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I just looked over the PZK website and went over the features list and can't help but see some similarities with Steel Panthers (Random campaigns, units gain experience etc...). Is that a fair comparison ? At the same time I wonder how different this game is to Combat Mission, because based on screen shots it looks pretty similar.

It's like CM/SP married each other and this is going to be the outcome. The best of both worlds in one game.

At the same time I wonder how different this game is to Combat Mission, because based on screen shots it looks pretty similar.

Please not again [;)]. It is 3D (although with a free camera compared to CM), it is WW2 and it has tanks and stuff. That's about what it shares with CM.
I think I wrote the same line 2 years ago when "Operation Winterstorm" was released [:D]

I'm just asking since I haven't really followed the previous release of PZ...didn't mean to stir the pot.

No problem, Peter. I think Panzer Command shares similarities with both Steel Panthers and Combat Mission, as well as other previous tactical wargames. It's inevitable that to some degree we're inspired and informed by those that came before us and you could certainly pick two worse inspirations than those.

However, Panzer Command is loosely based on a tactical miniatures wargame rules set (www.panzer-war.com) and in that sense (stat/probability-based) is more similar to Steel Panthers under the hood than it is to Combat Mission. It does use "rubberbands" like Combat Mission and has a pop-up order menu, but beyond the 3D historical vehicles and infantry, that's about as far as that similarity goes.

The turn structure is different, orders are different, in many ways the execution and gameplay is different it has a HUD and a mini-map and a clickable event log to give the player good awareness of the battlefield. It also has campaign support from the first release and the engine itself is fully DirectX 9-based. With all those differences, we also think it's pretty darn good in its own way.

We think Panzer Command: Kharkov has improved the design a lot since the original somewhat limited Winterstorm release and we hope wargamers will enjoy the result of our work.

Regards,

- Erik

When I was asking about similarities with SP or CM...I ment that of course in a good way. I will check the www.panzer-war.com; I have one set of miniatures rules at home called "Panzer Miniatures" by Jim Day...I thought of doing something like this...cool stuff!

I don't think the question is ever going away since it is the same game scale (tanks and squads). I've played SP long ago and it is similar but not as detailed as PCK. Also, it isn't 3D.
I'm probably one of the few people that played the demo CM after I've played Panzer Command so the CM interface seems clunky to me. I never liked the engineered feel of that game.

We'll just have to wait until many more people play PCK that have played the other games before continuing the comparison. My guess this will fall into three camps.

Erik you'll NEVER get away from the comparisons that are going to come with this engine vs CM. It LOOKS like CM and it even has some of the elements of CM like the firing lines and the movement lines. Some of the core features are so simular and LOOK the same that the comparison is just going to happen. It's like Arjuna saying his HTTR/COTA games are not RTS that they are "pausible continuous time" games lol, but, welp when an RTS player looks at the series he's gonna see RTS not "pausible continuous time" games. Now you've added RANDOM BATTLES GENERATOR and that is GOING to be COMPARED to CM "QUICK BATTLES GENERATOR". The comparisons are coming you might as well get ready for them. The RANDOM CAMPAIGN GENERATOR is going to be compared to Steel Panthers. It's what we wargamers know and welp you can't help that this game is going to be compared to CM and Steel Panthers all the way throughout its lifespan. You're going to hear about not having a RANDOM MAP GENERATOR as well. And not having a MAP EDITOR tool. It's coming just like in the movie the Longest Day where the German in the Bunker says "Ze Ivansions IZ Coming"!

ORIGINAL: Peter Fisla

I'm just asking since I haven't really followed the previous release of PZ...didn't mean to stir the pot.

No, do not worry, it was just funny this came up so fast again [;)]