Battleground: Gettysburg
THE NATION WILL NOT LONG REMEMBER……..
A Review of Battleground: Gettysburg
by Rich Cunningham
When I was growing up, I enjoyed spending Saturday mornings in the library of my small home town in Southern Oregon. There I discovered the joy that book could bring and the excitement of learning about distant lands and past events. To this day, many of my interests stem from the books I read back then. One that stands out more than others was a volume in a series called :We Were There…..”. This was a series of books that were written placing kids in the time and place of historical events, such a the Wright Brothers first flight, The Alamo, and others. The one I most remember was “We Were There At The Battle of Gettysburg”. It struck a resonant chord with me, and to this day, I have had a vivid interest in this historical event. That is why when I saw this game, I had to have it.
I was already framiliar with Talon Software, having previously reviewed their game Battleground:Ardennes for World Village. This game is the second volume in their series of war games, and in my opinion, is equal to if not superior to the first volume. The game recreates the 3 day Battle of Gettysburg, which was the major turning point in the War Between The States. It pitted the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by Robert E. Lee, against the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by George G. Meade (who had assumed command only 2 days before the battle !). This game allows you to command either army, with multitudes of options that can effect the realism and outcome, and allows you the opportunity to change the course of history (maybe !).
I make this warning up front: this game is very complicated to play. It is not difficult to play, but there is a lot going on that will demand your attention. It is not a shoot ‘em up type of game, but a more cerebral type of game. This game is a direct descendant of the board games that were developed in the 1960’s, and are still around today. You and your opponent (either human or computer) have an army, and you must defeat the other. All the details with leading an army in war are present: intelligence, supply, reinforcements, morale, etc. It how well you manage these details that determine the outcome. With board games, all the numbers and rules and following of the game required a lot of attention. The computer has replaced a lot of the drudgery and repetitive details, but ya still gotta watch your flank for the surprise attacks. The compter, especially the multimedia versions, allows some things to happen that you can’t duplicate on a board game. And that, my friends, is what makes Talon Software’s game more superior to the other games on the market today.
Picture in your mind a map, any map will do. A map is a 2 dimensional view of a geographic location, showing roads, cities, etc. That is the playing field in this game, a map of the town of Gettysburg, and it’s surrounding farms and fields. The armies are broken down into playing pieces similar to the way the pieces on a chess game are. There is artillery, infantry, cavalry, etc. that you command and have to move over this map to accomplish your objective. This game allows you to play segments of the battle, such as the infamous Picket’s Charge, or play the entire 3 day battle (if you’re good enought to last that long). It is in the viewing of the playing field that one of the best features of the game shines through. I mentioned that there is a 2-D view of the map. There is also a 3-D view available, which changes the whole complexion of the game. It adds depth to the terrain, and allows the player to realistically view what is happening on the field of battle. It replaces the map symbols with people and horses for cavalry, cannons for artillery, etc. This feature makes the game playing much more interesting, a you-are-there sort of feeling watching history recreate itself. There is also a zoom-in mode that allows you the option of getting close in with the troops, if you want to monitor a situation (this is also available in the 2-D view).
When you first start the game, you are treated to a video and audio display that helps set the mood of the battle. You hear songs from that time frame, while watching a recreation of the battle on video. The scenes for the battle are real people filmed on the actual battlefield, made using renactors to recreate the scenes. This is one of the nice features that I was talking about when I said that computer can do things that couldn’t be done on the board game. These same video clips are used during the game, to simulate the action taking place on the board. For example, when a cannon fires in the game, the results are displayed on the screen with a video of a cannon being loaded and fired, with the appropriate sound effect. In my opinion, this does get boring after awhile, but it can be turned off from the control panel.
The game is very well written. I had no installation problems, and it didn’t crash once during my playing….uh, testing of the product. The documentation is very complete, with a step-by-step tutorial. The only addition to the documentation that would be more helpful is a little more background information on the battle, for the players that aren’t as informed as I was. This game is a must have for all serious war gamers, and is still interesting for casual stategy game players. And who knows, it may even prove educational. I am anxiously awaiting Volume 3 from TalonSoft, as I am sure it will be as superior product as this one is.
Gamer’s Zone Scorecard
| Product: | Battleground: Gettysburg |
| Company: | TalonSoft |
$39.95
System Requirements:
None listed. IBM platform requirments listed in the documentation: Windows 95 or Windows 3.1 (386 enhanced), 8 mb of ram, CD Rom, Microsoft Vidoe for Windows (included). Systemd tested on: IBM clone, Intel 83mhz Pentium overdrive processor, 16m ram, Soundblaster 16, NEC 4x CD rom, Diamond Stealth SE VLB video card.
Breakdown:
Fun Factor 4
Entertainment Value 4
Educational Value 5
Concept 4
Depth 5
Interface 5
Overall Score:
(* 0 rating, 0 votes)
Loading ...
