Another week has gone by since we last met and some things have popped here and there. Not a whole lot, but enough to warrant a weekly update from your first, second or third favorite strategy (genre) word wrangler.

Ratten Reich Gameplay Revealed

The brutally gross Ratten Reich finally has some gameplay and it’s both interesting and dismaying at the same time. While I can appreciate the work it has been put into it, mainly on the small details of the units and terrain, Ratten Reich is already looking so generic that I’m finding it hard to be very excited about. The clunky movement of the units, the slow-moving projectiles, the small number of units, and boring World War 1 and 2 but with Mice setting is all very… meh? In the end, it’s just Men of War, with rats and weird bugs- and that’s not a great selling point.

You might disagree, so I believe it’s worth giving a look nonetheless.

Attack at Dawn Out Soon

On the bright side, we have the up-and-coming release of Tomislav’s attempt at creating a perfect real-time-hex-and-counter wargame, Attack At Dawn: North Africa coming out in just a couple of days from now! A successful demo, solid knowledge, and respect for the subject matter (North Africa, WW2) paired up with the motivation to create such a special concept, Attack at Dawn is sure to have cybernated Rommels and Montgomerys scrambling for new ways to an old campaign.

I and Tomislav had quite the talk a couple of months back when the game has announced, so make sure to read it out! In the meantime, here are some highlights:

“What motivated you to start working on Attack at Dawn: North Africa?

I wanted to make a real-time operational-level wargame. The idea of seeing the units on an operational scale move and the clash was something I haven’t seen before (or not in a satisfactory way at least). And North African theatre seemed the best place to start since the number of troops was limited, and mobile warfare played a very important role […];

How would you describe it and how does it intend to differentiate itself from other games in the genre? What is truly unique and sets it apart?

It is a fast, polished and historical strategy game set in WW2 North African theatre. The game controls are streamlined for ease of use and fast learning. The map is large, easy to read, and understand […];

The real-time option sounds amazing and from what I’ve seen you play, it’s really manageable. How did you manage to implement that? And why not keep it traditional, turn-based?

Real-time/we-go is the key that sets this game apart from many other titles set in this period and region. There is some beauty and flow that comes out from playing the game simultaneously with your opponent. That increases the adrenaline rush and can lead to interesting twists and turns […].”

Attack at Dawn releases on the 7th of June, just 24 hours after D-Day’s 78th birthday.

Naval Campaigns: Kriegsmarine Got Released

The titular German battleship, the Bismark is once again in harm’s way with the recent release of Wargame Design Studio‘s latest effort Naval Campaigns: Kriegsmarine. As the name might indicate, hex and counter admirals will be taking control of the German Naval war machine (and the Allied one) during the skirmishes for the control of the North Atlantic.

This title contains 58 stand-alone scenarios and 2 campaigns, the latter range from small coastal raids to large fleet hypothetical battles. This game will also be the first one in the Naval Campaign series to feature the latest engine updates that support DirectX 11, new map graphics, and zoom levels.

Naval Campaigns: Kriegsmarine is available at the digital shop of Wargame Design Studios and will set you back 39.95 dollars or your regional equivalent.

Maneuver Warfare Gets a 1.20 Update

The mind-bending-ly simple yet deceivingly complex, (and UI nightmare) Maneuver Warfare just got a new update this last week. I’ve been playing it a couple of hours every day every so often and I’m very pleased with what Decisive Action Games has on display here. Sure, it’s really rough around the edges right now, and it needs substantial updates but things are coming together quite nicely if I say so myself. Here’s what the most recent update brought to the table:

Multiple way-points – hold down LEFT SHIFT when choosing a destination on the map, either for individual or group movement.

• Multiple way-points
• Artillery smoke – separate smoke icon for each smoke shell fired as opposed to a single smoke screen fired by the entire battery 
• Weather Effects: Wind is now showcased by an arrow on the mini-map and will affect the direction of smoke screens across the battlefield and unit combat effectiveness will be reduced when fighting against unfavorable wind conditions. Rain reduces unity mobility and visibility, with the effect being more pronounced on wheeled units moving off-road. Precipitation will reduce visibility and the detectability of enemy units and the effectiveness of fire, as expected, it worsens during the winter months as snow becomes more prevalent.
• Time of the day will affect visibility
• New sound effects for rain, wind, and storm.

There are a couple more things listed over at Decision Action Games website if you want to give the whole patch notes a read. If you want to buy Maneuver Warfare you can find it on Steam available for €19,99 or your regional equivalent.

SGS Updated Release Schedule For 2022

The Studio owned by Philippe Thibaut has updated its release schedule for the remaining months of 2022 and this is what they have currently in production, alongside their respective due dates:

• SGS Operation Downfall (new, the planned invasion of Japan 45-46): August 2022
• SGS Fall Weiss: late summer 2022
• SGS Taipings: early Fall 2022
• SGS Korean War: October 2022
• SGS NATO’s Nightmare: late 2022
• SGS Spain At War: Winter 2022
• SGS Okinawa: late 2022 or early 2023 (based on Pacific D-Day title)

I have my mind divided on what to think about SGS’s endeavors, on one hand, I really love their wild experimentation: testing different kinds of scales -from SGS Operation Hawaii 1 turn 8 hours and 1 region being around 10 square km to Heia Safari’s 1 turn equalling 1 month and 1 region totaling 100 square km. Also appreciate their risks in exploring seldom seen campaigns, like the aforementioned Heia Safari and Glory Recalled. On the other hand, I fear that this game design will eventually get stale and formulaic after a while.

Read my SGS Heia Safari review here.

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