Back in Battle with Antietam!

Firaxis is undoubtedly one of the hot houses in the strategy world. Combining names likes Sid Meier, Brian Reynolds, and Jeff Briggs into one technology tree, the company has become a force that can topple almost any competitor. While the company enjoys its popular status with the high-flying sales of Alpha Centauri and the building anticipation for that game's first add-on, Alien Crossfire - Firaxis hasn't forgotten about what brought it to the forefront of strategy. It has returned to its roots by bringing its fans a game they've been asking for.

Sid Meier's Gettysburg! wasn't about mass market, and it was never really intended to take over the market, even though it sold more than 200,000 copies. It was meant for those hard-core Civil War fans who sought a realistic game where they could place the Union and Confederate armies head-to-head with muskets, bayonets, blood, sweat, tears, and fear. Gettysburg fans begged Firaxis to bring out a sequel as soon as possible so it decided to bring that sequel of sorts, Sid Meier's Antietam, to gamers via its web site for only US$24.99.

Firaxis contracted Breakaway Games, a respected developer and Firaxis' next-door neighbor. And to make sure the games feels authentic, Civil War historian and game designer Joe Balkoski was employed to faithfully re-create the fateful battle at Antietam Creek. Antietam isn't some attempt to rehash the Gettysburg engine either. The company has kept close tabs on what gamers wanted for the next version of Gettysburg and has incorporated many of those requests into Antietam. New features in Antietam include an improved AI with soldiers that react realistically to scenarios. If they find themselves in danger of being killed, they turn around and head for the hills (or, as Briggs humorously calls it, "know when to walk away, know when to run") or break rank and leave your army entirely. Also, the team has built in different uniform options for both sides. For example, the Confederate army soldiers, who weren't all that well funded, occasionally wore the blue pants from killed Union soldiers with their own gray uniform jackets. Various uniforms will also help players differentiate Union and Confederate troops including Zouaves, Sharpshooters, Texas Brigade, Louisiana tigers and Ragged Brigades.

Recently, the team took the game to a Civil War reenactment where team members sat with several Civil War fans who knew what movements brigades would make in certain situations. These experts said the game performed close to real life. Considering Firaxis wasn't working with the reenactment teams during the game's development, this only made them try harder.

Civil War fans will also get a piece of history with the full version of the game. It will include a 1,800-page manuscript called Ezra Carmen's Battle of Antietam, which was written by the commander of the 13th New Jersey Volunteer infantry who had become obsessed with the battle. The manuscript records what happened at the battle in extreme detail. Firaxis contacted a university professor who was preparing a five-volume set of books detailing the Civil War and who translated the manuscript (Civil War English wasn't all that good) for Firaxis. That exclusive manuscript will be available in fully printable form when Antietam releases.

The final game will also feature additional terrain types, including standing corn, stubble fields, plowed fields, dridges, fords, sunken roads and embankments, as well as 20 scenarios with historical and speculative variants for full-day or half-day battles.

While Civil War fans will love to play the title, Antietam's easy of play, real-time mode, and user-friendly interface may bring in more players to its ranks. Sid Meier's Antietam! will be released on Firaxis' web site sometime this October for US$24.99.