Order of Battle: Pacific - A new strategy game developed by Orgahs - screenshots

[Myrddraal]

Hi all,

I wanted to let the .org know about a new Pacific war game: Order of Battle: Pacific. Two .org patrons are on the development team, myself and Adherbal.

To coincide with the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, we've release our first official screenshots:



Our facebook page has more higher res images: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-A...87932364564288

Hope you like it! More detail coming...

[Myrddraal]

Here's some of the game info:

Order of Battle: Pacific, developed by The Artistocrats (www.the-artistocrats.com), is a turn-based wargame featuring an intuitive UI and great depth, which will allow you to lead both the American and Japanese armies in a dynamic series of campaigns for supremacy.


The game features a rich 3D world with hundreds of Units, 60 Commanders, Army Specializations, gorgeous animations and effects that can be turned off with a special option in order to use a classic boardgame display mode with unit counters. In addition to the multiple scenarios, there is an extensive, user-friendly in-game scenario editor with a what-you-see-is-what-you-get design.


There is 4 player multiplayer capability over PBEM++, and hotseat, supporting last-man-standing, teamplay and cooperative against AI scenarios all packed together to give an impressive game that will satisfy any wargamer.

[I of the Storm]

Nice. Stirs up memories of ol' Pacific General. Those were the days...

I'll keep an eye on this!

[Myrddraal]

Sneak peek of Japanese villages and deciduous forest terrain.


Happy New Year everyone!






Also, here are some of the questions and answers from other forums, for your information:

Q. Does it come with a scenario editor so one can create custom single/multiplayer scenarios?

A. Yes, the game has an in-built fully featured & user friendly scenario editor, which can create both single and multiplayer scenarios.

Q. Can the stars a​nd health? numbers be turned off? They seem almost larger than the units! Little bars would be nice, colour-coded to ownership maybe?

A. The icon size depends on the zoom level. If you zoom out they become a bit bigger to remain readable.

Q. Maybe it would be nice to offer gold/silver numbers only instead of stars to differentiate between Japanese and American units, or a red/blue bar under the number.

A. Being able to identify a unit's nation is rather important in scenarios where there is more than one per side (USA, Australia, UK, ...) though. For example each nation has its own pool of resources and supply limits, so it's not just a cosmethic difference. It also helps you to identify allied players (in teamgame multiplayer or certain SP scenarios), although admittedly that may also be achievable by colouring the bars.

As mentioned a few posts earlier, the icons size changes according to the current zoom level and there are several unit scales available. But if it's a general complaint during beta testing we'll see what can be done

[Myrddraal]

US recon and transportation units.





Transports


M3 Halftrack
M3A1 Halftrack
Studebaker Truck
LVT-1


Recon


Willys MB M1917
Willys MB 50 Cal
Willys MB 37mm
M20
M8 Greyhound

[Myrddraal]

A list of special unit traits currently in the game:

airborne: Unit can be transported by air

submerged: Unit operates below water

submergable: Unit can dive underwater

camouflaged: Unit is invisible until an enemy unit moves into it

explosives: Unit can destroy bridges, supply sources, ...

bridgeBuilder: Unit can construct pontoon bridges

weakFlanks: Unit suffers more from outflanking attacks

tunneling: Unit can travel through underground tunnels

concealable: Unit can't be spotted from range or air in certain terrain types (ex: Jungle)

minelayer: Unit can deploy mines

mineClearer: Unit can clear mines

amphibious: Unit can switch to amphibious mode (shallow water)

kamikaze: Unit attacks by throwing itself at the enemy

singleShot: Unit can only fire once (ex: B29 Nuclear Bomber)

noSupply: Unit does not require supply

fieldArmour: Unit can trade speed for additional "field armour"

entrenchSupport: Unit assists adjacent friendlies in entrenching their position

carrierBased: Unit can operate from aircraft carriers

highRiskReturn: High randomisation in combat odds (ex: Jap Infantry in "banzai" mode)

guerilla: Unit does not suffer from efficiency loss over difficult terrain (ex: Australian Commandos)

assault: Unit has bonuses against entrenched positions ​

[Myrddraal]

And since this is supposed to be a screenshots thread!

What WW2 game would be complete without some Germans:

[Veho Nex]

Giddy and excited. I love the pacific theater so much I always hurt at the lack of games in it.

[Myrddraal]

Glad to hear it Veho Nex


More unit lists: American Tank class.





Tanks


Light Tanks
(High Speed, bonus VS weak targets)
M3 Stuart
M3A1 Stuart
M5 Stuart
M5A1 Stuart
M24 Chaffee


Medium & Heavy Tanks
(Main offensive units)
M3 Lee
M4A1 Sherman
M4A2 Sherman
M4A3 Sherman (76)W
M4A3E8 Sherman (76)W
M4A3E2 Jumbo
M26 Pershing
T29


Amphibous Tanks
(Can enter shallow water)
LVT(A) 1
LVT(A) 4


Flamethrower Tanks
(Particularly effective against infantry, bunkers, fortified positions)
M3 Satan
M4 Zippo[/quote]

[Myrddraal]

We're putting a lot of effort into the game's unit animations, so in addition to the regular little screenshot sneakpeaks we'll be doing some video footage as well.


For the first video, a sequence of artillery bombardment. Note the little details such as empty shellcases exiting the barrel after recoil.


(Everything in the video is still in development and may differ from the final product)

[Kagemusha]

This looks like good ole Panzer General in steroids. Very promising. :)

[Myrddraal]

Thanks Kage.


Another video goodie for you:


Basic Tank movement and combat animations.
(Note: This is the slowest animation setting, and sound effects are still work-in-progress)

[Gregoshi]

This looks like good ole Panzer General in steroids. Very promising. :)

I used to play the Avalon Hill games back in the 70s & 80s and dabbled with a few in the early days of computer gaming (Civil War General is one I recall). For some reason in the past two months, I've taken an interest in computer wargames (hex-based) again and was looking at Panzer General II. I've been waiting for a GOG sale to buy it. Then I see this game and I'm finding myself excited by what I've seen so far. Count me among the "very interested".

[Myrddraal]

We just updated our website. Now more than just a 'coming soon' placeholder, it actually has some content!

It also has an exclusive preview of the campaign artwork:
www.the-artistocrats.com

[Vuk]

Looking good guys!

[Myth]

Looks good! Hook us up with some Beta access!

[Myrddraal]

Someone over at another forum asked some questions which I thought you might like to see the answers to, so here they are, along with the answers we gave

(1.) How does a player issue orders to units? Do you click on the units and a menu of options is displayed?

Movement & Attack orders are achieved by simple contextual point & click. Other abilities (repairing, upgrading, minelaying, switching units setups ...) are available in the main UI bar.

If you watch carefully in the Beta Footage (Beta Footage 1, Beta Footage 2) you can see how basic move & attack orders are issued. Watch the mouse click a unit, it'll display a white shaded hex overlay over the valid moves, and a red cross-hair over valid targets. You can also see a simple 'combat prognosis' overlay when the mouse hovers over a potential target.

Hopefully that gives a pretty good idea of the basic unit control system. As adherbal said, additional unit orders are selected from the UI bar. Depending on the order, this might show an extra overlay on the map which you click to issue the order.

(2.) Is there a function / button that allows players to cycle through each unit under their command?

Yes, both as buttons or using pgup/pgdn hotkeys. An optional unit list sidebar also allows you to review all units currently in the field and in reserve.

(3.) Land warfare in the Pacific was primarily an infantry affair with few supporting AFVs. This was especially true for the Japanese forces. But, you are showing a lot of support vehicles and AFVs in your screen shots? I assume that in most of the land combat scenarios there will be a majority of infantry forces and few AFVs - correct?

Infantry will play a major role and have many types and upgrades available, but for the sake of gameplay and variety (armoured) vehicles will play a bigger role than in reality.

(4.) How does PBeM work? I assume players can email and exchange their turns? Watch a replay of the previous turn?

Both hotseat and server-based "PBEM++" are available for up to 4 players. If you are not familiar with Slitherine's PBEM++: you just log in through the game UI, play your turn (after setting up the MP game with other players) and the server will handle the file uploading & downloading for you. The other player(s) can then play their next turn at any time as soon as you have ended yours.

(5.) Could you release a short video that shows a player conducting 1-2 game turns?

AARs should appear soon enough :)

[Whacker]

What's your price point going to be on release? If not firm a reasonably solid range? Are you going to go the route of releasing DLC? (please no :( ) Have you considered a release through GoG?

[Myrddraal]

Hi Whacker,

The launch price is still to be determined, and ultimately has to be decided with our publisher rather than completely independently. I can't give you a firm price, but I imagine it will be in the same price-range as the other titles published by Slitherine (such as Panzer Corps).

The same applies to releasing through GoG really, it's more in our publisher's hands than the game studio's.

Sorry I can't give you a straight answer!

We're definitely hoping to release more content, probably in the form of expansions rather than DLCs. But who knows where the game will take us. To a certain extent it depends on how successful the game is.

We recently released a couple of extra units on the unit list, along with an accompanying screenshot, of the British Pacific Fleet – which will make an appearance toward the end of the Allied Campaign:

• Supermarine Seafire
• DD Battle
• BB King George V
• CV Implacable

[Myrddraal]

We've added a preview on a small selection of the Commander portraits available in the game.

The game features over 60 of these portraits – used in mission briefings, as multiplayer avatars and for unit Commanders.


Commanders come in 3 types: Generals, Captains and Pilots – and can be attached to ground, naval and air units respectively. They then provide specific bonuses in combat, movement, supply… to their parent unit and any other units in their command range. Unlocked in limited numbers throughout the campaign, or when achieving specific objectives, attaching the right Commander to the right position on the battlefield can help tip the balance in your favour.

[TinCow]

Both hotseat and server-based "PBEM++" are available for up to 4 players. If you are not familiar with Slitherine's PBEM++: you just log in through the game UI, play your turn (after setting up the MP game with other players) and the server will handle the file uploading & downloading for you. The other player(s) can then play their next turn at any time as soon as you have ended yours.

Is the server hosted by Slitherine, or does it require a dedicated/standalone setup?

[Myrddraal]

The server is hosted by Slitherine, no need for a dedicated server.

We started experimenting with 'true' LOS for fog of war the other day. We're still trying it out, but it looks like the feature might well make it into the game. It's a hex grid, so it's still an approximation, but units now can't see deep into forests or through mountain ridges, whereas units can see far when looking out over the ocean.

[Myrddraal]

More screenshots (not quite exclusive to the .org, but posted here as soon as they're available )


A duel between US and Japanese carrier forces at the Coral Sea.


The war - and the Pacific Allies campaign - begins with the air raid on Pearl Harbor.


Defend against Japanese surprise attack in the Pearl Harbor prologue scenario.


On Guadal Canal, US marines engage in jungle warfare against Japanese counter attacks.


A Japanese fleet spearheaded by the Yamato battleship wreaks havoc on US warships.


Supply ships and reinforcements stream in to consolidate a US beachhead.


Late-war Japanese units fight an Allied force for control of their home territories.


Countless historical and special events guide the player through an emerging gameplay experience.

[Myrddraal]

Hello,

I've neglected this thread for a while, so there are a lot of updates! (box art, gameplay screenshots, UI previews, unit lists etc)

You can find them all on www.the-artistocrats.com.

The latest is that the game's main theme tune, composed by Alessandro Ponti, which has been posted to SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/alessandropon...battle-pacific

[Gregoshi]

Looking good and that theme song is awesome. It is a perfect match for the theme of the game.

[Myrddraal]

Here are some screenshots of an mp game I played against Lukas (Adherbal) yesterday, along with his own captions.

Some screenshots of a PBEM++ naval battle Dave (Myrddraal) and I were testing today. With some totally objective screen captions!


Sailing in close formation for maximum AA support, my Imperial Fleet is unimpressed by Dave's pesky F4F Wildcat fighter.



After taking significant damage from Long Lance torpedo volleys, the Americans have started to return fire!



Sinking, exploding and burning ships all around us. Glory to the Emperor!

Incidentally, I'm pretty sure that Lukas tweaks the unit stats and combat mechanics to favour whatever faction he plans to play as next.


Also, I'm sure it will come as no surprise to you all that Lukas designed the scenario shown above... he had 4 carrier unit to my two...


(Images hotlinked with permission)

[Myrddraal]

We've opened applications for Beta Testing!

Sign up here:
http://www.slitherine.com/forum/view...?f=264&t=50429

[Myrddraal]

Hi again all,

It's been a while, time for a few updates on the game.

Here is a small selection of the infantry types and upgrades available in the game:



A mix of screenshots showing how painful it can be to lose an aircraft carrier when it's packed full of aircraft!



A short video sequence that shows that (although this is a turn based, hex based game) we've put a fair amount of effort into the in-game animations, to bring the map to life:
http://www.the-artistocrats.com/vide...aval_anims.mp4

And finally, we recently posted a preview of the scenario editor, which will be released with the game and allow players to create their own maps and scenarios:
http://www.the-artistocrats.com/?p=584

[Myrddraal]

Here's another tidbit for you:

Based on feedback from beta-testers on the anti-submarine rules, we've introduced a new ability for Destroyers called 'Sonar Pulse'. This ability uses up movement and action points, but will reveal any submarines within a two hex radius and allow that destroyer to launch an anti-sub-weapon attack against one revealed sub.

We've posted a video on facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=892452690778920

[Myrddraal]

Slitherine will be featuring Order of Battle: Pacific in a Twitch stream this Wednesday. Lukas and I will be in the chat room so have a watch if you want to see the game being played and ask questions

Join us this Wednesday as we give you a preview of Order of Battle: Pacific. The game is set during the Pacific War, where you have to take control of land, sea and air forces in order to seize victory and proceed through the two campaigns.


This stream will be the first time that we show you some live gameplay footage, so be sure to tune in! During the live playing session, we will be playing one of the scenarios that comes with the game as we explain the basics of the game mechanics.


So join us here Wednesday the 17th at 20:00 CET/ 14:00 EST.