WEGO World War II: Stalingrad is the flagship of Brian Kelly's operational level, ground-centric, WEGOWW2 game system. Built on the framework of Desert War 1940-42, this hex-based wargame captures the drama of the epic German offensive to capture the industrial city of Stalingrad in the Summer of '42. It consists of a series of historical scenarios and campaigns that allow the players to explore the ebb and flow of the actual combat operations. It's playable by both sides using hotseat, versus the AI, or Play By Email.
WEGOWW2: In many board and computer wargames, one side will move its units and resolve combat, followed by the other side repeating the process. This game mechanic is known as IGOUGO ("I GO YOU GO"). WEGOWW2 is different. WEGO by its nature is about the player's ability to plan for and manage chaos; to find solutions to perceived challenges and accomplish the mission with the tools at hand. Despite the fog of war...against a thinking opponent who must problem-solve and plan under the same conditions-- Every decision you make must be carefully considered. Learn to think three moves ahead to outsmart your opponent!
WEGO World War II: Stalingrad 1942 comes with three campaigns. Each campaign consists of three to six linked scenarios. The game uses stylized maps of the Russian steppes over which a hexagonal grid system has been superimposed. This grid is employed to help regulate land unit placement, movement, and combat. Air, Naval, and Ground Assets are off-map capabilities that can be brought into play when the owning player sees fit.
Ground units range in size from company to regiment/brigade level and are represented on the game map using counters with stylized or NATO icons to display unit types.
Air assets represent air groups that can conduct counter-air, interdiction, air re-supply, bombardment, and ground support missions. Air reconnaissance assets can collect information about enemy location, unit types and strengths.
Naval Assets represent the Soviet Volga River Flotilla. These assets can conduct bombardment and ground support missions.
Ground Assets provide additional capabilities that can influence the outcome of on-map battles. Ground Assets include electronic warfare assets, command and control (C2) activities, and Special Forces.
Logistics Assets provide additional resources that can enhance the movement, combat, or replacements priority to player selected units or organizations.
Ground Scales: There are two ground scales in the game. The operational maps use 2500 meters (~1.5 miles) per hex. The tactical level city maps of Stalingrad use 500 meters per hex.
Time Scales. The number of turns per day depends on the ground scale of the scenario. Scenarios that have a ground scale of 2500 meters per hex have five game turns per day. For example, game turns 1 through 4 are considered day turns (each ~five hours long); game turn 5 is a night turn (~four hours long). Scenarios that have a ground scale of 500 meters per hex have two turns per day (one day and one night).
FEATURES
Feature List:
• WEGO - simultaneous movement and combat resolution system.
• Fog of War and intelligence collection capabilities.
• Off-map assets that include air, naval, command, intelligence, supply, partisans, and special forces.
• Complete game editor included. Create maps, units, assets, scenarios, campaigns, AI scripting, and more.
• Linked Scenario-Campaigns.
• Night Turns with night-capable units and penalties for conducting night operations.
• AI Staff Assist. The Staff AI can help the player by creating ground battles and assigning air/ground assets. This can be set to happen automatically at turn start, or at any time using hotkeys.
• Air transport assets can supply encircled units.
• Air assets and artillery have their own bombardment results table.
• Supply Depots and Airfields are added supply sources.
• Logistics management includes fuel, ammo, personnel and equipment.
• Replacement system to re-build under-strength land units.
• New Terrain: Rivers, bridges, steppes, mud flats, and city hexes.
• New Units: Bridging Engineers can repair/destroy bridges or create Pontoons; there are ski troops, partisans and security forces.
• Players can breakdown regiments/brigades into three battalion-sized task forces, or combine three battalions into a regiment/brigade.
• Divisions can attach/detach from one corps to another.
• An in-game Attack Editor. The player can right-click on a planned attack to see the units and assets currently involved. Using the Attack Editor, you can remove or add ground units, artillery support, and air assets to the attack. The player can also assign different attack orders to each separate unit in the attack
Excellent. Looking forward to this one.
Quote from: Zulu1966 on March 23, 2022, 12:27:12 PM
Excellent. Looking forward to this one.
From what I've seen of it, it looks a lot of fun. Nice graphics too.
I liked his Desert War game system a lot, even though it was a bit clunky in execution.
I'm confused about his scale/timing though. At 2500 per hex, he's going to have turns in five hour pulses -- okay. But at only 500 per hex, he's only going to have turns in 12 hour pulses?? ???
I would have thought that would be the other way around, if anything. At 2.5km per hex (about 1 mile), and larger unit scales, a unit might need 12 hours to do much in or around Stalingrad. But smaller scale fighting might track events four times a day plus a rest period.
Quote from: JasonPratt on March 24, 2022, 07:28:46 AM
I liked his Desert War game system a lot, even though it was a bit clunky in execution.
I'm confused about his scale/timing though. At 2500 per hex, he's going to have turns in five hour pulses -- okay. But at only 500 per hex, he's only going to have turns in 12 hour pulses?? ???
I would have thought that would be the other way around, if anything. At 2.5km per hex (about 1 mile), and larger unit scales, a unit might need 12 hours to do much in or around Stalingrad. But smaller scale fighting might track events four times a day plus a rest period.
Yeah good point - perhaps it has been written the wrong way round ?
I really need to play his desert game...
Quote from: Father Ted on March 25, 2022, 02:02:26 PM
I really need to play his desert game...
$14.00 at 65% off right now on the Matrix site, so now's a good time to try. I'm tempted.
Quote from: Sigwolf on March 25, 2022, 06:11:58 PM
Quote from: Father Ted on March 25, 2022, 02:02:26 PM
I really need to play his desert game...
$14.00 at 65% off right now on the Matrix site, so now's a good time to try. I'm tempted.
Oh, I've got it - just haven't done anything more than dabble in the tutorial as yet.
It's out now. Currently $35.99.
A WEGOWW2 game system of one of my favorite eastern front campaigns?
I'm all in.
Looking forward to impressions. Been keeping an eye on the official forums and hasn't been much feedback that I could find, seems pretty quiet after release. Likely will get at some point if good feedback, price is just a little out of my auto purchase range:)
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on April 01, 2022, 04:59:29 AM
Looking forward to impressions. Been keeping an eye on the official forums and hasn't been much feedback that I could find, seems pretty quiet after release. Likely will get at some point if good feedback, price is just a title out of my auto purchase range:)
+1 Anyone have some initial impressions to share?
Just waiting for my anniversary coupon at the end of the month to pick this up
Just played around with the tutorial so far.
Looks like an interesting game.
Bit disappointed there is no long small scale scenario that concentrates on the fight for the city itself - several cover various actions but not one for the whole thing.
Interface takes a little getting used to - but there have been improvements made in the Wego system that makes things clearer - one thing always struggled with in WEGO systems is visualising where troops end up but there is plenty here that gives a better picture.
About all I can say ATM.
Quote from: Zulu1966 on April 02, 2022, 04:10:21 AM
Just played around with the tutorial so far.
Looks like an interesting game.
Bit disappointed there is no long small scale scenario that concentrates on the fight for the city itself - several cover various actions but not one for the whole thing.
Interface takes a little getting used to - but there have been improvements made in the Wego system that makes things clearer - one thing always struggled with in WEGO systems is visualising where troops end up but there is plenty here that gives a better picture.
About all I can say ATM.
Thanks for the feedback. So far not getting good vibes enough to make the purchase as even in the official forums still quiet for a new game release. Maybe a sale pickup at the end of the year unless a lot of positive comes flowing in....
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on April 02, 2022, 05:45:01 AM
Quote from: Zulu1966 on April 02, 2022, 04:10:21 AM
Just played around with the tutorial so far.
Looks like an interesting game.
Bit disappointed there is no long small scale scenario that concentrates on the fight for the city itself - several cover various actions but not one for the whole thing.
Interface takes a little getting used to - but there have been improvements made in the Wego system that makes things clearer - one thing always struggled with in WEGO systems is visualising where troops end up but there is plenty here that gives a better picture.
About all I can say ATM.
Thanks for the feedback. So far not getting good vibes enough to make the purchase as even in the official forums still quiet for a new game release. Maybe a sale pickup at the end of the year unless a lot of positive comes flowing in....
Yes, the lack of posts/activity/comments here have me wondering about this one.
Having saved up enough (in my semi-retirement income) to pay other bills, I am now the proud owner of this and the Campaign Series Vietnam game! :D
I was glad to help promote the original game (now known as WEGOWW2: Desert War, or something like that, to fit the new branding theme), and I'm looking forward to seeing how the system has been expanded and improved for Stalingrad.
Which reminds me that I never finished Operation E on the first game... ;) Too many sparkly things!
Jason would you recommend this game? I am interested because it is WEGO but worried this game (WEGO stalingrad) lacks battle granularity. You know actual troop numbers and weapons types modelled and listed. Also it still seems to use phases that always happen in exactly the same order, air attack always comes after ground attack I think? A bit like an order of operations in math.
I want war in the east style detail with WEGO chaos, you know where the enemy does not honour the gentlemans agreement and stays in place as you go up and down the line watching each enemy reaction in turn as your or their turn plays out in turn based traditional tabletop style.
I haven't played it yet, but I was pretty familiar with the system from the previous Desert War game. So...
Quote from: Destraex on April 13, 2023, 08:25:40 AMYou know actual troop numbers and weapons types modelled and listed. Also it still seems to use phases that always happen in exactly the same order, air attack always comes after ground attack I think? A bit like an order of operations in math.
Phases is correct, I think they do come in the same order all the time, or they did in the previous game. (Air, naval, arty, etc.) Air attack intercepts ground attack attempts.
It does have actual troop numbers for the unit sizes -- in the prior game that was mostly regiment units, with some company sized and even smaller sizes occasionally (iirc). I
think that included weapon platforms per se, like crew-served mgs, jeep mgs, tanks (but I don't think distinct weapons on the tanks, I'd have to recheck). Hey, wait, let me look up my video series and post a link to that from the digital AAR...
https://www.grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=21988.0
The new game will play quite a bit like that.
I have not been able to find actual troop numbers so far reading the manual. Just a decimal value for the various fighting power of the units and the usual counter indicator to give an approximate formation size. No actual figures for how many men are in the unit and after a battle how many men are left for example.
Supply seems to include ammunition and fuel but nothing else like food and water?
I now see that some screens show troop numbers
(https://www.matrixgames.com/images/screens/693/screen_6246fa7dc40c5.png)
(https://www.matrixgames.com/images/screens/693/screen_6246fb128fcdf.png)
I just figured out what this reminded me of and I think I was getting confused by.
Attack at Dawn: North Africa on steam. Definitely different games. Both WEGO and both North Africa. Matrix Games are sure missing out by not putting things on steam. This is the one I played the demo to I think.
Now the question becomes one of which game system is better...
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1383640/Attack_at_Dawn_North_Africa/
It seems the Attack at Dawn boys decided today was the day to launch news of their new game, stalingrad.
"Attack at Dawn: Stalingrad - New Game in Development"
"We have been working on a new addition to our Attack at Dawn series of games for a while now. What we initially thought would be a DLC update evolved into a concept for a full-blown game. We thought about it for months, making experiments and prototypes, and finally decided to make a brand new game and move to the EASTERN FRONT!
We are designing a game about the southern section of the WW2 Eastern Front. We are still deciding on the scope of operations, but we will probably have scenarios for: Barbarossa, Case Blue, Uranus, Donets & Kursk operations.
The new game will be all we have planned for General Staff DLC and more. Here is a list of some of the features of the game:
entirely new game engine, with entire 3D terrain and units
complete UI rework, making it easier to use and understand
dynamic campaign
general staff functions: �logistics, intelligence, operations, engineers, personnel
beautiful illustrations throughout the game
improved animations, and more of them
improved sounds, and more of them
full soundtrack
As you can see, it's quite an ambitious project and will take longer than we thought. But it will be worth it and turn this series into something fantastic!
In addition to this, we started a joint venture with Seleya Games to create a comic-book-styled board game about espionage, warfare, and nuclear exchange in Europe. We love to work on board game and video game projects in parallel, as it makes us more on the "designing edge".
If you wish to follow updates on all our projects more closely, please go to our website and subscribe to our newsletter. We issue it on a monthly basis, and it is the best way for you to follow and support our work during these long periods of development.
That's it for now. Have fun playing the game, and see you on the desert sand!
Tom"
https://steamcommunity.com/app/1383640/discussions/0/7155698768541711353/
Quote from: Destraex on April 14, 2023, 07:18:47 PMSupply seems to include ammunition and fuel but nothing else like food and water?
True, nor spaghetti. ;) {/CampNorthAfriJoke}
It is definitely not as detailed a system as Command Ops2 (or even its predecessors on the system back to Red Devils). Of course its scale is much larger, too, although it can get down to platoons.
Command Ops 2 on a strategic or operational scale would be perfect. Obviously they would need new detail and mechanics for those higher command levels. But I imagine they would do a superb job.
Quote from: Destraex on April 15, 2023, 07:32:15 PMCommand Ops 2 on a strategic or operational scale would be perfect. Obviously they would need new detail and mechanics for those higher command levels. But I imagine they would do a superb job.
Seems like they have been working on the latest patch and dlc for years so I wouldn't count on any major new versions anytime soon
Westwall says it has army level operations. Curious to see how well those are done.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on April 15, 2023, 08:21:51 PMQuote from: Destraex on April 15, 2023, 07:32:15 PMCommand Ops 2 on a strategic or operational scale would be perfect. Obviously they would need new detail and mechanics for those higher command levels. But I imagine they would do a superb job.
Seems like they have been working on the latest patch and dlc for years so I wouldn't count on any major new versions anytime soon
I added Command Ops 2: Bradley at Bay to my wishlist in March
2017 !!
Still listed as 'coming soon' ...
Quote from: Pete Dero on April 16, 2023, 03:10:23 AMQuote from: Grim.Reaper on April 15, 2023, 08:21:51 PMQuote from: Destraex on April 15, 2023, 07:32:15 PMCommand Ops 2 on a strategic or operational scale would be perfect. Obviously they would need new detail and mechanics for those higher command levels. But I imagine they would do a superb job.
Seems like they have been working on the latest patch and dlc for years so I wouldn't count on any major new versions anytime soon
I added Command Ops 2: Bradley at Bay to my wishlist in March 2017 !!
Still listed as 'coming soon' ...
Yeah, it's a shame..such a great foundation it has, my dream game of not micro managing. Too bad for one reason or another just hasn't been able to stick around with updates a new stuff, although what's available is good.
From the steam forums:
"simovitch 2 Feb @ 7:46am
As one of the lead developers for Bradley at Bay, I can tell you that it is still very much alive - but waiting to be released with the new patch that is currently in development. But before that happens, the scenarios (in fact almost all CO2 scenarios) will need to be tested with the new system and adjustments made as necessary to make sure they are as balanced as possible. A lot of love went into the BaB scenarios and it is just waiting for it's day in the sun."
Quote from: Destraex on April 16, 2023, 04:41:07 AMFrom the steam forums:
"simovitch 2 Feb @ 7:46am
As one of the lead developers for Bradley at Bay, I can tell you that it is still very much alive - but waiting to be released with the new patch that is currently in development. But before that happens, the scenarios (in fact almost all CO2 scenarios) will need to be tested with the new system and adjustments made as necessary to make sure they are as balanced as possible. A lot of love went into the BaB scenarios and it is just waiting for it's day in the sun."
Yes, that has been the story and the situation for years now....the patch not being done. Which is holding up the DLC. But that patch has been in progress for very long time. The developer posts updates at the official forums which is below. Certainly appears to be working on it but for one reason or another something else comes up all the time.
https://forums.lnlpublishing.com/forums/command-ops-series.28/
Fair enough. Understood.
Sad news. But the good news for me is that I only dipped my toes lightly into highway to the reich back in the day when it came out. So this is all new to me and their is a tonne of content for me to explore in the next special steam deal that comes along. As you said. But I do hope they get over whatever wall they have hit with their patch. Let's face it, a lot of these devs will be getting on in age which may slow things.
How many publishers and iterations did Command Ops have since they were a battlefront.com published item?
I must have bought it 3 times already.
Quote from: Redwolf on April 16, 2023, 10:47:28 AMHow many publishers and iterations did Command Ops have since they were a battlefront.com published item?
I must have bought it 3 times already.
Don't recall them being battlefront, thought only matrix
In all fairness, Command Ops is largely a one man show, and he's getting up there in age and has had a number of other things to worry about. There is a second coder, but he is from Ukraine (now living in Germany) and understandably has had other concerns of his own.
Dave *is* still actively working on the update, and I feel confident it will eventually be released and be worth it. In the meantime, the game in the present state is still completely playable. This is a passion project, and I don't mind waiting however long it takes for it to be done right. It really is a unique platform.
Quote from: Sigwolf on April 16, 2023, 01:29:16 PMIn all fairness, Command Ops is largely a one man show, and he's getting up there in age and has had a number of other things to worry about. There is a second coder, but he is from Ukraine (now living in Germany) and understandably has had other concerns of his own.
Dave *is* still actively working on the update, and I feel confident it will eventually be released and be worth it. In the meantime, the game in the present state is still completely playable. This is a passion project, and I don't mind waiting however long it takes for it to be done right. It really is a unique platform.
No one suggested current content isn't good, but fact remains the expected patch and dlc has taken a very long time. Everyone understands he primarily is a one person operation. That is all that was said. It's only disappointing because it is a great type of game and people love to see it evolve.