Mark Lee5/16/2000Basic InformationGame Title: Panzer General 3D AssaultCompany: Strategic Simulations Inc. a division of Mattel Inc.Type of Game:Turn based military simulation, with a 3D engine.Price: $20 - $50Minimum stated hardware requirements: Windows 9x, Pentium I-233, 8MB 3D video card, DirectX 6.1, 64 MB Ram, 8X CD-ROM drive.Actual Hardware required: same as above + 212MB hard drive space.Game SummaryQuick Overview: Panzer General 3D is the third release of SSI’s popular Panzer General games, this one is a lot like the previous version except that is has very nice 3D rendered graphics. It’s a turn based WWII war game. One reviewer called it a “Beer and pretzels war game” meaning it’s easy to play, not a heavily detailed military simulation. The player can choose to play a single scenario or a full campaign game. There are options for playing as the Germans, British, Americans, and there is a small campaign where you can play as the French.Story Line: You play the role of one of the great generals of WWII, the war progressesbased on your performance in the previous battles. If you do well you get more equipment & personnel and the war goes well for your side. So if you play as the Germans and keep winning battles you could wind up invading England and even the United States.Players Role: One of the military commanders of WWII. The player decides what officers command what equipment that they deploy into the battle. They can also promotestaff which increases the # of moves the equipment they command can make per turn. After that they move their miniature army around the battlefield and try to capture cities and destroy the opposing army’s’ pieces. Installation: Installation is easy, a few mouse clicks and its done. The game does require 212MB hard disk space and DirectX 6.1 if it’s not already installed. The CD is required to play.User Interface: There are two regularly used user interfaces in the game. One is the headquarters screen where the general makes their personnel and equipment decisions. The other is the direct manipulation of units on the battlefields. The two are shown below.Game Play: Game play is turn based. First the player builds up their army at headquarters, and then they deploy the army to the battlefield. Next the players’ side can move all their units on the battlefield – capturing cities, attacking enemy units etc. Then the computer moves its units, and this continues until the battle is won or the maximum number of turns for that particular battle is reached.Scoring: Each battle has a maximum number of turns that can be used to win/lose that battle. When all the objective cities are captured the battle is considered won. If the player captures all the objective cities in a short (predetermined for each battle) number of turns then they receive a “Major Victory” bonus – this also effects which battle they will fight next. After winning the battle they can continue to play until all the cities on themap are captured or all the opposing units are destroyed – to score even more points. There are also specials cities that can give the player better equipment/personnel and free promotions for the commander of the unit that captures them.Artwork: The artwork is excellent – much of it is DirectX 3D rendered, maps and army units based on actual WWII maps and military equipment. In the headquarters thereare little pictures of the generals commanders, and little 3D miniatures of the available equipment.Sound and Music: There are special effects sounds, gunshots, explosions, and dive-bomber noises when appropriate. The music is a military marching band tone form the country that the player a general for.Manual: The manual is excellent; it’s about 90 pages long. It details every thing from installation to how to get support help, but is mostly about game concepts, and how to play. It’s quite rare to find such a nice manual in an inexpensive game.Bugs: There are some bugs – those having to do with crashing the computer were fixed in a patch which is downloadable from the games’ website. SSI acknowledges several other bugs – one is that the game will not work right with ATI brand video cards. Also during the course of a battle it’s possible to be awarded some bonus equipment, but some times the after the battle is over the equipment disappears. On their web site SSI recommends saving the game often, and says that reloading it might bring the equipment and any missing personnel back.Game ReviewThe game is a lot of fun, I especially like the way the army pieces make noise when they attack another unit. Also when a unit is damaged it smokes, as it becomes more damaged it belches more smoke eventually bursting into flame and exploding. Also its fun that by promoting the field commanders you get to move the units they’re commanding more times per turn. The only bad thing about the game is that it can take up to an hour to play just one battle also I’ve read it’s almost impossible to lose a battle. I think the game is better than other war games because its not so detailed – there no fooling around with platform load outs – you don’t need to become a military analyst to play. Also thegraphics are very nice. Armchair general want to bees are the appropriate audience for this game – get out the beer and pretzels and let the enemy have it for an hour or so. One thing that might be a design mistake is that is very difficult to tell where an airplane will be while your moving it, if the area under the cursor just grayed a little you could tell where it was going.SummaryOverall strengths/weaknesses: The game is fun and easy to play with lots of sound effects and great graphics. On weakness is that the campaigns are only playable, for one side. I haven’t actually tried the multiplayer option but I’ve read its weak to midland. Thesingle player version is so much fun that it’s well worth the twenty dollars it cost. I think it would be more fun if it stuck more to a historical approach, instead of the Germans invading England and the US if you win a few battles plying as one of their
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