As Advance Wars’ fictional setting and bland title didn’t seem to handicap it commercially, I guess there’s no reason why Rogue Conflict’s should. That said, I can’t shake the feeling that this demo-blessed upcoming wargame would have benefited from a better moniker and a bit of history.
Grizzled PC tacticians who dismiss the “roguelike” Rogue Conflict after glancing at the colourful screenshots and forgettable name, will miss out on a well-made (judging by the trial) TBT that, in terms of depth and wargaming subtleties, isn’t a million miles away from the likes of Panzer General and Battle Academy.
Frans Wikman has put morale at the heart of his design. Units automatically retreat after taking severe beatings and will refuse to attack unless given time to recover resolve. Recon is important, as is utilising terrain, and combined arms tactics. Motorised units have a long-distance travel mode… combat engineers can build pontoon bridges and lay and clear minefields… a traits system give veteran units character and potency… there’s a lot to like, even before you consider mechanical stuff like the game’s elegant UI, trim tutorial, and admirable embedded manual.
There’s some interesting ideas here for sure. I really wanted to get into Microposes Mobius 83 for a similar feel, but reading about the tightly scripted battles turned me off.
This seems much more open in its nature. I hope it finds its audience.
It’s isometric not top-down but those screenshots have given me a yearning to replay Battle Isle 2.
(Those 3D attack sequences appealed, in the days before 3D graphics cards)