In 2019, the MicroProse brand (then owned by Cybergun) was purchased and revived by David Lagettie, one of the makers of TitanIM open world military simulation software. Lagettie was a former developer for Bohemia Interactive at their Australian studios before starting his own company to create video game simulators to be used by military groups. Lagettie had been a fan of the original MicroProse games growing up, and as he saw the games ownership transition made the company eventually disappear, he started investigating the fate of MicroProse around 2005. When possible, he began buying whatever IP from MicroProse he could, including the name and original logo trademarks, allowing him to establish the new MicroProse as a games publisher by 2019.[40] Lagettie's acquisitions drew the attention of Stealey, who subsequently inquired Lagettie about his plans, leading to Stealey joining Lagettie in an unofficial manner in the new MicroProse.[40]
The new company announced in May 2020 the first of three new games to be released for personal computers: Triassic Games' Sea Power, Drydock Dreams' Task Force Admiral, and Hexdraw's Second Front,[41] with about twenty additional titles planned out for publishing in the future. Lagettie said that while the new MicroProse will branch out to other genres such as adventure and racing games, their core portfolio will be centered on combat-based ones.[40]
...
Byproducts of an accomplished AI and the kind of details hex wargames often sacrifice on the altar of abstraction, these memorable moments are, at the end of the day, one of the main reasons I wargame. When I realise that I’ve just lost a Panther to a Pak 40 that, a few turns ago, was crewed by Germans not Americans, my heart simultaneously sinks and soars. When I realise that a blaze started by my flamethrower team is spreading fast and will soon accomplish something I was struggling to achieve with bullets and HE alone, I find it impossible to suppress a grin.
A bazooka backblast eliminating a favourite sniper… a factory interior melee ending with all the participants dead or incapacitated… a spontaneously-generated ‘hero’ scavenging a dropped Panzerschreck then using it to deadly effect… house-clearers lobbing a demo-charge up a flight of stairs… SF drops jaws and fashions anecdotes without really trying – a very rare talent for a hex wargame.
The playtest build’s largest scenario is set in Aachen and suggests urban warfare is going to be one of SF’s most appealing activities. When I first saw the plethora of units and the huge battlefield – only a section of which is visible in the above screenshot – my initial thought was “God, this is going to be a grind.”. Three or four rapt hours later, all traces of cynicism had vanished.
Multi-storey buildings, the bête noire of wargame devs, are handled with panache by Bader. Explicit staircases and walls mean you can’t simply enter a building and clear it any way you choose, you must examine it and pick your routes carefully. It’s possible for a unit to be directly below or above an enemy and have no way to reach or engage them. Frequently you find yourself suppressing an occupied floor from across a street, while one of your units attempt to infiltrate the structure in question to deliver the coup de grâce. In one scene that has stayed with me, a gaggle of German defenders pushed upwards by Thompson bursts and grenade blasts, surrendered en masse in a spacious attic...
Sounds pretty darned impressive considering the buildings are what, a hex each?https://tallyhocorner.com/2022/07/second-front-first-impressions-part-i/
...
. Explicit staircases and walls mean you can’t simply enter a building and clear it any way you choose, you must examine it and pick your routes carefully. It’s possible for a unit to be directly below or above an enemy and have no way to reach or engage them. Frequently you find yourself suppressing an occupied floor from across a street, while one of your units attempt to infiltrate the structure in question to deliver the coup de grâce.
2 or 3 hexes seem to be the norm, from what I've seen from pictures.Sounds pretty darned impressive considering the buildings are what, a hex each?https://tallyhocorner.com/2022/07/second-front-first-impressions-part-i/
...
. Explicit staircases and walls mean you can’t simply enter a building and clear it any way you choose, you must examine it and pick your routes carefully. It’s possible for a unit to be directly below or above an enemy and have no way to reach or engage them. Frequently you find yourself suppressing an occupied floor from across a street, while one of your units attempt to infiltrate the structure in question to deliver the coup de grâce.
Well that's the wind outta my sails. Still, seems the AI is pretty good if this tally ho chap is reliable.2 or 3 hexes seem to be the norm, from what I've seen from pictures.Sounds pretty darned impressive considering the buildings are what, a hex each?https://tallyhocorner.com/2022/07/second-front-first-impressions-part-i/
...
. Explicit staircases and walls mean you can’t simply enter a building and clear it any way you choose, you must examine it and pick your routes carefully. It’s possible for a unit to be directly below or above an enemy and have no way to reach or engage them. Frequently you find yourself suppressing an occupied floor from across a street, while one of your units attempt to infiltrate the structure in question to deliver the coup de grâce.
Second Front first impressions (Part II)
- July 15, 2022
- Wargames
Second Front’s five-scenario playtest build has what it takes to divert, surprise, and charm a discerning digital wargamer on the lookout for the Next Big Thing, but what happens when that discerning wargamer swaps his smoking jacket for a lab coat, and his (rose-tinted?) spectacles for a microscope? This week, with the help of the bundled map and scenario editors, I train a forensic eye on the AI in Jo Bader’s eagerly awaited Steel Panthers-like.
Before I share the results of my hexperiments, it’s important to stress that right now SF is an unreleased work-in-progress with scant documentation. I imagine one of the purposes of the playtest build is to gather information that can be used to improve the code prior to launch (whenever that my be). Hopefully, the following will prove useful to Jo and interesting to anyone who, like me, appreciates artful artificial opponents in their tactics titles.
Second Front Developer News #1
While the developer is coding the Campaign Editor, helpful wizards work on the manual.
A page from the Manual:
The Campaign Editor in the works:
A sample campaign with 5 scenarios to show all options
1. all surviving leaders at end of "Dear Santa" will arrive in Long road 1
2. all units surviving Long Road 1 are shifted to Long road 2
3. all units surviving Long Road 2 are shifted to Long road 3
4. all units surviving Long Road 3 will arrive in 'in the Fields'
5. No units surviving 'in the Fields' arrive in 'the Dike' . so 'the Dike' stands alone.
'the Dike' has no transition as it ends the campaign
more about shifting maps you find in this video:
Second Front Developer News #2
The Second Front test crew is avidly testing all aspects of the the game - including building scenarios in the workshop to be shared with everyone.
Second Front Workshop
This time we can show you what the Workshop currently looks like with over 65 scenarios in it.
You can see the type of scenario by the icon at the top in the images - showing the player's perspective. Possible types include Attack (yellow arrow), Defend (red
]
), Breakthrough (yellow arrow over red
[
), and Campaign (line connecting dots). There are more scenarios created nearly every day.
Work continues on the manual, providing both a reference to the in-game information and a guide to playing the game.
Here we can see the manual page on information displayed when deciding to take a shot at a vehicle:
Work on the Campaign Editor has been progressing nicely. We now have it available to the testers to put it through extensive use to make sure it is as great as the rest of Second Front. And Campaigns can now also be uploaded to the workshop and shared.
You can see after action reports in the discussion forums and read about the playing of scenarios as posted by testers here.
Second Front After Action Reports
And to get a feel of what the editors can do, check out the guides on Steam:
Map Editor:
Introduction to the Map Editor
A Guide for Second Front
By: Axeking
An introduction to the Map Editor included in Second Front. This will get you familiar with the tools and controls available to you.
Scenario Editor:
Introduction to the Scenario Editor
A Guide for Second Front
By: Axeking
How to use the Second Front Scenario Editor, and some tips and tricks to help get the best results.
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Second Front Developer News #3
We are back with Dev Notes #3 to show some more progress with Second Front.
The test Crew is hard at work putting th egame through its paces. This has resulted in several improvements to the AI, making Gretchen more of a challenge as she is a bit more agressive in certain situations now. She is much more challenging now - making for a lot more fun!
Testing has resulted in a couple changes making hidden units slightly less deadly (they are easier to find now), and allowing vehicles to leave melee
Additionally, we have added some new buildings - two versions of Watch Towers - that look great!
Making counters more informative, they now show when an AAMG can't fire into the front arc as shown with the new German Sdkfz 251/3 half track.
The in-game Player help has been getting some more updates - adding more details on combat results and terrain efects.
A revised version of the manual (that is still a work in progress) has been sent out to testers for review. Here, you can see the combat results against vehicles.
And to give you an idea of just how extensive the armory is, here are currently the avialable American tanks in the game.
Next update will have some exiting news about the Second Front roadmap towards release.
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Second Front Developer News #4
We are back with Dev Notes #4 to and I’m happy to update you with all on the progress made since last update.
Release Date
We have long teased a 2022 release date for “Second Front” but with the year ending, you may have guessed that the game will likely release in 2023. We will give you the precise release date in the next Dev Notes 2 weeks from now.
Quick Progress Update
We have made great strides towards getting everything else ready for release. Progress for this period includes:
1. Adding several new scenarios to the core scenarios to be included with Second Front
2. The Game Manual is now nearly complete - just undergoing final proofreading and starting translation.
3. New in game music has composed, and we can’t wait to share it with you.
4. The Localization of the game interface is now underway
5. The Garage interface has been improved.
6. New vehicles have been added.
7. A new scenario unlocking progression system that will onboard players gradually whilst still proving to be engaging for veterans of the genre.
8. Hidden guns now have camouflage netting.
9. More bug fixes and Polishing and Second Front to make it fantastic at launch!
Post Launch Features
While we are making great progress, some items have proven a little more challenging and will require more work than expected, as such these features will be added post release.
These include air support, and a few extraordinary vehicles that have multiple turrets:
And some useful equipment that will change the face of the battlefield:
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I saw on Twich person complaining they are using name "Russia" instead of "Soviets". Looks like it's worthy.Is this any gud?