Computer Squad Leader: RIP... Again

Tuesday night GameSpot News was informed by Charles Moylan of Big Time Software, the developer of the anticipated Computer Squad Leader (CSL), that Big Time's relationship with Avalon Hill had suddenly ended, CSL was dead, and the game "formerly known as CSL" would now become something called - for now - Combat Mission. We've included two very preliminary screenshots taken from the game, which are very "rough" and were taken in a pre-alpha stage.

Moylan and Big Time Software in the past have produced a high-quality line of computer wargames for Avalon Hill, starting out with Flight Commander 2 and continuing with Over the Reich and Achtung Spitfire. A new publisher for Combat Mission has yet to be announced.

According to Moylan, Computer Squad Leader was "originally intended to be a combination of the Advanced Squad Leader board game and new material." Now free of Avalon Hill, Combat Mission will contain none of the material from Advanced Squad Leader and won't have to live under that heavy moniker. Moylan will not publicly state why he broke away from Avalon Hill except to say that one reason was "strategic differences."

Combat Mission will use "state-of-the-art 3D graphics and 3D sound," stated Moylan. "The overall look is a bit like Myth, but unlike that game, Combat Mission is turn-based and fully three-dimensional.... Combat Mission is much like playing with World War Two miniatures, except these miniatures come to life and fight it out in a totally immersive, adrenaline-pumping combat experience."

The game system makes use of 60-second turns that are played out in real time, but all the strategy and planning takes place at the beginning of the turn in a pre-plot-style system.

Avalon Hill's previous attempt to create a computerized version of Advanced Squad Leader turned out to be Atomic Games' Beyond Squad Leader. Disagreements over the role of that game led towards Atomic's split with Avalon Hill, and the game subsequently became Close Combat, published by Microsoft. CSL has been in development since the middle of 1997.

According to Moylan, Combat Mission (or whatever it ends up being called) will be available around the second quarter of 1999.