Squad-Level Eastern Front Combat
Despite the name, this is not a strategic Eastern Front game, but one at a tactical level: individual soldiers, tanks, and vehicles are modelled, with infantry ordered at the level of several-man groups, or by issuing orders to a squad as a whole. Hailed as one of the greatest wargames ever published, it received multiple game-of-the-year awards from the industry press.
It's quite a large game; the demo may only be 60 MB, but the full game clocks in at over a gig, because thousands of different unit types are modelled. Some 70 scenarios (most playable in an hour or less) simulate small-unit actions in terrain resembling that across the Eastern Front, from Romania to Finland--and units of the Axis minor allies, as well as the Germans and Russians, are included.
It's turn-based, not an RTS; you give orders to your units, then watch as 60 seconds of combat play out. As a result, there's more of a sense of strategic planning than most games provide, and a higher level of realism in the underlying combat model.
The AI is strong enough to provide a reasonable level of opposition, and at scenario start, you can crank the difficulty up or down, if you wish. In addition, two-player play is possible via TCP/IP, email, or 'hot seat' (players sitting down alternately to plan their moves).
If what you prize in a combat game is richness of detail, historical accuracy, a high level of research, it's hard to go wrong with the Combat Mission series; and unlike some of our titles, they don't require you to compromise over much in terms of graphics, either. While this isn't a recent AAA title, it's visually still pretty nice during play.
The Developer Says
Basics
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin (CMBB) is the revolutionary successor to the award winning game system pioneered in Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord. Bigger, bolder, larger in scope with layers of more detail, it is the epitome of the state of the art in combat simulations.
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin is a 1-2 player, hybrid turn-based/realtime 3D simulation of WWII tactical warfare on the Eastern Front from 1941 to 1945.
Experience combat in a full 3D battlefield as tracers arc overhead and exploding shells shake the earth! Feel the tremendous power of the feared Russian Katyusha rocket barrage! Order a tank hunter team to assault a heavy KV-1 with Panzerfausts and magnetic mines in the ruins of a shattered city! The fluid game interface combines with 3D lines of sight, misidentification of targets, enemy detection by sound, advanced armor penetration systems, unit morale and leadership effects, spreading fires and billowing smoke, wind and weather – and much more to bring you unprecedented realism in a computer simulation.
Setting
Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin covers the entire war on the Eastern Front from the commencement of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941 to the fall of Berlin in May 1945. Four geographical regions are modeled, from Finland to the Black Sea with each having their own unique forces present, terrain and weather.
Battles and Operations can be designed, modified and customized by the player with the full Editor that is built into the game. Create your own maps, save them and even re-use them in different battles using the new Map Import Feature or let the powerful Automap creator do it for you.
Scale
Units are squads, teams, and individual vehicles. You can command a force as small as a depleted platoon, or as large as a several reinforced battalions. Each man and weapon is kept track of for maximum realism. Even hand grenades are tracked!
Full Tables of Organization and Equipment (TO&E) for the seven nations represented (Germany, Russia, Finland, Italy, Hungaria, Romania, Poland) are modeled with thousands of different unit types available depending on the year, month and region.
There are two types of maps in CMBB: Battle and Operation maps. Individual fights will occur across a Battle map while the longer operations (several linked battles) are fought with the Operation maps. Battle maps can be up to 9 square kilometers in size while Operation maps can be up to 24 square kilometers.
Scope
Each turn is equal to 60 seconds of combat. Players give orders in a turn-based fashion, and then these orders are simultaneously executed for 60 seconds of "real time". Then the next orders phase begins. A typical scenario lasts about 20-40 turns, or 20-40 minutes of simulated combat but this can be adjusted by the player.
Features
There is so much new, different, and better about Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin that it is hard to know where to start! Most features break with "standard" conventions, like spotting via sound, or misidentification of targets. Others simply do a much better job, like the instant feedback 3D LOS check. Still others go into uncharted territory, like the adjustable waypoint movement system and incredibly accurate armor penetration algorithms.
Battles and Operations can be designed, modified and customized by the player with the full Editor that is built into the game. Create your own maps, save them and even re-use them in different battles using the new Map Import Feature or let the powerful Automap creator do it for you.
Use the Quick Battle Generator to make a new battle for limitless replayability or play one of 70 included Scenarios and Operations.
When you can pull yourself away from the computer sit back and read through the 266 page manual.
Historical Accuracy
Using the research and effort put into Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord as a benchmark, we have gone even further with Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin to bring you the utmost in historical integrity.
Fully researched and detailed TO&E (Tables of Organization and Equipment) for all seven nations.
Accurate OOB's (Orders of Battle) for 5 years of conflict, 1941-45.
Optional Historical Rarity of Units ensures players will no longer have to worry that their opponents "cherry picked" their forces.
Advanced and updated armor penetration algorithms where even the amount and density of the armor *plug* that is pushed into a vehicle from a penetration is now calculated and modeled.
Meticulously researched vehicle and uniform models, paint schemes and even sound effects help to bundle Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin in a package that is a joy for the eyes, ears and mind to behold.
Summation
Two years ago we set the bar for quality and gameplay to unprecedented heights with the release of Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord. With the release of Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin we will leave no doubt in your mind that we have created to most historically accurate, enjoyable and authentic wargame to date. Check out the Demo and see for yourselves. We began the wargame revolution, with Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin we give you the chance to join us!
Reviews
"Turn-based Strategy Game of the Year (2002). Awesomely realistic graphics, sound and detail; a feeling of real command… feels like war - sometimes almost frighteningly so… a personal war movie with scenarios that draw you right into battle... 90%"
- PC Gamer
"Whether it's the tide-turning ambush, the seemingly invulnerable lone tank, or the Sqaud That Wouldn't Quit, CMBB makes the game come alive in a way possible only on the computer. That's quite an achievement, and well worth the award of Wargame of the Year."
- Computer Gaming World
"Barbarossa to Berlin raises the wargaming bar even higher with its pitch-perfect, ultra-polished improvements to an already great game... Now that World War II is such a popular setting in first-person shooters, Combat Mission is a perfect venue for action-oriented gamers to have a more in-depth but no less exciting look at the subject matter.... 9.1 out of 10."
- Gamespot
"Great graphics; easy and exciting enough to appeal to average gamers, but enough fidelity and complexity to please the most hardcore wargamers... It's truly great stuff, whether you're a hardcore grognard or simply a gamer looking for excitement that doesn't involve orcs or elves or zombies... Don't let the fact that this is a wargame fool you, this is one of the best games available on a PC (or Mac).... 94%"
- Gamespy
"Not only is it one of the greatest wargames we've ever played, it also takes everything that normally makes wargames so inaccessible and throws it right out the window. A slick interface keeps you focused on tactics while the level of detail and modeling forces you to adopt realistic strategies. Add to that the comprehensive range of units and scenarios and you have a game that you won't put down for years to come. 9.0 out of 10."
- IGN
"Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin is easy to play, has attractive 3D graphics, the underlying calculations are immensely intricate, the AI is competent, and the parameters are highly adjustable. It is very nice that the program exhibits stability and runs acceptably on less than the most powerful computers. "
Awards
Best Turn-Based Strategy Game, 2002, PC Gamer
Wargame of the Year, Computer Gaming World
Editor's Choice Award, Gamespot
Editor's Choice Award, IGN
Best Game of the Year and Reader's Choice Award, The Wargamer