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Posted on Jun 8, 2007 in Electronic Games

Theatre of War (pt.4) – Command & Control

Theatre of WarWalkthrough 4 (of 4)Training Mission 4: COMMAND & CONTROL This is the fourth and last article in a series describing tactical principles and game mechanics in the four Training Missions available in the game Theatre of War from 1C Company and Battlefront.com. This time, the experiences and lessons of the first three training sessions all come together, and the player will have to learn to apply them to a fast changing and fluid battlefield, where he might be required to switch from offense to defense and back within a matter of minutes. The mission consists of five objectives to be completed in order with the infantry squad (later reinforced by a tank and air support) under his command.1-advance towards the crossroads ahead2-assault and eliminate the German defenders3-repel the German counterattack4-destroy and capture the enemy Anti-tank guns5-destroy the German armored reserve We’re beginning the mission with a rifle squad in travelling position near a small hamlet located at a beautiful lake. The first objective is simple, and refreshes...

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Posted on Jun 8, 2007 in Electronic Games

Theatre of War (pt.1) – Basic Training

Theatre of WarWalkthrough 1 (of 4)Training Mission 1: BASIC TRAINING This is the first in a series of articles based on the training missions included in Theatre of War. The goal is to explain the general game interface but also to highlight some of the tactical principles fundamental to understanding and enjoying a tactical WW2 ground combat game which, unlike so many other RTS games, involves more strategy than just “who can click faster wins”. This first article covers some basic game mechanics such as how to select and move units, while the following three articles will dig deeper into tactical problems and how to solve them using realistic WW2 tactics (and how to execute them in the game). The series will cover the following four training scenarios:BASIC TRAININGASSAULT TACTICS PRIMERDEFENSIVE TACTICS PRIMERCOMMAND & CONTROL Please note that all screenshots are taking from a beta version of the game, and do not necessarily represent the final release product. This is especially true for a lot of the english language...

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Posted on Jun 8, 2007 in Electronic Games

Theatre of War (pt.3) – Defensive Tactics Primer

Theatre of WarWalkthrough 3 (of 4)Training Mission 2: DEFENSIVE TACTICS PRIMER This is the third article in a series of tactical guides based on the Training Missions included in the game Theatre of War by 1C Company and Battlefront.com. Now we get to experience an assault on a fortified position from the other point of view, namely that of the defender. The attacking Germans in this scenario will follow the same course of action as we did as attacker in the previous Training Mission – attempt to suppress our position frontally while using their tanks as mobile assets to exploit our flanks. This is the starting setup for this training scenario. In TOW, each battle begins with a Setup Phase during which both opponents are able to deploy their available forces (in the campaign mission these would consist of the core force plus purchased units) in the assigned setup areas. Those areas are marked with a checkerboard overlay, and all units can be moved freely within such a zone,...

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Posted on Jun 8, 2007 in Electronic Games

Theatre of War (pt.2) – Assault Tactics Primer

Theatre of WarWalkthrough 2 (of 4)Training Mission 2: ASSAULT TACTICS PRIMER This is the second article in a series of tactical guides based on the Training Missions included in the game Theatre of War by 1C Company and Battlefront.com. While the first training mission focussed mainly on the basic game mechanics, this second training mission covers some of the more detailed tactics required to win a battle, explains how to execute them in the game, and why a simple groupselect-point-and-click approach which works in many other RTS games will most likely fail in Theatre of War. The focus in this tutorial mission is on assaulting fortified defensive positions, one of the most frequent – and most deadly – tasks the player and his virtual soldiers will have to face in the main campaign missions later on. Needless to say, these tutorials can only scratch the surface in terms of tactics. Military tactics have been taught for thousands of years, and there is no one simple formula which will always...

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Posted on Jun 7, 2007 in Electronic Games, Front Page Features

Blacksite: Area 51 Preview

Following Area 51 for Xbox console, Blacksite: Area 51 is Midway’s response to opening up the franchise. As they have stated publicly, they believe games only start to do well after they become franchises, which means they expected a loss from the prequel to Blacksite. They were right. Midway recently released a demo, although in reality it is more of a playable trailer. There simply is no way to actually play it for more than five minutes. Regardless, the point of the just under 600Mb demo was to give people a taste of what is to come. The premise of the five minutes is very simple: lead a recon team, obviously familiar with aliens, into Rachel, a small town, to find another team that’s lost communication. More objectives come in as needed until a ship flies into a liquor shop with some giant creature coming out of it. Ending at the climax is nothing new, reminiscent of both the Rainbow Six Vegas and GRAW 2‘s demos. Hopefully this is...

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