From: dpipes@spica.srg (Dave Pipes x4552)
Subject: V for Victory
Organization: just me
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 02 Oct 92 13:59:35 GMT
Followup-To: rec.games.board 

     360 Pacific has released V for Victory for the IBM, and frankly it
is an amazing game.  Despite being on a computer, it is a boardgame, and
a very well done one at that.  I figured some people here are likely to
have a PC, so I thought I'd post a little about it.

     The game covers the campaign following the invasion of Utah beach,
and deals with the peninsula which contains Cherbourg.  The map does not
cover the Omaha or Sword beaches.  The game has battalions as its base unit;
some companies exist.  Turns are 4 hours long, but movement and combat are
simultaneous minute by minute, and so movement can be plotted through areas
currently enemy occupied, to do real time exploitation and the like.  The
game models weather, has limited intelligence options (including one's own
units, if they get out of touch) and can be played against the computer or
a local human.  There is a sophisticated supply system - not perfect though,
as supply is judged per division in this version - and the combat system is
an odds one, although the odds are resolved to the tenth of a point.  Losses
are percentage based, retreat and surrender can occur.

     The map is beautiful, rendered in 256 color SVGA graphics.  You can 
turn on the hex grid and other play aids like supply lines at will.  The
map was designed to look like a good boardgame, and it does.  Very pleasing.

     Units are similar, and can be switched between simple icons (kneeling
rifleman for infantry, tank for armor) and US military symbology (X in a box
for infantry, circle in a box for armor, etc.).  Artillery, AA, tanks,
infantry, engineers, HQ's and others are represented.  Rules for regimental
integrity and divisional control encourage the use of actual tactics.  You
find yourself thinking in terms of areas of operation, battalion and 
divisional frontages, reserves, rotating fatigued units out of the line
and doing other "real commander" like things.  ZOC's are variable, dependent
on unit type, size, dispertion (disruption), fatigue, weather, combat status
(harrassing fire from artillery works to inhibit ZOC's, for example) and
supply state.  Replacements can be added to units, and rest is essential.
Units can be attached temporarily to other divisions once per day.
The overall effect of the unit rules is to require you to think like a real
corps or division commander, not as a "put 'em all on the line and attack"
gamer.

     Combat is good, and takes into account terrain, weather, supply, fatigue,
morale, unit types, air and artillery and naval support.  It occurs as units
move, so there is no move-fire constraint.  You can plan an attack to open
a corrider with units moving through afterwards.  Units can be ambushed if
they enter the ZOC of a non-suppressed enemy unit.  Harrassing fire can slow
the movement of enemy supplies or units, and reduce the effect of ZOCs.
Attacks can be probes, assaults or all-out assaults: defenses are done
similarly.  Units can dig in with or without engineers.

     Supply is based on real tonnages used by the units, and can be assigned
to a number of levels, from minimal to attack.  Each state has an effect on
the characteristics of the units for that division.  Supply can be affected
by most of the above-mentioned effects.  Units that are out of supply 
eventually wither and die.

     There are a number of variants based on historical possibilities that
can be explored; more airpower available for the Germans, the use of the
original US airborne plan and the like.  These are used to balance the game
once you have grown tired of the original scenarios, rather than artificially
increasing or decreasing unit strengths.

     The computer opponent plays solidly, although I have not had enough time
to really put it through its paces.  I have not seen it make really blatant 
mistakes, and it can launch competent counter attacks and defenses.  For
example, when it and I were approaching a river, it knew to stop in favorable
terrain - bocage - and let me advance across the river into an adjacent 
swamp hex, rather than go one more hex into the swamp and have the river
between us.  This was rather unnerving, watching the computer set up a 
deliberate defense a few hexes away, just like a human.  It even had an
anti-tank unit one hex back of the others, which was not committed until
some tanks of mine rolled up the road to support the infantry.  I find this
promising.

     This game uses EMS/XMS to the tune of 2 meg, and with the SVGA, this is
the first really well-done computer boardgame.  They had to simplify only
a few small things, and later versions will hopefully include them, like
unit-by-unit supply status.  The game was exhaustively researched, and ASL
and some other games were sited as resources :-).  This is a real step
forward for computer boardgames.  The next scenario set will cover the
battles around Velikiye Luki on the Eastern front; should be really good.
They also hint that a tactical level game is in the works.

     For good WWII combat on a computer, this is the way to go.  I have yet
to find a bug, too :-).

	David Pipes
robear@digex.com
Newsgroups: rec.games.board