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Author Topic: Revolution Under Siege  (Read 4029 times)

Offline koz10

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Revolution Under Siege
« on: December 03, 2010, 02:49:18 AM »
I cannot recall if I found this through the Russian Civil War Yahoo Group or this website. There's an awesome free demo; the game is available for download for about 40euro, 35pounds or $40. It's massive and very impressive:

Revolution Under Siege
The Russian Civil War 1917-23
 
For all of us who like the Russian Civil War – and we all know how popular that period is in the Great Northwest – there is more good news: A small independant team has just (as in within the past few weeks!) come out with a game covering the Russian Civil War period, “Revolution Under Siege.”Best of all, there is a FREE demo available at: http://www.revolutionundersiege.com/revolution/index.html for those of us who like to take games for a spin around the block first. The free demo has three tutorials and a sample game to play.

The free demo is very impressive – the basics of the game are managed in a simple step by step method. Things are explained rather clearly (though I had some confusion in the first demo when looking for the hotkey that was the 9th to the right until I figured out the 7 hotkeys on the top of the screen were being considered before the three on the lower screen – for those who look for the 9th key, simply click on the icon with the white Russian eagle to the right of the first turret) to show how to move units, how to combine forces to move more efficiently, how sea and airplane movement works and, most importantly, the management of supply. Only in the third scenario do the writers introduce combat - the scene is set in Finland against a static Red adversary. Following the directions shows how to efficiently capture several Finnish cities; “free lancing” is also possible and I have been able to send units into St. Petersburg! I only encountered two problems during the demos:

1) when I could not get the desired result, however, was able to post a question about it on the Forum specifically designed for the game and 2) the Function keys did not work as recommended (and, in fact, all I did was to disconnect my internet access!) I’ve also found the designers very helpful – how often do the owners actually respond to personal e-mails? The game support is awesome (and available in English, French and Spanish!) The graphics are excellent, drawings of actual commanders lend added realism, troops types are well done and, for additional period flavor, there is very cool Russian music! including the Internationale, Farewell to the Slavs, Volga River Boatman, Katyushka, among others – a very nice touch, in my opinion.

The best word to explain the trial game (need I remind everyone that it is FREE?!) is: MASSIVE! Set in the period just before the end of WWI, I first tried my hand playing Denikin’s Whites, paying little attention to supply until what amounted to an army of cavalry disappeared from lack of provisions! I next tried the game as Kolchak’s Siberians – I was shocked at the scope and scale of the vastness of the available map and forces available. The forces available to Kolchak are large but those available to the Reds dwarf even them; then again, the Bolsheviks are beset from all directions except the west and have to content with multiple local uprisings. It is an incredible and impressive game system.

My first impressions are very favorable – there are countless strategic options available to each faction. What will take most wargamers some time to understand are things like proper management of supply, resting and refitting armies. The standard “Got get ‘em” tactic, so common in many other games, just will not work here as attrition and dispersion will decimate the armies. The added level of realism will make this game more of a challenge to master, thus increasing the fun and satisfaction of playing it.

The actual game is VERY big and took over 5 hours to download to my laptop (but was definitely worth the wait!) Once on the computer, it was quite simple to set up. One big advantage with the full version is the ability to print the manual for those of us who are challenged to recall items or who like to read the written text for reference. The main game has the three tutorials as a refresher and SEVEN scenarios (e.g. Polish Soviet War), mini-campaigns (e.g. Ice March), regular campaigns (to include a “what if” Drach Nach Osten where Germany alone fights the Bolsheviks) and the massive grand campaign covering the entire civil war; these range from 14 to a whopping 86 turns! For those interested in the Russian Civil War, this looks like another winner – check it out!

Offline Poliorketes

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Re: Revolution Under Siege
« Reply #1 on: December 03, 2010, 07:13:40 AM »
Sounds great, thanks for the info. How does the game work? Is it real time strategy like Age of empire or starcraft or is it real time battle / turn based building like the Total War series?
If you come for the king, you better not miss (Omar)

Offline Pentaro

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Re: Revolution Under Siege
« Reply #2 on: December 03, 2010, 08:16:08 AM »
Sounds too big and complicated for me, but it's nice to see the developers choosing a period that doesn't apear often in videogames. We have too many WW2 games already.

Offline koz10

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  • Posts: 268
Re: Revolution Under Siege
« Reply #3 on: December 04, 2010, 04:38:59 AM »
Sounds great, thanks for the info. How does the game work? Is it real time strategy like Age of empire or starcraft or is it real time battle / turn based building like the Total War series?

I don't know either of those games at all. Playing against the AI you plot what you want to do with your armies - move, construct supply depots, move by sea, move air units, combat enemy units, etc. When you click the end of turn icon everything happens simultaneously.

The demo is very easy and quick to download. The tutorials are quick to use. I was amazed at how big the free demo game was - you can play as Denikin or Kolchak's Whites or as the Reds. The scope of this game is massive - amazing for something free.

Offline koz10

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  • Posts: 268
Re: Revolution Under Siege
« Reply #4 on: December 04, 2010, 04:42:49 AM »
Sounds too big and complicated for me, but it's nice to see the developers choosing a period that doesn't apear often in videogames. We have too many WW2 games already.

It is quite big, though there are some smaller scenarios to play. I anticipate there is a good learning curve before you get competent, however, part of the challenge is getting good at the game. It's just amazing that there are so many different sides to play. I haven't tried the Reds yet and wonder how difficult it will be with an AI that could actually coordinate its efforts, unlike the actual historical White forces.

Offline sepoy1857

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Re: Revolution Under Siege
« Reply #5 on: December 04, 2010, 05:14:30 AM »
It was on the RCW Yahoo Group; I saw it there too and downloaded the Demo. Wow great game. It is very hard to win, but it is a good way to get familiar with the map of Russia and all the different Theatres of the War.
All The Best
Scott Dallimore
Kent-Essex Gaming Society
http://kent-essexgaming.ca/

Offline koz10

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 268
Re: Revolution Under Siege
« Reply #6 on: December 04, 2010, 09:37:19 PM »
It was on the RCW Yahoo Group; I saw it there too and downloaded the Demo. Wow great game. It is very hard to win, but it is a good way to get familiar with the map of Russia and all the different Theatres of the War.

A set of paper rules comes with the main game. I need to read through them in order to understand the supply rules. In my first demo game an entire army disappeared because I failed to pay attention to their supply. There are lots of nuances that make each game different - in the Finnish demo I was able to bypass Helsinki and capture St. Petersburg!

You're right about everything you wrote about the game. You can learn even more by going to their forum. There's new info there about the game, strategies for winning (I've looked several times myself!), game updates and general discussion from all around the world. It's amazing.

Offline sepoy1857

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Re: Revolution Under Siege
« Reply #7 on: December 04, 2010, 11:06:08 PM »
Hi Koz

Thanks. I need to work on supply - I was just throwing troops at the Reds Tzaritsyn was a REAL bloodbath! My armies did just disappear too. I lost even worse as a Red. The White's took Moscow in no time.

Offline koz10

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  • Posts: 268
Re: Revolution Under Siege
« Reply #8 on: December 06, 2010, 09:48:04 PM »
Hi Koz

Thanks. I need to work on supply - I was just throwing troops at the Reds Tzaritsyn was a REAL bloodbath! My armies did just disappear too. I lost even worse as a Red. The White's took Moscow in no time.

Exactly my experience in southern Russia. I was poised to take out the main Red bastion near the Sea of Azov and the reinforcing army had simply disappeared.

I keep getting caught by the fog of war thing, too. I think I'm doing fine just moving around when all of a sudden enemy forces surprize me and appear out of nowhere (well, not out of nowhere, but along the rail lines but they are completely unexpected!)

 

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