The beta phase of Warfare1942 is over and I have just made the main release. After months of play testing and rigorous balancing, the game seems to be functioning very well.

Direct Link:

battlenet:://starcraft/map/1/273563

This game is a historic WWII scenario that is was inspired by the board game franchise called Axis&Allies. My original idea was to bring this board game to life by making a real-time version. Over the course of its development it has strayed very far from the board game, with all kinds of new features added and many changes that were necessary to balance a live action game as opposed to a turn based game. Yet, at its core it remains true to Axis&Allies in terms of army builds and general strategy, and will seem somewhat familiar to Axis&Allies fans.

This game has a slow and steady pace, allowing you time to think as you manage forces around the globe, yet is action packed with intense battles. Some tactics and micro is required, yet the main focus is on big-picture strategy and decision making. It is NOT meant to be a risk, diplo, or generic global domination type game, so please don't be expecting that or judging it through that lens. This game is strictly a specific WW2 scenario starting in the year 1942, with many units already on the map at the start of the game.

There are some unique mechanics that may be confusing at first, but are easily learnable if you are willing to read in-game text. This is one of those games where you will have to read a few things to learn how it works, yet it is actually not too complex. Many aspects of the game are very streamlined, making it simple and easy for you. For example, there is almost no macro that you have to deal with. There are no worker units and you don't have to deal with building tons of production structures. All production structures are set in place, and are invulnerable and can be captured. So, there is somewhat of a learning curve, but if you are willing to read just a little bit it is easy to jump into.

I recently added a tutorial that you can play. Additionally, because of the abysmally small character limit allowed on b.net for the how to play page, I have made a website with a real instruction page and other info about the game. If you want, check it out at www.warfare1942.webs.com

There are 6 playable factions: Soviet Union, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, United States, and Italy. Each country is a totally different game experience with different play styles and perks. There is no AI yet, and so 6 human players are required.

After lots of experience playing this game, my non-biased opinion is that it can be incredibly fun and epic when you have a game of good players. Many times you will get random b.net idiots who just derp to the max or rage quit, and so the teams can be imbalanced, which is a problem because the game is very team-oriented. However there is a growing number of good and experienced players and our games are often very fun. If you are a lover of strategy games I hope that you will give this game a try. Thanks for reading.

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Below I have included a short historical info piece that I wrote to give you some historical context for this game:

In 1939, World War II officially begins on September 1st with the Nazi German invasion of Poland. Germany, Japan, and Italy have signed the Axis Pact, stating that war against any of the three nations is war against the others. The United Kingdom, France, and other Allied powers through out the world respond to Germany’s aggression with a declaration of war against the Axis…

…This game begins in the year 1942. Europe has been consumed by death and destruction. Germany holds control over all of mainland Europe with an iron fist. The Nazi blitzkrieg has conquered France, Belgium, Norway, Greece, and all of eastern Europe with lightening speed. Many Balkan states have joined the Axis rather than be conquered. On the eastern front, Germany is locked in a massive and brutal land war against the Soviet Union. With the largest invasion force in the history of the world, operation Barbarossa is promised to conquer Moscow before the onset of winter. Despite overwhelming odds against them, the Soviets desperately fight back against the Nazi forces with masses of light infantry. As the game begins, Ukraine S.S.R, Belorussia, and Western Russia have crumbled under the invaders. The Germans are poised to lay siege to the stronghold of Leningrad in the north and attack the city of Stalingrad with its critical production facilities in the south.

Across the English Channel, the United Kingdom holds firm as the last remaining free peoples of Europe. German U-boats have considerably weathered down the once mighty Royal Navy. Only the world-class fighter pilots of Britain were able to save their island from total annihilation. In the largest aerial battle in history, the Battle of Britain, 300 British and Canadian fighter pilots managed to defeat the vastly larger and more advanced German air force of the Luftwaffe. The battle lasted for three months as the skies above the United Kingdom were consumed with constant dog fighting and London was bombed to rubble. As the game begins, the victorious United Kingdom is beginning to regain her feet, but the battle ahead will not be easy. In the British colony of Egypt, the army of General Montgomery forges northward after taking control of the Italian colonies in East Africa. They now face fierce resistance from the Italians and the Nazi Afrika Corps lead by General Rommel. In Asia, the royal colony of India has remained safe, but the threat of the expected Japanese invasion is ever-looming.

In the East, the Imperial Army of Japan continues its brutal rampage across mainland Asia and the Pacific. By the end of 1930, Eastern China had finally fallen after heavy fighting in major cities such as Shanghai. The Imperial Army went on to conquer Manchuria, South East Asia, and most of the Pacific islands. In 1941 Japan launched a preemptive air strike on the American fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, significantly crippling American naval power in the Pacific. The attack on Pearl Harbor was swiftly followed by an invasion of the American-colonized Philippine territories. The American defenders were defeated and forced to flee the islands. As the game begins, Japan and the United States prepare for an epic naval struggle that will play out across the Pacific. Japan continues assaults through out central Asia, but remains at a stalemate with the American-supplied armies of China.

The United States has finally entered the war on the side of the Allies. After years of economic depression, American industry has exploded into a wartime economy the likes of which has never been seen. As the game begins, the United States is poised to mobilize from both coasts of the North American continent. General MacArthur commands the forces in the Pacific, while General Patton commands the forces in the West. Will the Americans fight their way through the islands of the Pacific, or will they aid their embattled British brothers in North Africa and Europe? Or both?

The year is 1942, and the fate of whichever world power you control is in your hands.

Warfare 1942