August 15, 2009
Histwar Les Grognards – drumroll
for release!
Grand Army bulletin
he Grognards of Napoleon march to
the sound of the canon! After nearly years of marching in extreme conditions,
they are almost on the field of battle. Soon, it wil be up to you to maneuver
them in battle and lead them to victory!
The anniversary of the birth date of
Napoleon Bonaparte, today, 15th of August, was chosen as the announcement (and
reconfirmation) of the release of HistWar Les Grognards. The game has been in
development for nearly 10 years (!) by historian and game developer Jean-Michel
Mathé and his team, and we are proud and thrilled to announce that HistWar: Les
Grognard will be available for download at the end of summer (Q3/2009) through
the website of the exclusive publisher Battlefront. The boxed version (CD and
manual) will be delivered approx. 4-6 weeks later in a special Limited Premium
Edition with a fully printed manual (250 pages!)istWar: Les Grognards is one of
the first – if not the first – FPC (First Person commander) game, and allows you
to simulate almost all the battles of the Empire between 1805-1814.
HistWar: Les Grognards has three
game modes: single player, play by email (PBEM), and multiplayer (up to 8
players). In single player, a player can choose to fight for one of the two
armies, can choose to play both armies (for example for training purposes), and
there is also a mode where both opponents are under AI control fighting each
other. It gets better: in this last mode the player can command units as a
colonel in first person mode. He is then in the middle of the conflict without
knowing all the parameters.
HistWar: Les Grognards offers
different difficulty levels. For example, battle conditions vary greatly with
the level of fog of war chosen (none, partial, or total). The choice of seasons
and weather conditions alter the behaviors of units, movement speed, and fatigue
accumulation. Visibility takes into account smoke clouds released in combat, and
so the artillery may have to interrupt its bombardment. These few examples
illustrate the level of realism found in HistWar – but are merely scratching the
top.
Various game options allow users to
customize their game based on their experience. Some options are especially
useful for beginners: One option allows you to adjust the reaction time of corps
commanders. New players can start with immediate order transmission (which is
like most other startegy games work) whereas true Grognards can play with
historical communication times (via rider/messenger for example) that can take
up to two hours; organizing an army corps of 40000 men necessitates a little bit
of time.
In addition to the ten of the most
prestigious battles that will ship with the game, the player can recreate
battles of his choosing with the fully featured army and map editors. These two
editors also include random generators to instantly create balanced scenarios
where two historical armies engage each other.
The army editor (“order of battle”)
uses multiple historical databases (uniforms, commanders, regiments,
organizations). Hardcoded quotas, based on historical data, put some
restrictions on the percentages of different types of units. Thus, the
distribution of the three branches (infantry, cavalry, artillery) remains within
historical limits.
Scenario and doctrine editors are
also available. The latter is a true commanding tool, allowing you to
pre-determine the reactions of your units under different circumstances. An army
commander takes care of the overall tactical plan and does not micromanage his
units!
A thorough and complete tutorial
will available to introduce you to HistWar: Les Grognards. A demo will be
available around the time of release. The official website for news releases,
announcements, and to purchase (watch this space for when pre-orders launch!) is
www.battlefront.com/histwar.
