I'm also beta testing Allies but here is some info from the official readme for the game ( a bit long but it gives the information I most likely would forget ):
Pacific Storm: Allies
Information about the Game
Pacific Storm: Allies is an add-on for Pacific Storm, a unique game about the war in the Pacific. It has the elements of a global strategy, tactical naval war-game and an arcade aircraft simulator. Playing either for the United States, Imperial Japan, or a newly introduced nation (the UK) you walk through a dramatic sequence of large-scale naval and air military operations. The game covers the time from 1940 to 1948. As you play, you can develop new technologies, build and deploy new weapon systems and even change history. Thanks to a smooth and seamless combination of strategy, tactics and simulator, you are completely free to take whatever strategic or tactical decisions you consider best or abandon for a time all strategy and tactics and inhibit any of your units so as to take part in the fighting personally. Pacific Storm's gameplay combines exceptional depth and scale of the strategic mode, superior authenticity of the tactical mode and exciting dynamics of the simulator.
Main Features of the Game:
· Pacific Storm: Allies organically combines three genres into a single coherent all in one game: strategy, tactics and aircraft simulator. After attacking your enemy on the strategic level you may switch to the tactical level and if you want you may inhabit almost any of your units.
· Realistic 3D models: now the game offers 45 types of ships, 80 types of aircrafts, 25 types of guided missiles and many other game objects;
· Special unit editor where you can create new units as well as modify old ones is available on strategic level;
· Large-scale naval and air operations on the global map of the Pacific including Australia, Eastern part of North America, Oceania and part of India from 1940-1948. Possibility to change history during the Historical campaign;
· System of experience gain the crew now become more and more experienced with every battle. New possibility of forming elite squads has also been introduced in the game;
· Beautiful Pacific 3D environments and terrains (up to 2000 square miles). Realistic weather effects (fog, wind, rain) and change of day time (sunset,dawn, day, night cycles);
· Stunning special effects including nuclear bomb explosions, and astonishing ocean backgrounds;
· A large amount of tactical missions with the possibility to choose the side to play for: Japan, US, or Allies. Tactical battle deployment mode in which one can create any battle on one of the 50 tactical Pacific maps, choose weather conditions and the time of day, as well as units and ammunition; Using this tool one can reconstruct any WWII Pacific battle and take part in it;
· Besides strategic Historical Campaign (composition of forces in the game start is close to historical layout of forces) and Free Campaign (composition of forces is simplified) available in original game, Allies introduce Arcade Mode which greatly simplifies the strategic and tactical part of the game;
· Ability to develop new technologies including increasing the power rating of aircraft engines to guided missiles technology, biological and nuclear weapons;
· Switching from strategic to tactical level (and back) keeping all battle parameters: units' number and their ammunition and characteristics, time of day, weather conditions ;
· Improved game control in the strategic mode allowing effective base management, mission planning and supply management; Rich time control options (slow motion, acceleration and controlled pause);
· A Multiplayer for 8 players with 3 game modes: tactical battle deployment mode, simulator mode, and cooperative mode where two players can join forces in a mission.
Your fleet in Pacific Storm: Allies includes battleships, aircraft carriers, destroyers, cruisers, missile cruisers, submarines and torpedo boats as well as tankers and transports. The aerial war is conducted using fighters (at first piston-powered and in later stages jet fighters), attack aircraft, torpedo bombers and strategic bombers. There are 86 different types of units, all carefully modeled from WWII-era aircraft and ships. Also, you can develop new technologies and create new weapons systems, which may almost instantly overturn the global balance of power. About 100 technological improvements (upgrades) enhancing combat effectiveness of warships and military aircraft are available. In addition to the strategic mode with its 127 different Pacific zones and 40 naval bases, you can play 20 historical battles, including the Battle of Midway, the attack on the Japanese admiral Yamamoto's plane and the battle for Guadalcanal.
Pacific Storm is all about battleships and aircraft carriers — the giants of naval warfare during WWII — about captains and admirals, as well as rank-and-file soldiers and sailors of the two great military powers locked in a life-and-death conflict. In Pacific Storm you can become the Commander-in-Chief responsible for the lives of thousands of servicemen and the destiny of his country; or the commanding officer of a small squadron; or even an ordinary military pilot fighting in the sky over the Pacific. Gradually, as you play, from all these separate bits and pieces will emerge one impressive picture of the great and fierce battles fought in the Pacific during WWII.
Add-on Features:
· Besides Japan and USA, Pacific Storm: Allies brings in new allies and axis nations for each side (Germany for Japan, the UK and the Netherlands, and the USSR for the USA). One will need to cooperate with those new nations through war and diplomacy.
· The UK is now a playable nation with its unique units technologies and bases;
· Strategic level now offers more zones for establishing new bases;
· The add-on implements a hit location system, which realistically shows the damage dealt to ships, aircraft, different devices installed on those ships and aircraft, and how units are being destroyed. The level of damage will now directly influence how units function;
· Diplomacy has also been added to the game; with its help one can arrange a joint nations operation or trade technologies and units;
· 4 new types of buildings now available to help you train your crew - engineering academies, army academies, air forces academies and navy academies);
· Numerous new technological upgrades which will give users more freedom in creating different weaponry and unit modifications;
· Long range ground, water and air based ballistic and cruise missiles now can be launched on the strategic level;
· New system of cargo transportation based on routes creation;
· Improved graphics engine now offers post-render effects such as Glow, Blur and others;
· New mod system allows the creation of different modifications of the game: add new units, change units' skins, create new maps, missions and even new special effects. One can change balance and the visual look of the game;
· Greatly expanded set of tactical missions due to the new nations;
· PS:A offers you a differential control of major and minor calibers, torpedoes and air defense systems, which could be controlled by AI as well as player;
· Significantly extended list of units over 50 new aircraft and modifications, and 20 new ships;
· Refined landscapes the world is now abundant with different decorative elements (seagulls, pretty clouds, detailed terrain) which make it more realistic;
· Saving on the tactical level option is now available;
· Hydroplanes can now station on the submarines;
· Additional sound design was added for example tutorial mission's text is now fully dubbed;
· New award system and statistics on how you complete a mission. You gain points for completing tasks, destroying enemies on strategic, tactical and in simulator modes;
· New direct ship control mode (3d person view) allows the player to control the movement of his ships and its weapons (major and minor caliber, air defense turrets, torpedoes);
· Reworked graphics engine of the game;
· Possibility to control aircrafts with a mouse and an enhanced list of supported joysticks;
· Great amount of improvements and corrections
System Requirements
Minimal System Requirements:
OS: Windows 2000/XP
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 2000 MHz or similar
RAM: 512 Мб
Video: DirectX 9-compatible 3D accelerator with 64Mb of video memory
(NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600 or ATI Radeon 9500)
HDD Free space: 4 Gb of free space
Peripherals: Keyboard, mouse
DirectX: 9.0с or higher
Sound: any DirectX-compatible sound card
Recommended System Requirements:
OS: Windows XP SP2
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 3000 MHz and higher
RAM: 1024 Mb or higher
Video: 3D accelerator with 128Мб video memory
(NVIDIA GeForce FX5900 or ATI Radeon 9800 Rro and higher)
HDD Free Space: 4 Gb of free space
Peripherals: Keyboard, mouse, joystick
DirectX: 9.0с or higher
Sound: any DirectX-compatible sound card
