I've always been a fan of war games, long before they were
brought to the computer. Some of my favorites came from the now
defunct Strategy: Tactics Magazine, which I enjoyed back through
the 1970s era. Another on my list has been Avalon Hill, and last but
not least is SSI when they first came out producing their games for
the PC. I also became hooked on SSG, (Strategic Studies Group) and
their fine line of games.
Battles in Italy represents the war that was fought on Italian soil during World War II. The war ended with Italy finally surrendering to the Allied forces in late 1944. With the loss of Italy, the southern front tied up the German forces that were still in Italy that would have been used along the French coast facing England. The course of the war might have changed if these units had been available during the Normandy Invasion.
I began my gameplay with the invasion of Sicily. In history, the American and British forces tried to wrest control from the Axis and used the island as a staging area to launch an assault on the Italian mainland. During this period of activity, the Germans nearly lost two crack Panzer divisions, but were able to evacuate them at the last minute to the mainland. Their capture would have been a military coup as the Germans had equipment and tanks that were superior to what the Allies had been able to field during the period.
Fighting on Sicilian terrain was difficult due to the hilly and
mountainous areas that made up the island. The American forces
suffered large casualties by having the unenviable task of securing
the western half of the island, then pushing eastward to hopefully
trap the enemy against the British forces heading north and west.
Unfortunately, this never occurred because of the conservative nature
of the British. This caused hard feelings between the Allied
commanders as a large number of Axis forces slipped to the mainland
and prolonged the war in the southern half of Europe. If they had
been captured, Italy may have surrendered sooner and a large force of
seasoned Germans would have been put out of commission.
Beginners to war games need to know that Battles in Italy is not a simple point and click game. It involves a lot of strategy on your part, knowing what the units are capable of, friend and foe. There are a fair mix of keyboard commands as well as mouse use. You would be well advised to read the game manuals before starting out, or you will be quickly disappointed when the computer kicks your posterior. I would also advise saving often; this way if you make a bad move, you'll be able to recover quickly.
There is a fair amount of information that you can bring up by first right clicking on the unit, and then while holding down the right mouse button, scrolling over to bring up a more individualized box showing unit strengths, movement range, etc. You have engineer units that can destroy bridges or repair them as well. All these units are shown in standard military symbols, and project a zone of control which can inhibit movement as well as combat rolls. It is advisable to use the combat advisor frequently since you don't want to fight when the enemy has ten to one odds against you. The combat advisor projects an odds calculator over the units, giving you an idea of what you're facing before you commit to combat. You have such things as interdiction and units surrendering if the odds are severely against them. Everything is based on a die roll, but you have the choice of changing your mind before the combat button is pushed.
There is an editor provided so you diehards can make your own maps
and unit placements for “What If” scenarios. Online play
is possible, but be prepared for long play times, since you are faced
with lots of units all needing instructions. Graphics are high end if
you have a decent 3d card and the game map is very detailed, all the
way down to the road system. For more extensive information I would
recommend you read the Battles in Normandy review that I also wrote. I find this a very
enjoyable way of playing on those evenings when I don't have
much to do, but yet can get in a few turns and make the hours go by
quickly.
Father of two, now grown children.What are my kind of games? Strategy, RTS, RPG, Fantasy, Science Fiction, and online games such as Dark Age of Camelot and Asheron's Call. Of my dislikes I would say puzzle games such as Myth, FPS type games such as Doom. Also simulation type games, and games that are just plain bad.
My knowledge of the industry mostly evolves around beta testing games, such as Earth & Beyond from EA, Saga of Ryzom, and companies like MSN and Acolade. Self taught web design is another interest I have. Family life is entertaining at times. It also can get weird as well, after you have been married 31 years.
