Introduction: A Revolution Revisited
Innovation is the most nauseatingly overused word in computer gaming
history. Marketeers would have us believe that every title released
is innovative. The suits stress polygon counts, they stress hours of
full-motion animation, and they stress lame stories, but rarely does
the sum of their stressing equal innovation. Yet once every so often
a game pops up that redefines innovation. A game that shows us what
a few coders, armed with a vision, can accomplish. Battlefront.com's
Combat Mission is such a title. The game is a self-described, turn-based
orders/real-time action hybrid tactical game that depicts small unit
World War II combat. But I have a simpler description: It's fun.
Beautiful and fun to boot, Beyond Overlord boasts what were at the time of the game's release some of the best graphics to ever grace a turn-based game. Rain falls softly on advancing Sherman tanks, their commanders apprehensively searching the horizon for signs of the enemy. Tracer streams mark machine gun duels and artillery pockmarks the sodden ground. And the better news was (and still is for that matter) that not only are the battlefields beautiful, but utilitarian as well. Stands of trees block opponent's line of sight, (as do changes in elevation), buildings offer cover to cowering infantry, and tanks can bog when threading their way through scattered trees. Want to determine if your .50 Cal machine gun has a line of sight to that German roadblock? Just pan the view over the .50 Cal team's shoulders and see for yourself.
Of course the best news was that Combat Mission played as good as it looked. The real-time order execution is just fantastic. Bad guys appear and disappear as they pass through your troops' line of sight. An enemy Panther nails your Sherman just when it had a Puma scout car in its sights. More than once I've found myself cheering for my troops, urging them to hurry into the building before a German MG42 opened up... and this is turn-based gaming.
Absolutely fantastic! The game won critical acclaim and sold like hotcakes or at least it sold like direct Internet sales hotcakes.
Of course that was then and this is now. And make no mistake, it's a bright day now for both the folks at Battlefront.com and gamers who love games that are realistic and challenging, yet fun.
It's a bright day because this book heralds the release of the sequel to Beyond Overlord, Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin. Despite the desperate struggle for the Normandy beaches, the bridges at Arnhem, and the crossroad town of Bastogne, the West Front was not the primary focus of the Wehrmacht. That focus was directed towards the thousands of miles, millions of men, and four years of fighting that encompassed Germany's war with the Soviet Union.
Better known as Germany's Eastern Front.
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin depicts that fighting in small tactical sized slices. From the invasion of Russia (titled Barbarossa) to the bitter struggles to seize Stalingrad and the last days of Berlin, Barbarossa to Berlin covers every rifle shot, grenade explosion, and screaming tank round. But scenarios are not all that is new with this game. The folks at Battlefront.com have revamped the orders menu, improved how projectiles are tracked, and revved up the graphics. Although the game will seem familiar to Beyond Overlord veterans, there is much new to be learned.
That, my friends, is where this strategy guide comes in handy. No, this guide won't teach you how to play the game. You only need to read the excellent user manual that accompanies the game to learn that. What we hope to do here is teach you how to become a better Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin player. So, pour a cup/glass/bottle of your favorite hot beverage/soda/happy drink and sit down with this book. We've tried hard to make it both interesting and informative. Yeah, there's lots of nuts and bolt detail between the book 's covers, but we hope it's presented in such a way that you enjoy reading through it.
Using This Book
We all know how to use a book, right? Right. Understand, however, that
strategy guides are a different kind of book. I'd love to think that
each of you will read this cover to cover, but even I don't have that
large an ego. I know you're here for information, and I want to make
it easy to find. Hence, for those of you who want to skip right to that
section of waxing the German Pioneer squads I provide the following
summary of the book. The book is divided into five parts. Each part
focuses on a single topic and contains two or more chapters that expand
the given topic.
Part One: Infantry
Tactics
The first part of the book discusses the Queen of Battle and how to
properly employ them. In this part we cover the proper care and grooming
of infantry, leaders, infantry on attack and defense, and take a look
at the various infantry combatants on the East Front.
Part Two: Armor Tactics
As you may have guessed, these part titles are kind of self explanatory.
Part two covers armor and all of its uses. Included here are words on
tactics, care, and equipment highlights from the armored combatants.
Part Three: Combined
Arms and Other Smart Things
This is the section where we tie a few loose knots. In this part we
expound on the virtues of reconnaissance, artillery and the combined
arms force. We wrap the primer with a six mission primer that demonstrates
the tactics we have previously discussed.
Part Four: From the
Horse's Mouth
Interviews with the folks at Battlefront.com and the game's playtester's
and veterans comprise Part Four. It's always great to hear from experienced
players. Their insight provides tactical nuggets you can't find anywhere
else. Additionally, we've thrown in a chapter on the art of scenario
design. Hey, we didn't know where else to put it!.
Appendices
Included in the appendices is a thorough bibliography of reference materials
on the East Front. These are not only great reading, but invaluable
aids when designing your own scenarios.
The Last Chapter
Well, that's the end of the beginning. We've told you what you are going
to be reading, now it's time to put eye to type and jump into the world
of Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin.