Cuban Missile Crisis

[Earl of Grey]

The combined US-GB 403rd Tank Company in action after retaking an important bridge the Soviet enemy needed for his advance (all forces shown in this picture):

http://i716.photobucket.com/albums/ww164/earlofgrey/Screenshots/403rdtank_bridge.jpg


Under these conditions self-propelled howitzers make for good assault guns firing point blank into enemy-occupied buildings (here I'm taking back a town that also lies on the enemy's main route of advance to further hamper their efforts). It is dangerous, but going in with infantry or tanks is even more:

http://i716.photobucket.com/albums/ww164/earlofgrey/Screenshots/403rdtank_town.jpg

The real big problem is my supply lines - keeping all vehicles supplied with fuel and ammo is a challenge all in itself. And who thought the tanks are the real problem is gonna be disapppointed: the 2.5t truck needs far more fuel than anything else because the snow makes the going really difficult and those trucks aren't really off-road capable...

[Rico]

Is this a real time game?

[Earl of Grey]

Yes, it is. Sadly. It'd be quite cool if one could play that game turn-based...

[Jonny]

I just read a review about this, not complimentary at all


So there you have it, essentially this is two games in one, a turn based war game and a real time battle game. Both aspects of the game leave something to be desired, the real time aspect more than the turn based however, as the AI stacks the odds so firmly in the enemies favor. This does teach us a lesson though.

No-one wins a war, man. Especially not in this game.

Top game moment: Walking away and leaving the auto resolve feature to loose my battle for me. Quite the time saver

[Earl of Grey]

That guy apparently didn't play the game for very long. Admitted, the auto resolve feature is crap - your army needs to be greatly superior to the enemy for you to have not only a good chance of winning but having your core units (and that's one of the coolest aspects of the game) survive. But since when was an auto resolve feature doing anyone any good in a complex combat environment?
And the odds aren't that bad - in the beginning: yes - but it is meant to be that way. You're a lowly major getting command of a small attalion of troops with crap equipment and have to show your superiors that you deserve better stuff and bigger forces. It's tough but it's also rewarding if you managed to outmaneuver and beat a vastly superior enemy (especially the counter-battery fire of the enemy's artillery is VERY accurate and deadly).

Anyway, it's an RTS game. And this special brand of RTS games (there are more built on the same engine) ALWAYS pit you against a superior enemy and even the very first game on this engine was a pretty tough nut to crack. It's just not what one expects from a RTS game and that turns a lot of people off. I do like it because it poses a real challenge and rewards smart moves and combined arms tactics rather than standrad RTS-style tank rushing (for which one doesn't have the numbers anyway). And your untis not just got a general health bar (the screens being a bit misleading) but penetration capabilities and different armor strengths depending on what part of a vehicle you shoot are being taken into account. It's not a game that will appeal to everyone but I recall Cm getting pretty bad reviews, too.