Tin Soldiers: Alexander The Great Goes Gold!

[David Heath]

Tin Soldiers: Alexander The Great Goes Gold! Game of Alexander’s Campaigns Due For Early October Release

Staten Island, NY, October 4th, 2004 - Matrix Games (www.matrixgames.com) and Koios Works (www.koiosworks.com) are pleased to announce that the innovative new wargame, Tin Soldiers: Alexander the Great, has Gone Gold and is due to release in Early October, 2004.

Tin Soldiers: Alexander the Great™ is wargaming with a classic style. Easy to learn but difficult to master, it places you in the role of Alexander the Great during his conquest of the known world. Guide Alexander through his grand campaign from inheriting his father’s legacy at the battle of Thebes to his conquest of Darius III and the Persian Empire through his last great battle at the Hydaspes, in the heart of Asia against the Indian army of King Porus.

Designed to evoke the beauty of museum-quality miniatures on a professional tabletop battlefield, Tin Soldiers: Alexander the Great™ uses an innovative multi-phase turn-based system. As you play, the campaign unfolds before you with cinematic cut-scenes and three dimensional panoramas of the battlefields. Each battle is based on the historical terrain and troop placements, but the campaign allows you to make decisions in between battles on which units to reinforce, whether to recruit new units or replace commanders and how many of your resources to focus on training.

David Heath, Director of Operations for Matrix Games, said “Tin Soldiers: Alexander the Great has a winning combination of good design and great features. It is easy to learn, fun to play and allows you to march along with Alexander through his conquests and his final destiny. We think wargamers as well as light strategy gamers will enjoy this campaign game with an ancient flair.”

Tin Soldiers: Alexander the Great™ does not have a steep learning curve – to the contrary, it’s easy to pick up, fun to play and difficult to master. We believe that historical strategy gamers, miniatures gamers and fans of Alexander will be interested in this title for its value as a game and as a way to experience the campaigns of Alexander and test yourself against perhaps the highest of benchmarks in military history.

For those seeking a living opponent, Tin Soldiers: Alexander the Great™ includes support for multiplayer over the internet and local network (via TCP/IP). Any of the campaign battles can be selected or players can choose one of the two special multi-player scenarios: Bactria and Elysium.

List of Features

Simultaneous Turn-Based Reaction system to adjust strategy during execution Visually stunning and historically accurate miniatures-oriented art for soldiers and units 3-D historical battlefields Grand Campaign follows Alexander’s conquests from Greece to India

For more information, check the main Matrix Games page at http://www.matrixgames.com for future press releases and discussions.

ABOUT KOIOS WORKS

Koios Works is dedicated to producing top-notch entertainment software. Koios ("co-EE-uhs", named after the Titan of Wisdom and Invention) Works is founded on the concept of using technology to build innovative, entertaining solutions. Koios Works is an Innovation ("Êáéõïôïìéá" - prononced Kainotomia) Workshop ("Åñãáóôçñéï" - pronounced Ergastirio) for computer software applications. We are always looking for ways to utilize software to entertain, improve lives and create valuable business impacts. For more information, visit the Koios Works website at http://www.koiosworks.com.

ABOUT MATRIX GAMES

Matrix Games produces, markets and publishes historical wargames as well as other computer gaming products. Since 2002, Matrix Games has published several award-winning games, including Highway to the Reich, Starships Unlimited, Uncommon Valor and Korsun Pocket. Matrix Games is based in Staten Island, New York. For more information, visit the Matrix Games website at http://www.matrixgames.com.

[David Heath]

Purchasing Options and Prices

The game will be available as a Digital Download and priced at $49.99 USD

The game will also be offered as a "Packaged Product" product for $59.99. In fact you can do both a Digital Download and the Packaged Product for $59.99.

Incase you do not understand the terms we are using please read below. If you have any questions please post it here.

What is a Digital Download? Our Digital Download service sends you a download link to the master game file once your order is complete. You can use this link to download the game directly to your computer over the internet and start playing right away. The download is available to you for thirty days after your order. No shipping is involved and the game is immediately available for you once the order is complete.

What is the Packaged Product? If all you want is a boxed copy of the game without any digital download, select this choice. If you select "Packaged Product" you will be billed to have the game shipped to you. Our Packaged Product provides you with a DVD box with a CD and your serial number.

The Best of Both Worlds Digital Downloads and Packaged Product! When you select this option you can use our digital download option to get the game right away and start playing. Then have a boxed copy of the game shipped to you as a backup for permanent storage. With a backup, you'll be prepared for whatever comes your way-whether it's a system crash, a computer virus damaging your files or the software simply no longer functioning as it should. You will be billed to have the game shipped in a DVD box with a CD and your serial number.

[Hexed Gamer]

First off I think the game looks quite good.

Second the Flash Demo is helpful.

But, while I can assume it might not have been possible earlier, the time is now. Where exactly are the system specs for this game? I followed through to the review at Wargamer and still nothing.

I need to see it in official print. In this current day and age, I never assume I can play a game until someone puts up those system requirements. It's odd there is no mention at all (that I can find) of what sort of specifications are required.

[Erik Rutins]

Windows 98/Me/2000/XP Processor: Pentium II 550 Mhz, AMD K6-3 500 128 MB RAM (256 MB for XP) 64 MB Video Card DirectX 9.0B compatible Sound Card DirectX 9.0B compatible 8X CD-ROM 1 GB Harddisk space DirectX 9.0B (included) .NET Framework: 1.1 .NET Framework (included) Microsoft Media Player 9.0 or higher

[Hexed Gamer]

Thanks Erik.

Oh well I aced everything but the 64 meg video card.

Not sure if I will be getting a video card upgrade any time soon though.

Possible, but it's not currently on the list of things to do.

Guess it's back to playing Spartan for my ancients fix.

[Erik Rutins]

Les,

It actually runs on a 32 Mb video card here, but it's not _supposed_ to so we don't include it on the minimum specs. I haven't played through every scenario with that card, but I did go about halfway through the campaign. In any case, I'd definitely recommend 64 and up for the best results. I recently upgraded a secondary machine with a Radeon 9200 128Mb for only about $50.

Regards,

- Erik

[Hexed Gamer]

That is encouraging Erik

The game does look appealing, and I am actually quite interested in the simultaneous turn function.

That, and the only thing keeping me from table top miniatures, is I would never have time to paint them (and no I ain't playing with unpainted ones hehe).

But this game looks like a great miniatures looking design.

And frankly, I would like to see the design expanded on to include other time periods if this offering does well.

The powers that be are set to offer me a few extra pennies in the budget hehe and I might (that's a darn small might though) be able to squeeze in a computer add on (I can dream I suppose).

[ravinhood]

Guess it's back to playing Spartan for my ancients fix.

You actually bought SPARTAN Hexed? (And it really feels strange not typing you know what for your name) or is that a board game you are talking about?

Now to Erik, about this PRICING???? $59.99 for the boxed version of TS??? are yall caharazzzzyy up there, over there, where-ever you are now? lol

Cmon $39.99 for direct download and $49.99 for the boxed version, that's the norm, bring back the good ole days.

And I'll give yah $54.99 for "Battles in Normandy" boxed version w/manual. hehe

An I'll give yah $54.99 for "War in the Pacific" boxed version w/manual.

Mano mano, it's really a shame I have to rely on ebay and amazon.com for Matrix titles, thas a crying shame (cry cry cry) lol

I guess I'll just continue to be the forum junk man and deliver the sales and sites to those that are like me and feel the pricing for wargames has gone out of sight to rediculous pricing levels. Notice my thread on "Rome Total War"? $14.99 + $8.00 shipping, see, now that's a reasonable price. heh

[Marc von Martial]

Mano mano, it's really a shame I have to rely on ebay and amazon.com for Matrix titles, thas a crying shame (cry cry cry) lol

I guess I'll just continue to be the forum junk man and deliver the sales and sites to those that are like me and feel the pricing for wargames has gone out of sight to rediculous pricing levels. Notice my thread on "Rome Total War"? $14.99 + $8.00 shipping, see, now that's a reasonable price. heh

Sure that really helps getting the prices back to "normal". What´s normal anyway? That the game prices didn´t even move for over ten or so years? Now go to the mall and buy some food, ask them for the prices of ten years ago and make me a picture of the store managers face please [;)]. And food is not a niche product.

Why don´t you just go and download the games from the internet. It doesn´t make a difference to the developers anyway, from an income poitn of view.

[Hexed Gamer]

Actually ravinhood, I got Spartan and Uncommon Valour in a trade with a friend.

Haven't taken the game out for much of a walk yet though. But my initial playing of it was ok (or at least I liked what I saw on initial assessment). My friend just wanted what I had more than what he had I guess.

As for the name, what's in a name

Actually I thought Hexed Gamer was quite the play on words myself hehe.

Oh I just love to hear people cry on and on about the price of games though. Brings such a tear to my heart..... not.

Hey if I can sit here on my lousy income and not cry, those with decent incomes won't be getting much support from me eh.

There will always be those that are haves and those that are have nots.

Matrix Games prices their games as they see a need to price them. In the end, they either 1. Thought wrong and they suffer. 2. Thought right and don't suffer.

Tomorrow they are either here, or they are not here. Either way, I will be here (till I am not of course , all things end eh). I will be a wargamer likely till that last moment. And as long as I am a wargamer, I will be wanting wargames. So whether or not Matrix Games is here, I will be here, and thus there will be a market to sell wargames.

The only thing raising the price level on a game means to me, is I take maybe longer to save for what I want. Which means it takes longer to make the sale to me. It doesn't stop me from wanting what I want. And prices don't remain constant. Everything goes up in price eventually. And the more complex a game gets, the more complicated the software becomes, the harder it gets to actually make the game. I would NOT pay the same price for a game made in 1995, that I will pay for, for a game released today.

I have seen copies of Squad Leader (never opened) for as little as 9 bucks (Canadian). Originally the game was I think something like 30 bucks. If the game was released today, I would expect it to be "slightly" more expensive, but it would be the same product, and yes, I would not give you say 75 bucks for it. 45 maybe.

Same goes for Steel Panthers eh. I measure it against what is made today. Original out of the box Steel Panthers, will not be equal to an identical type game made today.

The final yardstick measurement though, is if you can't get enough people like me, willing to pay for the effort, then you have devoted your time and effort to an undertaking with to little return for the effort. That is of course a fact of life. Just because you can make something, doesn't mean there was a point to making it.

Someday, maybe, eventually, Matrix Games will complete Combat Leader. They might look at it and say, hmm I think all that work was worth an 80 dollar price tag. And some might even agree. But if most say "no it wasn't", then the final end result might be a verdict of "well I hope you at least enjoyed making it, because you won't enjoy making a profit".

That CAN happen eh.

If you make it, they MIGHT come.