Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm, Missions and Campaigns Creation

From On Target Simulations and Slitherine/Matrix Games, this grand tactical wargame is set to be released on 17NOV2022. Today, a new developer's blog has been published and it features the scenario creation process.


Probably nothing is more telling from a wargame than the scenario creation parameters accessible to the end user. It almost provides an x-ray image of what to expect from the gameplay.

In that sense, Flashpoint Campaigns Southern Front has me already hooked and anxiously waiting for the release date.

In addition to choosing from 40 different maps (roughly 20x15 km each, with 500 m hexes), the year,  time of day and the weather. Don't pass through the year without thinking about it, because the orders of battle and equipment available will vary per year. By the way, forces can be from the United States, France, Canada, West-Germany, Soviet Union, East-Germany, and Czechoslovakia. You can even fight as allies on the same map!



Also, you can adjust the air superiority and electronic warfare levels. The latter will certainly hamper the command cycle, so it is very important to keep that parameter in mind.

Bridges, battlefield hazards, obstacles and fortifications can be added with the editor, allowing the scenario author to reflect a wide variety of tactical situations.


And from there, of course, forces selection. A wild variety of formations that you can deploy with a single click or picking and choosing smaller maneuver units at the platoon level. This allows a great flexibility for the creation of small scenarios and reduces the user's fatigue in creating Bn(+) or Rgt (-) battles and campaigns.




If you ask me what is the single scenario editor feature that blew my mind from the developer's blog, that will be "battle planing": a graphical/menu interface from which you not only plot the avenues of approach for the computer opponent but also the tactical stance, the tactical movement mode, the reaction to enemy fire and even if the IFVs are to be used after the infantry dismounts.



The creation of this battle plans opens the door for a more cohesive tactical narrative that can be tailored to the classrooms of professional wargaming organizations. But I don't want to close this featurette without saying that the beauty of that last screenshot brings a lot of joy to this old gamer.

Cheers,






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