Panzer General Iii

[Olympia Brackin]

PanzerGeneral was a major commercial hit: 250,000 units were sold at full price, and long tail sales continued in the years ahead. It became and remained SSI's best-selling game across all genres, and was named the best-selling computer wargame of all time in 2007. It is the first in the commercially successful Panzer General series.

Panzer General is a turn-based game, set on operational level hex maps. One plays lone scenarios from either Axis or Allied side and against a computer or human opponent. In Campaign Mode, the player assumes the role of a German Generalissimus against the Allied computer.

Panzer General is an operational-level game, and units approximate battalions, although the unit size and map scale from one scenario to the next are elastic. While the names and information for the units are reasonably accurate, the scenarios only approximate historical situations.

Its novel feature was to link individual scenarios into a campaign spanning World War II from 1939 to 1945. Units are able to gain experience and become stronger, where success in one battle would award the player prestige to upgrade units, acquire additional units, and select a better scenario for the next battle.

The game requires the player to use combined-arms tactics, where each unit is strong against some unit types but very vulnerable to others. Dug-in enemy positions must be softened by artillery, which is vulnerable and needs protection. Before attacking the infantry and anti-tank, one needs first to destroy the enemy artillery that protects them from behind. If no tanks can get within range, one does this mostly by bombers, but then it is advantageous to destroy the air defense units first. The fighter planes must negotiate dual roles: destroying the enemy air force and protecting their own bombers.

The player must carefully observe the road system to speed the advance, or may use Bridge engineers to cross the rivers. The game rewards a Blitzkrieg strategy - penetrating deep into the enemy positions while postponing the destruction of some of the encountered enemy units for later.

The performance of units is increased by their experience points, which are acquired through combat. In Campaign mode particularly, one then has to protect the experienced units as the most valuable assets.

The task in most scenarios is to take all objective cities in a given number of turns; taking them at least five turns earlier is considered a major victory. In scenarios from later stages of war, the Germans try to hold positions against a stronger enemy. A typical task is then "hold at least two of our objective cities for 20 turns; for a major victory, hold at least five".

All campaigns branch out and end either by the general being sacked for incompetence or end of the war. In Campaign Mode, a major victory could possibly change known historical events. For example, after a major victory over France, the player invades Britain. Later in the game, after a major victory in Barbarossa, the player can convince the German High Command to attack Moscow immediately (which costs him or her much prestige) rather than diverting to Kiev before Moscow.

If the player achieves a major victory both in Britain and in Moscow, he or she is allowed to carry out an invasion of the United States and reach Washington. In any other case, he/she must fight well in many battles to get another chance to attack them. If either Britain or USSR survive this attack, they drive the Germans all the way back to Berlin. The best the player can do is to fight well in each battle to have enough prestige for the next one - and to achieve a major victory in the final defense of Berlin.

The design of Panzer General was based on the Japanese wargame Daisenryaku.[1][2] The Strategic Simulations (SSI) team had played a Japanese-language version of the game's Sega Genesis release extensively, and were inspired by its streamlined design.[2] Scenario designer Chuck Kroegel later described Panzer General's structure as "diametrically opposed to the Gary Grigsby type of game that SSI was used to making". He noted that SSI founder Joel Billings was initially hesitant to adopt the design style.[3] The company's Graeme Bayless later wrote of Daisenryaku: "The genius in this game was the fact that it took the highly complex subject (WWII conflict on land) and boiled it down to the pertinent parts".[1]

Panzer General was a commercial success. By November 1995, it had sold over 100,000 copies in the United States and 50,000 in Europe. According to William R. Trotter of PC Gamer US, it was particularly popular in Germany.[4] By August 1996, sales had surpassed 250,000 copies. Describing the situation at the time, Computer Gaming World columnist Terry Coleman wrote: "When you consider that a new Windows 95 and Macintosh version has just been released, it seems fair to say that PG will be incontestably the best-selling historical wargame of all time".[5] The following year, T. Liam McDonald of GameSpot reiterated that the game had sold over 250,000 copies, and noted that 60,000 of these sales came from its PlayStation release.[6] In 2007, Retro Gamer dubbed Panzer General "greatest-selling true wargame of all time", and SSI's most successful title across all genres. The magazine noted that it had accrued 250,000 full-price units sold "and many more in the following years".[3]

In 1996, Next Generation listed it as number 51 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time", contending that though the game's interface is simple, the complexity of the strategy is exceptional.[12] In 1996, Computer Gaming World declared Panzer General the 15th-best computer game ever released,[13] and listed the Game Over scene as #8 on its list of "the 15 best ways to die in computer gaming".[14] The magazine's wargame columnist Terry Coleman named it his pick for the best computer wargame released by late 1996.[15]

Reviews for the 3DO version were generally positive. The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly remarked that the game's high level of complexity makes it difficult to get into and unappealing to anyone but enthusiasts of the genre, but that the gameplay design is solid and there is a strong dose of variety to the campaigns.[17] A critic for Next Generation argued that while the music and battle animations quickly wear thin, the game allows them to be turned off and "what it lacks in style, it makes up in substance". He made particular note of the impressive depth of the strategy and the ability to control nearly every land and aircraft used in the World War II European theater.[18] Sir Garnabus of GamePro complimented the accuracy of the 3DO port but otherwise panned the game, contending that war strategy games in general are poor due to their minimalist graphics and focus on thinking rather than acting.[21]

In the years to come, computer wargamers may divide the world into two epochs, Before Panzer General, and After. Before Panzer General, wargames were supposed to be complex, intimidating things, accessible only by the anointed few, the grognards, veterans of decades of board gaming and masters of military arcana. SSI's Panzer General, however, shattered that view, with excellent graphics and animation, and sheer fun that drew in grizzled campaigners as well as green novices. Not surprisingly, there seems to be a rush now towards kindlier, gentler wargames.[22]

yes, exactly. however, i do think upgrade issues are an important question

warranting discussion. Just what do you buy, and when? I'm a fairly new

player but I believe I've already evolved some good stategies on this. For

example, I bought only Ia panzers (cost 12) in Poland & Warsaw, they got

severely mauled but, taking advantage of elite replacements betwen scenarios

they'd built up maybe a star of experience apiece. The prestige I did not

spend by buying better tanks I hoarded to 1) buy 2 fighters & a stuka at the

start of Warsaw (filling out my core), 2) upgrading my two most experienced

infantry to bridge engineers at the start of Poland (w/ halftracks of course)

and then, finally 3) upgrading every tank unit I had to PzIVd at the start of

Norway (the first time they were available) *AND* then buying three more

fighters, 1 or 2 stukas, and a level bomber during the scenario, almost all

in the first turn. Not only did that allow me to handily take NOrway (I even

wiped out the entire allied navy, without losing my battleship or a couple of

the cruisers), but it set me up to just obliterate everything in my path in

the low countries and in france - I got majors in both battles, with time to

spare -- which, by the way, I always use to take secondary objectives in order

to build up more experience & prestige. Now I'm poised to invade Britain in

'40, with about 9 panzerIVd, 3-4 bridge eng/pioneer, a couple more Wehr inf,

2 artillery (tht may have been a mistake), 1 Ju88a, 6 b109 fighters, and 3-4

stukas, plus over 3000 prestige to start (or maybe less -- still ahven't

decided on "buying" the italian navy). And mind you, this is in my first

game (first time I played past norway that is), at slighlty above medium

level (+1 prestige), and I easily got majors in low countries & france THE

VERY FIRST time I played these scenarios, so I didn't even know what was

coming at me when I placed my units. In fact, I discovered something I'm

not sure everyone knows -- you don't have to take all objectives to win, I

got my major in the low countries apparently by destroying every enemy unit

on the board. The key in both scenarios, I think, was

overwhelming air superiority, bought in large part with those 6 fighters.

The only weakness in my machine is the heavy dependence on weather -- I was

lucky that I had 13 good days in france, but in the low countries for example

I really suffered in the last few turns when it was raining 3-4 days straight

& my airforce was grounded (good thing it wasn't raining at the start ...)Anyway, there is a point to this besides bragging :) When I started I looked

very closely at the wepons & availabilty charts in the FAQ & I planned my

purchases around this. Buying Ia's in Poland/Warsaw allowed me to not only

build a good airforce for Warsaw/Norway & on -- better than if I'd bought

Panzer II of III, because they would have cost more than 100 points more

apiece -- but it also left me the points & made the choice obvious to go

with all PzIVd's from Norway on, which maybe would have been harder to justify

& pay for if I had II's and III's. And think these two factors -- all good

quality tanks & a formidable airforce -- are what in turn made France & the

Benelux so easy for me.Anyway, I hope this prompts some good discussion. Now that I am poised to

attempt my invasion of Britain, with the fw fighters now available I have a

big dilemma about whether to upgrade or not. I may have built too large a

fighter force too early, because I don't think I can justify taking up any

more core slots with fighters ... it's kind of exciting, actually, because it

is the first time I'm playing this scenario I have no idea what's waiting for

me across the channel, let alone how I should prepare to face it -- who knows,

maybe more than 6 fighters would be a good investment???Mark

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