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So this is their third release using this format. 'Tank Warfare Tunisia 1943' is about the battles in Tunisia between the American Army and German Army.

The game is separated into two modes, operational and tactical. The Operational mode is turn based, and this is where you will make your plans for the coming battles. In this phase you can also resupply, repair, and refuel. The tactical phase is in real time, and it is where you will actually fight your battles in striking 3D. The vehicles, infantry, and terrain are majestically rendered. The amount of area for your battles is actually over 400 square kilometers. This is not some RTS without any history or reality to it. It is a battlefield simulation with all of the bells and whistles including:

Enhanced UI : functional interface of various panels, radial orders menu and other enhancements.

Interface appearance and customization : three variants of appearance are included, customizable unit markers (Wehrmacht, NATO, Red Army).

High replayability and advanced AI , which selects the best strategy based on behavior, not a predetermined script.

Advanced management of forces in the operational phase : reinforcement strategies and management of reserves.

Statistics keeping : performance of each unit is recorded (kills, losses, awards, etc.). After each battle, damages and condition of forces and vehicles, as well as telemetry are shown in the after battle statistics.

Battlefield simulation : realistic vision devices, smoke screens and flares, creation of trenches, explosion craters. Remnants of previous battles remain on the battlefield until the end of operation.

Realistic soldier behavior : each soldier has several essential parameters, such as experience level, stamina and morale, which influence their behavior and effectiveness.

Detailed weapon modeling and realistic ballistics : bullets and projectiles follow ballistic trajectories, taking wind, temperature and other parameters into account.

Advanced armor penetration : modeling based on ballistic histograms without simplifications of probabilistic methods, generation of secondary fragmentation fields takes into account many parameters, such as the change of the field shape in space, fragments and armor characteristics, armor thickness and damage conditions.

Complex vehicle damage system : engine, suspension, sights, weapons and targeting mechanisms can be damaged separately, affecting the combat capabilities.

Destructible environment : almost everything can be blown up and destroyed, from landscape surface and buildings to vehicles and enemy defensive installations.

Advanced control of the off-map artillery , featuring various fuse settings and shell types.

Formation and movement modes : lines and columns, movement by road and covertly, infantry following behind tanks, setting a delay, fire sectors, etc.

Automatic smoke screen laying : units set up smoke screens when enemy is spotted.

Dynamic change of the time of day, light sources and weather effects, influence the course of battle, visibility and area passability.

It is a bit of a mouthful to swallow at one time. Graviteam has endeavored to recreate World War II battlefields with as much reality and history as possible. They have also strived to do this with as much eye candy as you can imagine. The great thing is that even with the patch and UI hiccups, they have improved with each incarnation. In reality, they have succeeded more than most people actually dreamed they could. It is pretty impossible to put into words what Graviteam has made possible for us grognards. I have become completely entranced while watching my troops take part in night time firefights. The game is modeled down to the headlights on the various vehicles.

The game has three campaigns/operations, two large and one smaller one. Of the two, there is one for the Germans and one for the Americans. There are a number of smaller scenarios to battle through. The battle editor is actually able to be used in two ways. First, as a standard editor, and secondly as a a 'Quick battle' generator. The tutorials are also well done and all inclusive. With their use you will be armed and primed in no time.





There have been no statements as of yet about upcoming DLCs to round out the other nations that fought in North Africa such as the English and Italians. Judging by Graviteam's past history there will be plenty of them to go around.

We now have to address the pink and polka dotted elephant in the room. "Tank warfare' is a wargame. It is a historically accurate simulation of the 1943 Tunisia campaign. Yes, the battles in it do take place in real time. I think that giving it the moniker of a RTS game is highly deceiving. I have seen complaints and reviews knocking the game because it is not frenetic enough for the twitch crowd. "Tank Warfare' was built from the ground up as a simulator of World War II battle. In this it succeeds admirably. To try and compare it to 'Command and Conquer' etc. does a disservice to both. I think some people saw the term real time and just assumed it would be a normal RTS game. All I can say is welcome to my world. For the past twenty some odd years, my ears have perked up and my heart rate has picked up whenever I saw or heard the name Hannibal. My hopes would be dashed once again when I found out they were discussing a fictional serial killer and not Mr. Barca.













The game setting on first glance may seem as empty and flat as a chess board and without any terrain features to help or hinder us budding generals. In this it is deceiving. On closer inspection you will find that the terrain is nowhere near as empty as the first glance suggests. One of the best features of a lot of the maps is the large territory that you are given to use to approach battle. There is nothing more annoying than being given an excellent wargame system and then provided with postage stamp size maps to fight it out on. This increases the playability immensely. You can try out tons of different strategies given the amount of territory the game gives you to use.





For those of you who, like me, have everything Graviteam has done, this is an instant purchase. For you others out there give it a try. You might just get hooked like we did.









Robert











