Battlefront.com and Hussar Games are joining ranks!

[Moon]

Battlefront.com and Hussar Games are joining ranks! The leading independent war and strategy game publisher Battlefront.com and Hungarian wargame developer Hussar Games will be cooperating to bring a number of thrilling historical wargames to the market. Two games have been announced immediately as already being in development:

1848

1848 is turn based computer strategy game for the PC. The game set during the violent era of the Hungarian Independence War of 1848-49. 1848 was a year of revolutions. Most of the uprisings were crushed quickly, but Hungary was an exception. In the spring of 1849 the Hungarian army seized victory from the Austrians and liberated the entire nation but victory was short and sweet - in the summer the Tsar of Russia intervened with 200,000 troops. In history, this force could not be stopped. Can you change history?

1848 is a turn based operational strategy game for the PC. The game plays out on a large hexagonal map. You are responsible for all your forces and must decide what do with each of them. Attack, retreat, recon, defend, fortify, siege an enemy fort or build a new army - the choice is up to you.

The game was sponsored by the Hungarian Ministry of Education and the Hungarian version was released for the anniversary of 1848 in March 2005. It was a huge success in Hungary: in a country of 10 million people, the game had more then 100,000 downloads. The English version of 1848 will also be released FOR FREE as a full version download in Q2/2006.

1848 - GAME FEATURES

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• Full Game is FREE TO THE PUBLIC</font>
• Turn based strategy 1 turn = 1 week</font>
• The game takes place in Central Europe in the Carpathian basin, within the borders
  of the Austrian Empire</font>
• Large resolution (4000x2600 pixel) map, based on contemporary maps of the region</font>
• 14 different unit types including infantry, militia, cuirassier, hussar, Cossacks, siege
  artillery and more</font>
• 3 nations: Hungary, Austria and Russia</font>
• 100 generals, many with authentic historical portraits</font>
• Authentic period music</font>
• Dynamic weather system</font>
• Easy-to-use intuitive interface</font>
• Multiplayer support via Play By Email, LAN (TCP/IP), and Hotseat</font>

For more information about the game, please visit:

http://www.battlefront.com/products/1848/index.html

For Liberty!

For Liberty! is a turn based computer strategy game for the PC, covering two wars of independence - the American Revolution (1775-1783) and the Rakoczi War of Independence in Europe 1703-1711. The game is based on the same engine as 1848, but has added many features and visual improvements. One notable new feature is the tactical battle system that features a randomly generated maps. The game also features new unit types and formations as well as an all new resource management component, random and historical events and more!

"For Liberty!" will be released on the 4th of July, 2006, and will be available from www.battlefront.com for only $35!

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• Turn based gameplay both on the Strategic and Tactical level</font>
• Two theatres of operation: East Coast of North America and the Carpathian Basin in Central Europe.</font>
• Two large maps, each over 3000 hexes in size</font>
• Tactical Battle System that allows "Quick Battle" generation and maps</font>
• Over 20 minutes of period music for each theater</font>
• Management of 6 key resources: recruits, horses, muskets, cannons, money and supply.</font>
• Influence points can be used to affect political decisions.</font>
• 400 different historical leaders</font>
• Each leader can have up to 3 different special abilities out of 16 including the of Melee Specialist, Engineer, Fort Specialist, Grenadier and Maneuver</font>
• 16 type of units, eg: dragoon, infantry, rifleman, militia, Indians, hussars, grenadier and heavy artillery</font>
• 3D rendered maps and units</font>
• 8 campaigns, 4 for each theater</font>
• 3 kinds of multiplayer support: HotSeat, PBEM and LAN (TCP/IP).</font>
• 3 difficulty settings</font>
• 7 different unit stances on the strategic map: defense, attack, rest, siege, retreat, routed and training</font>
• 4 kinds of unit formations on the tactical map: skirmish, column, line and routed</font>
• Simple Ruleset for new players and Advanced Ruleset for veterans</font>
• Realistic depiction of battles and campaigns, units will not fight to the last man, you win battles by routing the enemy army from the field</font>
• Wide assortment of random events: pirates, epidemics, betrayal, fires, revolts, desertion, Indian discontent and many others</font>
• Towns can be pillaged to gain supply</font>
• Fleet Bombardments and Troop Landings</font>
• Years of historical research utilized in the games development</font>

For more information about the game, please visit:

http://www.battlefront.com/products/forliberty/index.html

STATEMENTS

Martin van Balkom, Battlefront.com president: "Most recent strategy game releases seem to be either real-time click-fests with shallow eyecandy and stale gameplay; or are so overloaded with irrelevant details and unnecessary complexity that they turn into micro-management hell. When we first saw the concepts of 1848 and then For Liberty!, it became quickly apparent that Hussar Games was a team which hadn't forgotten the principles of good, balanced and fun game design. Instead of adding complexity only for complexity's sake, we saw an intelligent and elegant design with a user friendly interface and more realism than most of the so-called real time strategy titles out there. Fans of our own Strategic Command series will love these games, which are both easy to grasp but difficult to master, and so addictive that you won't be able top easily put them down! "1848", which will be released as a free download, will whet your appetite, and in "For Liberty!" you will fight for America's independence against the era's most professional military force, the British Empire."

Bulcsú Várhegyi, Hussar Games founder: "I am very proud that we are able to market our games through Battlefront.com, a leading wargame publisher and developer. Not only is Combat Mission one of my favorite games of all time, it also inspired me to start Hussar Games. Today, very few wargames have the potential to bring new people into wargaming. We wanted to change all this with a design and a visual concept (eyecandy) that will please the grognards and at the same time not scare off the casual gamer. We are very much looking forward to working together with Battlefront.com and we hope that these two games are only the start of a long-time partnership."

[The DesertFox]

What?...No news about "Shock Force" ? Well, well, well...

You guys know how to build up tension... eh ?

cheers

Helge

[MikeyD]

Yup, I had stumbled on the brand-new Hussars chat groups yesterday. You guys keep coming up with games that are tailored to force me into upgrading from my old mac to a PC, don't you!