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Sudden Strike
By Steve MacGregorSound
In-game sounds are acceptable without being exceptional. Explosions are suitably throaty, and small arms fire crackles nicely (though with no attempt to differentiate between the sounds of different weapons). Units usually respond to orders in their own language (though I noticed an alarming tendency for Russian and Allied troops to occasionally acknowledge orders with “Jahwol, Herr Oberst”. Spies?), and idle troops may burst into song.
The in-game music (which I confess I turned off very early in the review process) is nicely varied between sombre classical music and Bangin Choonz.
Game Controls
Controlling your units is very simple. Left click with the mouse to select a single unit (or drag a box round a group of units to select more than one), and right click (or use a keyboard shortcut) to instruct the unit to perform an action. It is also possible to assign units to groups, and issue orders to those groups. Move the mouse pointer to the edge of the screen to scroll around the map, or use the minimap to jump to different areas of the map.
However, there are two features that give the player more flexibility than is usual in RTS games. The first is the ability to queue orders. By holding down the shift key while giving and order to a unit (or group of units), you can give a series of orders. For example, it is possible to order an infantryman to go to a section of road, place a mine in the road, and then take cover in adjacent trees in one move. Add to this the ability to issue orders while the game is paused, and you have the opportunity to construct elaborate and complex strategy for your troops to follow.
Units
The units in he game are loosely based on their historical counterparts. However, CDV have taken a broad brush approach to the accurate portrayal of units. So, for example, you can expect a Tiger tank to win a one-to-one duel with a T-34, but the weapons of each will have the same range. In general, the differentiation between units is sufficient to emphasise the importance of combined arms operation, without claiming to be slavishly accurate. Thus tanks are largely impervious to small arms fire, but will succumb to fire from other tanks, mortars and grenades. Infantry can attack A/T weapons without suffering large scale casualties, but will be wiped out by mortar or howitzer fire if they are caught in the open. A/A weapons can be effective against infantry, but are very vulnerable to attacks by armour. In general (and considering that this is very much a game and not a simulation) units performed as one might expect in relation to each other. My only doubts related to the seeming fragility of the Russian KV-1 and the disproportionate strength of the German Tiger.
Here, two Comets advance, supported by a Churchill Crocodile and a Valantine infantry tank
There is a pleasing range of units in the game, each accurately depicted and each with its own strengths, weaknesses and abilities. Infantry can attack with small arms and grenades, sweep mines and lay mines. Officers can see much further than regular infantry, but are lightly armed. Specialist infantry units such as flame-throwers, man-portable A/T weapons, heavy machine guns and snipers are all present, each with their own particular abilities. Infantry can move (slowly) on foot, or can be loaded into trucks, jeeps and APCs for more rapid transport. Infantry are also required to man mortars, fixed machine guns and other heavy weapons. They can also capture enemy heavy weapons and occupy houses, bunkers and emplacements. Injured infantry can be healed by loading them into ambulances. Infantry are the most numerous units in the game, often dying by the hundred in a valiant attempt to carry out your misguided orders.
Several varieties of AFV are available in the game. Tanks (light, medium and heavy), tank killers, mobile artillery, APCs and armoured cars all trundle across the battlefield to do your bidding. Like infantry, these armoured behemoths come in a variety of historically accurate types, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Generally, tanks have main weapons with great power and long range, hampered only by their inability to see far. For this reason, tanks operating without infantry are very vulnerable to attack from weapons outside their range of view. Tanks are also vulnerable to mines, which they cannot see. Supporting infantry however, can be use to clear mines ahead of tanks.
There are a selection of other combat units in the game such as mobile and fixed AA guns, field guns, howitzers, jeeps, mortars, tripod mounted machine guns and A/T guns. The sheer variety of units offers the gamer several different ways to accomplish any mission.
US infantry assault a bunker
One of the most important units in the game is the Supply Truck. This unit can repair any damaged unit (other than infantry), and replenish the ammunition of any unit. Some units have more than one weapon (tanks, for example, have a main gun and a machine gun). All units are subject to a limited supply of ammunition for each weapon. If they fire for long enough, they will run out of ammunition. Weapons have independent supplies of ammo so, for example, it is possible for a tank to run out of main gun ammo, while still being able to use its machine gun. It is vital to monitor the ammunition supply of units if they are not to run out of ammo at some critical period in a battle. Supply trucks can replenish the ammunition supplies of all units. Supply trucks themselves can run out of ammo, and have to be re-supplied from main stores, or air-dropped supplies. Supply trucks can also perform several other vital tasks. For example, they can build pontoon bridges, tank traps and barbed wire entanglements and repair bridges. You will generally not have many Supply Trucks at the beginning of a mission, and you must guard them carefully if you are to succeed.
All units have certain attributes. These are: Life, Experience and Ammunition (main and secondary where appropriate). Life is a measure of the health of a unit. If a unit takes a small amount of damage, this will be automatically repaired. If larger amounts of damage are suffered, the unit can be repaired (by an ambulance for infantry, and a supply truck for all other units). If a unit takes serious damage, and is not repaired, its Life will slowly decline to zero, at which point the unit is destroyed. Experience is a measure of a unit's ability to shoot accurately and use natural cover. More experienced units also take less damage from enemy fire. All these attributes are shown by a coloured bar which appears under the unit when it is selected, and by an information bar on the main screen. At 1024 x 768 I found the coloured bar to be so small as to be unreadable, but as the information is also available on the main screen, this wasn’t too much of a problem. There are no morale effects in the game. Infantry fight to the last man unless you specifically order them to withdraw or seek cover.
The information bar
Aircraft are also available in the game. Air Scouts perform reconnaissance. Transport aircraft can drop supplies or paratroops. Bombers, er, bomb (I’ll bet you guessed that one). Depending on their purpose, aircraft can be assigned several action waypoints. These are assigned as you call up one or more aircraft to perform a mission. However, you have no direct control of the aircraft other than setting up these waypoints, so it is depressingly common to find them flying lemming-like over enemy AA defences before plummeting to the ground in a shower of flame.
Apart from their willingness to die horribly, most units behave in a sensible way when you issue orders. Infantry assume the prone position when under fire, pathfinding abilities are generally good, and it is rare to find a unit nonchalantly ignoring a nearby firefight. Several units (such as Supply trucks and mortars) will act independently of your orders, removing the need to constantly micro-manage every action.
