Theatre of War 2: Africa 1943 FREE!

[Jarhead0331]

Over at indiegala.

https://freebies.indiegala.com/theatre-of-war-2-africa-1943/?dev_id=freebies

[Destraex]

Great game. Is it a steam key?

[Phantom]

Thanks for the heads up Jarhead - its actually a downloadable zip file - game seems to work fine - its v1.0 so guess there'll be some patches out there. Neat game if I recall (I've got the original plus the Caen expansion) - vehicle models & graphics excellent though the infantry game is a little weak.

ps: there is a patch, 1.30 on Battlefront website.

[ArizonaTank]

Thanks for the heads up Jarhead - its actually a downloadable zip file - game seems to work fine - its v1.0 so guess there'll be some patches out there. Neat game if I recall (I've got the original plus the Caen expansion) - vehicle models & graphics excellent though the infantry game is a little weak.

ps: there is a patch, 1.30 on Battlefront website.

Been a while since I played, but the I recall that the infantry game can be brutal...the AI can pick off your guys at 500m regularly. Leaving your infantry in the open will just get them killed.

The game luls you into believing it is an RTS. Point, click and off your units go. But there are no "health bars." Playing it like an RTS is recipe for disaster, and you will likely become frustrated.

But I believe that real world tactics will pay dividends. Charging a machine across open desert will get all of your pixel men killed; instead drop artillery on those enemy positions or flank them. Use precious smoke rounds to momentarily silence enemy AT fire. Shrapnel from artillery will cut your men down quickly; have them spread out and stay in cover. Trying to take a house with hand grenades and rifles will get more of your men killed. Better to pull up a tank, and pump the house full of HE shells.

One of the nice aspects of the game is that you can control individual troops...even their choice of weapons.  Is there an enemy MG at the end of the street with a dead crew. Take some of your guys down there, capture and use it. Did one of your howitzers lose its crew? Get some infantry out of a nearby trench to crew it.

A few dumb AI tricks now and then, but the AI mostly held its own.

[z1812]

On Steam you can buy the full package of 6 games for 2.54 Canadian.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/46290/Theatre_of_War/

[Phantom]

On Steam you can buy the full package of 6 games for 2.54 Canadian.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/46290/Theatre_of_War/

wow - that is good value.

[solops]

Steam reviews for the game are not very good. What is the Real story?

[Phantom]

Steam reviews for the game are not very good. What is the Real story?

I enjoy it. As Arizona says, you need to adopt real world tactics to get the best out of it, so as its real time this can be challenging. However, game play I'd say is good, partic on smaller engagements. Where it excels is in the use of equipment (especially in TOW1/2) that you just don't get in many games - early French/UK & Polish & German tanks & armored cars for example, plus the Italians in the desert - personally I find these much more challenging & interesting than the Sherman/Panther 1000 yard slog fests of many games. The interface is quite intuitive & enables quite a subtle variety of commands. For the current price on steam this is really a no brainer - even though I've got a couple of them I've bought this set.

[ArizonaTank]

Steam reviews for the game are not very good. What is the Real story?

Back when I was a reviewing kind of guy...this is what I wrote.

http://armchairgeneral.com/theatre-of-war-2-africa-1943-pc-game-review.htm

Not certain I would rate the game as highly now, in comparison to more recent games. But it holds its own for being more than 10 years old.

Probably the biggest change since I wrote it is that the package now includes paid DLC for the Italian "Centauro" division campaign. I recommend getting it.

If you do get it, I recommend generous use of the pause button to issue orders and keep track of what is happening. The game can be brutal if you don't keep on top of it.

Also remember that infantry in the open will always die... spread them out and keep them masked behind terrain. Drop your infantry into trenches when you can. Taking enemy trenches has real strategic value just for this purpose.

You will likely have to play the opening German mission (an attack on an American held town) a few times before you "get it" for example.

The game is not perfect, and there are a few UI issues (getting your infantry to get into formation for example). Also, the game is campaign based...so completing one mission and moving to the next is the only real choice.  The missions are immersive but replay value is limited.

Right now, the package is like 80% off on Steam...the price of a can of coke. A screaming deal IMHO.

[smittyohio]

On Steam you can buy the full package of 6 games for 2.54 Canadian.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/46290/Theatre_of_War/

Couldn't resist for that price...

[Sir Slash]

I miss the Armchair General.  :'(