The Gettysburg engine developed by Sid Meier for the game of the same name way back in '97 is on display yet again in the latest game from Breakaway Games, Austerlitz. Austerlitz was considered Napoleons' greatest victory, something about defeating a superior force while losing only a fraction of his army. Well, now gamers have the opportunity to defeat Napoleon at his own game!
The engine, as I mentioned, is a little old even though Breakaway Games continues to tweak it. The fact is, I like this engine and even though it's old I think it still works very well. Others might long for 3D or some other nonsense but this engine still works and works well.
The demo, as you might expect, is limited in a number of aspects. There are 2 historical scenarios and one random scenario. You can't replay your win or loss for that matter, which was too bad for I wanted to see just how I defeated Napoleon. Actually, most of the options are unavailable to the user, which is just to whet your appetite for the real thing.
The map graphics are, unfortunately, only so-so. The developers didn't spend a lot of time worrying about the way the map looked. It's serviceable but nothing more. Where Breakaway Games did spend some time is on the unit graphics. The uniforms are spectacular. Each individual unit is a splendor. The Austrian and Russian armies are wonderfully re-created. The soldier animation is also well done.
The demo has some AI problems. Most notable is the need for routed soldiers, of either side, to run aimlessly around the battlefield. It's rather funny to watch a brigade of routed Austrian soldiers run through my lines, back and forth as though deciding if they should defect or not and they just can't make up their minds. That sucks and should be fixed by the time the game is released. I hope.
I love this demo. I love this demo. I love this demo. I haven't liked a game in this series as much as when the original Gettysburg was released. I can't wait for the full game to be released, which should be soon. If we are lucky it will be around in time for christmas.
Wargamers, strategy gamers and Napoleonic fans should all enjoy this demo. If you have never tried any of the games in this series, download Austerlitz, take a few minutes to become familiar with the style of gameplay and enjoy.
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