All of the great developers here on Matrix needed to start somewhere. And this is doubly true for wargame developer Noobz From Poland.
First, they have lived with a shooting war in their backyard for the past year-and-a-half. And second, they introduced their very first wargame on Steam (see link below). Imho, it is a very solid design effort matched with absolutely no marketing effort, to use their own words.
I don't know these guys from Adam, but the game impressed me. So, for what little it may be worth, I have pasted my shortened review of "Total Tank Generals" below. Also, keep in mind, there is another "negative" review posted on Steam after mine that is equally worth reading. I think of how Flashback Games started out, and wish the same success for this team.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1770 ... _Generals/
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With all due respect (and love) to the publishers/developers of the latest Panzer Corps 2 game engine here on Steam (that would be Matrix Games and Flashback Games, respectively), I would heartily recommend buying this game immediately, whether you own Panzer Corps 2 or not.
At the ridiculously-low full price of $25 on Steam, I cannot imagine any grizzled veteran of the original (1994) SSI release or any new Panzer Corps 2 recruit regretting his/her purchase of this product. And if someone does, I will (within reason) "refund" their $25 by buying them another Steam game of equal or lesser value.
What I currently fail to understand is how Total Tank Generals has gotten so little positive "bandwidth" here on Steam and on the internet thus far.
Part of the "problem" may be the title of the game itself: It contains various "key-words" popular among the genre, but is overall of greater game-play value than the description of the software itself. It's not a Total War game; it's not about Tanks alone; and, it's a more-than-worthy Panzer General clone... and that's saying a lot.
But before I push the attention-span of the average reader, here's why this game deserves some attention, IMHO:
1. It takes the age-old Panzer General formula - and, oh my gosh - adds stacking and a much more solid tactical gaming experience.
2. The user interface displays nitty-gritty numbers live and on-screen with historical graphics for the grognard via tool-tips everywhere, where Panzer Corps 2 requires accessing separate menus to get to some of these the details.
3. The program runs smoothly on nine-year-old rigs, whereas the latest Panzer Corps 2 build stresses older machines - and for no real wargaming benefit.
4. Total Tank Generals features several campaigns and scenarios in the base version, while Panzer Corps 2 requires a significantly greater investment in DLC.
5. While Total Tank Generals contains a scenario editor that is, albeit, less powerful on-the-surface than the exceptional level of detail (and resultant complexity) available in the Panzer Corps 2 dedicated editor, it potentially makes up for this by allowing idiots like myself the ability to text-edit scenarios and every little bit of the unit data that is harder to come by when using Panzer Corps 2's official tools.
6. Functions like on-map air attacks, reinforcements, supply of existing ground units, and retreating (both automatic and (optional) manual retreats in Total Tank Generals) give players a more granular tactical feel than the more operational vibe of Panzer Corps 2.
7. The ability of developer "Noobz From Poland" to deliver a product of this quality straight out-of-the-box, which has (understandably) taken the excellent and very experienced Matrix Flashback Games' developer many years to accomplish earns the developer of the new game many kudos.
To be clear, this is not a comparo of Total Tank Generals (TTG) and Panzer Corps 2. Both games need to be in the average wargamer's library. But if discretionary income is the key factor, TTG deserves one's attention. And if the reader already owns Matrix Panzer Corps' spin-off (and it's a good one) Order of Battle World War 2, then this game should also be considered.
But here's one potential negative: For those players who absolutely refuse to "cheat" or modify their games (and I am not one of those), TTG's competent AI and vanilla (and rather brutal) enemy reinforcement allowances and difficulty levels may turn off some of you. Truth is, the scenarios may need some balancing, but that's not a killer criticism.
And, oh yes: There is actually a DEMO, so no excuse to not try this game out and reward the Noobz for its excellent efforts on their newest release.
Best wishes to all!
