Kampfgruppe

WWII Computer Game

Review by James Baker

Programmed by Gary Grisby
Strategic Simulations, Inc. 883 Stirling Road, Building A200, Mountain View, CA 94043 0
Released: January, 1985
Price: $59.95
Complexity: Advanced
Solitaire Suitability: High

Kampfgruppe is a tactical/operational level computer simulation of combat on the Eastern Front in World War II. It can be played against the computer or against a human opponent. Each player is given control of several company and battalion level forces and attempts to score victory points by occupying the objective area and eliminating enemy units. The game is available for the ATARI, APPLE, and COMMODORE computers. This review is based on my experiences with the ATARI version played against the computer.

Kampfgruppe presents both tactical and strategic problems that require planning and proper coordination of forces to solve. It also provides an incredible diversity of unit types and force levels. It is not a simple game, however, and should be approached with caution unless you are a serious wargamer. If you are interested in the period and are willing to spend the time to learn the tactics, Kampfgruppe will provide many hours of enjoyment.

The basic structure of Kampfgruppe is similar to other computer games. You give your orders to your units and then they attempt to carry them out in a combat phase which represents two minutes of battle. Each combat phase is divided into four pulses and combat units will move and fight in all four pulses before you get a chance to change their orders. What differentiates Kampfgruppe from other computer games is that orders are issued in a more realistic way than in the context of a tactical simulation.

Units represent platoons, but are organized into company formations. Instead of issuing orders to each individual platoon, you have the option to give orders to entire companies. This both speeds the order giving process and also gives the feeling of commanding a large force instead of many disjointed units. Also, units will attempt to follow your movement orders until they are completed, so it is unnecessary to keep re- issuing the same orders to individual units. It is also unnecessary to tell your units to fight. Unless ordered not to do so, units will stop to engage any enemy units within range.

In effect, you can issue orders to your companies that are the equivalent to "clear the town" or "take the hill." At the same time, you may also take control of individual platoons when necessary.

Careful planning is essential because changing orders imposes a one or more pulse delay. It takes time for units to start executing the new orders. This is expressed in pulses in which they do not move. The amount of time depends on the nationality and time period of the game. Early in the war, Germans can react very quickly (I pulse delay), while an out of command Russian takes a full nine pulses (over two combat phases) before the new orders are executed.

This not only puts a premium on careful planning, but also serves to show how the tactical expertise and flexibility of the Germans could be used to defeat more powerful Russian forces.

The graphics for this game are adequate, but not outstanding. The top part of each screen shows part of the map over which the battle takes place. This includes symbols for woods, towns, rough terrain and hill contour lines, organized in a square grid. Units are represented by symbols indicating their type and nationality. If more than one unit is present in a location, a stacking symbol is used. it is also possible for units of both sides to exist in the same place in which case the symbol GE/SU is displayed.

Only the units which are spotted are shown on the map during the combat phase, and all movement is hidden until such time as combat is joined. Until the forces are engaged, it seems as though nothing is happening. You see an empty area of the map with no units on it. This is probably necessary for the two- player version, but when playing solitaire, I would have preferred to see my units moving forward.

Once battle is joined, however, this is not a problem as combat is fast and furious. A red cursor shows which unit is a target, and distinctive sounds of artillery, small- arms fire and gunfire let you know what is going on. During the combat phase, the bottom part of the screen tells you the effect of the fire.

Before each combat phase, the player gets to issue orders for his forces. All orders are entered through the keyboard and the options available at each point are displayed on the bottom of the screen. There are two orders menus, the Map Display Menu and the Unit Orders Menu. Unfortunately, the same keys are used in both, and I found it easy to get confused.

For example, often 1 found myself suddenly issuing orders to units in company "G" when I really wanted to 'G'et a different unit. I felt that this was the weakest part of the game and would have preferred joystick control or a different keyboard layout. Still, it is adequate after you get used to it.

Issuing movement orders is very flexible. Moving units can be given two objectives. Upon reaching the first, they will automatically proceed to the second. Units can be issued movement orders either individually or in company formations. Companies can be told to move in formation or to all proceed to the same place. The ability to give the two-stage movement orders to entire formations gives great flexibility. I found myself constantly setting up situations where I would have the entire company move to one place, deploy into a combat formation, and then begin an assault.

The neat thing about movement in this game is that you can set up your plan and then let it execute, assuming that you don't run into your opponent attempting to do the same thing. Units will continue to move toward their objectives until they reach them or are engaged and require no further interference on your part until you want them to do something new.

As if the mechanics of the game itself were not strong enough, the scenario and setup options also allow incredible variations. Twenty-one Russian and twenty- nine German vehicle types are included as well as an assortment of towed guns and infantry weapons. Weapons are rated as to range, penetration, shell size and accuracy, while vehicles have additional speed and armor ratings. All units have silhouette ratings which affect spotting and the probability of hitting them. The formulas for calculating kills are given in the manual, but work out quite logically.

When playing the game, you have the option of using one of four canned scenarios or of designing your own. The self-designed scenarios are the most interesting. In addition to having some control over the randomly generated map you can also create forces of your own choosing. If you do not choose to allow the computer to build your forces for you, select a general iorce type (Panzer, Motorized and Infantry for the Germans; Tank and Infantry for the Russians) and then buy units from a force pool based on your general type and size of scenario. You buy units in company groups and get individual vehicles appropriate to one of the eight time periods available. It should be noted that the large assaults take a long time to play, but the smaller scenarios are quite reasonable, and can he completed in a couple of hours.

The computer opponent is somewhat predictable and is far more dangerous on attack than on defense. This makes it a better Russian than a German, because it is unable to properly use the tactical finesse required by the Germans. After becoming familiar with the game system, I found that I had to use the handicap options to make the games more interesting. I found that an understrength infantry defense against a Russian assault was extremely challenging and hard to win. On defense, the computer tends to be vulnerable to grand-tactical flanking movements. It will also throw its armored reserve at you in "charge of the Light Brigade" fashion. Usually the Germans can handle this.

I also found a few minor technical glitches in the ATARI version. For example, the register is not refreshed. This means that if you go for seven minutes without finishing a turn or making a keyboard entry, the colors will start shifting. Nothing is lost by this and it goes away when you enter the next command. Still, it was surprising the first time it happened. A more serious error occurs if you insert the wrong disk in response to the "Insert game disk" prompt. instead of giving you a second chance, the computer locks up and you have to restart.

In conclusion, Kampfgruppe is really a fine game for the serious wargamer. It puts you in command of the battle at the proper level, gives an incredible variation of scenarios and is a constant challenge. It is very complex, but succeeds in showing how combined arms forces fight and the importance of command and control. It has a few minor faults. The worst of which is the sometimes confusing order menu. These are far outweighed by the positive aspects of the game. If you are at all interested in the period and have the appropriate type of computer, you will not be disappointed by this game.

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