1939-1940: The war machine is released. Plans for the invasion of Poland and Western countries have been carefully prepared by the German commanders. But the Wehrmacht effectiveness is still not proved and its opponents have some serious military assets. Speed and surprise are key success factors that armchair generals will have to master to seize Warsaw, Paris, and London … or the German troops will be sent packing back to Berlin!

Since its first release, the game has benefited from regular and in-depth support from the developers. Today, the game is reaching a new level with a release on the Steam platform, and we are very excited to be able to show this classic strategy title to a whole new audience!

In order to celebrate this important milestone, we are offering a 50% discount during the week of the launch! We are also going to offer a free Steam key to anyone who bought a copy of the game from the Matrix Games or Slitherine store, once the game is available on this digital platform!

Get more information on Decisive Campaigns: The Blitzkrieg from Warsaw to Paris from its official Steam page.

Vietnam ’65 Wargamer.com interview

By Nik Gaukroger @ The Wargamer

Just over a week ago Slitherine announced that a new game, Vietnam ’65, was going into beta, so we got in touch with the games developer, Johan Nagel of Every Single Soldier, to have a chat about the game and what it is all about.

Read The Interview Here

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.