BHBigHart

My first impressions were pretty lukewarm. In fact, I almost put the game down. Something kept calling me back. Now I'm replaying missions until I get it right - and each time I find something I could have done better (i.e. could have looked harder for hull down positions, could have used my snipers more effectively, etc.). This game is really growing on me. There's much more here than meets the eye at first glance.

Uhm...wow. Having pre-ordered this game I've felt a certain obligation to stick with it...that guilt is starting to pay off...I think I'm finally starting to get this game! After wiping quickly a couple of times on the second Polish mission (Rising Tide) I took a break...had a couple of shots (jk)...and stepped back...way back. Hiding in the trees / bushes: insta-death. Hiding in the small village: prolonged-death / unacceptable casualities. Then I noticed the river... It wasn't really the river that caught my eye...it was the bank along the river! Third try: prior to battle I disbursed my troops as close to the bank as possible - as soon as the battle started I withdrew everyone into a hull-down position along the bank. Mud in the tracks...water in the boots...the River Rats were born! This time when the first wave crested the hill they failed to spot anybody and just kept rolling...when the majority of their tanks were exposed and within optimal range the Rats let loose! It was a massacre...but this time...I was doing the killing...hehe. I took almost no casualties taking down the tanks...and then let my tanks briefly clean up any remaining infantry prior to returning to hull-down on the river bank. Second wave? Same story. Patiently hunkered down on the river bank it was hardly a fair fight...as the tanks advanced on my position they were picked off one by one...afterwards my heavy armor cleaned up most of their infantry...with my own infantry finally drying their boots and providing covering fire and support. Serious reinforcements now arrived and allowed me to catch my breath and plot out a strategic attack on their artillery - at my own pace...under my own conditions. The name of this game? Patience. I'd been too aggressive in previous battles...and far too impatient. Using the terrain to dictate where, when, and how the skirmishes take place is the difference between raw recruits and seasoned veterans in my next battle. My lukewarm first impressions of this game are turning into a slow boil...in a word...wow.