Mario Kroll, Associate Producer for Panzers and all-around Community Liason for CDV's military franchise, took significant time and care to answer more than a few questions for us. With wonderful results.

1.Can you tell us a little about your educational and professional background, and what lead you to working with CDV and ultimately on the game Codename Panzers?

I'm formally trained in computer technology, with a bachelor's degree and most of an MBA in that field, including technology-venture management. Prior to this, I worked professionally in technology development and strategic technology consulting for about ten years, prior to which I worked as business-to-business journalist and concluded a five-year stint in the U.S. Army's JAG Corps.

Concurrent, and probably more relevant to my actual current role at CDV, I also founded and worked in a number of senior management roles for the past nine years at Wargamer.com, the leading online site focused specifically on war and strategy games.

I was fortunate to speak with CDV at this year's E3 and had long been familiar with the company and some of the staff working within the company. When the opportunity arose to join them shortly thereafter, I quickly took up the opportunity.

As the Associate Producer, I work to get people talking about Panzers by visiting editors and showing them the game. I also take the feedback I get from these visits back to CDV to let them know how people feel about the game, what they like, what they don't like and what needs tweaked. I also do most of the heavy lifting with directing and coordinating PR and marketing activities, particularly in the online area, for the Panzers franchise.

In my role as English language community manager, I work within forum communities to spread the word about Panzers and CDV, keep our customers informed, and diffuse the occasional misunderstanding or disgruntled fan. Just like I do with the editors, I take feedback from the forums and pass it along to CDV and Stormregion.

2. Does the name Codename Panzers have any special meaning (either to the creators of the game or to the game itself)?

Not that I am aware of. It's not based on any real military operation, so it really just serves to launch another flagship product series for us that we hope will join the ranks of highly popular and successful strategy titles like our Blitzkrieg, Combat Mission, Cossacks, and Sudden Strike franchises.

3. In addition to various books, movies and historical texts, what type of resources did you use to help create an "authentic" feel to the game? For instance, did you use any military advisors (either active or retired) to ensure accuracy or to help in the development of the AI?

I personally joined the process fairly late, but the developers used an extensive library of World War II materials, including pictures of real-world locationsand films of World War II units in action to craft a realistically looking and appearing world in which to unfold the events depicted in Codename: Panzers.

4. What were the factors that affected your decision to develop a game set in WWII?

Don't you know, we European gamers never grow tired of playing World War II games? *laughs*

No, actually, World War II is one of those settings lends itself perfectly to a strategy title. The war was fought across a diversity of battlefield landscapes using a wide variety of equipment. Each nation had its own strengths and weaknesses, and employed some very unique battlefield strategies. So, by using World War II as a backdrop, we're able to give gamers access to a huge variety of strategies, tactics, equipment and troops, which they'll need to employ carefully if they hope to complete the missions in the game.

It's also a very recognizable theme that provides familiarity to global audiences. Having a game that has fairly universal appeal always is more attractive for an international publisher like CDV.

5. How did you then decide what AO (Area of Operations), and time period did you choose for the game and why?

The first chapter (Phase One) is the initial of a seven-part series planned for Panzers. This particular title spans the most significant military battles of the Germans, Soviets and Western Allies. Specifically, the German campaign runs from the invasion of Poland until the turning of the tide on the Eastern Front around Stalingrad. The Soviet campaign starts at the invasion of the Soviet Union by Germany and ends after the capture of Berlin. The American and British campaign starts with parachute drops behind enemy lines to capture bridges and strategic resources in Western Europe, across Utah Beach, and goes all the way past the Battle of the Bulge. In a nutshell, we've included most of the major engagements (or at least used those as historical inspiration) that make up the conflict on the Eastern and Western European theater. We'll complement that with action in North Africa and Italy for Phase Two, the first Panzers sequel, which is planned for Summer 2005.

6. With all of the various WWII era games that are on the market, what is it that makes Codename Panzers unique and/or different from the competition?

The most obvious difference is its stunning graphics engine. While there are other RTS titles out there, Panzers is definitely the most attractive 3D-based strategy title set in World War II that is available on the PC. The graphics, in fact, are so good that our fan community has spawned an entire subculture that prides itself on, and shares, the incredible screenshot compositions they are able to create during game play. The graphics, combined with the ability to play the game zoomed out (for maximum situational awareness), or close in (for a tightly zoomed graphical eye candy perspective), really makes this a wonderful cross-over title with appeal to casual war and strategy gamers, as well as those the more traditionally prefer action titles.

The other major feature that I think is important to highlight is the ability to play any of the included 30 missions cooperatively with another player. Some of the most fun we've had playing the game in our office has been cooperatively. It's a wonderful way to enjoy the game and work as a team at the same time.

7. Considering that the game is called Codenamed Panzers, one would expect that it is a game that features the German military, and more specifically its Armored divisions. Can you choose to command units from other countries? If so, how extensive is the list of possible nationalities/units?

You'll be able to play the Germans, Soviets, or Anglo-American Allies. The game includes some 100 units that I think of as the "who's who" of World War II equipment. We've included infantry types, tanks, armored personnel and other wheeled vehicles, anti-tank, anti-air, and artillery units. While common, workhorse units like the Sherman tank, T-34, and a number of German tanks from the III to VI series were included, the game also adds a number of less common but popular weapons like the King Tiger, and various self-propelled artillery pieces, including "Stalin's Organ," all available for direct control by the player. Depending on the mission, players can requisition and upgrade units as the campaigns ensue.. Additionally, support units such as airborne troops, level bombers, fighter-bombers, off-board artillery and scout planes are also available.

8. Will the scenarios/battles be based off of actual historical events?

Most of the scenarios are based on, or inspired by, historical combat actions. The game action within missions is fairly tactical, and while many of the maps are fairly large and have many complex mission goals and sub-missions, we've abstracted and streamlined many of the epic battles. Our primary goal was to create a mainstream-accessible, very fun to play title that uses some of the richness of World War II as a historical inspiration, but not to remain fully historical accurate. Think of it as John Woo does World War II, rather than Wolfgang Petersen.

9. According to your online FAQ, "The campaigns in Codename Panzers are mostly linear". Now, if the campaigns are also based off of historical events, are the individual events of a campaign dynamic? meaning, can you change the course of the war based on the outcome of the scenarios? and will the game adjust the campaigns to respond to the outcome of specific scenarios? for instance, if the British paratroopers are not able to hold the bridge at Ardennes until reinforcements arrive and the German offensive is allowed to proceed unhindered, will that change future events in the campaign and in the game?

Other than that the missions in the campaign are unlocked in a linear fashion --- you have to complete mission one to get to mission two, etc. --- the events in one mission don't directly impact the events of the next, other than through a persistent core army that builds experience and gets upgraded as the game progresses.

10. In regards to the game environment. How interactive is it? Can buildings be destroyed as well as occupied? can you set fire to forests? what about collateral damage from missed direct or artillery fire? and if you set fire to a copse of trees will it harm any infantry hiding within?

The environment, with a few exceptions, is fully destructible. Trees fall realistically if tanks try to roll through them, snow plumes fly into the sky when trees crash down on winter maps, buildings can be destroyed by attack, and power lines snap and curl to the ground in realistically appearing fashions. There's no real fire in the game, but trees and other objects can certainly be fired upon and destroyed, including doing damage or killing infantry hiding, as an example, within a house. All buildings (with a few mission-trigger related exceptions) can also be entered by infantry, often triggering close-quarter battles, if occupied by the enemy.

11.What is the largest unit that a player will be in charge of at any time? is codename panzers meant to be a tactical or a strategic level game?

It's very much a tactical game with strategic decision making with regard to core army management. The largest individual unit will be a squad for infantry, and all other units are abstracted to be represented by a single game unit, such as a tank, for example. The player's core army typically will range from 10 to 20 units, depending on prestige collected and unit types purchased. Sometimes you'll also be aided by allied units that may temporarily be under the player's control, or may simply act to further the player's mission goals.

12. Will the equipment/weapons/vehicles that are available in the game be consistent with the "year" that the campaign/scenario occurs in? for instance, as you play through the game will new technology become available while other items go "out of style" and become unavailable?

Somewhat. Units don't become obsoleted, but they do become available depending on whether the campaign is "early" or "late" in the war, the basic level of abstraction Panzers uses. This is true in the missions as well as in multi-player gaming. Some missions also determine the unit availability, such as the Allied airborne missions, which necessitate starting with a pre-set number of infantry units, requiring the player to capture and employ enemy equipment as the opportunity arises.

13. Will the environment affect the individual units in terms of their morale, effectiveness and equipment performance? for instance the German army was not prepared for the winters on the Russian front and their equipment had a tendency to not function reliably.

While there are some soft factor abstractions tucked away in the game, weather, as well as the day-night cycles, mostly impacts unit visibility, weapons range, and, in some cases, unit mobility. More extended soft factors, however, were beyond the scope of Panzers, and are included in our other series, Blitzkrieg, to which two expansion packs will be available this Fall, and a full sequel, which will be available in the middle of 2005.