Panzer Campaigns - Stalingrad 42 Gold

Stalingrad 42 Gold 3D Normal view.  I love the new Division emblem for the 297th.  I also like this counter representation better than the older version of the game.  

I have been playing around with the editors for the Panzer Campaign title Stalingrad 42 Gold.  The Gold versions of this game include upgraded graphics, new unit icons, division emblems and new map terrain graphics.  There might even be new battle sounds too!

The screenshots I am including are from a 10 turn custom scenario I created detailing the LI Armee Korps advance along the northern and southern banks of the Chir during late July.  I am using David Glantz's Gates of Stalingrad as a source as well as the "Across the Don Bend" scenario from the original game.

Here is a zoomed out 2D view. I think the new map graphics look dramatically better.
II /297 and III/297 begin shelling Surovikino ahead of the 297th's advance along the Chir.
To be honest, up until this afternoon I have never been a Panzer Campaigns fan. In hindsight, I probably should have picked a different PzC title to start with (I didn't know about the Mius demo until after the fact).

I think this is because I have always shied away from continuous lines of troops facing each other and games that feel like it is WWI in France and Belgium.  A game like Stalingrad 42 can at times feel very on the rails, so to speak, depending on the scenario's timing.  Battles after November 1942 favor the Russians in a very one-sided way and battles prior to November 42 favor the Germans.  So with little left to doubt, I became disinterested quickly.

The Panzer Battles team, Wargame Design Studio, cut their teeth on Panzer Campaigns in Tiller world however, so it was only natural for them to try and bring their PzB style sensibilities to their old PzC titles.  I am lucky to have received a preview copy of the Gold edition for Stalingrad which caused me to crack open the title again.  My time spent playing today has left me feeling really excited about the game for the first time.

The 297th Inf Div attack from the south into Surovikino is just getting underway.  Meanwhile to the north, elements of two regiments from the 44th Inf Div are fighting in the western outskirts of the town on the northern river bank.
The WDS update to this game and the realization that I could make sub-scenarios that fit my gaming preferences caused me to spend my afternoon laying out this scenario and to think about what other aspects of this campaign I could setup.

I am not sure how the Gold versions for the various Panzer Campaigns titles will be released, but I do think the new tweaks make the Stalingrad game more interesting and visually appealing.

Look for me to post this custom scenario file after Pzc Stalingrad Gold becomes available.  Hopefully by then I will have a few more interesting scenarios completed for you to download.

Comments

Marco said…
I had never play it in 3D, looks like when you use to mess with a magnet a tv, horrendous. This looks better, did you use graphical mods?
Chris said…
HI Marco. The new gold version has some graphics changes. It is an improvement over the original game. The 3D counter view now reminds me of AGEOD games. Too bad they don't display stats beneath them.
Marco said…
This games need to redone the graphics. The OOB are great, the maps are terrific in the simplification and representation of natural features, the gameplay requires a lot of work (perhaps to much move of counters) but is good. They need to make it look less like an old version of win 3.1. Even if you like this games, when you are hours moving platoons you get tired of those graphics.

I also don´t like the artillery representation, I'm playing 3 great campaigns by PBEM in different games, and the arty is responsible of like 5% of the deaths, even if I got an enemy unit in travel mode from time to time. The other 95% are bullets and assaults. In war the percentages were almost the opposite, the 29th US division for example reported 75% casulities by shells.
Chris said…
Marco that is a really good point about the effectiveness of the artillery in the game and I totally agree. Not well done.
Zardoz said…
I always find the AI to be the weakest part of the classic Tiller games. Has the WDS improved that at all?
Chris said…
I like the AI for WDS's Panzer Battles. I haven't played enough Panzer Campaigns to judge the difference. I will contact them though and try to find out. Thanks for the comment!

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