From: snakes@kansas.net (Trey Marshall) Subject: Soldiers at War Impressions Wasn't expecting Soldiers at War to come out already but when my wife suggested we go out to Topeka, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw it on the shelves. This is a game that I knew I had to get. It was supposed to be a X-COM meets WWII and it has so far proved to be an excellent game. There is a linear campaign consisting of 15 American scenarios and various other multiplayer and single player scenarios. I was hoping to play many scenarios from the German side but I only saw one scenario where a German squad had to seek and destroy a French resistance force in Cherbourg. The graphics are excellent and make the game look "filled out." The soldiers are colorful and there is an abundance of scenery - farmhouses, hundreds of miscellanous objects that can be damaged from explosions, etc. All of the soldiers have dozens of frames of animations as they all walk different, run, and crawl. Some other actions I saw was lobbing grenades, picking up wounded over ones shoulders, putting bandages on comrades. The soldiers that run around will show you what they possess. For example, a German soldier carrying a MP40 will look like he's carrying a MP while he moves around while an American carrying a bazooka will show a bazooka strapped on his back. Firing sounds are different for all the types of weapons. From the single shot bolt actions to the controlled bursts of sub machine guns and heavy machine guns. There is a wide variety of firearms as I think all of the major rifles, machine guns, and submachine guns are present including the Sturm Gewehr 44. The Germans even have a 26mm grenade pistol. Also, players can fix bayonets on rifles and attach grenade launchers to their rifles. Gameplay is pretty much exactly like Wages of War and X-com which includes oppurtunity fire but also mortars, artillery, and air strikes (haven't seen them yet.) Mission objectives seem pretty varied as they include rescuing people, killing %, exiting, gathering certain objects, etc. The battles feel pretty exciting although I've had a couple of far fetched shots (like my German leutnant that killed a resistance member through two windows and a warehouse.) The AI seemed pretty challenging as it will run in and out of buildings and show up where they aren't supposed to but I'm sure this is probably due to setup more than anything else. Each enemy soldier has a predefined behaivor such as seeker, wander, follower, hider, guard, stationary, medic, and machine gunner. The campaign is pretty rudimentary as it is just 15 linked scenarios although you can pick a squad out of a group of 30 or so soldiers and each has his specific advantages and disadvantages. None of them really don't have any history or background like JA but that's fine with me since that isn't that important to me. Soldiers will get promotions and medals based on their performance and will get better the more you use them. The editor is pretty complex and includes around 20 different tilesets for you to create your own battlegroup and looks like it would be a blast to tinker with as you can make some good victory conditions. The maps in the game are gorgeous and contain a lot of detail. Just look at the mansion or the Monte Cassino. I didn'r notice any bugs yet but the one thing that bugs me is the way the game switches level perspectives. You can select your own level preference by pressing 1-8 on the keyboard but everytime I move, it resets the perspective back to 1 so I have to keep switching everytime I move. The other thing is that this game is a Geneva Convention nightmare. Enemy troops will shoot your wounded unmercifully and sometimes you'll find yourself doing the same. I've even felt grudges against the computer ;) It doesn't look like you have to kill all the enemy wounded to end a mission so that's a plus. On my first mission, I played the German squad routing the French resistance in Cherborg. One of my riflemen was passing a window when a Frenchmen shoot him through the glass and he fell down wounded. One of his teammates picked him up and carried him to the street and performed first aid. Once I had taken care of the poor man, I sent two troopers to find the Frenchman. During the enemy's move, they shoot my poor wounded man in the street and killed him. I took it personally and vowed no quarter. My trooper burst in the room and felled the Frenchmen with a blast of his MP40. The Frenchman feel down wounded and the German finsihed the job with his Luger. The battle just got ugly after that as a chaotic street fight left many dead on both sides. Even a few civilians went down in the crossfire. Overall, a very riveting battle that saw all of my men dead including the Leutnant that took out 6 reistance memebers by himself. Hopefully, someone (probably myself) will work on some more German battles. So far, this has proven to be an excitkng game. Trey Trey A Marshall, 1LT, FA Fire Direction Officer 1 Plt, C Btry/4-1 FA, 3 Bde, 1st Arm Div www.Kansas.net/~snakes Wargame Scenarios