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We have received a new set of screenshots about our upcoming wargame Desert War, featuring the starting point of the main scenarios available in the game!

Browse between“Operazione E”, “The Battle of Sollum, “The Fall of Tobruk” up to “Operation Supercharge”, and discover plenty of tactical options you’ll have at disposal!

Desert War 1940 – 1942, is an operational level, ground-centric wargame that recreates the epic tank battles fought between the Axis and Allies for possession of Libya and Egypt, capturing the drama of the campaign for North Africa during World War II.

Get more information about the game from its official product page

Looking good

wow the units density seems too high, no room to maneuver.

Hello alfredtc2

For many of these shots you are only seeing a very small portion of the map where the majority of the forces are gathered
In addition the shots are taken with fog of war 'off' so that both forces can be seen. Things can look very different when you only see your own units.

Many of the scenarios have lots of room to manoeuvre - including the first Operation E (which I have played a few times)
Believe me, as the Brits you are thinking you have nowhere near enough units to form anything like a line, especially when playing with fog of war on!
Likewise 'Into the Blue' (to mention just two)

regards
Ben Wilkins

As an example, here is a quick zoomed out screenshot from the start of Operation E



Note I have really compressed the size so don't pay too much attention to the quality. I am also using pictorial counters rather than Nato icons (there is an option for either in game)
Lots of room to the south and the British front line with its screen of armoured cars is hardly solid

Maybe that helps?

regards
Ben Wilkins

The only thing I notice is that the counters appear to be sunken into the map rather than have a 3D effect so the look on top of the map..it looks like how you'd show a dug in unit for instance.

Interesting. I can't see that. They looks like stacks on the map to me. Maybe I need to get my glasses checked. [;)]

My first impression was like Wodin's, that they are sunken into the ground. In any case it might look better if the borders are not completely white which stands out so much, but some grey tone? My other concern is that the stacks spill over into nearby hexes too much. Perhaps make counters smaller, hexes bigger or just show three topmost and have a mouse over for full information. As it is now it looks unnecessarily cluttered and crowded. But in the end - love the board game look.

I'm guessing most of the large stacks are a function of it being the initial setup. After movement starts the units will probably spread out. And of course if they are Italian stacks, most of them will be eliminated in the first few hours of battle.... [:'(]

ORIGINAL: Benedict151
Many of the scenarios have lots of room to manoeuvre - including the first Operation E (which I have played a few times)
Believe me, as the Brits you are thinking you have nowhere near enough units to form anything like a line, especially when playing with fog of war on!
Likewise 'Into the Blue' (to mention just two)

Ben is quite right. With few exceptions, there are miles and miles of desert to the south of yours and your enemy's positions to try out your inner Rommel or O'Connor. However, those scenarios involving the Qattara Depression? Not so much.

And then there's the extra challenge of finding "that flank". These start-up screenshots are all taken with Fog-of-War off...and throw in your opponent's set-up to confound the issue...and just how far can you stretch your supplies into The Blue. There's lots of nowhere to explore.

ORIGINAL: elmo3
I'm guessing most of the large stacks are a function of it being the initial setup. After movement starts the units will probably spread out.]

Yep, you got it. Assembly areas...are.

ORIGINAL: rocketboy
But in the end - love the board game look.

Thanks. That was the idea. This is just a long over due continuation of Avalon Hill's original attempt to bring board games to the computer--Operation Crusader. I bought my first PC just to play it. Now Brian Kelly has brought the idea forward with his own reincarnation. There's a lot more boardgame under the hood. That was the intent anyway.

Sorry for going off topic but two friends and I designed some of the original Avalon Hill computer games including North Atlantic Convoy Raider, Midway Campaign, B-1 Nuclear Bomber, Planet Miners, Empire of the Overmind, Nukewar, and Close Assault back in the early 80's. They were written for the Atari 400/800, Apple II, and TRS-80. I still have a copy of each including the cassettes. We didn't do Operation Crusader but I remember it.

ORIGINAL: elmo3
...two friends and I designed some of the original Avalon Hill computer games including North Atlantic Convoy Raider, Midway Campaign, B-1 Nuclear Bomber, Planet Miners, Empire of the Overmind, Nukewar, and Close Assault back in the early 80's. They were written for the Atari 400/800, Apple II, and TRS-80. I still have a copy of each including the cassettes. We didn't do Operation Crusader but I remember it.

Awesome! Close Assault--Excellent.

So you are an Old Fart--like me.

Yup, 66 years old. Hence my signature.

You got four on me. Guess yer The Older Fart. A distinguished position. Keep on playin'.

ORIGINAL: bcgames

ORIGINAL: elmo3
...two friends and I designed some of the original Avalon Hill computer games including North Atlantic Convoy Raider, Midway Campaign, B-1 Nuclear Bomber, Planet Miners, Empire of the Overmind, Nukewar, and Close Assault back in the early 80's. They were written for the Atari 400/800, Apple II, and TRS-80. I still have a copy of each including the cassettes. We didn't do Operation Crusader but I remember it.

Awesome! Close Assault--Excellent.

So you are an Old Fart--like me.

Whoa! Empire of the Overmind. I remember that!

Took about 30 mins to load up from the cassette on the Atari - unless it went wrong and you had to start all over again.

I was well pleased when I completed it - great game!

Glad you liked it Jim.

I still have the old SPI North Africa folio series games: Crusader, Cauldron and Supercharge. These screenshots remind me a lot of those games. This game scale is more tactical with battalions and companies instead of regiments and brigades. Looking forward to it.

Are all the starting positions fixed or does the player/AI have some latitude in setting up?