Font You Very Much

Awhile back I posted about a scaling issue that I had with the Airborne Assault games (Highway to the Reich, Conquest of the Aegean, and Battles from the Bulge). It even affected the new game back when I tried the core engine. Those games worked fine on my Windows 7 machine up until sometime in November 2014 when the scaling issue reared its ugly head. I had thought it was an issue with my AMD video card, however several driver updates had gone by without a resolution.

Drive on Loenen

"The 504^th Regiment has been tasked with opening the route to Loenen. Only light opposition is expected, but can you do it in the 12 hours your superiors have given you?” So goes the briefing for this extremely short and deceivingly challenging scenario featured in Red DevilsOver Arnhem and later Highway to the Reich, although it did not make the cut to be included in the HTTR expansion pack for Command Operations: Battles from the Bulge.

Much like the HTTR version of this scenario, it is tricky if not improbable to score a Decisive Victory (similar to “Joe’s Bridge”). Although I have achieved a DV a few times, it is very difficult to replicate even using the same tactical approach to the problem. Personally I believe that this is a credit to the Airborne Assault game engine and what it has become today. Anytime a game AI can produce a different result increases replay-ability and ultimately the longevity of the product.

Heartbreak Ridge

Ede, Netherlands: This scenario pits the Allies Guards Armoured Division against the Axis KG Knoche Group in a one day battle to control three strategic (albeit close together) locations northwest of Arnhem. The Axis forces are in place and entrenched, whereas the Allied forces must move and make contact with the enemy over varied terrain, elevation and line-of-sight challenges.

The Guards Armoured Division is more than sufficient for the task at hand, totaling 7,752 men, 530 armored fighting vehicles and 224 gun units for an Anti-Personnel rating of 3,103, an Anti-Armor rating of 5,532, a bombardment rating of 732 and an Armor rating of 2,835. These forces are organized into three distinct fighting elements and a headquarters component.