Back in August Shenandoah Studio rather surprisinglyannounced that their next game was not going to be the expected El-Alamein, but instead would be Drive on Moscow covering the Germanattack on the USSR starting in 1941. (seeandfor details).We are now just a couple of days away from the officiallaunch (hum, does this make it a winter offensive in Russia? What couldpossibly go wrong?) and we thought that readers might like to have some firstimpressions of the actual game. A full review will be published to coincidewith release all being well.Player of Battle ofthe Bulge will immediately feel at home with Drive on Moscow as it uses the same interface and game playmechanisms. For those who haven?t tried?Bulge? (why not?) then have a look atour review from earlier this year - there are good reasons it has proved so popular.
The game is very easy topick up and the interface is pretty intuitive. As with?Bulge? There is a goodtutorial to take you through those basics, and you can play either side in theconflict. It is well worth reading through the various information sectionsprovided that cover the rules, history and objectives.?Bulge?
Veterans willwant to read through the new options and units available, especially those forthe Soviets in my opinion, so as not to be caught out when they are usedagainst you, or to use yourself.There are 3 scenarios provided in addition to the complete Drive on Moscow campaign. The scenarioslast 4, 5 or 6 turns whilst the full campaign lasts 22. German victory isachieved by accumulation of Victory Points which are gained, or lost, dependingon who holds certain key points on the map and lost for the destruction ofGerman units. The Soviets win by restricting the German VPs.
Pricing for RV storage in Moscow Mills, Missouri. The biggest factor when it comes to RV storage prices in Moscow Mills, Missouri is size. Below are some monthly price ranges you can expect to see in Moscow Mills, Missouri based on different storage unit sizes.
The Germans canwin an instant victory, however, by holding Moscow at the end of any impulse?but this is hard to achieve.Fundamentally Drive onMoscow is a bigger, better version of Battleof the Bulge? Tramp tower construction simi valley. Bigger even better looking map, more units, more weather, moreoptions and, from initial experience, more depth and game play. With an AI thatgives you a real challenge, making intelligent choices, what more could we askfor?? Well, in my case a bit more strategic nous would be a good start, Ihaven?t won yet?Overall, from my preview playing of Drive on Moscow, it looks like Shenandoah have another winner ontheir hands.Drive on Moscowrequires iOS7.
Shenandoah a wargame developer who started his career with extraordinary ambitions and achievements. The first game released on iOS, Battle of the Bulge, has achieved extraordinary success: one hundred thousand copies sold, an enormity for a tough and pure strategic. The secret of the success of this title probably lay in the elegant and efficient graphic interface and in the simple but profound gameplay, able to tell the story of one of the most famous battles ever in a few moves but with many interesting choices. This combination of qualities make it, still today, an extraordinary title, especially on iOS, a sort of game that cannot be missing on the iPad of any fan, not only of wargames, but also of strategic games.
Yes, because Battle of the Bulge succeeded in the task of bringing the wargame logics to a decidedly more attractive level without changing genres and without making the exercise sterile and / or uninteresting. The recipe was so appreciated that Shenandoah rightly thought of extending the idea, and the engine of the game, to two sequels, Drive on Moscow and Desert fox, respectively set during the last part of Operation Barbarossa (the Russian campaign designed by Hitler in WWII) and in Africa during the battle for Al Alamein between Germans (and Italians) and English (with the relative allies of the CommonWealth ).
Now Drive on Moscow has arrived on PS4 and this is an initiative that deserves attention because if the reception on Steam was lukewarm, on console the offer could be more interesting because it is more in line with the logic of the hardware and, above all, extremely original ( there are no other games of this genre, on PS4 at all).
As mentioned, Drive on Moscow set during the last part of the Barbarossa operation, or the last push that, in the ideas of Hitler and his generals, should have led to the conquest of Moscow and, in all probability, to the capitulation of Stalin . The battles of this phase of the war on the Russian front go by the name of Operation Typhoon and, as often happened in WWII, revolve around the use of the main strategic weapon of the Wehrmacht, namely the Panzer divisions and their ability to sink devastating blows combined with powerful advances in enemy territory.
Drive On Moscow gameplay comes to life on a zone map, not hexagons. Word battle game downloads. This means that there are far fewer unique locations and that the borders, given that the areas have different shapes, are particular to each area, as are the terrain elements and their effects. Infantry units have limited mobility, while mechanized units can advance and thus attempt encirclements that make the trapped enemy much less effective and potentially eliminable.
The fights take place on a very dry screen that simply shows the factors of the two contenders and an animation in which the losses are observed and, in the end, any retreats or total destruction. Before the battle it is possible to observe a probabilistic prediction of how the combat will go with relative losses and explanations of what factors are at stake. Drive on Moscow completely transparent and leaves only a marginal part of the final results of the clashes to the die roll (however invisible); fights mostly end in the way that is expected (and suggested before the battle).
The terrain and, in general, the maneuver, have a great importance in Drive on Moscow, not only because the victory points are linked to territorial conquests (as well as to the destruction of the enemy), but also because the locations (thanks to the shapes of the areas and to the peculiarities of terrain) have different strategic values and allow the players who control them different arguments compared to the enemy with respective advantages and disadvantages.
The gameplay is also closely linked to historical and weather conditions. In the first rounds the Axis player has interesting advantages justified by the surprise factor in the attack (historical condition), while over time the Russians acquire the advantage related to a greater availability of troops and to the winter which prevents the Germans from maneuvering fluid and deep.
It thus becomes essential for both players to observe the calendar and set their moves in consideration of future conditions, not just current ones. While the German must try to focus on speed and rapid destruction of the enemy, the Russian can retreat, exploit the terrain and wait for better times, limiting losses and counterattacking as soon as he notices a weak point in the advance.
Drive on Moscow sports extraordinary production values, not so much for the quality of what you see on the screen, but for the precision of the project and for how it makes interaction and fun simple for the player. The game interface is essential but also pleasant to look at and created with uncommon care; everything works with buttons and following the splendid tutorials you learn to play in a few minutes thanks to simple explanations well illustrated by examples of the game. Each thematically rich screen and information is presented excellently. From this point of view Drive on Moscow a sort of 'case history' to be shown in game design schools: originally conceived for touch platforms (iPad), it has kept its immediacy almost intact even on PC and console.
The game map and the units mimic the classic physical wargames with square counters that represent the units and a well-designed 2D map, free of excessive frills and always clear. The animations are kept to a minimum (you shoot during battles), while music and sound effects are a thematic triumph and a joy for wargamer fans.
Most read now
Drive on Moscow can be played with both factions, solo against AI or with a friend in hotseat mode. Longevity makes use of more or less aggressive artificial intelligence (associated with generals of the time) and in general a rather high level of difficulty (especially for German forces) and a good AI. The game offers a challenge that sometimes resembles a roguelike as it tests the player's planning and recovery skills in desperate situations.
In addition to this, the game offers a mountain of historical information for anyone who wants to deepen the topic; also from this point of view the level of polish of the amazing and frankly exciting game for fans.
Ultimately Drive on Moscow an excellent port of a wargame that had already shown its great value at the time of the release on iOS. It is an inevitable title for all fans of the genre but also an interesting option for those who want to approach strategic turn-based games with a wargame depth.