Unity of Command: redo history

Posted by on March 30, 2012 in Game Diaries

There’s no undo button in Unity of Command. If I move a unit accidentally, I can’t take it back.
The developers say they’re working to add this feature. In the meantime, I can always redo the
scenario. I’m starting to understand how that’s part of the appeal.

After the jump, wargaming’s relationship with history

I’m not a wargamer (yet) but I’ve been trying to find out what makes them tick. Some wargamers use the genre as a laboratory for history. For example, what would happen during the Fall Blau
campaign if the Germans had moved troops down another flank? It’s a fascinating question.

To answer it, a wargame needs to model reality well enough to test alternatives. Unity of
Command does so to some extent. The game systems reflect the significance of time, the agony
of bad weather, and the importance of watching my flank. I saw all that in an after action report
for the Case Blue scenario. The author, ComradeP, raced unsupplied troops toward the objectives, using airborne supply drops for critical divisions before linking up supplies at the last moment. I don’t know whether the operation played out like that in history, but it’s appealing to think about it.

I posted a question on the forums to ask wargamers directly why they like the genre. Some of them
approach it from a military history angle. The real-world story and history of each division lend
weight to the simple icons and numbers. It also works in reverse, providing context to history
by playing the game. The developers encourage this by placing units in historically accurate
locations. In the Operation Uranus scenario (pictured), each division roughly matches its location
on a real battle map. I’d need more detailed maps to judge how well the developers did. Either
way, I appreciate that they tried.

This type of simulation may be the ultimate appeal of wargames for me. I want to see the battles
play out like they did in history. Then I want to do better. It’s the same reason I enjoy racing
sims. I have real-life experience driving a car at the limit, and it’s thrilling to see sim racing work
the same way. Unity of Command doesn’t try to reach this level of fidelity. It balances realism
with elegant mechanics and attractive looks. It’s a challenging and rewarding game, but it’s only
a gateway. Now I’m ready to step through it.

Click here for the previous entry.

Tim James is recovering from Mass Effect 3, which he reviewed here, by exploring wargames after decades of curiosity.

  • lordkosc

     I have to say this write up series you did, really has me wanting this game.
    Come on STEAM , get with the program!

  • C Miller

    I’ll provide a slightly different take on why wargames appeal to me.  I like breaking history.  I like doing crazy things, that make what history says happened completely irrelevant.  It’s similar to the people who like modeling history, it’s the same triggers essentially.  I just like making history go all sideways.

    It’s also why I probably go more 4x than wargames, there’s more ways to break the system.

  • Jason

    In a Stalingrad campaign, does one want a breakout/relief combination to be possible?  When?  With what conditions or switches to represent 6th Army’s freedom of action and/or the sacking of AG Don for allowing it? What losses of equipment and organization?

    It’s tricky making a scenario in which the basic variables like that have been argued at length – and the more one departs from historical outcomes, the less there’s a military history consensus to refer to.

  • thebigJ_A

    Why not just buy it from the devs? That way they get all the money without Valve taking a chunk, so you can feel good about supporting them that little bit more.

    If it ever does come out on Steam, you can just validate your copy and it’ll be there in your Steam library.

    It’s unfortunate for the developers Steam didn’t pick it up, as that leaves them with less exposure, but it’s no reason those of us that have found out can’t buy it. Here, you know you want to: http://unityofcommand.net/

  • Tim James

    I hope everyone liked the series. Sorry the entries were so short. I was still burned out from the Mass Effect 3 review, but I was having so much fun with Unity of Command that I had to write something about it.

    Now go buy the game and join us in the forum!

  • thebigJ_A

    Aw, it’s over? poo.

    So now that you’re “ready to step through it”, what’s the next wargame on your list?

    I’ve been playing Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy, but that’s a tactical WWII sim. I’ve not decided where to go from here for real wargames. They’re all so damn expensive!!

  • Tim James

    Korsun Pocket for me. I already own it. I’ll just have to get over the learning curve.

  • Lykurgos

    I don’t think this will ever be available via Steam. Matrix published games tend to be available via Matrix only, forever. Matrix do only one sale per year too, and not usually of recent releases. Hence if you want this, I’d suggest getting it now rather than waiting for Steam or a sale.