Sortie de World in Flames

Wargame monstre par excellence, l’adaptation PC de World in Flames vient enfin après de nombreuses années de développement de voir le jour chez Matrix. Cette première mouture est un grand pas en avant pour les joueurs passionnés par ce qui est une simulation très complète de la 2nde Guerre Mondiale. Toutefois il faut savoir que cette adaptation n’est pas encore à proprement parlé un habituel jeu PC, mais plutôt une stricte transposition du jeu sur table sur un ordinateur avec un, voire de préférence deux écrans. Transposition qui automatise de nombreux mécanismes, confort qu’apprécieront probablement ceux ayant connu il y a dix ou vingt ans la valse des rendez-vous hebdomadaires, rencontres ludiques à l’abri des tremblements de table dans une grande pièce, fut-ce une cave, un salon ou un grenier, transformée pendant plusieurs mois en quartier général et donnant lieu a de longues soirées de réflexion devant de nombreuses piles de pions. Cette limitation actuelle de World in Flames pour PC est clairement rappelée par Matrix :

IMPORTANT NOTE: This title does not include an AI player in the initial release.  It is designed as a computerized, automated and online multiplayer-capable World in Flames, including an integrated multiplayer forum and an official multiplayer server for easy player matching and networking.

En outre pour l’instant le jeu ne permet de jouer en multijoueurs (Netplay via serveur / Hotseat) qu’à deux, un coté Axe, l’autre coté Alliés. Autre contrainte, cette déclinaison de World in Flames n’est pas non plus disponible uniquement en téléchargement. Il vous faudra obligatoirement acquérir les nouveaux et très beaux livres de règles (voir cette brève) pour pouvoir télécharger votre copie digitale du jeu. Achat qui a inévitablement pour conséquence d’ajouter des frais d’envoi faisant donc grimper de manière conséquente le prix du jeu, qui hors taxes et frais de port est à la base de 78,99 euros.

Sans compter une splendide et gigantesque carte, voir image ci-contre et cette page chez Matrix, carte imprimée qui elle est par contre tout ce qu’il y a de plus optionnelle, un accessoire pratique et luxueux se destinant plutôt aux collectionneurs.

Ces prochains mois de nouvelles mises à jour viendront ajouter des options supplémentaires, un mode multijoueurs pour six personnes (soit six camps différents, par rapport aux deux présents actuellement), un mode PBEM, et, probablement dans un an, une IA pour s’entrainer ou compenser si besoin le manque d’adversaires. Notez qu’une première mise à jour est d’ores et déjà sortie, corrigeant quelques bugs ayant récemment fait leur apparition.

A lire en complément un récent article répondant à différentes questions des joueurs, de ce coté sur The Wargamer, ainsi que ce précédent interview de Harry Rowland (concepteur du jeu) par ici chez The Wargamer. Nous vous reparlerons plus en détail de World in Flames, que vous trouverez aussi dans notre boutique partenaire, dans le courant de l’hiver.

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World in Flames Takes Over!

The digital version of the biggest board wargame ever is finally here!

Arlington, VT, November 08, 2013 –  There are things in life that sometimes border on perfection and we simply cannot believe they can get better. In the wargaming market, there is a boardgame that in many ways can be referenced as THE Wargame, thanks to its scope, its realism, the passion of the massive community that plays it and the keen and accurate design: World in Flames.

There is perhaps only one challenge – finding the space, time and an opponent to play it with!

After a decade of development by a team that is devoted to World in Flames and has spared no effort to bring it accurately and faithfully to the computer, Matrix Games, along with Australian Design Group (www.a-d-g.com.au), is going to introduce you to a whole new way of playing World in Flames with the release of the long-awaited computer version!

However, World in Flames for the computer is not just for computer wargamers!  The game is only available in physical format and includes three Hardbound Full Color reference volumes and an optional Map Pack.  The hardbound volumes are as follows:

• Player’s Manual Vol. 1 & Vol 2 (They cover the interface and gameplay of the officially licensed Matrix Games World in Flames  computer game forming a complete reference on how to play the game).  These are full color hardbound manuals totaling 552 pages, more comprehensive than any game manual we’ve done in the past!
• The Rules as Coded (it follows the structure of the World in Flames as Written, providing a complete reference of the WiF rules as implemented in the officially licensed computer game. Players can also use this as a rule book for tabletop play).  This is also a full color hardbound volume totaling 192 pages and is an invaluable reference which gives you the entire combined Rules as Coded at your fingertips for computer or tabletop play.

The optional Map Pack is the global consistent scale and tabletop-playable WIF map!

• Players for the first time can purchase an entire new set of full color WiF maps at 90 kilometers per hex (70,200 hexes)!  The maps are identical to the in-game maps in look and match the hex scale of the board game maps so that they are entirely playable on the table top.  These are the first global contiguous WIF maps to date!  All at the same consistent scale, they cover the entire Globe in 24 sections printed in full-color heavy stock gloss paper.  You can use the sections separately or connect them for the full global map.  Total size of the map is height 9ft (2.7 meters) and length 21ft (6.4 meters).  That’s nearly 200 square feet of map!

There are thousands of units with quantified historical capabilities from 250 countries with 8 major powers.  World in Flames is a detailed simulation of all of World War II and the interactions between land, sea, and air forces on a global scale.

Harry Rowland, Game Designer of the original World in Flames boardgame, said: « ADG have produced some high quality games over the years but nothing compares to the top-notch components included in World in Flames: the computer game. It includes 24 full-colour maps, and 3 hard-covered books of over 600 pages, a real collector’s gem« .

If you are eager to see how the game looks, we have posted on this Forum Page a collection of pictures featuring the Books and the Maps, plus a 3D rendering of the complete World Map. Also you can enjoy the “Seven Moments of Wow” to have an inside look at the game, get some hints and find out more about it.
The v1.0.1 at release Update is also available. It includes a number of Bug and Crash fixes, Updated write-ups for many units, and fixes an issue that could cause synch problems in NetPlay.

Check the Forum page to view the full change list.

To download the update, players can run “Check for Update” via the game menu or  on the game’s download page.

So  don’t miss this chance: be part of a milestone in Wargaming History by playing Matrix Games’ World in Flames!

Get more information on World in Flames from its official product page.

 

About World in Flames

World in Flames is Matrix Games’ computer version of Australian Design Group’s classic board game.  Covering both the European and Pacific Theaters of Operations during World War II, World in Flames is global in scope while simulating each branch of service in detail.  Land units are corps and army level, supplemented with specialized divisions.  Naval units include individual counters for every carrier, battleship, cruiser, and light cruiser in the war. Using 1000+ unique bitmapped images, air units represent groups of 250 to 500 airplanes.  With 6000+ unique units, 250+ countries, and a global map of 70,200 hexes, World in Flames is the premier World War II grand strategy game.

All 11 scenarios from Australian Design Group’s World in Flames Final Edition are included, and they range from the small 5 turn Barbarossa offensive in Russia and the 5 turn Guadalcanal battle in the Pacific, through to the 36 turn Global War campaign which spans all of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the Atlantic, and the Pacific.  You can play either the Axis or the Allied side or take the role of one of the 8 major powers.  Besides solitaire and head-to-head, you can play over the Internet with two players (one per side).

In addition to the full set of rules from World in Flames, Final Edition, there are 64 optional rules.  Australian Design Group’s expansion module Ships in Flames is incorporated into the basic game, but the inclusion of other expansion modules, such as Planes in Flames, Carrier Planes in Flames, Cruisers in Flames, and Convoys in Flames depends on which optional rules are selected.

This simulation models national production from conveying raw resources to factories  using rail lines and overseas pipelines for producing infantry, armor, naval, and air combat units.  Because oil was so important during World War II, there are separate optional rules for synthetic oil plants and deployment of oil reserves to the front lines.

Game units represent armies and corps, aircraft carriers, naval task forces, and air groups that took part in World War II.  Everything you need to re-fight the greatest conflict in history is provided in World in Flames.  Two players make the strategic decisions that decide the fate of nations.  What forces to produce, where to commit them, when and how?  No two games of World in Flames play the same, no strategy is foolproof, any decision may have unforeseen, long-term consequences.

If you want to change the world then World in Flames is for you.

 

Matrix Games is part of the Slitherine Group

 

About the Slitherine Group

The Slitherine Group is the world’s leading producer and publisher of digital wargames and strategy games. Under the Slitherine (www.slitherine.com), Matrix Games (www.matrixgames.com) and Ageod (www.ageod.com) brands it has published literally hundreds of games, with many award-winning titles in its portfolio and spanning all digital platforms, from home consoles to modern Smartphone’s and Tablets. Slitherine is also involved with book publishing, board gaming and works with a wide array of key licensing partners, such as HISTORY®, MILITARY HISTORY®, Games Workshop®, Horrible Histories™, Showtime, BBC, Osprey, Scholastic, Buzz Aldrin Enterprises and many others to deliver the best blend of historical accuracy in an exciting and entertaining way. Together the Group companies form the world’s largest organization specializing in this important and vibrant niche. The Slitherine Group’s mission over the coming years is to lead the way in innovation and growth in an ever expanding segment of the entertainment industry.