Month: March 2017

By Ian Boudreau @ The Wargamer

Now approaching its sixteenth year, the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan is the longest armed conflict in American history, and arguably one of the most difficult to capture in a wargame format. That’s probably why Afghanistan ‘11 isn’t really a wargame, but rather a strategy game about a specific kind of war: counterinsurgency. As such, the game is less concerned with enemy casualty counts and focuses instead of the decidedly fuzzier notion of “winning hearts and minds” as laid out in the COIN theory.

Read on…

Afghanistan '11 Strategy and Wargaming | Donster | March 29, 2017 |

Paradox Issues First Video Salvo for Steel Division: Normandy 44

First Trailer Released with In-Game Footage; Multiplayer Streams Coming from EGX Rezzed

Paradox Interactive, a publisher with a robust video division, today released the first trailer made with in-game footage of Steel Division: Normandy 44. Developed by the veteran strategy-game creators at Eugen Systems, Steel Division: Normandy 44 is an upcoming tactical real-time strategy game for Windows PCs that puts players in command of World War II military divisions. Featuring historically accurate units and environments as displayed in Eugen’s IRISZOOM engine, the game allows for battles to play out in extreme detail whether viewed from a broad overhead perspective or while focused on a single unit.

See Steel Division: Normandy 44 in action and envision your own division with the new gameplay trailer.

This weekend, Paradox and Eugen will be featuring several live streams of Steel Division: Normandy 44 from the show floor of EGX Rezzed in London. Multiplayer games will be broadcast featuring developers and show attendees, and game features will be highlighted in a developer stream on Paradox’s Twitch channel. All streams will be available at https://www.twitch.tv/paradoxinteractive, and the stream schedule will be as follows:

Thursday, March 30th, 14:30 GMT: Developer Stream with Paradox and Eugen
Friday, March 31st , 11:00 GMT: Live Multiplayer
Saturday, April 1st, 11:30 GMT: Live Multiplayer

For more information on Steel Division: Normandy 44, visit the games official website.

Battlefield 1: They Shall Not Pass Released

Source: Blue’s News

Origin now offers They Shall Not Pass, the first DLC pack for Battlefield 1, the World War I shooter. Here’s word on what this offers:

New mode – Frontlines: Force your way through the enemy line and claw back precious territory in the newest game mode for Battlefield 1. Both teams battle over a series of control points to capture the enemy’s HQ, then dive into frantic Rush-style combat to destroy or defend critical telegraph posts.
4 brand new maps: The hardened veterans of the French army make a stand in a brutal defense of their homeland. Fight through blazing forest fires, brave close-quarters combat, and engage in full-on tank warfare as you try to capture precious territory, or save your home from invaders.
New Behemoth: the Char 2C: Based on the real-world French tank, this super-heavy beast remains one of the biggest and most heavily-armored tanks ever made. When the enemy has your back to the wall, the Char 2C is just what you need to turn the tide of battle and win the day.
Thrilling new features: The battlefield gets even bigger with a new army, new vehicles and more. Discover a whole new set of tools to dominate the enemy team.

Battlefield 1 First-Person Shooters | Donster | March 29, 2017 |

Two New Multiplayer Voice Over Packs Now Available for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

call-of-duty-infinite-warfare Two new voices join the multiplayer action in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare with the Method Man and U.K. Special Forces Voice Over Packs now available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and PC soon after. A unique way to personalize and enhance the multiplayer experience, VO packs replace the standard in-game commentary with custom dialogue narrated by recognizable characters from Call of Duty and beyond.

“Infinite Warfare is all about customizing your multiplayer experience to suit the way you want to play,” said Dave Stohl, Studio Head of Infinity Ward. “We’ve built the game around the ability to personalise your rigs, loadouts and weapons in really cool ways, so now we’re taking it a step further. What better way than to change up your MP commentator? It’s a ton of fun and we hope fans will get a kick out of what we have in store.”

The U.K. Special Forces VO Pack features Craig Fairbrass, the voice of “Ghost” from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. This tough-talking British Soldier narrates all the action with his trademark grit and style, while striking the nostalgic chord for longtime fans of the franchise. The U.K. Special Forces VO Pack is free for all players.

The Method Man VO Pack features the legendary hip hop artist from the Wu-Tang Clan, guiding you through multiplayer combat. The American rapper, producer and actor dials up the intensity, updating you on killstreaks, enemy activity and adding some extra flavor to every MP firefight.

For more information, please visit www.callofduty.com.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare First-Person Shooters | Donster | March 29, 2017 |

Order of Battle: Kriegsmarine – New Features Detailed

Kriegsmarine is the upcoming DLC for the Order of Battle series and it covers the German Navy’s efforts to challenge Allied superiority at sea. From the shores of the Baltic to the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean, you will lead a smaller varied fleet of destroyers, cruisers and battleships, submarines, seaplanes tenders and carriers, as well as Marines units specialized in amphibious assaults.

This DLC marks, of course, a return to naval mechanics. The team has put a lot of focus in expanding the naval aspects of the series with Kriegsmarine, and to best represent naval warfare they implemented several new features. Let’s look at them, shall we?

Read on…

Order of Battle: Kriegsmarine Strategy and Wargaming | Donster | March 29, 2017 |

Scourge of War: Wavre Announced

scourge-of-war-wavre After the victory at Ligny and at Quatre Bras (even if this latter less decisive), the French have forced Wellington’s Anglo-allied army to a defensive re-deployment at Waterloo. To avoid any interference from the Prussians, the aile droite of the l’Armée du Nord lead by Marshal Groucy is sent, consisting of 33,000 men and 80 guns.

The Battle of Wavre is about to commence!

Get more information about Scourge of War: Wavre from its official product page!

Scourge of War: Wavre Strategy and Wargaming | Donster | March 29, 2017 |

Take a Tour of the Safe House in Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3

Every soldier needs a safe place to rest, recuperate and gear up for his or her next mission. Today, CI Games invites you into the welcoming environs of the Jon North’s Safe House in Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3.

As one may predict by the name, the Safe House is a safe place where our lead protagonist can sleep to a designated hour, craft and purchase items, choose equipment loadouts and begin missions. There are different safe houses to be discovered in the northern part of the Republic of Georgia, many of which contain loot or new weapons to equip. After they’re discovered, players can fast travel back to these locations as long as they aren’t in a designated mission area.

Listed below are some key things players can access in the Safe House:

The Weapon Cache is a place where the player can change his or her loadouts. Primary weapons, secondary weapons, side-arms, gadgets, weapon skins and armors can be purchased and equipped here.

At the Workbench, the player is able to craft regular and special bullets, gadgets and medkits using resources found in the world. There are five kinds of resources, each used in different proportions to craft different equipment such as special bullets, gadgets, and modify weapons and attachments.
The currency in Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 is called ‘Trading Goods’. Player can purchase almost everything available in game for it – starting of grenades and medkits, ending with weapons. The Trading Goods can be acquired by various actions during gameplay: completing main story missions, completing side operations, finding collectibles, assassinating most wanted targets, helping civilians or just simply found in the world.

Special Bullets:

Luring Bullet: Can be used to lure enemies into desired spots while not raising an alarm. Players can easily dispose of enemies that can be seen by others. Simply lure them out of sight and take them out. It can also lure enemies out from behind obstacles and into view.
Tagging Bullet: Extracts a pulse that locates enemies through obstacles. It allows players to tag enemies in places where flying the drone would be too risky or would take too much time.
Armor Piercing: Can be used to take out targets hiding in cover, so thin walls, fences, and even metal will no longer stop shots. It’s very effective against armored vehicles.
EMP: Emits an electromagnetic pulse that disables vehicles and electronic devices within a small radius. A well-placed shot can ensure enemy reinforcements won’t arrive on the location, disable CCTV cameras, or can lure enemies by frying a power generator.
• Explosive Bullet: If you no longer care about stealth, then this is your bullet of choice for one-shot, one-kill sniping.
DARPA: Experimental homing bullets that allow players to ignore wind and gravity, making these severe-condition shots much easier to execute.

Gadgets/ combat gear are a large set of tools available through crafting or purchase that will help players execute their planned approach. These gadgets differ in their intended use, ranging from offensive frag grenades to defensive warning devices, but it’s ultimately up to players to choose how they’d want to use them.

The C4 charge, typically an offensive item, can be planted as a diversion to make enemies leave their posts and investigate what’s happening while the player sneaks past them.
The throwing knife can be used to silently take out enemies without expending valuable suppressor durability, but can also be a last-resort attack in case of a spent magazine. By choosing gadgets that best suit their style, players can greatly expand the variety of available tactics.

The player can modify weapons with currently unlocked attachments. New attachments, weapons and gadgets can be unlocked by completing missions, but can also be found distributed on outposts or out in the world. New attachments can be unlocked by accomplishing open-world activities such as saving civilians. Once unlocked, attachments can be purchased from the shop along with ammo, gadgets, med-kits and armor using the in-game currency.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 launches on the PlayStation®4 system, Xbox One and Windows PC on April 25, 2017. To learn more about Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3, visit the games official website.

First-Person Shooters Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 | Donster | March 28, 2017 |

Call of Duty: WWII Leaked Online

Source: Guru3D

It appears that the next Call of Duty game, that is being developed by Sledgehammer Games, will be called Call of Duty: WWII. From what we know, Sledgehammer will bring Call of Duty back to its roots, and it appears that its first artworks have been leaked online.

It’s worth noting that the source behind this leak is the same one that also leaked Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare a year ago. Not only that, but the title font appears to be similar to what Activision has been using, so this seems like the real deal.

The leaked images show that Call of Duty 2017, developed by Sledgehammer Games, will take place during the World War II era.

The images above show artwork that Activision appears to be creating for promotional images for the title. It also appears that Activision has decided to be straightforward with the naming scheme for the game and call it ‘Call of Duty: WWII’. This would be, probably, the simplest name for a Call of Duty game since before Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.