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Achtung Panzer: Operation Star

L

Lighthorse

Guest
Achtung Panzer: Operation Star summer DLC
Available on Gamers Gate, January 15, 2012

[video=youtube;GMsONTIbebI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMsONTIbebI&feature=youtu.be[/video]
 
Wanted a new Eastern front game so I bought this one a few days ago. As Bootie mentions it is strictly single player and due to the manual ( which is an English translation of the Russian manual and fairly poor) and the UI there is a bit of a learning curve involved.The following link is too the manual for the Paradox release of Kharkov 1943 which is for the most part the same engine which will give you a much better idea of the game although there is some stuff thats been added in Operation Star since its release that it doesn't cover.

http://www.fileplanet.com/209929/200000/fileinfo/Achtung-Panzer:-Kharkov-1943---Manual-PDF

Graphicaly I find that the World/terrain is considerably better then CMBN ( not knocking CMBN here just a comparison.). As for the vehicle models I would say they are considerably better then PCO's but not as good as CMBN's with the exception of one or two of the tanks in CW module....they need a fair amount of help in the skinning department. Which brings up an interesting aspect of the game....Modding appears to be fully supported down to and including bringing in new vehicles. Links to Blender and Gimp are provided as well as links to all required plug-ins. Manuals for bringing in customer made add-ons are provided but again English translations of Russian documents.

Will do a proper review with screenshots after I have a chance to play more.
 
The AI: First of all one has to ask himself the question "what can we expect from the AI in a $30 video game ? " some are better then others and impressions vary from one player to the next. I find in APOS that the AI functions decently in the campaigns but poorly in the quick battles. In the campaigns/operations I am of the opinion that the AI's reactions and re-playability in general will be dependent on the human player choosing different approaches tactically. The campaign/operation battles are generated by ones actions in the strategic phase of the game then fought in the 3d environment. I am not finding that the AI in APOS which is better then the original game to be any better or worse then what we currently see in other titles which of course makes the lack of multiplayer support disappointing. When the question of why no MP support is asked the devs don't seem inclined to answer, if they have I haven't been able to find it in the various forums.

I really enjoy playing this game !!! However buying this title without giving the demo a good testing would be a major mistake. Matrix sells the game but I don't see the demo listed on there site so you will have to go to Graviteam's site to get it.
http://www.graviteam.com/

The environment: Its my opinion that the environment in this title is the best I have ever seen in a game of this genre. Trees,grass and bushes move in the wind and the environment is distributable. These are large busy maps so if you are using a lower end machine you may encounter problems.

Recommendations:

1. Read the manual before attempting to play (It isn't the best but everything you need is in there) This isn't a jump in and play title unless you are partial to being frustrated and like moaning about it afterwards. There is a controls pdf in the docs folder as well. I find the quick orders dialog to work very well for me and I keep the gui minimized most of the time...select a unit and hit space bar. I would say conservatively 90% of the complaints about this game revolve around the manual and the GUI.

2. Music: I turned it off. In game it consists of singing,On the German side of the map its Germans singing. On the Russian side of the map its Russians singing in the middle of the map its both ...at the same time, drove me nuts till I killed it.

3. Options: Lots of them !!! well worth talking a stroll through there early on. Example being the ability to turn off night battles....The campaign/operation battles will feed you a steady diet of them unless you turn them off. There are options for reducing vegetation as well as a host of others.

regards
7thcav
 
Is there any difference between the Matrix edition and any other? Or are they just selling it?

How is the AI compared to TOW?

Sorry about the late response.....have been out of action for a couple of weeks with computer and RL issues. The game is being sold bye Matrix for Graviteam and there are no differences that I am aware of. At this point the two DLC map additions are not available from matrix but will be in the near future,I got mine from Gamersgate. As for the AI its been a long time since I last played TOW so I can't give you a fair comparison. For me the jury is still out as to the quality of the AI,at times it can be a decent opponent and other times.....not so much.

Graviteam has announced that Multiplayer is coming and it will be Real time with no mention of pbem nor was a time frame mentioned.

Regards
7thCav
 
http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3080753

I have been following 'redmarkus' over on the Matrix forum. He is posting some nice play by play over there on different aspects of the game. Scroll down through the thread I linked as it has some interesting screen shots. Men on fire jumping from burning vehicles, blood spots, vehicle damage is modeled, amongst others. I know the eye candy is just a minimal part of a good game but I might pull the trigger on this. No MP and only RT is definitely a negative but can be dealt with. Read through some posts that state the scenarios and campaigns are dynamic and the AI does not follow the same triggers all the time. Going to have to do some research on this and maybe the scenario editor.
 
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