G.I. Combat Preview

Over the past few years, World War II games have been one of the hottest trends in the industry. More than a few of them have fallen far short of the mark, either through ineptitude or misguided attempts to latch onto something hot. Happily, more than a few have been direct hits, with impacts extending beyond the narrow boundaries of their own genres. We've been treated to Maddox Games' IL-2 Sturmovik, 2015's Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, and Big Time Software's Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord, to name just three of the most notable examples. These were clearly cases where the developers had a real affinity for and knowledge of their subject and crafted their games with loving care. Another developer that seems to fall into that same category is Freedom Games, which consists of ex-TalonSoft and Atomic Games employees. All told, they have 43 years of development experience between them, much of it in wargames. So, it was good news for World War II buffs when G.I. Combat was first announced over a year ago. Originally slated to be published by TalonSoft, this real-time strategy game is now set to be released by Strategy First this May. The game will take you to the beaches of Normandy and beyond, letting you play out tactical battles in 3D.

Ever since G.I. Combat was first announced, there's been more than a little confusion about just what sort of game it is. Is it a wargame? It has the trappings of one, with detailed ballistics and armor penetration models and troop morale states, for example. Then again, it will play out in real time, so is it a real-time strategy game? It certainly doesn't seem to come from the mold of games like Starcraft or Age of Empires.

We recently got to speak with Eric Young, G.I. Combat's executive producer, whose development resume includes the popular Close Combat series, among others. For Young, this talk of RTS or wargame is misguided. He argues that the "strict genre definitions used by the industry are overly simplistic when trying to describe the range of gameplay possibilities that are seldom explored these days." Of course, he's aware of business practicalities, too: "Wargaming is a bad word in the industry because it's traditionally associated with niche, and therefore low volume, games."

Summing up G.I. Combat's style of play, Young emphatically said, "The single most important feature will be the RTS aspect of the game. G.I. Combat is much more than a wargame. In fact, I don't call it a wargame." Then again, Young stresses that historical realism will play a major role in the game, and that the game will also have elements that are somewhat akin to shooters, where you can access first-person views for each soldier. For Young, the ultimate goal is to develop a compelling blend of action and strategy that can appeal to a wide variety of gamers. "You don't have to 'dumb down' a wargame in order to make it mainstream," Young said. "You just have to make it straightforward to play, and not force the detail of simulation on the player. That's the philosophy behind G.I. Combat."

Order of Battle

So however you want to label it, here's what you can expect from G.I. Combat. The game will cover the fighting from the D-Day landing on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, to the fall of St. Lô in late July, 1944. Battlefield maps will accurately mirror their real-world locations down to the position of individual trees when possible, according to Young. You'll get to control American airborne troops and regular infantry along with German Heer (army), Waffen SS (armed SS forces), Fallschirmjäger (airborne troops), and Osttruppen (troops "recruited" from among Soviet citizens and soldiers). Young says that Freedom Games would like to cover other battles in future versions of G.I. Combat. Yet for now, he says, "we are concentrating on a well-known subject that most people have already heard about thanks to Spielberg and a certain great war film that came out recently [Saving Private Ryan]."

G.I. Combat will put you on the front lines with individual squads, vehicles, and specialists like snipers. Infantry will have access to a range of authentically modeled weapons, including rifles, submachine guns, grenades, mortars, and more. Expect to encounter more than 40 different vehicle and antitank gun types, too. You'll likely get to employ at least three Sherman tank variants: the M18 Hellcat tank destroyer: German Panzer IV, Panther, and Tiger tank variants; and a variety of armored cars and half-tracks.

While vehicle crews and squads will function as cohesive units, every soldier's individual stats, like experience level, weapons, and ammo count, will be tracked. If key tank crewmembers are wounded, for instance, their vehicle may be rendered effectively inoperable, resulting in the rest of the crew being forced to abandon the vehicle.

One of the most important statistics for each unit will be its overall psychological state, which is based on the collective state of its individual members. Young is particularly interested in combat psychology, so it's going to be quite detailed in the game, with numerous distinctions between psychological states and related morale levels. When suppression causes a soldier's psychological state and morale to degrade, his combat effectiveness and likelihood to follow orders will suffer. If enough soldiers in a squad break under pressure, then the squad as a whole might panic or rout. Leadership from officers will help hold units together by lessening the psychological impact of suppression and making it easier to rally broken squads.

You'll get to put your own leadership to the test in a campaign of historical battles, as well as individual hypothetical battles. You'll be able to customize your own engagements with a battle editor, too. The gameplay will follow the same basic principles regardless of battle type: configure your company for the mission by selecting units, deploy your troops, and issue initial orders. Then the real-time battle begins, though you're free to pause the game whenever you want and issue orders while paused. Combat will play out in 3D with dynamic lighting, particle effects, fog, and animated destruction of the battlefield.

Whether you see the game as an RTS with atypical realism or a user-friendly wargame that plays out in real time, G.I. Combat should hopefully give fans of WWII games some exciting new chances to test their mettle.