The era of the Civil War always fascinatedme. Ever since I had the privilege of watching the movie Gettysburg backin middle school I had been intrigued by the romance, carnage, glory, horror,and crisis of the American Civil War. The strategic aspects of it were not loston me, either. Although I hadn't developed a taste for the proud and funtradition of re-enactments or tabletop gameplay, I had always respected thisparticular conflict as one of the bloodiest and most strategically important inthe American psyche. I wasn't sure what to expect from Civil War II since I had never played any AGEOD game before, andthis was also going to be my first real foray into an American Civil Warscenario with any real pedigree attached to it.

• Civil War 2 Game Manual
• Ultimate Civil War Game Cheats
• Matrix Games Civil War 2 Cheats Walkthrough
• Civil War Ii Cheat Codes

Matrix games usually go on sale at least once per year in December (on their website). If someone is gonna buy Civil War 2, they might as well get the Bloody Road South bundled with it since it'll only cost 10 bucks and its well worth that 10 dollars. Every penny actually. There must be something in the game that decides what heroes you can get, I assumed this would create a random hero but that seem to not be the case. If I generate 3 new heroes, then reload the game to just before hand and generate 3 heroes I get exactly the same traits, name etc.

Matrix games usually go on sale at least once per year in December (on their website). If someone is gonna buy Civil War 2, they might as well get the Bloody Road South bundled with it since it'll only cost 10 bucks and its well worth that 10 dollars. Every penny actually. Playstation 2 Cheats: Full List. Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2: Dec 3 2004: Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2005 Adventures. Civil War: Jun 4 2009: Hitman 2: Silent Assassin: forum: Jan 6 2009.

As I loaded the game, it was already anencounter in immersion. The awesome soundtrack, meticulously chosen,accompanied the loading screens and permeated out into the space around me. Thesimple menu interface was easy to understand, respectful, and unassuminginstead relying on the vast artistic menu screen depicting cloudy skiesreddened by an afternoon glow which evoked an almost ethereal setting. This wasrather appropriate considering that the grievous wound of the American CivilWar was sacred territory for the American ethos.

Entering into the tutorials and learningthis game from the ground up was an undertaking. One is transported onto agorgeous and gigantic theatre-wide map of the United States where hundreds ofzones dot the landscape from the Rockies to the Atlantic shore. Dozens of iconslike flash cards representing the various armies and divisions spread acrossthe map sport imposing portraits of Union and Confederate gentlemen ready forwarfare. At first it can be very overwhelming, and for me it was, but I wouldeven dare to say that it was a glorious kind of imposition. The fine attentionto detail and massive scope of the whole field tantalizes any serious wargamer.Rivers finely demarcated; roads and towns faithfully reproduced, andpositioning properly researched drops any player right into a world which feelsmore real and more complex than most games out today. Sure, this massive mapand thousand-piece period jigsaw puzzle may not be for a casual or averagegamer, but I cannot help but be impressed by AGEOD's fidelity and boldness tooffer a gaming experience which dares to be rich in texture.

It is difficult for me to stop praising themap not only because it is a triumph of historical verisimilitude, but alsobecause of its sheer size. There are no ?fillings? in this serving ofhistorical battlefields: hundreds of towns proudly shine forth theirrepresentation ready for a general's plucking. The geography lesson itself isindicative of the level of craftsmanship in this work. Even cities in theCaribbean and Mexico are fully populated as they fall within the massiverectangle of the map zone. This uncompromising love for the map is one aspectof the game that any strategy gamer who also loves history will be more thanpleased with.

The immersive triumph doesn't end with meregeography. The units and generals - all with their own personalized portraits -also demonstrate the almost obsessive attention to detail that AGEOD hassuccessfully employed to provide depth of character to their game. I considerthis an absolute success in catering to the kind of audience that would beinterested in strategy games centering on the American Civil War. The level ofhistorical fidelity can be seen in the long list of generals that can beaccessed in the ledger, complete with personalized statistics.

The gameplay that issues forth from thecombination of the map and units is appropriate for the scope of this game.Orders are issued to ?stacks? of units with several special options availablesuch as the ability to attach corps to an army, create divisions, or evenmaneuver through rivers or other special moves. Once orders are given theplayer then proceeds to ?end? the turn, and all moves from both factions areprocessed simultaneously- similar to the mechanic in the board game Diplomacy.This feature, which is pitifully absent from the Total War type games,ensures that a real and true narrative is being developed rather thandisconnected ?moves? from each player. Instead it feels as if actions occur, apause is imposed, and then a complete reaction occurs. This is much morerealistic than the idea of different factions completing objectives only towait idly by while other factions make their moves. The simultaneous dynamic ofCivil War II also ensures thatsurprises may crop up (which they often do) and the Fog of War is given due honorand respect.

I find the gameplay itself to be what Iwould expect from a game of this caliber. The rich inclusion of different optionsfor each unit adds flavor and depth to the individual units. There are no fullyrendered battles like you would get in other games, but that is because Civil War II is properly understood as astrategy rather than a tactical game. One trades in the thrill of movingindividual regiments around on a battlefield and pulling off flanking maneuversfor the more abstract calculus of commanding entire corps throughout an entirecontinent. This may put many people off, especially since many American CivilWar buffs tend to enjoy re-enacting famous battles, but I don't believe that itis to this audience that Civil War IIwas made for. Instead, this game was made for the ?God's-eye-view? general whoenjoys the epic motions of moving elements on a massive scale and not justconfine himself to one particular battle or scenario.

In fact, the game itself borders on theGrand Strategy genre with the inclusion of several political, historical, andregional decisions. Things such as printing money, issuing embargos, moving thenational capital etc. all become available to the player at different times.This national-level decision making helps to add a political head to theotherwise purely militaristic focus of the warfare. One feels, with theaddition of these features that one is truly at the head of a national destiny,and is aiding to bring forth a glorious future for their nation. The regionaldecisions as well are an amazing addition. Everything from economic to tacticaldecisions can be imposed on a region controlled by a player which has differentconsequences depending on the action. Although this would not be necessary tolearn in order to get a fun and good experience, they provide an avenue for aplayer who wishes to fully immerse himself into this game.

Aside from these particular decisions, theplayer is also expected to manage money, manpower, resources, and politicalcapital (especially from foreign powers). Such things as taxes, unitproduction, unit deployment, and foreign aid can all be micromanaged by theplayer. I found the production mode especially, to be realistic and smart.Instead of merely constructing an army anywhere each state can support acertain limit of armies, and those armies can only be formed in thoseparticular states. While they are being trained the armies are vulnerable toenemy raids or attacks and do not simply ?materialize? out of nowhere like manyother games. This level of realism not only adds an accolade of fidelity to thedevelopment team, but it also provides for fun and excellent strategicconsiderations. If we can break through a particular formation, for example, wemight be able to disrupt enemy reinforcements being created before they becomea major threat.

Keeping in line with this theme ofmicromanagement, the army itself is a machine to be impressed with. Unitcommanders have their own command rating and therefore have a limit on howlarge their forces are before becoming inefficient. This is not a new conceptand certainly we see it in other games such as Hearts of Iron which hasa similar strategic focus, but I am very pleased that this feature isimplemented as it should be de rigueur for any strategy game of thisscope. This mechanic synergizes with the corps and divisional structure of thegame which allows a real and organic chain of command to be constructed out ofthe various elements presented on the map. You can have General Grant's Armywith General Grant as the topmost piece of a pyramid of fully fleshed outofficers beneath him at the corps and division level allowing a player to fullycustomize his armies. Strengths and weaknesses synergize between commanderswhich provides a unique playing experience every time. The commandersthemselves will evolve as the game goes and will ?learn? lessons through differentengagements. This adds to the organic realism of the game and provides anothergem to this well crafted engine.

I was very glad that the scenarios are turnbased. At this level of fine detail it would be almost impossible to undergo acampaign in real time. Game clash of kings cheats. Some gamers who are more used to fast paced games mightbe put off by that, but more refined wargamers who enjoy spending long hours lookingover a map and planning out every detail of the next season's actions across athousand mile front will find this offering by AGEOD to be irresistible. Thetutorials are also well dressed and will more than easily decompress mostfeelings of intimidation from the sheer size of the game. It is no wonder, too,that there are three tutorial scenarios considering all of the various detailsof the game before moving on to the five campaign scenarios offered.

The overlay system for the map is also anexcellent addition. Aside from demarcating political control, it is alsohelpful in designating supply and production points which help to individualizethe different zones and cities. These overlays ensure that the map is not justa piece to be admired aesthetically, but is an actual and real tool for thediscerning strategist hoping to make use of every tool in his command toorchestrate and execute a war.

There are a few areas, however, that Iwould recommend for AGEOD to address about the game. For one the interface forbattles being fought goes by too quickly. I understand that it would beimpossibly long to add in cut scenes (not to mention expensive) or otheramenities to simulate actual warfare, but a simple ?U? shaped bar with relativestrengths on either side before a battle report is issued is boring. I wishthey had an option where we could enter into ?long battles? where perhaps afacsimile of the relative sizes engage in an abstracted map combat that mayonly be three images wide. I know this is an almost impossible request to thecoders, but I would direct them to the PC version of Risk which had?tactical cards? that would show simplistic animation of a battle. Even EuropaUniversalis IV has small representations of individual units engaged incombat. I fully understand that the audience AGEOD is going for is notinterested so much in the ?graphics,? but it would help if we could feel someof the impact of the massive and epic battles that may happen because of ourintricate plan-laying.

There are even some other alternatives tographics such as a text based After Action Report generator which provides a template-basedreport in text after a battle was won. For example, if two massive armies clashit could list the various engagements on which day and how each commander faredagainst the other. It might even say something as romantic as ?on the last dayof battle, General George Pickett led an unsuccessful charge.? A code to matchnames with various triggering factors such as location of battle, relativesizes, etc. would greatly enhance the immersion factor.

Overall, I am impressed with thecraftsmanship of this game. I am sure that the mod community will also have afield day considering the generous mechanics that this game has and itsopenness to expansion. Again, I cannot see this as a game for many people, butthose with particular sensibilities that center around this level of strategiccontrol will be impressed. Just as some people prefer the precision andmeticulous attention to detail of a German engineered sports car over thelumbering bloatedness of offroaders, so do some of us also prefer the intensemicromanagement of Civil War II overother games.

Comments

Log in to join the discussion.

Related Posts from Wargamer

Featured

Civil War 2 Game Manual

Top Articles

WarPlan is an incredibly accurate World War II simulation engine. It is a balance of realism and playability incorporating the best from 50 years of World War II board wargaming. Play a recreated World War II in every detail, thanks to the engine flexibility and database.

WarPlan is a game designed and coded by Alvaro Sousa, from Kraken Studios, creator of Strategic Command 2 products (Assault on Communism, Assault on Democracy, Brute Force, Strategic Command 3 Image Importer).

Developer Kraken Studios places their emphasis on games that are easy to use, hard to win. WarPlanemploys one of the best interfaces to lower micromanagement as much as possible so players can focus on playing and thinking.

SCALES

The game's scale is massive, covering 70 different potential countries, in a map large 30 miles / 50km per hex using a Peters map scaling (which better represents real distances). The land scale is 15k - 60k men, air scale is 300-400 aircraft and naval scale is 2 capital ships + support ships.

COMBAT SYSTEM

Combat takes place on Land, with multihex attack based on operation points allowing for multiple moves and attack tactics allowing for frontline breakthroughs, on Air, where you can attack selected targets and may automatically support land attacks, and on Sea, where fleet and raider modes affect detection. Night action, Surface, Sub, and Carrier combat are available. Use the Zone of control to restrict the movement of the enemy.

20 different units with 15 different attributes, 17 different technological advancements, 5 different specialties. Each country has their own units with their own attributes. Additionally, units can be impacted by: Breakdown- Land units can be split or reformed, corps may detach a division, armies may split, Formation – Small formations may be grouped into larger ones, Generals - Each player comes with their own generals that affect combat, mobile attack, and retreats, Support pool Units - 11 different support types. Naval units stack in fleets. 1 land, 1 air, 1 fleet per hex. Land units have the capacity of having a specialization. This is an attachment of equipment, elite trained units, or gear. With advancements, this allows for 120 different land unit configurations.

Ultimate Civil War Game Cheats

COUNTRY MANAGEMENT

Production takes into account oil, manpower, logistics, strategic resources, trade agreements, convoy zones. The systemallows you 17 different advancements and each unit has at minimum 2 advancement choices. You can have 47 different unit configurations. The supplysystem is based on cities, rail, ports, headquarters, and distance from railways. The supply system more accurately represents the North African Campaign. From a diplomatic standpoint, players may declare war, influence, attempt a coup, or negotiate a surrender. Each country has a loyalty score and an entry-level. Actions in-game may alter the entry and loyalty of various countries.

Matrix Games Civil War 2 Cheats Walkthrough

MAP

The map is Hex based, with 15 different types of terrains subdivided in to sizes with each different features including motorized and non-motorized movement, airfield capacity, and defensive bonuses; 12 different resource types, 5 different strategic resources. Realism is enhanced by the presence of Fog of War, with detection levels that determine information of units. Moreover, 5 different weather conditions make the whole gameplay more challenging.

Civil War Ii Cheat Codes

©2019 Matrix Games Ltd. All Rights Reserved. WarPlan, Matrix Games Ltd. and their Logos are all trademarks of Matrix Games Ltd. All other marks and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Developed by Kraken Studios.