14 DAY TRIAL // When I was young I was entirely fascinated by the Panzer General titles, starting with the second one in the series, and I spend tens of hours trying to make sure that I progressed through the complex campaign scenarios with limited losses and as many promotions for my commanders as possible.
I created saves every few turns to try out new ideas and to test different ways of approaching a situation, trying to see whether all armor attacks backed by planes are better and more cost-effective than infantry mixed with artillery and the mobile units.
I loved Panzer General so much that I was constantly disappointed by the fact that no modern turn- based and war focused title has managed to replicate the feelings it created.
Order of Battle: Pacific might be the title that does that, although I need to spend many more hours with it to be sure.
The title developed by The Artistocrats takes the same basic structure and manages to add some interesting new elements, including naval units that work well and a light logistical system that can have a big impact on the way a battle evolves.
I like the ruthlessness of the computer opponent and the way the title manages to tackle the Pacific theater of World War II with such confidence.
Order of Battle: Pacific takes the Panzer General concepts and expands upon them
Like the older title the experience published by Slitherine encourages players to test out ideas and to see which combination of units works best for their own combat style.
Just like Panzer General did the new game has discrete scenarios that involve a group of units that can move from battle to battle while gaining experience to become more useful.
Both experiences deal with World War II and understand the specifics of the periods of history they are covering without aiming to be entirely accurate.
I still love Panzer General unconditionally and would return to it if I had the time but Order of Battle might become the series to stand alongside it in my heart.
I would like to see the development team apply the same idea, including the naval battle system, to the European theater, maybe starting with the Normandy landings, to see exactly how the game can evolve.
