Rob your next stop will be the Aegean

[KG_Jag]

Yes Panther Games, who brought us Highway to the Reich ([U]see[U] banner above), have announced that their next game will be Conquest of the Aegean. Here's a link to where this is addressed at the Wargamer:

http://www.wargamer.com/articles/conquestoftheaegean_interview/

[KG_AGCent]

I am wringing my hands in anticipatin over this one. From the interview;

BTL: When COTA is finished what will Panther Games work on next?

DO: Next cab off the rank is Battle from the Bulge ( BFTB ). All the maps bar one are done. Most of the research into units, estabs, order of battles etc is also done. We’re hopeful we can release BFTB around six months after COTA’s release – though I desperately need a holiday ;)

We have now set up five Data Design Teams ( DDTs ) to focus on developing the data content for our upcoming titles, thereby freeing us to focus on engine development. The West Front team is working on BFTB. We have East Front, North African and Pacific teams focusing on WW2 and a Modern team looking at doing a modern warfare version.

Our aim is to release one new title every six months or so, each with one new BIG feature. The big new feature for BFTB will be Minefields and Road blocks and the engineering tasks to clear them. For the first in the East Front series we will do Soviet doctrine; for North Africa the new feature will be vehicle breakdown and recovery; for the Pacific it will be offmap fire support and for the Modern it will be helicopters.

[KG_Norad]

So who here besides KG_AGCent and myself actually play this? It is a good game system. Easy to play tcp too.

[KG_AGCent]

Too few people have looked up from their CM games to give it a fair shake.

[KG_Jag]

I've dabbled with it since the first edition concerning Normandy. But unless my clone can play, or I can figure out a way to function without sleep (or maybe a family), there just isn't much time left to learn it well enough to play it at any decent level.

So many games...so little time....

[KG_AGCent]

Who the hell cares about playing at a decent level, just play! One evening, a little here, another evening a little there. You can save the game at any time when playing head to head and resume it later.

[Full Monty]

I quite enjoy playing it whether online or solo. Once I've reduced my load of CM games (don't ever do what I did, 16+ games on the go at once is enough to fry anyone's brains!:argh: ) I want to get a few h2h games played.

[KG_AGCent]

Dude... 16 games is in-friking-sane. No wonder your suffering burnout. Anytime your ready, come to Teamspeak and we'll do a HTTR game.

[KG_Panzerschreck]

Id love to try them them sometime. but then, someone is also trying to get me to play Panzer Campaigns too. I dont have time for both, which one should it be guys? Or, should i get both anyway and play one and hope i have time for the other? lol.

[KG_Jag]

Kent as an old board game counter pusher, you should try the Panzer Campaign Series.

[KG_Panzerschreck]

Sounds like you make a good case Bill, ".......I love the smell of cardboard in morning......It smells like victory....". I miss my boardgaming days.

[KG_AGCent]

HTTR is the game of choice if you must choose. Kent, keep an eye on your snail-mail box.

[KG_Norad]

Actually it depends on what you are looking for. HTTR is single player or TCPIP only. No pbem.

PZC you can play all three but the AI is much better in httr.

PZC allows you to play more all encompassing battles. For example the Market Garden game allows you to play the entire operation where HTTR has to break the battle into sections because right now it can't handle huge maps and huge oobs because they would bog down your system.

PZC also allows for more diverse game play. You can play with phased turns or non phased turns. It also has many rules varients that can alter the way a scenario plays.

HTTR is a unique depiction of higher command. It has great unit histories and a very good oob. You can specify things like depth and breadth of a units deployment. It has a great friendly ai with really reduces on mouse clicking.

While this is very good it has a flipside. You do a lot of watching sometimes with little input. It is like taking part as the commander in a field excercise. You give the orders then watch your men carry them out. This is very interesting but in some ways for some people it feels less engaging. PzC on the other hand is quite the opposite and you have to mouse click an aweful lot. While it's more engaging playing large scenarios can take a lot of work and I know some people do not like that aspect.

I like them both but if I had to choose only one of the games. I think I would choose PzC for it's greater flexibility. But the reality is they are both excellent but equally both totally different styles of game play and it kind of like comparing apples to oranges.

I would suggest giving both a try and going with whichever style of game play suites your personal liking.

[KG_AGCent]

Yeah... what Norad said.

[KG_Panzerschreck]

Thanks guys, ill try them both.

[KG_AGCent]

I like the RT aspect of HTTR. I like the larger scope of Kharkov. So it all depends on my mood, really.

[Full Monty]

HTTR is a bit of an acquired taste. I really like the 'sit back and watch' aspect of it, although in my case I'm normally trying to work out when and where to strike or defend next! To me it's much more interesting than figuring out my next turn on a static map.

[KG_AGCent]

Well, Stumpie aka. Schreckie-poo, has gotten his copy of HTTR and I gave him a quick and dirty on the game this evening. I hope he tells us what he thinks as he gets into it.

(Of course he will, he's our resident forum whore.)

[KG_Jag]

The fourth game looks like it will be the Battle of the Bulge.

Here's the source:

http://groups.google.com/group/comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.war-historical/browse_frm/thread/9e2c5443d1d27e76/9839c2d7954bcf87?hl=en#9839c2d7954bcf87

[KG_AGCent]

News fromt he forums said the Synch Bug has officially been quashed. They are finalizing the manual and are expected to be published by the end of May. w00t!!

I will let Andy buy this one for me since he owes me for the AoE3 game I gave him last week.

[KG_AGCent]

I really hope they turn east in the VERY near future... this game screams Ost Front!

[KG_AGCent]

COTA went Gold on Friday and should be ready by Friday pf this week 6/9.

[KG_Jag]

Here's the Armchair General's review of the game:

http://www.armchairgeneral.com/articles.php?p=2727&page=1&cat=59

They call it a "must buy", a suggestion I might follow when the price drops a bit. Over the last several years Matrix has taken the lead in pushing up the price point of serious wargames.

[KG_AGCent]

I got it the day ot came out. It rocks, hands down.

[KG_CrimsonTrooper]

I got it the day ot came out. It rocks, hands down.

I got it as well Jag , Want a copy? :banana3[1]: :banana3[1]: :banana3[1]: