Strategy and Wargaming

Create the ultimate castle and test your defences with custom invasions in ‘Free Build’

Firefly Studios has just released fresh Stronghold: Warlords gameplay featuring the unique ‘Free Build’ sandbox mode, in which players test their dream strongholds against increasingly challenging AI invasions. In Free Build players design a castle using near unlimited resources, customise its defences and finally launch wave after wave of invasions to put their creation to the test:

Extended Gameplay Trailer

Free Build Trailer

Free Build is designed to be played in many different ways. A selection of large open maps with picturesque scenery and monuments will allow players to build to their heart’s content. As in the main campaign, skirmish mode and multiplayer the titular Warlords mechanic can also be used to help build a dream citadel, sending key resources and providing buffs to their castle economy.

Invasions come with a host of options, including a selection of unique siege armies to throw at your castle walls. Test your mettle against everything from squads of tribesmen and stealthy ninja to battalions of cavalry and armoured legions with powerful siege weapons. The challenge can be further increased with invasion difficulty settings and the ability to add random events such as peasant revolts, moth infestations and deadly roaming tigers. Players will also be able to create custom Free Build maps, adding their own events, invasions and warlords to capture.

Castle builders will be able to access Free Build mode at launch on September 29th. Scheduled for release via Steam, players can find out more about Stronghold: Warlords by visiting the game’s official website.

Field of Glory 2 has been updated to version 1.5.3, with new units coming from the TT Mod officially added!

Some Army Lists have been edited accordingly, to better integrate the new units.

Have a look at the full changelog HERE.

Key changes:

Units:
◦ Our grateful thanks go to Paul Adaway, author of TT Mod, for permission to use units from TT mod in the main game, and Stephen Hales of Little Big Men Studios for permission to use his shield pattern designs in TT Mod units. https://www.littlebigmenstudios.com/
◦ Added Euzonoi from TT Mod: Light Foot, Protected, Javelins, Light Spear, 50% Swordsmen. 33 points.
◦ Added 3 early German warbands, 2 Dacian warbands and 1 later German warband from TT Mod.
◦ Added new eastern-style Armoured Noble Lancers and Noble Lancers from TT Mod.
◦ Added Germanic-style TT Mod textures to existing Armoured Noble Lancers and Noble Lancers.
◦ Greek and Thracian peltasts and Velites become Light Foot, Lightly Protected, Javelins, Light Spear, 50% Swordsmen. Point cost remains 30.
◦ Sub-Roman Foot units increased to 720 men (12 models) and cost to 41 points.

Army Lists:
◦ Greek Peltasts replaced by Euzonoi in Greek and Spartan lists from 280 BC.
◦ Replaced existing warbands with early German Warbands in German Foot Tribes 105 BC – 259 AD list.
◦ Replaced existing warbands with Dacian Warbands in Dacian lists 50 BC – 380 AD.
◦ Replaced existing average warbands with later Germanic Warbands in Germanic Foot Tribes 260-599 AD, Germanic Horse Tribes 260-492 AD, Hunnic (Western) and (Sabir) lists 250-558 AD, Roman lists 379-492 AD, Romano-British 407-599 AD, Kingdom of Soissons 461-486 AD, Visigothic 419-621 AD, Frankish lists 260-499 AD, Gepid 493-567 AD , Lombard lists 493-569 AD, Anglo-Saxon 449-599 AD.
◦ Replaced Armoured Noble Lancers and Noble Lancers with eastern-style version in appropriate lists.
◦ Unit numbers adjusted in Romano-British 407-599 list. Roman allies removed – their existence was highly speculative, and unbalancing in tournament games.
◦ Kingdom of Soissons list changed to use Sub-Roman Foot instead of Limitanei.
◦ Added thureophoroi to Pyrrhic 274-272 list.

Slitherine announces ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile). A real-time strategy game of nuclear destruction.

Research new technologies, build up your nuclear stockpile and use a combination of ships, planes and missiles to strike at the heart of your opponents’ cities while keeping your population safe from harm.

Watch the ICBM Announcement Trailer HERE.

PREPARE FOR WAR
Take command of one of the continents of the world and prepare yourself for global nuclear conflict. It is your job to ensure the complete and total destruction of your enemies, while you do all in your power to prevent enemy retaliation against your peace-loving citizens. Will you focus on developing new technologies, or mass producing existing ones? It takes a true strategist to research and build a balanced force that can deal with a multitude of enemy tactics.

SINGLE PLAYER AND ONLINE MULTIPLAYER MODE
Fight against an advanced AI in single-player of face up to 6 human opponents in online multiplayer mode. Play in free for all, fixed teams or coop games, all while improving your ELO score as you climb the leaderboard. Form alliances, but remember that betrayal is always an option – like in the Cold War age, there are no reliable allies.

FULL MODDING SUPPORT
Up for something different? ICBM comes with full modding support out of the box. Add or change maps, units, technologies, rules, graphics and much more.

APPLY FOR THE BETA and join the Discord server to support ICBM and to challenge the developer in a nuclear destruction war.

Find out more about ICBM on the games official product page.

Matrix Games has announced that Command LIVE – Aegean in Flames is now available. The twelfth LIVE episode in the series depicts the outcomes of war in the Aegean Sea, where tensions between Greece and Turkey escalate to a point of no return.

Command LIVE – Aegean in Flames is the newest LIVE scenario for Command: Modern Operations, depicting a fictional scenario where new tensions between Greece and Turkey escalate to a point of no-return amidst the COVID-19 crisis.

KEY FEATURES

• Playable as Greece (main side) and Turkey (opponent force)
• Vast Theater of Operations covering the whole Eastern Mediterranean from Crete to the shores of Lebanon
• Spec Ops Ground Units for Reckon/Sabotage and Laser Designation (PGM Guidance) missions
• SAR script for downed pilots
• Dense IADS network on both sides including Patriot PAC-3 (MIM-104), S-300 PMU-1 (SA-20), Crotale NG, HAWK (MIM-23), Buk M1(SA-17), OSA AKM (SA-8), Tor M1 (SA-15) on the Greek side and recently delivered S-400 (SA-21b), upgraded Rapier B1X, Altigan and HAWK (MIM-23) on the Turkish side

Get more information about Command LIVE: Aegean in Flames from its official product page.

Command LIVE: Aegean in Flames is part of the Command LIVE Bundle. Check it out and get 25% of discount of all the products listed.

Increase Your Power in Latest Expansion to Paradox Classic

Power for the sake of power is empty. No truly great ruler seeks a legacy of selfish adoration. Do it to raise the people. Do it to shield the faith. Do it to preserve centuries of tradition. Rule as the Emperor to rewrite history and remake the world. Rule in Europa Universalis IV: Emperor.

Emperor is the latest expansion to Paradox Development Studio’s flagship series, Europa Universalis IV. This add-on to the best-selling grand strategy game about the Early Modern world returns its focus to Europe, with changes and additions to game concepts familiar to players. The Catholic Church is given new energy, the Holy Roman Empire is more interactive and Revolutions spread from hotbeds of discontent.

Watch the Europa Universalis IV: Emperor Release Trailer HERE.

Features of Europa Universalis IV: Emperor include:

• A Powerful Pope: Appoint cardinals, publish Papal Bulls and gather tithes. The Vatican and Papal Controller now have new abilities to sway the souls of Christendom.
• New Holy Roman Empire Systems: Imperial Incidents provide new challenges to the Emperor’s power and authority. Will your empire follow a course to a centralized monarchy or decentralized federation?
• Revolutions Revamped: The spirit of Revolution is a contagion that must be either embraced or vigorously opposed. Use the zeal of revolutionary guard units to fight reactionaries at home and abroad.
• The Hussite Faith: Bohemia has an early game chance to embrace heresy and stand alone against the Pope until The Reformation.
• Hegemonies: Seize the mantle of global leadership if you accumulate great wealth and armies, but be prepared to face great opposition from those who question your right to rule.
• New Missions: Over 20 new unique mission trees for a variety of European nations
• Defender of Faith: With great responsibility comes great power. Defending a major religion should be different from defending an insignificant one. Now it is!
• The Council of Trent and Counter-Reformation: Join other Catholic rulers to slow down the spread of the Reformation by making concessions to the unruly mob or harshly imposing the will of God.
• Provoke Rebellions: Risk a larger rebellion now while you think you can manage it instead of waiting for discontent to take its course

As is customary, Emperor is released alongside a major update to Europa Universalis IV, freely available to all players. This update makes changes to the game map, how estates work, mercenary recruitment and much more.

Europa Universalis IV: Emperor is now available at the Paradox store and major online retail outlets for the suggested retail price of $19.99/ £15.49/ €19.99.

When Panzer Corps 2 launched in March we saw a very good critical response and we were joined by many thousands of players, all eager to fire up their Panzers and dive into classic WW2 gameplay on a beautiful new game engine. With that launch there was also an offer of a Field Marshal Edition of the game that included the first two DLCs that will be coming to Panzer Corps 2.

Now we’re finally ready to reveal details of the first two of Panzer Corps 2′s exciting post-launch additions. We’re calling them the new Axis Operations campaigns!

The New Axis Operations

Ever since Panzer Corps 2 was announced, a new Grand Campaign was by far the most frequent request which we heard from our players. It was hardly surprising, because the Grand Campaign was the most popular series of DLCs for the original game. We always listen to wishes of our community and give such things top priority. Axis Operations is our response to all of the people who wished for the creation of a new Grand Campaign. Simply put, it will be a series of campaigns that can be linked together, to form one giant, potentially 100+ scenario, behemoth of a campaign.

The Wehrmacht Campaign in Panzer Corps 2 is a good introductory campaign which many players have enjoyed and learnt the basics of Panzer Corps 2 gameplay in the process. But it was not without problems. Some issues which you, the community, raised were: missing mission debriefings, degrees of victory, historical heroes and the need for more varied objectives. In general, some players felt that the campaign did not offer enough storytelling and immersion in historical events.

Axis Operations will address all these issues. There will be more storytelling and interesting characters in these campaigns. There will also be a lot of innovation in terms of gameplay features, mission design, bonus objectives and rewards for fulfilling them, and more. The AI won’t remain the same either, so be prepared for some nasty surprises from your computer opponent!

The original Panzer Corps Grand Campaign stretched from 1939 to 1945, covering a whopping 144 scenarios. Our aim is to go bigger and better for the new Axis Operations. Even though Panzer Corps DLCs covered a lot of historical ground, we will still visit lots of places never explored before, and battles which you’ve never fought in the past. Find it hard to believe? Read on.

The first two DLCs included with the Field Marshal Edition of Panzer Corps 2 represent the first two links of the Axis Operations chain.

For starters we aren’t going to begin in Poland this time. We’re turning the clock back a bit further and the first campaign of the Axis Operations takes the player to the prelude to World War II, the Spanish Civil War, which we will be releasing on July 16th. This campaign will give players the opportunity to experience content that not even the original Panzer Corps, with its extensive library of DLCs and expansion packs, managed to cover.

In Spanish Civil War you take command of the Condor Legion and in line with the Grand Campaign traditions you will be able to transfer your veterans, hardened by three years of fighting in Spain, to the next campaigns.

A unique and innovative feature of the Spanish Civil War campaign is how you will communicate and coordinate with your AI-controlled allies. Nationalist Spanish troops are not under your direct control, but you will still be able to issue high-level orders to your allies (like “Attack”, “Defend” and “Hold Ground”) so that their actions better match your own strategy. This creates a completely new experience never seen before in a Panzer Corps campaign. We can’t wait to hear your feedback about this new way of playing.

The next part of our future content plans will release on August 27th, and it will be Axis Operations: 1939.

But once again… we’re still not quite in Poland yet. Axis Operations 1939 starts in March of 1939, which I’m sure our history buffs will recognize as the important date when Germany marched into Czechoslovakia.

That scenario, by the way, has some very unusual mechanics attached to it. If you’ve ever wondered why they call them Panzer 35(t) and Panzer 38(t) you’ll found out here.

After that… we’re still not quite getting to Poland just yet. Something else happened in 1939, a battle that might have actually changed the course of history. There was a French invasion of Germany! We’re going to explore that conflict.

To compare with the original Grand Campaign, we’re already looking at more than 20 battles worth of new content before we get to the fighting in Poland in 1939.

After 1939 is completed, once again your CORE force will be saved, so that they will be ready for the next instalment of the Axis Operations.

Field Marshal Edition – 7 days Priority access

As mentioned above, the first two Axis Operations campaigns will release on July 16th and August 27th. We do have an extra surprise for all our Field Marshal Edition owners, though.

All of you who own the Field Marshal Edition will get priority access to the first two Axis Operations campaigns, a full seven days before their release dates!

Field Marshal Edition owners will be able to download, install and play Spanish Civil War on July 9th and 1939 on August 20th.

More information on both DLCs will be available in the future, with a complete description, scenarios list, details on new units and new screenshots!

Get more information on Panzer Corps 2 from its official product page.

Source: Blue’s News

EA announced that the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection is now available worldwide on PC via Origin and Steam, and as part of an Origin Access Premier subscription.

Watch the official launch trailer HERE.

Developed as a labor of love between EA and some of the original Westwood Studios team members at Petroglyph, the Remastered Collection is comprised of Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn, Command & Conquer: Red Alert and their three expansion packs – Covert Ops, Counterstrike and The Aftermath. Veteran fans and those new to the franchise can now experience one of the most beloved real-time strategy games in history with native 4K support, rebuilt multiplayer, enhanced UI, a seven hour remastered soundtrack by Frank Klepacki, modding support and much more.

Built with the community in mind from day-one, an active Community Council has been involved since early pre-production with 24/7 access to the teams at EA and Petroglyph to provide feedback during development. This feedback has helped shape features such as a revamped UI, updated controls, a Map Editor, and a modernized online multiplayer experience, featuring custom games, 1v1 quick match, Elo-based matchmaking, leaderboards, replays and much more.

“Our top priority when developing the Remastered Collection was to make sure the heart of Command & Conquer can be felt from the second you boot up the game,” said Jim Vessella, Lead Producer at EA. “We’ve been working hand-in-hand with the Westwood veterans at Petroglyph to ensure the iconic gameplay remains authentic while adding key features for a modern experience. We could not be more grateful for the C&C community’s support during this journey, and especially the feedback from our Community Council which has been integral in bringing this love-letter to life.”

Command & Conquer Remastered Collection features rebuilt graphics and textures from Lemon Sky Studios with native 4K support. Frank Klepacki, the composer from the original C&C titles, has remastered seven hours of music for the project, which includes over 20 tracks re-recorded with The Tiberian Sons. In addition, Command & Conquer is now one of the first ever major RTS franchises to open source their source code under the GPL. Earlier this week the TiberianDawn.dll and RedAlert.dll and their corresponding source code was released under the GPL version 3.0 license, which will unlock powerful mod support for the Remastered Collection and community projects for years to come.

Command & Conquer Remastered Collection is rated Teen by the ESRB and is available worldwide on Steam and Origin for PC for $19.99 USD. Origin Access Premier members will also get full access to the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection on PC today for as long as they are subscribed. Origin Access Basic members receive 10% off the full game. For more details, visit origin.com/origin-access.

Matrix Games has announced that Command LIVE – Aegean in Flames will be released next week on June 11th.

A team has been dispatched to the Aegean Sea to catch all info about the escalation between Greece and Turkey.

Check out their latest report from the front.

Command LIVE – Aegean in Flames is the newest LIVE scenario for Command: Modern Operations, depicting a fictional scenario where new tensions between Greece and Turkey escalate to a point of no-return amidst the COVID-19 crisis.

KEY FEATURES

• Playable as Greece (main side) and Turkey (opponent force)
• Vast Theater of Operations covering the whole Eastern Mediterranean from Crete to the shores of Lebanon
• Spec Ops Ground Units for Reckon/Sabotage and Laser Designation (PGM Guidance) missions
• SAR script for downed pilots
• Dense IADS network on both sides including Patriot PAC-3 (MIM-104), S-300 PMU-1 (SA-20), Crotale NG, HAWK (MIM-23), Buk M1(SA-17), OSA AKM (SA-8), Tor M1 (SA-15) on the Greek side and recently delivered S-400 (SA-21b), upgraded Rapier B1X, Altigan and HAWK (MIM-23) on the Turkish side

Get more information from its official Product Page.

Close Combat: The Longest Day is out now on Steam. Revive the first and most crucial days of Operation Overlord, from the first steps on the beaches of Normandy to Carentan and Carpiquet (and more).

This version benefits of many improvements and changes made specifically for this release, including new setting available for HD resolutions and it doesn’t require to run in windowed mode in Win 8/10 anymore!

To celebrate this important event, we have created a Close Combat Collection Bundle (The Bloody First, Gateway to Caen, Panthers in the Fog, Last Stand Arnhem, Wacht am Rhen, Close Combat: The Longest Day) at 30% off! Check it out!

Important note for Matrix users. Close Combat: The Longest Day Matrix version will need to be uninstalled and installed again to get the improvements working.

Source: Blue’s News

SEGA and Creative Assembly announce A Total War Saga: TROY will launch exclusively on the Epic Games Store on August 13th. They also reveal the historical strategy game will be free to keep for all who claim their copy within the first 24 hours of release. There are details on the game in the this FAQ, which says the game will come to Steam in summer 2021. In response to concerns expressed about the exclusivity, they tweet that they have no plans for future Epic exclusives: “We currently have no plans for any future games to be Epic exclusives. We do want to be more platform agnostic moving forward, and we would like future games to be available on the Epic Games Store, but that’s in addition to being available on other platforms such as Steam.” Here’s a new trailer and here’s the news:

Sega Europe Ltd. and The Creative Assembly Ltd today announced that A Total War Saga: TROY™ will launch exclusively via the Epic Games Store on August 13, 2020, free to keep for players who download within the first 24 hours.

Using Total War’s BAFTA award-winning marriage of grand turn-based strategy and spectacular real-time battles, A Total War Saga: TROY™ plunges players into the legendary Bronze-Age conflict of the Trojan War, where they assume the roles of Achilles, Hector, and many other legendary heroes as they fight to defend the great city of Troy… or raze it to the ground.

“Thanks to Epic, we’re able to offer a Total War title for free on its launch day. It’s a hugely exciting thing for us to be able to do for our players,” says Tim Heaton, Chief Studios Officer at Sega Europe Ltd. “Not only does this mean that we can bring the tales and legends of TROY to a wide audience through Epic’s massive platform, but it also means new players will get to try Total War for the first time, experiencing the unique gameplay that the series is famous for.”