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There are a number of objects within the game that serve a greater purpose than to simply look good. Things like bridges, houses and trees can and do affect visibility. Your troops will no longer be able to magically see an advancing army on the other side of a group of trees. Coming up to a village will mean your troops will not know what to expect on the other side of a building.
Not only do things like buildings looks good but the fighting units look marvellous as well. Although sprites the units are all meticulously detailed and very realistic. There is a look and feel within the game that aids in drawing in the player and suspending his belief. All of this adds to the overall effect of immersion and creates a suitable environment.
Other things that add to the immersion effect include permanent damage modelling to the landscape. If a tank shell should hit a house, the house will not only sustain damage but that damage will remain throughout the game. Bridges, trees, house and other environments are not only susceptible to damage but they can all be levelled, turning what was once a quaint little village with tree lined streets and bridges over meandering rivers into a veritable wasteland.
Much as in real life, units can gain experience. Perhaps this yet another good reason to avoid the so-called "rush" tactic. Trying to avoid using units as cannon fodder is not only an admirable quality of a commander but, as in Sudden Strike, it can pay dividends in later scenarios. Units can be carried forward into other scenarios. Know this and your use of tactics and strategies will change, it is often better to have a few men with a lot of experience than it is to have a number of green troops who can't shoot as well or are apt to panic.
As with so many other a real-time strategy game, Sudden Strike incorporates status bars for each unit. The status bar doesn't just indicate the relative health of a given unit but it also includes experience and ammunitions amounts. There are in fact two sets of ammo displays, one for the unit's primary weapon and one for a secondary weapon, if any is carried by that unit.
Gameplay will be very familiar to most anyone who has dabbled with real-time strategy games prior to this. Point and click is the name of the game and it works well here. A crosshair will appear if you should point the selected unit at an enemy. Interestingly you can also shoot your own troops and units, if you should feel like it. You can also attack tree and building to eliminate hiding places for the enemy.
