Paradox publishing: Take Command - 2nd Manassas

[Llyranor]

http://www.madminutegames.com/

 

TC2M is a wargame based on the American Civil War (it's a strategy game and happens to be in real-time, but labelling it simply a 'RTS' isn't doing it justice). It has pretty cool implementation of chains of command. The demo allows you to try out being a brigade commander as well as a division commander. It's not a twitch/micro fest, and tactical planning is what will allow you to win, not fast clicks-per-seconds.

 

It's being published by Paradox, and due for release in mid-April.

 

I hadn't heard of this game before until the demo got out (I simply downloaded it since I noticed Paradox was publishing - good strategy publisher/developer). I'm not even American, so I have ZERO interest in the American Civil War per say, yet this game turned out to be very interesting. I don't remember the last time I enjoyed the battles this much in a 'RTS'. I'll definitely be picking this one up. This is being made by two guys who've been working on this for the past 4 yrs in their garage in their spare time, in addition to their full-time jobs. Gotta respect and support that. The prequel of this game also won the 'Gold' award from Wargamer.net for 2005 in the wargame category http://www.wargamer.com/articles/readersch..._2005/page7.asp

 

If you have any interest in wargaming, I suggest trying out the demo. That means all those dudes that introduced me to Paradox from these forums (Galactic Civilizations II, Hearts of Iron II, Europe Universalis III, etc). Links can be followed by clicking on the website url above.

 

Here are some interviews:

http://www.wargamer.com/articles/civilwar_...iew/default.asp

http://pc.gamezone.com/news/02_07_06_12_15PM.htm

http://uticensis.blogspot.com/2006/03/deve...orb-timpko.html

 

And a preview http://www.wargamer.com/reviews/second_manassas_preview/

 

Footage here:

http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=2417

The videos don't do the graphics justice, if you care about that. The demo showcases high res sprites (that's right, freaking 2D) that are actually pretty appealing to the eye. More importantly, look at the SCALE of those battles. Those maps are bloody massive.

Edited March 26, 2006 by Llyranor

[Gabrielle]

a civl war game? How many of those are out?

[baby arm]

Their first game, Civil War: Bull Run, was a lot of fun. I'm not a big fan of the Civil War or even RTS games in general, but Bull Run definitely clicked for me. It's not as dry or boardgamey as most Civil War games, but it still has plenty of attention to detail for the nerds to obsess over. Keep an eye out for it at EB since there are still some floating around for $20 or less.

 

The only thing I didn't like about the TC2M demo is that it chugged a lot more than Bull Run even though the graphics looked the same. Supposedly, this one has newer, hi-res models, but they looked like the same old ones to me.

[Llyranor]

I'm lucky I didn't have that problem. The game runs fine. I don't know how the old BR graphics looked like, but I'm really enjoying the aesthetic appeal of the sprites here.

[Jorian Drake]

a civl war game? How many of those are out?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But this is from Paradox!!! (w00t)

[Krookie]

To bad it's not an FPS, I'd find it funny if it took 3 minutes to reload your gun.

[Llyranor]

Game is out.

 

It's a tactical real-time wargame, bordering on strategic (though there's no unit-building BS; it's pure warfare) depending on which level you tackle. You can play as a brigade, division, or corps commander, and the level of command really makes a big difference in the gameplay. The game can support 5,000 units (representing 50,000 men, from a 1:10 ratio). There's a good chain of command system, so that the AI can really support you. You can thus focus on setting up a proper plan rather than fixate over clicking quickly. I'd say the AI is pretty good. I've found it to be pretty realistic, in terms of tactical maneuvers like flanking and so on. There's also a morale and fatigue system that can play a large role.

 

There are 48 scenarios, IIRC. Units transfer from one scenario to the next. I'm not sure exactly how long each one would be, but judging from what'd I've played so far, I'd say they should be at least about 1 hour long each. Heck, the tutorial battle I had lasted 1h30. In terms of replayability, the devs have made it so that there's always some uncertainty in the scenarios, what with some random variants. For example, an ally may say he's going to support your flank, but end up never showing up (which is what happened historically for that battle). Or sometimes he does. They wanted to create situations where the player would have to get him/herself out of the mess, without having the outcome already predetermined from the start. Pretty neat, if you ask me.

 

There's also an Open Play mode, where you can customize whole Orders of Battle (that means being able to configure the whole setup for your army/corps). You can set up different goals for the battle, such as Attack, Defend, Objective Points, etc. Couriers add a nice dynamic layer to it, in that you can receive orders from other generals that ask you, for example, to secure a particular location (AI-directed commands, not pre-scripted). Likewise, you can do the same (sending couriers to others).

 

I'd say the demo is fairly representative of the game. It features two tutorials and one scenario. The tutorials allow you to control a brigade (which consist of a couple of regiment, eg. a few hundred men), and a division (which is a couple of brigades). A corps consists of a couple of divisions, but it's not available in the demo. The nice thing about the maps is that they're HUGE. Even when you command a whole corps (which, when you add things up, amounts to a LOT of troops), you'll have AI generals fighting alongside you. It really makes you feel part of a massive battle. When you see your allied flank break off and rout, you know you're in trouble

 

I suggest you read some more reviews/previews from http://madminutegames.com/ (check the left side). It's generally very positive (main gripes would be that it's too slow-paced, and requires patience, as opposed to conventional twitch-fest RTS; but then, which one has actual strategy/tactics?). In fact, the game's predecessor won 'Wargame of the year' last year at http://www.wargamer.com

 

Just try out the demo and see for yourself. That's what sealed the deal for me.

 

From the screenshot thread, the aftermath of 90 min of fighting.

 

 

 

 

[baby arm]

Those shots are even better the second time. It's a shame there aren't crows or packs of wild dogs enjoying all the carnage.

[Calax]

two things:

1) oh my sweet jesus sombody FINIALLY made a strategy game comparable to Myth.

2) Oh god I hope my comp can run this sucker.

[baby arm]

If you want to be one of the kool kids, you'll read our Take Command interview right here. It's totally magical.