Stalingrad game
Encyclopedia
Stalingrad is a stand-alone real-time tactics
game for the PC developed by Russian company DTF Games. The game is built-up upon Nival Interactive's Enigma engine
that was used in the Blitzkrieg
game and is a fully stand-alone product.
between summer 1942 and early 1943. The Wehrmacht
campaign has the player commanding the 6th Army as it approached the city and the battles for the city itself. The RKKA (Workers' and Peasants' Red Army) campaign follows the Red Army's progress as it liberated Stalingrad and destroyed the 6th Army. In total there are 36 missions, including 7 "bonus" missions that are unlocked if the player fulfills certain objectives in preceding maps. The maps themselves are reproduced from historical tactical maps and actual aerial photography taken during the period that the campaign covers.
self-propelled guns (of which there were few in the original game) and the experimental 12.8 cm Panzerselbstfahrlafette V "Sturer Emil" self-propelled gun. Alongside the mechanical and human units there is also a large number of new buildings and other objects created specifically for the game. These include representations of the grain elevator and the Red October tractor factory.
The game is well-known in the Blitzkrieg community, not just for its merits as a game that strives for historical accuracy, but for its fix to the "line of fire" bug (and other minor bugs) that were present in the original engine. This bug, which allowed units to engage other units through static objects such as buildings, can thankfully be corrected by replacing one file in the Blitzkrieg installation with an updated file of the same name from Stalingrad. The lack of a map editor or menu options to access custom missions was easily overcome by the Blitzkrieg community with several custom made maps appearing for the game as well as several modifications.
In Russia and the CIS the game was released by 1C Games. In most of Europe Stalingrad was distributed by BlackBean Games (from March 2005) under the title "Great Battles of WWII: Stalingrad" and CDV
(in Germany only). There was no official release in the United States.
The Russian "metal-dub" band Skafandr
produced the games soundtrack.
Real-time tactics
Real-time tactics or RTT is a subgenre of tactical wargames played in real-time simulating the considerations and circumstances of operational warfare and military tactics...
game for the PC developed by Russian company DTF Games. The game is built-up upon Nival Interactive's Enigma engine
Enigma Engine
The Enigma engine is a game engine developed by Nival Interactive that is used in several real-time tactics video games, including their own games, Blitzkrieg and Blitzkrieg 2...
that was used in the Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg (computer game)
Blitzkrieg is a real-time tactics computer game based on the events of World War II. The game allows players to assume the role of commanding officer during the battles of World War II that occurred in Europe and North Africa. Each country has its respective historically correct military units...
game and is a fully stand-alone product.
Campaign structure and maps
Stalingrad features two campaigns based around the events in southern RussiaBattle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
between summer 1942 and early 1943. The Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
campaign has the player commanding the 6th Army as it approached the city and the battles for the city itself. The RKKA (Workers' and Peasants' Red Army) campaign follows the Red Army's progress as it liberated Stalingrad and destroyed the 6th Army. In total there are 36 missions, including 7 "bonus" missions that are unlocked if the player fulfills certain objectives in preceding maps. The maps themselves are reproduced from historical tactical maps and actual aerial photography taken during the period that the campaign covers.
Units
The game sports over 150 units (including armoured fighting vehicles, other vehicles and infantry), few of which were carried over from the original game. Notable amongst the new units are the Soviet 203mm B4 heavy howitzer, variants of the MarderMarder
Marder may refer to :* Marder , German name for European Pine Marten * Marder , a tribal union in Prehistoric Armenia* a series of German tank destroyers from World War II:**Marder I**Marder II**Marder III...
self-propelled guns (of which there were few in the original game) and the experimental 12.8 cm Panzerselbstfahrlafette V "Sturer Emil" self-propelled gun. Alongside the mechanical and human units there is also a large number of new buildings and other objects created specifically for the game. These include representations of the grain elevator and the Red October tractor factory.
Gameplay
As it is based on the Blitzkrieg engine then gameplay is similar, though Stalingrad does feature less accurate artillery fire and increased visual and firing ranges (around twice Blitzkriegs standard). Gone is the concept of core units that the player can keep as he progresses through the campaigns. Instead, Stalingrad simulates unit combat experience with depleted squads and veteran units in the later maps of the campaigns.Summary
Attention to detail, not just in the game itself, is apparent, with the inclusion of a booklet inside the presentation box and an interactive encyclopedia (hidden away in the installation folder and accessible via the EXTRA.exe application). A completely revamped interface makes Stalingrad differ to its Blitzkrieg siblings.The game is well-known in the Blitzkrieg community, not just for its merits as a game that strives for historical accuracy, but for its fix to the "line of fire" bug (and other minor bugs) that were present in the original engine. This bug, which allowed units to engage other units through static objects such as buildings, can thankfully be corrected by replacing one file in the Blitzkrieg installation with an updated file of the same name from Stalingrad. The lack of a map editor or menu options to access custom missions was easily overcome by the Blitzkrieg community with several custom made maps appearing for the game as well as several modifications.
In Russia and the CIS the game was released by 1C Games. In most of Europe Stalingrad was distributed by BlackBean Games (from March 2005) under the title "Great Battles of WWII: Stalingrad" and CDV
CDV
cdv Software Entertainment AG is a German publisher of computer games, specializing in strategy titles for the PC. cdv was founded in 1989 in Karlsruhe, Germany by Wolfgang Gäbler and Christina Oppermann. In April 2000 cdv became listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange...
(in Germany only). There was no official release in the United States.
Trivia
The 1C and BlackBean releases included swastika emblems which were removed from the German release in order to comply with German federal laws.The Russian "metal-dub" band Skafandr
Skafandr
Skafandr is a popular Russian band playing in the self-defined "metal-dub" style. Skafandr was formed in 1998 by Eugeniy Rybnikov, Yuriy Vitel, and Kirill Soloviyov in Saint Petersburg...
produced the games soundtrack.