Take Control of the Battlefield in “Take Command: 2nd Manassas”

by Louis Bedigian

“The affect on gameplay is that there are now real consequences to the way the player fights the battles.”

With so many war games released each year, it’s hard for any one particular title to define itself as THE game to get. Whether in the first-person shooter genre, in real-time strategy, or belonging to another genre entirely (don’t you wonder why there haven’t been many war RPGs?), war games have a war to win with gamers.

Something I always look for in a game is unique content – a feature, a level or gameplay style that others have not attempted. Building on the success of the award-winning Take Command: Civil War Bull Run, MadMinute games is readying Take Command: 2nd Manassas. The unique feature that’s got me intrigued: carry-over missions. Apparently things that you do in one battle will carry over to the next. This kind of continuity is rarely seen in games. 

Take Command: 2nd Manassas also comes equipped with 48 scenarios, a linked scenario tree, five battlefield maps based on historical maps, and three modes of gameplay that promise hours of entertainment.

Dying to know more about these interesting features, we took command of the situation and took two of the game’s key developers hostage (not really, but it sounds more exciting if we put it that way): Adam Bryant, co-founder/designer, and Norb Timpko, co-founder/coder. Let’s find out what they have to say. 

One of Take Command: 2nd Manassas's coolest features is the carry-over system that starts each mission with the men that survived the previous day's battles. How expansive is this feature? How much will it affect the way you play?

Adam Bryant: The affect on gameplay is that there are now real consequences to the way the player fights the battles. If the player commands troops irresponsibly it will affect his ability to fight in the later battles. The player must always be mindful of his men and carry out his orders but not to the point of annihilating his entire command in doing so. The player will no longer needlessly throw his men at the enemy because he will need those men to fight another day.

Norb Timpko: The carryover feature will allow the next scenario to start with the same number of men as the previous ended.  The designer also has the option to include ending morale & fatigue levels as well.  If the unit was captured, they will not be available.  The designer has the freedom to add new units that were not in the first scenario, but all units that are in both scenarios will be carried over.

Is anything else carried over in addition to the surviving soldiers? Weapons? Supplies? Vehicles? Or anything else players need? 

NT: Number of men, morale, and fatigue. If they are artillery, then the number of guns as well.

What about the enemy – if it's possible to win a mission without killing every enemy soldier, will the enemies that survive reappear in the future? 

NT: It's all up to the designer.  They create 2 OOB's, one for the first battle, one for the second.  Any unit that is in both OOB's will be carried over.  If they were captured in the first battle, they won't be in the second battle.  Designers have the freedom to have units that are only in one OOB, they won't be carried over, but they do provide fresh bodies. 

Fighting in mystery. 

A lot of real-time strategy games have been moving into the turn-based realm by adding a pause or game delay feature of some kind. Take Command: 2nd Manassas has one as well – explain why this was necessary and how it advances and enhances the RTS experience.

AB: Our game is very different from a standard RTS because it is not a click-fest.  The player has plenty of time while men are marching into position to think about his strategy and formulate a plan.  Players still like to be able to stop and take a break to take the whole battle experience in and so we implemented pause feature to do that.  We do not allow any issuing of orders or other in-game activity other than just being able to fly around and check on the action.  ‘Cause...there's lots of action happening all over the battle field that the player may not be able to control because of the command level they took.  They player may only be able to play a portion of the battle and may be curious to see how his fellow AI commanders are doing with their part of the battle.  One thing is for sure, fighting a battle is a team effort...the friendly AI will be riled upon by the player to do it's part and fight side-by-side with the player to defeat the enemy.

The game includes battles like Cedar Mountain and Chantilly. Tell us what they involve, how they can be won, etc.

AB:  These were smaller battles that occurred just before and just after 2nd

Manassas.  The Cedar Mountain map is probably my favorite to play on.  The mountain sits in the middle of the map and presents an interesting set of logistical problems for the player.  Chantilly is a cool map because the battle takes place in a driving rainstorm.  And yes, weather severely affects the weapons and movement of the troops...it's a real slugfest!

How does the "take cover" feature work?

AB: During the Civil War, troops near the front were often ordered to lie down to be protected from artillery barrage or over-shots.  It gave the men a significant reduction in casualties from artillery fire. In Take Command: 2nd Manassas, our "Take Cover" works the same way...allowing the player to mass for an attack and deploy in an open field and then have his men lie down protected until the attack starts.  There is a small delay when standing up (to simulate disordered troops) and they are vulnerable to enemy infantry fire.   

Marching men. 

Could you tell us about the new uniform types?

AB: We really spiced up the look of the Rebs in the new game. Each regiment can comprise up to five different uniform types...now they look much realistic. For the North we added two of the most famous uniforms of the war: The Iron Brigade and 5th New York Zouaves.  The Zouaves are incredibly cool because of their bright red pants and red fez hat.  But don't be fooled by the clown costume, these guys were tough hombres and fought with distinction.  We have some new artillery models: Napoleon bronze cannon. We have a bunch of new leader types...and even old Stonewall Jackson himself with his left arm raised and sucking on a lemon as he apparently did during a battle!!

What are the expanded cavalry commands?

AB: We have added Scout, Guard, Raid, and Screen to the new list of commands for the cavalry units. 

Scout mode  - Looks for the enemy and then follows them staying a certain distance away and not engaging. 

Guard mode - Will allow the player to assign a cavalry unit to guard another unit.  The cavalry will protect that unit and attack anything that comes near it (it's great for protecting ammo wagons and artillery).

Raid mode – The sends out a cavalry unit to find and capture or destroy soft enemy targets such as ammo wagons, unprotected artillery, weak/broken infantry units, etc.

Screen mode - This command sends out a cavalry unit to find the enemy and then engage/harass it from long range often breaking up enemy troop road movements.

In what ways has the Open Play engine been improved?

AB: We have added a ton of new options for playing styles that allow the player to play the type they want. 

Here are the types:

ATTACK  - The enemy holds the VP site. The clock is running. Get your forces close enough to the VP site to contest it and stop the VP timer. Then, take and hold the site against counterattacks.

DEFEND - You own the VP site.  The enemy wants to take your position.  Fortify your lines and wait for the attack that is sure to come. 

More men marching? Call security! I think they’re going to start a war! 

MEETING ENGAGEMENT - There are anywhere from 1 to 3 VP sites that must be taken and held to win the day.  Be the first to get your forces under the VP sites.  Start the clocks and keep the enemy away, otherwise the countdown will have to begin again.

MEETING (no VPs) - There are no VP sites. The enemy is out there...somewhere. Send out cavalry scouts to find the enemy and then plan your strategy. The goal is to find the enemy and kill him by gaining as many grade points to win.

STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT - There is 1 Major VP site on the map that you must take and hold to win the day. Can you get your troops there first?

STRATEGIC (no VPs) - There are no VP sites, just your side against theirs. The enemy can be anywhere on the map. Send out cavalry scouts to find the enemy and then plan your strategy. Gain as many grade points to win.

Does the game use a night/day cycle? Is the time of each mission pre-determined, or does it change in real-time? 

NT: The time of each mission is pre-determined.  All of our maps are day maps, but our engine can turn them into night.  That's all specified by the scenario designer.

Are battles tougher at night? Is it harder to see?

AB: Sure. The Line of Sight is significantly less and so it's very hard to see enemy movements and they can come at you from anywhere...very thrilling!

Thank you for your time.