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#4598881 - 05/05/22 06:17 PM Second Front- This new WW2 tactical game looks promising  
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Witchy Woman Offline
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Will certainly scratch the long itch of gamer's that have wanted a dedicated WW2 tactical war game for years like steel panthers or ASL I think,


Quote
It's a frozen day in hell across the plains just west of the Don River. You and your fellow Soldat's are dug in here in defense, peering out to the east.
Little more than a year ago, you were marching towards Moscow, singing songs, but that dream is over and you know it. Every day since has been a battle just
to stay alive. Suddenly you hear a large cheer to the front of you, another frenzied attack by the 1st Guards. They advance over the bodies of their comrades
that lay motionless and frozen in the snow from the previous day's fighting. The MG-42 positions to the left and right of your position open up and bodies
begin to fall out in front of you. You frantically rack the bolt on your rifle, select targets, and fire. Then the roar of T-34's and KV-1's increases
behind that 1st frantic wave. Will the Pak 40's beat them back? You pray as you slam another clip into the top of your Mauser and continue to fire as
the snow begins to fall amid the chaos...


Welcome to SECOND FRONT

A tactical, turn-based, squad-level, single player war game that is very unique. Something that has been needed in
the computer wargame community for decades.

Prepare yourself! Embark on the next chapter of tactical World War Two wargaming in the 21st century!

[Linked Image]

Features,

Turn-based play (I go/you go) Consists of phases in the following order...Move/fire phase, Fire Phase (defending player), Advance phase, Melee phase, Rally phase. At this point, the sequence repeats for the next player.

An order of battle representing the armies of Germany, the United States, and the Soviet Union
from 1939 to 1945. (New nations possibly added in expansion modules at a later date)

Every important Tank, Tank Destroyer, Assault Gun, Half-track, Truck, Jeeps, AT Guns, Howitzers, Mortars, support weapons, and Infantry squad type, including crews are carefully represented.

On and off-board artillery is modeled.

Air support is modeled-Watch aircraft dive bomb and strafe targets from a unique perspective inside and out of the cockpit!-

Radio requests for artillery are modeled

Fire mechanics and spread by wind drift.

Units panic, get pinned, and route under fire, requiring leaders to rally them. Tank crews bail from knocked-out vehicles.

A unique and beautiful art style.

A very powerful map and scenario editor, create your own maps, campaigns, and missions!

Workshop support so players can upload their maps, campaigns, and missions so they can share
their creations with the public.

and much more!

The complexity of SECOND FRONT will appeal to both the novice and seasoned veteran wargamer!

Come see the game at : https://store.steampowered.com/app/1148490/Second_Front/
Please be sure to add to your Steam wishlist.

Website: https://www.secondfront.games/

Join us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SecondFrontDeveloper/




I am going to keep my eye on this one!






Last edited by Witchy Woman; 05/07/22 05:28 AM.
Inline advert (2nd and 3rd post)

#4598942 - 05/06/22 03:15 PM Re: Second Front- This new WW2 tactical game looks promising [Re: Witchy Woman]  
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DBond Offline
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NooJoyzee
Thanks for the heads up

Quote
A tactical, turn-based, squad-level, single-player war game


That ticks the boxes for me. Worth keeping an eye on for sure.


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4619659 - 02/01/23 12:25 AM Re: Second Front- This new WW2 tactical game looks promising [Re: Witchy Woman]  
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Witchy Woman Offline
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usa
It has been released!!!! Its really good too! Features an extensive screnario and map editor so you can build a campaign or any historical mission you can think of.

#4619667 - 02/01/23 07:26 AM Re: Second Front- This new WW2 tactical game looks promising [Re: Witchy Woman]  
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juri_js Offline
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Has anyone played it? For years I am looking for a Steel Panthers successor. Is Second Front similar to Steel Panthers or closer to a board game?

#4619695 - 02/01/23 03:48 PM Re: Second Front- This new WW2 tactical game looks promising [Re: Witchy Woman]  
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DBond Offline
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NooJoyzee
I see Nimrud picked it up, maybe he will catch wind of this thread and fill us in on the scoop.

I'm not convinced this one is for me, despite being turn based and small-unit. Tactical. I have a few reservations, but it's intriguing all the same.

Yeah, anyone who has it fill us in. I think this is like Advanced Squad Leader for the new generation.


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4620336 - 02/09/23 01:06 AM Re: Second Front- This new WW2 tactical game looks promising [Re: Witchy Woman]  
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Witchy Woman Offline
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usa
I have it,

Id say its a mix of both squad leader and steel panthers mixed with cool indie graphics which give it unique flavor. All of the important armor and guns are there. Can also share missions,user made maps, and campaigns through the steaam workshop. I dig it.

Last edited by Witchy Woman; 02/09/23 01:07 AM.
#4620392 - 02/09/23 03:45 PM Re: Second Front- This new WW2 tactical game looks promising [Re: Witchy Woman]  
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There's a thread going about the game over on the Battlefront boards (Combat Mission). The general vibe is positive.

But I understand that combat resolution is handled through RNG mechanics, and not percentage or probability. To put it a different way, the combat is more in line with isometric RPGs than tactical simulators. It fits the ASL board game to PC vibe. Doesn't make it bad, but is reason enough for me to give it a pass for now I think. I'll keep watching.


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4620396 - 02/09/23 04:30 PM Re: Second Front- This new WW2 tactical game looks promising [Re: DBond]  
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wormfood Offline
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Originally Posted by DBond

But I understand that combat resolution is handled through RNG mechanics, and not percentage or probability. To put it a different way, the combat is more in line with isometric RPGs than tactical simulators.


I'm not sure I understand.

#4620400 - 02/09/23 04:49 PM Re: Second Front- This new WW2 tactical game looks promising [Re: Witchy Woman]  
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Not sure I can explain, but I'll try.

Let's say you have a shot being taken by a unit. In a tactical sim, like Combat Mission, the game might calculate the probability of a hit at 75% based on range, weapon system and all the factors that go in to it. A miss can occur, but in general, this will usually be a hit 3/4 of the time based on the probability.

In a RNG scenario, any number is possible. It could result in a zero percent chance of a hit, where in a probability based mechanic this cannot occur. In other words it makes outcomes and resolutions entirely random based on a die roll, not a probability resolution based on real world physical factors.

Whether Second Front overcomes this by weighting certain outcomes in any given problem is unknown to me. Maybe it doesn't even work like I'm saying it does? But this is what I have read.


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#4620413 - 02/09/23 07:46 PM Re: Second Front- This new WW2 tactical game looks promising [Re: Witchy Woman]  
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My comments focus on shooting, but this is something I hadn't considered.... RNG can affect whether the weapon reloads, evidently

"But there’s one thing I particularly dislike about the entire system, which is the randomness with which vehicles get to fire again. As far as I can tell, this “reload” mechanic is absolutely arbitrary, with units having their reload percentages set due to the type of unit they are, instead of it being due to the quality and experience of the team crewing the tank. This is where the RNG starts to rear its ugly head in Second Front and can feel a bit unfair. And make no mistake, a tank is a very precious thing to have on the battlefield, and losing one can feel like there’s no possible way to succeed. I would much rather this reload mechanic didn’t exist or have it related to crew quality and experience, as a way to make it more predictable and fair to play with and against. "

https://strategyandwargaming.com/2023/01/31/second-front-review-a-magnum-opus-despite-its-flaws/

Just something to consider, and again, this doesn't make the game bad, but it does make it feel like it's not as well-suited to ME as it could be.


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#4621434 - 02/24/23 09:43 PM Re: Second Front- This new WW2 tactical game looks promising [Re: Witchy Woman]  
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I found this review most helpful on pointing out the problems https://tallyhocorner.com/2023/01/second-front-romans-reservations/

Mainly the dice rolls for reloads. Guns and vehicles get a die roll, so while one can fire up to 4 or 5 times a turn, an exact similar one will only be able to fire once a turn if it misses that one die roll. Also, special ammo in tanks and guns have a die roll to determine when that's out of ammo. No ammo counters like in the old Steel Panthers.
The same site also has another review by Tim Stone that's very positive.
Overall it looks like it might be good, but with some very strange and frustrating mechanics. Seems to corroborate DBond's assessment.

The mission builders and workshop support might tip it for me. I just don't have the time to mess with another game these days.

#4621459 - 02/25/23 02:01 PM Re: Second Front- This new WW2 tactical game looks promising [Re: Witchy Woman]  
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NooJoyzee
That's what I was getting at when I was saying it was more akin to isometric RPGs than tactical war games. Whether it's a good, bad or indifferent approach is up to each player. But for me, these sorts of mechanics seem appropriate when a game is deciding whether that ice shard spell should hit, but feels out of place in a game depicting warfare with 20th century weapons. Just an odd way to go about it for me.


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