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Battle of Antietam

Game Mechanics

Battle of Antietam is one wargame which simulates, at the tactical and operational level, the Battle of Antietam of the Secession War. The player can command the Union army or the army of the confederated states and face the computer or another player, who commands the opposing camp. The game offers three levels of difficulty of the most basic, with rules and a simplified game system, at the most advanced, which offers more detailed unit control options, including the management of unit integrity or the replacement of officers. The game also offers several options to take into account the war fog or General George McClellan's indecision, or to impose a time limit on each game tower.

The game takes place on a map divided into 42 x 36 square boxes, each representing a distance of about 200yards. On the map are represented different types of land including the city of Sharpsburg, rivers, forests, roads or bridges. For their part, the units are represented by icons or figures corresponding to the three main types of units present: infantry, cavalry and artillery. In the highest difficulty levels, the player can also choose to represent the units by their military symbols. The game takes place in turn, each round representing one hour and consists of several phases. The first allows the player to move his units. For this, the player must position a cursor on the unit to select it, then use the keys of the digital paved to move it in one of the eight possible directions. The distance on which a unit can move depends on the number of points of movement available to it, which depends on different parameters including the terrain, type and formation (on line or column) of the unit or the proximity of enemy units. In order to allow an infantry unit to cover a greater distance during the tour, the player can also order him to move to forced walking, which increases his fatigue level. Unit movements can also be limited by the presence of other units on adjacent boxes, the player can only stack a limited number of units on the same box. After moving a unit, the player can order him to attack an enemy unit, if it is visible and at range of shooting. Once a player has moved all his units, the opposing player has the opportunity to order his troops to respond, before the start of the combat phase in which the units of each camp alternately pull. The previous phases are then repeated by reversing the roles to complete the game tower.

The ability to fight a unit is characterized by its theoretical fire power, which depends on the number of soldier that composes it, and by its efficiency. The latter initially depends on the training and experience of the soldiers, but evolves during the fighting according to the losses suffered by the unity and the level of fatigue of the troops. During a fight, the fire power of the units involved varies more depending on the type of land they are located, their density and their formations (on line or in column). The ability to fight a unit also depends on the bonus associated with their leader. To each brigade, division or army corps is indeed attached a leader to which is awarded a bonus, depending on its historical capacities in terms of leadership, which directly affects the power of the troops under his command. Following the distance separating a unity of his brigade and the leaders of his division and his army, but also following the spirit of these leaders (confused, undecided, prudent, confident), the unity is more attributed a level of command, which also directly affects his power of fire.