We received the following... Shrapnel Games and ProSIM would like to announce the next title in the ATF Engine series of modern real-time strategy titles for Windows, War in Afghanistan. War in Afghanistan is possibly the most ambitious and informative ATF game yet, featuring over a century of regional conflict in one amazing package. War in Afghanistan can almost be described as a survey-style wargame. Instead of focusing on one particular campaign or period War in Afghanistan will cover everything from British operations in country during the 19th century to the capture of terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden (hypothetical at this point, but possibly real by the game's release). From the Soviet invasion, to the rise of the Taliban, to Operation Enduring Freedom, all important conflicts in the war torn region are touched upon. An interesting aspect of War in Afghanistan will be the treatment of the scenarios. While many wargames will provide a paragraph or two of color commentary which sets up the player, and may or may not provide a historical context, War in Afghanistan will feature extremely content-heavy scenarios. Setting up the scenario will be aerial photos (actual if possible) of the operations area, ProSIM's well-known highly detailed order briefings, briefing slides, intelligence estimates of enemy force composition, and more. Additionally, each scenario will feature historical notes on how the operation actually played out (if a historical scenario), and will even include helpful hints in the form of "commander guidance" notes for those having a tough time raising the flag of victory in a particular scenario. Thanks to the rich reference material found in War in Afghanistan players will walk away from the game with a deeper understanding of the conflicts that have plagued the region. Historical lessons and an understanding of current events are made much clearer, as players will experience what it's like to face the challenges commanders have faced over the years fighting in Afghanistan. Indeed, ProSIM's War in Afghanistan will almost be an interactive military history guide. The ATF core engine will experience many upgrades and modifications to accommodate the unique situations that will be presented in War in Afghanistan. These include: Technicals (in layman's terms, jeeps and trucks mounted with heavy weaponry). Horse mounted units. Inserting paratroopers. Instead of designated urban areas, War in Afghanistan will model individual buildings, allowing intense urban combat. Highly magnified maps specially designed to look good at any zoom level. Various radar types: artillery counter-battery radar, J-STARS, and ground surveillance. Look for more information on War in Afghanistan as the project progresses at Shrapnel Games (http://www.shrapnelgames.com). Back to 2nd Quarter 2004 List of News Items Back to Master List of News Items Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by Coalition Web, Inc. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com