Theatre of War (video game)

Infobox VG| title = Theatre of War


developer = 1C Company
publisher = Battlefront.com
designer =
engine =
release = April 19th 2008cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/theatreofwar/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;review|title=Theatre of War Review -GameSpot|last=Todd|first=Brett |date=May 14, 2007|publisher=GameSpot|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-09] |genre = Strategy
modes = Single player, multiplayer
ratings = ESRB: N/A
platforms = Microsoft Windows
media = DVD, Download
requirements = Windows Windows XP/Vista, Pentium IV 2.6 GHz or AMD Athlon 2.0 GHz, 512 MB RAM, GeForce 5700 or Radeon 9600(128 Megabyte VRAM or better, video card must support Shader v2.0 or higher), DirectX 9 compatible Sound Card, DVDROM Drive
input = Keyboard, mouse
version = 1.10.0.81

Theatre Of War is a real-time tactical strategy game centering on the decisive battles in the European Theatre of World War II 1939–1945. The game allows the player to control armed forces of either France, Germany, Poland, The USSR, United Kingdom or the United States (combined in actual campaign) in over 40 missions.

The game was developed by 1C Company and released for purchase via the internet on April 19, 2007.

Patches and Addons

Thus far, three different patches have been released by Battlefront for the Western (i.e. non-Russian) version of the game: firstly, a patch to solve the problem of crashes caused by the eLicense registration system; secondly, a patch to update the DVD version of the game to the same level as the download version; and thirdly, a patch that included a whole new campaign based around the battle for Moscow, as well as a map editor, line of sight improvements, and various performance tweaks improving frame rate for all machines but especially those with dual-core or hyperthreading technology. There are other patches available, but these are all for owners of the Russian version of the game, which was released before the Western version at a lower state of readiness, and these patches are primarily to bring the Russian game up to the Western version.All of the Western patches can be found [http://www.battlefront.com/products/tow/patch.html here] on the developers' website.

Recently on the game forums it has been revealed that further addons and patches are in the pipeline of the developers, causing great relief to members of the game forums, who had speculated that, due to the diminshed traffic on the forums and lack of patches, the game had been abandoned by the developers. The first addon is scheduled for around August/September 2007, including a multiplayer patch, and a new campaign centering on the activities of the German Panzer Lehr division in Normandy in 1944. A more extensive addon is scheduled for later on in 2007 or 2008, including more fundamental changes to the game dynamics, such as changes to the handling of armour penetration and its effects, redefining the infantry/tank balance, enterable builings, use of smoke, and other developments. It is unclear whether this will be a pay addon or free.

Three-Sixty lawsuit

There has been a report that, due to 1C Entertainment deciding to name the game "Theatre of War" which is also the name of an RTS game that was developed and published by Three-Sixty Pacific, Three-Sixty has requested that 1C immediately change the name of their product. However, this has been disputed by the developers of Theatre of War on the game forums, stating that that was the "first they had heard of it", and the provenance of the statement stating Three-Sixty's disapproval is unknown.It appears the case has being dismissed due to lack of interest.

Reception

VG Reviews
title =
GSpot = 7.8/10cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/theatreofwar/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;review|title=Theatre of War Review -GameSpot|last=Todd|first=Brett |date=May 14, 2007|publisher=GameSpot|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-09]
IGN = 7/10cite web|url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/788/788828p1.html|title=Theatre of War (PC) Review - IGN|last=Butts|first=Steve |date=May 16, 2007|publisher=IGN|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-09]
MC = 66%cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/theatreofwar?q=Theatre%20of%20War|title=Theatre of War Review - MetaCritic|publisher=Metacritic|accessdate=2008-09-09]
GR =

Here are some typical reviews made about ToW. In general, the reaction of reviewers to the game has been mixed. Some, such as those seen below, have been positive, realising the game's potential, but acknowledging its limitations, such as the lack of enterable buildings and some pathfinding problems. Others have been more negative, saying that the limitations detract too greatly from the gaming experience for them. Typically, it is the larger reviewers that have given the game a lower score, and the smaller, more wargame-based reviewers that have given it a higher score, due to, in the opinion of many players on the game forums, larger reviewers classing Theatre of War in the same wargame bracket as other games such as Company of Heroes, and giving the game's superior focus on realism less emphasis in favour of concentrating on its relatively less developed graphics and sound.

References

External links

* [http://battlefront.com/products/tow/index.html Offical Theatre of War Site]