Get a Sneak Peek of the Upcoming Forge of Freedom Update!

[Alex Fiedler]

Western Civilization Software is hard at work improving and revamping their already popular American Civil War strategy hit

Matrix Games and Western Civilization Software (www.west-civ.com) are excited to release a sneak peek at the highly anticipated update for their popular American Civil War turn-based strategy title, Forge of Freedom: The American Civil War 1861-1865. Standing as the second update for Forge of Freedom, this release is expected to be massive both in size and scope. Western Civilization Software has dedicated much of their time to improving and adding new content to this already well-received grand strategy title.

Among a myriad of changes and tweaks expected to vastly improve gameplay, gamers can also expect to see great new features such as a completely new campaign, Southern Steel. This new campaign features meticulously gathered economic and demographic parameters based on 1860 census data. Players will also be pleased to see a redesigned and vastly improved generals system. The new system will enhance the role of generals in the game in multiple ways: promotions and demotions can now change generals’ ratings and thus impact their effectiveness; demoted generals now have a chance to resign in protest; the foremost generals have been assigned historically-based special abilities that help them to train their men in particular aspects of combat; and, a database of start-dates has been created, allowing generals to appear in the game at the time that the historical generals first achieved the rank of general.

Here’s just a small portion of the other major improvements expected with the next patch for Forge of Freedom:

[*] A.I. Enhancements. Many enhancements have been made to both the strategic and detailed-battle A.I., making for an even more challenging game.
[*] Numerous User Interface Improvements. The user interface has been improved in various ways in response to player feedback, and numerous tweaks to the upgrade, economic, and attribute rules have been made.
[*] More Biographies. An ambitious project of providing biographical sketches of all thousand Civil War generals as in-game text is now underway, with the inclusion of the first hundred bios, all voluntarily written by “Forge of Freedom” players and visitors to the Matrix forum.
[*] Additional Reports. Adds significantly to the amount of information included in the various reports, both at the end of each turn and at the end of the game.
[*] Battle History Screens. New Game Overview screens have been added, including one that tracks the performance of every brigade throughout the war in terms of casualties received and inflicted, and another screen that lets one watch a turn-by-turn replay showing the location and results of all of the battles one has fought. Units that perform especially well can now acquire special abilities that can make them as formidable as the "Iron Brigade" and "Stonewall Brigade."
[*] PBEM Replay. Play-by-email has been improved not only in terms of more detailed battle reports, but by the addition of a replay feature that allows the player to watch all the moves and battles from any previous turns.
[*] More Game Options. Adds multiple new game-play options that allow the player to tailor the game to his personal taste even more than before. For instance, players may now select a “total victory” option that lets them continue the war well beyond 1865.
[*] Governors More Historic. The role of state governors has been made more realistic, since they now more likely to make requests based on historical developments in their states, and less likely to make unnecessary requests.

[Dasara II]

Looking good...I hope that the "Southern Steel" campaign is early 1861 or even before that [&o]

Revamping the generals can only make the game better, that area of the game needs a little more attention.

Thanks for the update.

[General Quarters]

Good changes -- and good marketing.

[Berkut]

Looks great, I have my fingers crossed...

[Kipper]

Is it worth starting a new game now or should I wait for the patch (savegame compatible?)
Thanks
Kipper

[spruce]

when when when when when when when when when when when when when [:D]

[Gil R.]

ORIGINAL: Kipper

Is it worth starting a new game now or should I wait for the patch (savegame compatible?)
Thanks
Kipper

Not to be glib, but it depends on how quickly you play. We're getting there with the patch, but it's still not ready to be released in the next few days. (Play-testing has turned up a few things that people would howl about if we didn't fix them first, but most of the features that needed to be added are added by now. So, there's still a bit more work to be done.)

[Kipper]

Good answer! And no, I wasn't trying to get an ETA by the back door
Good luck with it
Kipper

[Gil R.]

Oops, I forgot to answer -- save files will be incompatible.

[Titanwarrior89]

Great, now thats what I am talking about. All of the changes and updates to make the game better is super great. Thanks for the Hard work guys.

Really looking forward to it.[:)]

[Johnus]

Since this patch has been in the works, I've purchased and "learned" EU3, Punic Wars; and Battlefront. The fact that patched FOF won't be compatible with previous saves won't be critical for me; I have forgotten how to play.

[General Quarters]

I have now seen the beta, and three things are clear to me:
1. This is a major upgrade.
2. It is certainly not yet ready for prime time.
3. These guys are working, well not 24-7, but literally about 16-7 to get this thing wrapped up.

[christof139]

Since this patch has been in the works, I've purchased and "learned" EU3, Punic Wars; and Battlefront. The fact that patched FOF won't be compatible with previous saves won't be critical for me; I have forgotten how to play.

Hi, Who makes Punic Wars??? Thanx, Chris

[Johnus]

Chris:

Punic Wars is a new HPS game, by Paul Bruffell (I have not heard of him before).

[Dasara II]

ORIGINAL: Alex Fiedler

...a database of start-dates has been created, allowing generals to appear in the game at the time that the historical generals first achieved the rank of general.

I am assuming that this will be a new flag (option), so that we can continue to play with both randomized stats and randomized start dates.

I love the ability to have a completely random game for re playability and putting yourself in the same situation that the decision makers of that time had to deal with.

This is a great game already and is looking to become even more impressive, even if my better half would disagree [;)]

[Gil R.]

ORIGINAL: Dasara II

ORIGINAL: Alex Fiedler

...a database of start-dates has been created, allowing generals to appear in the game at the time that the historical generals first achieved the rank of general.

I am assuming that this will be a new flag (option), so that we can continue to play with both randomized stats and randomized start dates.

I love the ability to have a completely random game for re playability and putting yourself in the same situation that the decision makers of that time had to deal with.

This is a great game already and is looking to become even more impressive, even if my better half would disagree [;)]

Yes, randomized start dates for generals is an option, with the default being historical.

[m10bob]

The only negative reports I had seen by 3rd parties, was a clunky interface in a couple of areas, like movement of units..I hope this is one of the interface problems being fixed, (or has it been already?)..I will be donning my civil war garb shortly..[:D]

[Gil R.]

My thoughts on the interface is that once you learn it, it's easy and becomes second nature.

The key improvements to the interface in this patch do not involve redoing it, but making it possible to go back and forth between certain screens more easily.

[Gil R.]

Here's another change that we're making: siege artillery will no longer take up slots in containers. In other words, a USA division can now have five regular brigades plus siege artillery, instead of having to sacrifice 20% of its troop strength in order to fit in siege guns. This should make amphibious invasions more potent, which is the main reason for the change. There might be one or two kinks with this new system, but it should prove to be a definite improvement.

[Joram]

Since you brought up siege weapons.  Are you going to fix riverboats too?