Histwar Les Grognards is almost ready !!

[Franciscus]

http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=124&Itemid=174

In the end of summer 2009 we will finally be able to play this much awaited game, that's been in development for aprox. 10 years !!

[Sol Invictus]

The game will either be awesome or a disaster. I don't dare to hope too much. I was so much younger when I first heard of it.

[Comtedemeighan]

wow finally its coming out! Hopefully it has better AI the Empire total war

[Carnium]

It kinda looks that this game lost the battle against time
Hopefully the playability will be FAR better than (extremely dated) graphic.

[Adlertag]

Surely a promising game...10 years ago. Then, if its engine is also of the same age, I wonder if it will be really attracting. Let's see.

[Franciscus]

Yes, the first time I heard about this game was, I think, about the time of release of RTW...; for those who know what I am talking about this game was looking to become the "Duke Nukem Forever" of strategy /wargames .

But it is surely a work of love from his developer, that, for what I know, made this game almost alone . Either a genius or a madman ? .

Anyhow, it is a very promising tactical game, that promises multiplayer, complete and historical OOB, moddability,... let's see.

(and, BTW, the screenshots look beautiful, IMHO )

[Carnium]

This game will not have a campaign or linked scenarios into mini campaigns but only separated historical battles right ?

[Franciscus]

This game will not have a campaign or linked scenarios into mini campaigns but only separated historical battles right ?

AFAIK you are right. In the site it is stated that the game will come with 10 historical battles from the period of 1805-1814, IIRC, but with a "historical" sandbox mode also. To me the interest resides in the way we will be able to play either as army commander or merely as a coronel, with the AI taking care of the rest of your army. Kinda like TC2M, I hope.

Also IIRC there was a plan to a follow up game with some sort of campaigns ?

[Generalisimo]

I really fear this game will not be up to what we were expecting years ago...

[Franciscus]

...and poor JMM (the dev) won't even have the usual and often heard excuse of having had to rush development due to marketing reasons

[Generalisimo]

...and poor JMM (the dev) won't even have the usual and often heard excuse of having had to rush development due to marketing reasons

[tc237]

Has it really been ten years? wow, thought it was 5..maybe

[Adlertag]

...and poor JMM (the dev) won't even have the usual and often heard excuse of having had to rush development due to marketing reasons

BTW, we can salute Jean-Michel Mathé, the designer, for his perseverance as he was almost alone to carry this project for such a long time.

[Franciscus]

BTW, we can salute Jean-Michel Mathé, the designer, for his perseverance as he was almost alone to carry this project for such a long time.

+1

Curiously , he will get some competition:
http://www.sega.co.uk/games/napoleon-total-war/?t=EnglishUK

[Beren]

This is not competition, histwar is a napoleonic game much better than Total war.

[arsan]

Yes, i think both are aimed to very different audiences.
Histwar to wargamers/grognards.
TW to general players that don't mind much about historic tactics as long as the graphics are good and the explosion spectacualr enough

What Hitwar shows (IMHO) is how 3D games get old much more faster than 2D games. At least i can bear with old 2D graphics much better than with old 3D
I really hope the game is good, but it better have great game play and napoleonic feeling because certainly it looks veeery outdated

[Franciscus]

Ah, well, I was being ironic in more ways than one, you know, when I talked about "competition"...
A few thoughts, however, if I may.

Screenshots due no justice to a tactical "real-time" game, but at least to me the available screenies of Histwar are at least up to par with the graphics of TC2M, which, at least to me, are MORE than enough to please me and increase my immersion and fun.

But, I love good graphics and spectacular explosions, too . Why not ? Our machines are more than capable of delivering them, and other games show that good/excellent graphics does not preclude great game play. Just to name a few, each and every RPG from Bioware have looked very good and have extremely good, detailed, in-depth game play (the upcoming Dragon Age Origins looks astonishing, IMHO). The recent ARMA II, that I have not tried yet, seems also to be a great tactical (war?) game and certainly looks very good. So, the idea that good, serious gaming is somewhat incompatible with good, even "fancy" graphics is just plain wrong, and probably only monetary limitations or even technical insufficiencies justify the fact that sometimes it seems that they are incompatible to some developers. Even our beloved Ageod games undoubtedly look extremely good, we can all agree. The maps are great, the interface is polished, we even have good generals pictures...
To make matters short, we CAN have good games that look good (even very good). I would also go so far to say that we as 21st century gamers should really demand it.

My 2 cents

Regards

[Franciscus]

An historic day:

- Les Grognards Demo available to download

http://www.histwar.com/news/histwar-les-grognards-demo-is-available.html

[PascalB]

The transfert via Sherazade isn't possible. It says that the source is unknown...

[GlobalExplorer]

There is also a torrent link that works.

I found the graphics a bit underwhelming, especially the interface. Personally I don't think it looks on par with TC2M.

[Franciscus]

Well, looks are not everything... But specially changing anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering, they are quite good, IMHO. The interface is a bit "clunky", but I found one gets used to it rather quickly.

But despite some bugs, this demo shows how great in terms of scope and depth the game will be.

I am happy to be able in 2010 to play both the best strategic/operational games (AGEOD) and the best - by far - tactical wargame - Les Grognards

[Franciscus]

Another great day. Les Grognards is available for pre-order And will be available in Digital Download this Christmas !!

http://www.histwargames.com/boutique/lang-en/

Judging from the demo, which has some problems - and the game is sure to have also some bugs, that's unavoidable - this game has an HUGE potential to become an historic reference in strategic/tactic wargames.
IMHO, the developer, JMM, deserves the support of all strategy games fans, after such a long and arduous task of almost singlehandedly making such a gem. It is one of the last independent game developers - and now also distributor. Bravo to him.

[Pocus]

That's an excellent news for all strategy fans, really! JMM really deserves kudos, even if there are some bugs, the endeavor has been admirable.

[Beren]

Great! come on JMM

[dduff442]

Does this game cover scouting or logistics in anyway? I've a long-cherished dream of a game that enables you to hop on a horse and conduct a campaign from a 1st-person perspective.

[razorbackjac]

Is the game still a part of battlefront? I didn't see it under games.

[Franciscus]

Does this game cover scouting or logistics in anyway? I've a long-cherished dream of a game that enables you to hop on a horse and conduct a campaign from a 1st-person perspective.

Logistics no, only optional limited ammo and lines of communication in the battlefield that must be protected.
But scouting yes, you can enable various degrees of FOW and only "see" the enemy if spotted by your units or scouts. You can even enable a "grognard" mode in which you play a battle limited to the eye-sight of your army commander. You will only be able to see in 3D what Napoleon would see, and in a 2D map only what the dispatches of your subordinates tell you. Not for the faint-hearted (I doubt I would play like this ever...)

Is the game still a part of battlefront? I didn't see it under games.

JMM (the developer) and battlefront split. The game now is to be launched independently - through JMM's own "distributor":
http://www.histwargames.com/boutique/lang-en/

[Pocus]

more bucks to JMM then

[Anguille]

I would probably try the Grognard mode...that's my kind of thing

[Generalisimo]

You can even enable a "grognard" mode in which you play a battle limited to the eye-sight of your army commander. You will only be able to see in 3D what Napoleon would see, and in a 2D map only what the dispatches of your subordinates tell you. Not for the faint-hearted (I doubt I would play like this ever...)

That sounds AWESOME!!!

I HAVE to try that...