116 lines
7.0 KiB
Plaintext
116 lines
7.0 KiB
Plaintext
|
||
FIRE BRIGADE
|
||
|
||
With FIRE BRIGADE, Panther Games of Australia has given the computer gamer a
|
||
beautiful simulation that may well be the first in a new generation of wargames.
|
||
FIRE BRIGADE combines a superior user interface, outstanding graphics, and
|
||
sophisticated play in a highly enjoyable package that establishes a new state of
|
||
the art for historical gaming. (This review is based on the IBM-PC version.)
|
||
|
||
Following the abortive German offensive at Kursk in the summer of 1943, STAVKA
|
||
(the Soviet Army Command) went over to the offensive. All along the Eastern
|
||
Front, the depleted German forces were pushed back. In southern Russia, the
|
||
German forces attempted to hold their ground on the west bank of the Dneiper.
|
||
However, the Soviet forces were able to push across at Kiev and quickly deployed
|
||
on the west bank. Field Marshall Von Manstein hurried reinforcements to the
|
||
threatened area, including the elite 48th Panzer Corp -- the Fire Brigade. After
|
||
weeks of ferocious combat, the line held with the Soviets across the Dneiper,
|
||
but stopped in the area surrounding Kiev. FIRE BRIGADE simulates the weeks of
|
||
combat near Kiev in the late fall and early winter of 1943 at the Corps/Division
|
||
level (Army/Corps for the Soviets).
|
||
|
||
FIRE BRIGADE uses a command-oriented system in which you issue orders to a set
|
||
of units. These units then attempt to carry out their orders during the
|
||
subsequent turn. FIRE BRIGADE is set at a strategic/operational level, with the
|
||
basic organization being a Corps, and individual units representing Divisions.
|
||
This also means that strategic considerations such as supply, replacements, air
|
||
disposition, and reinforcements all play a major part in FIRE BRIGADE.
|
||
|
||
The system of play for FIRE BRIGADE is elegantly simple. Each day, you review
|
||
your current situation, issue orders, and then instruct the computer to perform
|
||
the day's activities based on your orders. Of course, actual play is a bit more
|
||
involved than this.
|
||
|
||
To begin each turn (one turn comprises a day of game-time), you'll first want
|
||
review the results of the previous turn. FIRE BRIGADE allows you to study your
|
||
victory point status, the results of battles fought, and the results of air
|
||
activity. You'll also wish to view the status of your individual units, and
|
||
gather intelligence concerning enemy forces. You may retrieve all of this
|
||
information via menus, or by using icons and selecting individual units on the
|
||
map.
|
||
|
||
Once you've reviewed the results of the previous turn, you'll then determine
|
||
your orders for the next turn. Air power must be allocated between intercept,
|
||
interdiction, and ground support missions. Corps must be assigned objectives and
|
||
dispositions. Objectives may either be victory areas (towns and cities) or enemy
|
||
corps. Disposition determines the tactical posture of the Corps' units for the
|
||
next turn. Enemy objectives may be approached in assault, attack, or pursuit
|
||
modes. Allowable postures for Corps assigned to friendly objectives are hold,
|
||
defend, delay, or withdraw. Units must also be assigned a frontage. Frontage
|
||
determines the area covered by the unit and its ability to concentrate strength
|
||
at the point of combat. The choice of disposition and frontage will impact
|
||
movement rates, combat effectiveness, and supply usage.
|
||
|
||
In addition to the combat modes, units may use a road travel mode (if
|
||
disengaged). Units may also be ordered to force march. This causes the unit to
|
||
move and fight through the night, with commensurate impact on its combat
|
||
effectiveness.
|
||
|
||
Unlike many games of this type, FIRE BRIGADE's force organizations are not
|
||
fixed. Individual divisions may be detached and assigned to either reserve or
|
||
another corps/army. This gives you a nice degree of flexibility in juggling your
|
||
forces.
|
||
|
||
In addition to the standard move and combat routines described above, you must
|
||
also manage your strategic resources. Supply must be allocated on a corps by
|
||
corps basis, along with transportation to ensure its delivery. Replacement
|
||
strength must be allocated to units, and reinforcements assigned to corps. You
|
||
also need to juggle the time of departure for some units that historically were
|
||
withdrawn to counter other threats; you may choose to keep them at the cost of
|
||
some victory points.
|
||
|
||
FIRE BRIGADE is an enormous game in the amount of detail it tracks and makes
|
||
available to the player. Information is provided in a dizzying array of forms.
|
||
For example, unit status displays the following information: command quality,
|
||
supply status, current strength, combat effectiveness, troop quality, armor
|
||
strength, anti-tank strength, engineer presence, artillery strength, assigned
|
||
bombers, and current orders. Despite this, the mouse-driven interface and the
|
||
clever use of graphics render the data in FIRE BRIGADE very manageable. A
|
||
well-designed tutorial provides further aid to new players who are trying to
|
||
ease into the game.
|
||
|
||
The IBM-PC version of FIRE BRIGADE is distributed on two 5-1/4" disks (3-1/2"
|
||
disks are available). It supports CGA (640x200x2), Hercules, and EGA/VGA
|
||
(640x350x16) graphics standards, but does not support sound boards. There is no
|
||
on-disk copy protection, so you may install the program on your hard drive
|
||
without difficulty. Copy protection is handled by a rules check at the beginning
|
||
of play. The program requires 640K of memory, and a mouse is recommended (except
|
||
in Hercules mode, in which the mouse is not supported). Support is provided for
|
||
one or two players, and an option to play via modem is also available.
|
||
|
||
On the down side, there are some minor problems with FIRE BRIGADE's IBM
|
||
implementation. The new game dialog box asks for a file name, but does not
|
||
provide a list of existing game files in the directory (as does the Macintosh
|
||
version). A list of the files is provided with the IBM supplement, but you still
|
||
have to remember saved game names. When a game is finished, FIRE BRIGADE exits
|
||
to DOS automatically, rather than giving you the option of starting another
|
||
game. As mentioned above, the Hercules mode is incompatible with the mouse, so
|
||
you have to run the program from the keyboard (booting without the mouse
|
||
driver). Unfortunately, keyboard cursor movement is so glacial as to be
|
||
virtually unplayable. An occasionally extra screen refresh tends to slow down
|
||
response time, forcing you to re-enter your selections. Finally, many actions
|
||
are performed on the _bottom_ unit in the stack. This is both awkward and
|
||
confusing, though it becomes fairly routine after a while.
|
||
|
||
Despite these minor flaws (and they _are_ minor), FIRE BRIGADE is an
|
||
outstanding game. The situation features evenly matched forces and plenty of
|
||
fluid action. The shifting tides of battle gives each player a chance to attack
|
||
and defend, and the interface assures quick play. The main caveat concerns
|
||
playing without a mouse. Also, the detail and wealth of options may prove
|
||
daunting to inexperienced gamers. But for fans of armor battles, World War II,
|
||
the Eastern Front, or wargames in general, I rate FIRE BRIGADE a must-buy.
|
||
|
||
FIRE BRIGADE is published by Panther Games.
|
||
|
||
*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
|
||
|