The Flare Path: Achtung, Panzer Poachers!

The walls of the FP office are plastered with pictures of iconic war machines. When I yaw left I see the elegant elliptical wings of a Supermarine Spitball, the slab prow of a Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiepin, the yawning bomb-bay of an Avro Lankystreakofpiss. When I yaw right I see swarms of side-slipping Sopwith Camelots, HMS Hoodie steaming at full speed towards the Denholmelliot Strait, a sharkmouthed McDonnell Dougal F-4 Phantompregnancy splashing napalm onto a bunker-riddled Vietnamese hellside.

I also see Clause 5 of the 'FLARE PATH CODE OF PUBLISHER GOOD CONDUCT' - “Thou shalt not make life difficult for small developers by forcing them to change the name of a well-loved franchise”. Swedish strategy behemoths Paradox appear to have breached this particular clause in recent dealings with Ukrainian warlords Graviteam.

The Kharkivites responsible for some of this correspondent's favourite WW2 diversions are in the process of unscrewing the nameplate from their excellent Achtung Panzer series because Heinz Guderian Fred Wester owns the AP appellation and, apparently, has other plans for it. While Paradox undoubtedly have law on their side, it seems rather churlish to reclaim a name now inextricably linked with gripping real-time tank choreography and why-don't-more-wargames-contextualise-battles-this-classily strat layers. Whatever project the Swedes have in mind, surely another moniker could have been found?

The folk behind Steel Fury, Steel Armor and Achtung Panzer haven't had a lot of luck in their dealings with Western partners. Lighthouse Interactive, the distributors of SF, went bust before the promised convoy of royalty-loaded GAZ trucks had got anywhere near Cossack territory. All things considered, it's remarkable Graviteam are still such an enthusiastic and generous bunch. On the cards in the coming twelve months are...

• Three new adjuncts for the Achtung Panzer Graviteam Tactics series (ETA Q2-3)
• A hefty free update for Achtung Panzer Graviteam Tactics (ETA April-May) highlights of which will include new vehicles like the Panzer I Ausf. F, simulation of radio, voice, and wire communications, and the option to lighten the command load by temporarily handing units over to the AI.

• Graviteam Tactics: Mius Front (ETA Q3), a new standalone title effectively replacing Achtung Panzer: Operation Star.

• Graviteam Tactics: Nomonhan (ETA Q1), a new standalone game set in the decidedly exotic surroundings of the Mongolia/Manchuria border.

In a genre where devs cling to Tigers, T-34s and Shermans the way toddlers cling to threadbare teddy bears, the latter project feels especially bold. Sifting through the zip of unit images that arrived in my inbox a few days ago, I see nothing bigger or better-known than a BT-7. Will GT: Nomonhan be the first wargame ever to feature a mighty Type 94 tankette on its cover?

Yes!

Achtung Panzer: Operation Star and associated DLC is currently on sale at GamersGate. The reductions aren't nearly as generous as those offered by Strategy First a few weeks back, but anyone eager to get familiar with this singular series before it loses its catchy title, and heads east for a spot of treeless, tankette-heavy tussling might want to take advantage.

Parasitic Drag

X-Plane author Austin Meyer is the only dev I know of that has fulfilled both Clause 83 (“Thou shalt nobly resist parasitic patent trolls.”) and Clause 171 (“Thou shalt endeavour, without exploiting terrorist training rumours or crash reconstruction opportunities, to get flight simulators onto the evening news.”) of the 'FLARE PATH CODE OF PUBLISHER GOOD CONDUCT'.

The legal duel Alec reported in September made CBS News just before Christmas. Eagle-eyed SimHQ.com spotted Austin being eloquent, just, and impressively-housed:

Bear Cub

Previously on 'Slitherine/Matrix - The Publisher That Ate PC Wargaming'...

...Slithtrix announced they'd swallowed Ageod - the French history-mongers responsible for mappy marvels like Birth of America 2 and Alea Jacta Est. Tim wondered quietly if they'd find the meal more palatable than Paradox did.

...Slithtrix told the World they were collaborating with Buzz Aldrin on a space exploration strategy game. Tim wondered quietly if it would turn out half as good as the last game Buzz mentored.

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...Slithtrix announced they'd signed promising high-detail Harpoon-descendent Command: Modern Air/Naval Operations. Tim wondered quietly if a) he'd have the patience/wit to fathom its numerous subtleties, and b) whether the partnership might encourage WarfareSims to look again at that heartbreakingly drab name.

...Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear!, a likeable board game-aping Ost Front wargame from Western Civilization Software got a major update and a demo. New features include a set of mightily attractive 2D textures snatched directly from the inspiration, support for unit carry-over campaigns, and a new LOS tool. Tim wondered quietly if he could pleasantly fill the hours between breakfast and lunch by playing the four scenarios included in the trial.

Happily, he discovered that he could.

The Flare Path Foxer

Surveys have shown that losswords are the most hated form of Foxer. Why are there no clues? Why are the words arranged in clusters of three? Instead of insulting your intelligence by providing answers to valid questions like these, can I just point you in the direction of a past solution and hope the penny drops?