by Peter Robbins, 9 June 2024
Armored Brigade and its three DLCs combined make for an extremely capable single player wargame, depicting anywhere from a platoon up to a battalion (or more) of troops under your command. For me, it is one of the more enjoyable wargames for the last decade and beyond. I emphasize the beyond of that, as the game itself has been around in pre-version 1.0 well prior to the original release of Armored Brigade 1 on the market with Slitherine.
To me, Armored Brigade is very reminiscent of the older Steel Panther game series, and its predecessors up through WinSPWW2 and WinSPMBT. I mean that as an extreme compliment as you can tell it was made by passionate wargamers, and not just computer game developers. There is a soul to this wargame. There is a purpose to each function added to Armored Brigade, keeping the UI interface intuitive throughout. The sounds are spectacular (and modifiable). For me, throughout the decades of my gaming, sound has always been a key element I look for. A great graphics system without good sounds just rips it of its qualities.
And now, with the development of Armored Brigade II in the works, think AB, only better, and that is exactly what they’ve been targeting for their next release. Don’t break what’s not broken, and give additional visual accuracy with the newer 3D engine that, per the development team, is intended to be used at all levels of zoom. But also, keep in mind, this is not a simulator. Their intent is to accentuate the existing visual model, and over time, continue to optimize and improve the 3d graphics beneath. Also of note, this is a brand new 3D engine; the development team are building it from absolute scratch, which of course has its ups and downs.
The downside is, of course, it takes time to get a brand new engine up and running and comparable to out-of-the-box 3d engines, like Unity or others of popular use. The major UPside though, is their control of memory management and the effects rendered, making sure to add over time only what benefits the commander of a company or battalion, not what would necessarily benefit necessarily one TC in one MBT. That is not their intention. With full control over your graphics engine, you end up with a unique feel for your game, as opposed to just feeling like a mod of Unreal 😀 I love Unreal and all the games folks have made from its engine, but you get my meaning.
I think in play of the game, you will find that Armored Brigade 2 will be a major jump forward for the wargame series. I hope that given enough DLC and workshop love it will become yet another classic in the wargaming community. I know it will be, from what I’ve seen of the wargame as provided by the development team below and in their dev diaries. So, sit back, look at a few shots, and then watch the interview below, which is full of great conversation about the development of AB and AB2 alike.
Before heading into viewing these screenshots below and the interview, please take the time to review the Armored Brigade II store website. Additionally, you should take a good look over the recent dev diaries that have been posted by the Veitikka Studios team
click images to enlarge
We also recently held an interview with a team member of Veitikka Studios on the development of the product (below).
The overall suggested release time-frame is by the end of 2024. Seeing all of the work they’ve put into Armored Brigade 2, and honestly, how much they’ve been improving the 3d graphics down low in what I’ve seen from afar as a pretty quick development cycle, this can only get better over time.
Please take all of the 3d shots with this grain of salt; they are not intending to be a replacement for Regiments RTS or even Steel Beasts-level graphics quality. They are trying to develop the key elements of an operational wargame, enhancing the graphics over time that are needed for suspension of disbelief around your commands taking effect at the level intended for depictions – company through battalions, or higher command level decision-making as a whole. This is a unique wargame series that deserves any grognard’s attention and support.
This is also a potentially powerful tool for ROTC, OCS, PME programs for US and NATO forces to repeatedly practice planning and execution of mission orders and COAs (Courses Of Action). There will be workshop support for Armored Brigade 2, so the modifications that opens up, the existing functionalities they’ve mapped over, and the newer fully 3d rendered engine, makes Armored Brigade 2 a must-purchase.
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