Free Panzer General on Wesnoth?

[Monguntiacum]

hi folks, im new in these halls. wish you happy new year


I love Wesnoth, but every time i´m playing a hex strategy game, i´m dreaming about the time with Fantasy General, Pacific Admirel etc and of course the big boy of this series, Panzer General. I don´t understand why nobody do a free Panzer General, SSI is dead, Panzer General is abandon software. Of course i can play it with dos box, but i would love new battles and campaigns. Now i think why not do a daughter of wesnoth on a version with distant hex fire. i never modding in wesnoth, but the next weeks i will take a look into modding of wesnoth looking forward to a free Panzer General. It´s a pity that the era mod 1940 Europe Theater is dead, it would be very useful to look how it done.

Or is it all unnecessary because there is a free Panzer General in the deep wide of www?

[Captain_Wrathbow]

I'm afraid I've never played Panzer General, but it kind of sounds like what you want is real ranged? The Ranged Era (by mich I think?) allows units to fire multiple hexes away with their ranged attacks.

[fabi]

http://happypenguin.org/show?LGeneral

[Monguntiacum]

http://happypenguin.org/show?LGeneral

this is Panzer General for Linux.

Thanks for link, but not very useful for windows user, isn´t it?

[Gambit]

Help for a windows user.

It works quite well. I mainly use it to download and virus scan things before passing them to windows. But having it to play linux-only games is another great use.

[fabi]

http://happypenguin.org/show?LGeneral

this is Panzer General for Linux.

Thanks for link, but not very useful for windows user, isn´t it?

It is, the project offers win32 exe files.

[Redeth]

If you enjoyed Panzer General then try good ol' "Steel Panthers: World at War"

Best hex based, extremely realistic wargame ever. Be warned: the game is so detailed that it makes Panzer General look like a kiddie joke.

It's free of course.

[Velensk]

@Redeth: Have you ever played advanced squad leader?

[Redeth]

@Redeth: Have you ever played advanced squad leader?

You mean the actual board game? No, the last one of those I played was, I think, Ludo, and that was a couple of decades ago.

[Noy]

If you enjoyed Panzer General then try good ol' "Steel Panthers: World at War"

Best hex based, extremely realistic wargame ever. Be warned: the game is so detailed that it makes Panzer General look like a kiddie joke.

It's free of course.

Eh I'd dispute its the "most realistic game ever." I don't think micromanagement equals realism. In some ways it is a detriment to it as it gives control to individuals who would never have that ability.

I think as a tactical system, the Close Combat series edges it out due to its implementation of a real time system and a better method to adjudicate morale. It represented the level of control you would have if you were a Captain, Major or Lt. Colonel.

At the operational level (using company/battalion sized units) the Atomic's World at War series offered a more realistic approach. It was not cumbersome, could scale to different formations and levels of micromanagement and had a coincidental turn resolution. It reflected what a General staff officer would face, by issuing orders every six hours after the previous orders had been resolved.

[Ardent]

Second the Close Combat series as probably one of the most realistic. The real time with units actually "acting on their own" based on your orders was superb IMHO. The Steel Panthers series gives plenty of time to think about actions...you loose part of the feeling of chaos and also looking at your soldiers and thinking "why the hell is he moving that way? And why isn't the bugger runing?"
Also, you have to love the morale/supply system in CC. In CC2 (which I played most of the series - both SP and MP) axis forces frequently couldn't hold off allies in a sector just because the troops had just one or two mags per soldier, your tanks had as few as 6 AT rounds and so on

[Dan-the-Terrible]

When I played my first Battle for Wesnoth campaign, I was strongly reminded of Panzer General. It has the same hex grid. It has units that carry over from one scenario to the next, increasing in strength as they gain experience. It has a similar fog of war system, and a similar economic system. Above all, it has the same tactical feel of carefully planning your units movement and attacks so they get to just the right place to attack the particular unit they are strongest against, while avoiding similar retaliation from the opponent.

On the whole, though, PG is a significantly more complex game than BfW. There is the multihex range of the artillery, artillery defensive fire, the complex interaction of the various unit classes, entrenchment and the danger of rugged defense, weather, supplies, and the ability to upgrade equipment as technology improves. It's too much, don't think there is any realistic chance of finding developers interested in modifying BfW to become Panzer Wesnoth.

One of the sequels to PG was called Fantasy General. It tried to emulate the tactical feel of PG with Fantasy units. Ultimately it was a significantly simpler game, without a lot of the chrome necessary to emulate the complexity of WW2 combat. I found it rather disappointing, with limited replay value. In many ways, I feel BfW is the game FG was trying to be.

[Sauron]

I think you should take a look here:
http://panzercentral.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=45039

The goal of PG Forever project is to preserve game mechanics and characteristic look-and-feel of the classic Panzer General, and improve all the other areas of the game: compatibility with modern hardware and Windows versions, UI, usability, multiplayer, AI and customizability of all game aspects.

Veteran players will feel themselves at home with PGF, because it is a very faithful remake. Even the most obscure game rules were carefully researched and preserved to make sure the gameplay is as close as it gets to the original. 99% of the time you will see no difference at all. At the same time, you can enjoy all the new features and benefits provided by the remake.

Wesnoth 'engine' is AFAIK unfit for porting PG into it due to lack of possibility of stacking air unit over ground unit - and separation of ground ZOC from air ZOC.