We're back on the case with our report about Decisive Campaigns: Case Blue. We learn, as we turn to the eastern front, that it is to feature an unprecedented level of detail, with realism and historical simulation being the prevailing elements.
Setting out to recreate the feel and atmosphere of this critical time period it puts us back in 1942, Ukraine, and, in keeping with the aforementioned goals of immersion and care for detail, we'll have historically realistic combined arms gameplay, featuring formations, readiness, morale and entrenchment effects, with air forces and artillery in the mix and having a separate Graphical User Interface for Germans and Russians, not forgetting the presence of over 150 Generals each having their own stats and biographies.
Overwhelmed already?
There are also unique actions for individual historical generals to give a particular unit or HQ the extra needed push to be victorious. Numbering over 25, Officer action cards (e.g.: a Speed card that will grant more movement points, or pinpoint operations cards for exacting actions) function based on a command points system, where different cards cost different ammounts of points and take effect at specific levels, such as army or corps, with officers retaining their hand throughout the game.
Detail has a match in sheer scale, as this is a much bigger, longer game lasting one year with two days per turn, with 700 to 800 units per side, each hex representing 10 kilometers with maps that can be as large as 160 by 125 hexes, as in the case of the campaign scenario map spanning from Kiev to Baku.
Such factors can't be dismissed when considering duration and the added difficulty they represent, and therefore High Command orders were introduced to help balance short and long-term goals, presenting you with intermediary objectives to keep things interesting.
These orders often instruct you to hold or take specific cities within a set number of days.
Success will earn you prestige points that shall enable you to request reinforcements, intel ops and influence high command decisions, altering the course of war, changing targets, or moderating unrealistic goals, while failure, on the other hand, can deduct prestige points with some possibly nefarious consequences to your career.
Taking care of things on the field is another matter that received some attention, in the form of an accessible user interface that has things like abundant tooltips, a strategic map, a minimap, small counters to let you see the composition of forces in each hex, even with stacking, ORBAT options, a unit locator and cards for officers also at regimental level for requesting troops.
There are three main campaigns to pour over and so experience key moments in the war - 2nd Kharkov-Trappenjagd, Case Blue and Operation Uranus - with plans to add a linked scenario campaign in which you command the 1st Panzer Army driving from the Don into the Caucasus as well.
We know the goals and the challenges involved, with often too many tough targets and too few forces, as was the case with misjudgements on the German side, but with such high prized targets as Stalingrad for its symbolism and importance, or Baku, where 90% of all Soviet oil production originated, such aspirations and difficulties are only to be expected.
One could say too that the sights were set equally high by Mr.Victor Reijkersz of VR Designs for this game, as we haven't touched upon everything that this offering comprises, covering Kiev to Baku, Crimea, Russia, Caucasus, and the issues with traversing obstacles like the rivers Dniepr, and Don.
So, expect more content to be in, a tutorial, a new and improved game engine, an included editor which will allow the changing of rules, units, maps and script events, and full integration with the PBEM++ system.
There is as of yet no set release date for Case Blue, but the Beta Test Team is now forming, so things are definitely coming along nicely.
