Goodnight, dear reader! Long time no see! The Steam Sale is over, and that means we all have to abandon this money-fueled fever dream and go back to reality. With most of us going on vacations sooner rather than later, let’s do some quick updates before we exchange our computers for the warm embrace of the sun and the golden sandy shores… Who am I kidding? Let’s get into it, let’s work on this!
Strategic Command: American Civil War Out Now
The latest iteration of the Strategic Command series went back in time to revisit the paradigmatic American conflict of the mid-19th century. I’ve yet to sink enough time into this title in order to appraise how well it manages to tune its World War II (and World War I) mechanics back nearly one hundred years of warfare.
As of right now, one thing is certain, there won’t be a shortage of content for Civil War aficionados looking for a new venture to sink time into. The game comes with 6 campaigns (1861 Blue and Gray; 1861 Manassas to Appomattox; 1862 Scott’s Great Snake; 1862 Trent War -Alternate History: What if the UK recognized the Confederacy?; 1863 Lee Rides North; 1864 Make Georgia Howl). Unsurprisingly, there will be new units and new technologies.
I can’t promise I’ll be able to get into it and pump out a review, but I’ll do my best after I’m done with Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865). Strategic Command: American Civil War came out last month on Slitherine and Matrix stores and it’s going to land on Steam later this week, on July the 14th.
Second Front Should Be Releasing This Year
The excellent Second Front is leaning ever closer to release and it appears that the stars are finally lining up for a release later this year. But did Joaquin announce anything yet? No, not really. In all actuality, I’m just guessing because the playtests have finally reached the hands of the press and so far, here’s a small tease of my up-and-coming first impression of the game: “Second Front feels like a natural evolution of the genre, something all other games of the genre it should strive to be if it wants to keep modernizing and capturing new audiences. A rare breed of a game that no doubt will spawn many imitators and hopefully, an excessive amount of DLC“. Now it’s time to let you into a secret of mine: I played Second Front more than a year ago, prior to my interview with Joachim Bader, the sole developer of the game, and came out of it extremely impressed. Unfortunately, I was under an NDA and couldn’t open my claptrap.
Into the Breach is Getting an Advanced Edition Later This Month
Everyone’s favorite turn-based Kaiju exterminate simulator of 2018, Into The Breach, is back in the spotlight, and for good reasons. Subset Games, the folk behind ITB, and FTL: Faster Than Light have decided it was time to bring more content into their pixelated classic. This care package of love is going to bring new mech squads, more missions, a bigger arsenal, and even more Vek (Kaiju)
The update is due on the 19th of July and it will set you back exactly zero dollars and zero cents.
Valor & Victory: Shield of Cholm Out
Another day, another Valor & Victory DLC is out. This time, we’re going to the Eastern Front, during the Russian Winter Offensive of 1941- 1942: “In January 1942, the Soviet Red Army began a series of counter-offensives against the German Army”, you’ll be tasked with fighting over the Russian village of Cholm, a location of strategic importance as “it held a bridge across the lengthy Lovat River and dominated a road nexus of four main roads amid an otherwise large, marshy and low lying area”.
The DLC will bring 12 new scenarios and will feature 2 huge maps, the larger by far than any other previously released map on the Valor & Victory repertoire. New units (partisans, conscripts, Russian assault engineers) and new terrain types (rubble, debris, escarpments, and ice) will make an appearance. Valor & Victory: Shield of Cholm came out on July 7th and it will set you back 8,19€ or your regional equivalent.
Modern Naval Warfare First Interior Look
The first “Navy Log Book” for Matrix’s Modern Naval Warfare was finally unveiled and it allows us to have a sneak peek at what “controlling almost 8000 tons of one of the most lethal machines ever”: the Virginia class fast attack submarine. This #1 look into the sub showcases highly detailed interiors that players will be able to move around and interact with, including a pilot station, command station, sonar suite station, photonics station, fire control station, radar station, nav station, radio station, and ESM station!
Now willing to compromise on its realism, the developing team behind the simulator affirms that “as a hardcore simulator, MNW does not include any health bars, magical God view minimaps, underwater radars, and other game-like mechanics. The player has to collect information and assemble the tactical picture from the ship’s sensors through the various stations just like real captains do”.
The whole thing is worth a read if you ask me and the detail in the game is eye-watering and beautiful. Head on to the Matrix website and despair at the idea of having to learn how to operate a submarine in order to play a video game.
Starship Troopers: Terran Command Future?
The guys behind the fantastic Starship Troopers: Terran Command are teasing a promising roadmap ahead, what does it mean? After thanking everybody for their feedback, The Aristocrats stated that “Starship Troopers: Terran Command’s future is bright, we’ll do our part… and we’ll keep fighting. Full roadmap, coming soon”. Sounds like a teaser to me. And if my review was anything to go by, I’m totally on board with more content!
Manor Lords Still Happening and Looking for Testers
After going rogue for a couple of months, Manor Lords, a promising real-time-strategy title set during the middle ages has finally shown us it’s still alive and kicking by kindling asking the community for volunteers to test its systems, and this developer diary has a lot of those up for discussion! From a total rework of how houses interact with one another, the retinue and livestock mechanics, trading, and animation rework changes to the combat, terrain, and a lot of other stuff worth getting into.
Slavic Magic has recently partnered with a couple of well-known names in the industry in its venture to pump. Epic Games gave them a financial boost with the only compromise being that the team had to keep on working on the game and utilize Unreal Engine. Another company to help out was GOG. Last but not least, Hooded Horse is now officially the publisher for Manor Lords. From the publisher of Old World and Falling Frontier, Slavic Magic is getting help with translations, marketing, and even more development budget.
Now, I’ve lured you here with the promise of Closed alpha applications. It’s simple, all you have to do is join the Manor Lords Discord server, find a bot called AlphaBot and send him a private message with the command !alpha, answer its riddles and you’ll get an e-mail confirming you’re on the list to play it.
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