PANZER FRONT - PlayStation FAQ (USA Missions - 1 of 3)
by J Woodrow <
[email protected]>
Version 1.0 - 07/07/2002
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U S A M I S S I O N S
______________________
In tank battles the winner is almost always
the one who finds the enemy first.
_________________________________________________________________________
PANZER FRONT - PLAYSTATION
Released: April 2001 (UK)
Developers: Enterbrain
Publisher: JVC
[This game was first released in Dec 1999 on Dreamcast in Japan]
_________________________________________________________________________
C O N T E N T S
_______________
INTRODUCTION
PLAYING THE GAME
'TANK SELECT'
'SELECT MAP'
FIRST DRIVE
U S A M I S S I O N S
______________________
1: Training-1
2: Training-2
---------------------------------------------------------
S P O I L E R A L E R T
---------------------------------------------------------
3: 1944/ 7/ 9 St. Jean-de-Daye
4: 1944/ 7/10 Le Dezert
5: 1944/ 8/15 Argentan
6: 1944/12/18 Poteau
7: 1944/12/21 Saint-Vith
8: 1945/ 3/ 7 Ludendorf Bridge
'TACTICS'
'ACE'
CONCLUSION
_________________________________________________________________________
I N T R O D U C T I O N
_______________________
PANZER FRONT is a game unlike any other on the PlayStation. From the
title and the cover artwork, you might expect it to be at most a chance
to charge around in big tanks blasting anything that moves; perhaps an
arcade point-and-shoot joyride. It soon proves to be very far from it.
This remarkable game is actually a realistic and highly challenging Tank
Battle Simulator.
What this means is that while you do indeed get to take charge of loads
of faithfully modelled WWII tanks and lob shells around in full and
glorious 3D, you make progress mostly by brain power and not just with a
happy trigger finger. You fight on realistic battlefields against other
tanks which you must spot before they spot you. The player must work with
the capabilities and limitations of each tank, planning a strategy and
acting quickly to meet the challenge from a variety of convincingly
determined opponents. Which is not to say that all this doesn't involve a
good deal of charging around blowing up stuff!
You have a choice of vehicles from either the German, Russian or Allied
forces, and all the famous fighting vehicles of WWII are available for
you to command - Panzers and Panthers, Churchill and Sherman tanks and
different models of the T-34, as well as the fearsome and deadly King
Tiger. The handling characteristics of each are noticeably different
according to their specification, and because you can subtly alter a good
many of its features, the game is as challenging as you want it to be -
yet it is never easy. You must fight by stages through each authentic
wartime scenario, giving some 30-odd varied and well-paced battles in
all. Be warned - some are straightforward but others are extremely tough.
It will take many hours of practice until you have mastered this game.
Your first few attempts may well be maddeningly frustrating, as your tank
seems to react very, very slowly and too often you are blasted by
everybody else from all sides while you try to figure out the unintuitive
control system and fire off missiles in all directions without hitting
anything and see the 'MISSION FAILED' screen again and again...
The pity would be to give up on the game, for once you get to grips with
the controls and have groped your way through the first couple of
training missions, PANZER FRONT proves itself to be a thoroughly
absorbing and very exciting game, historically accurate and meticulously
researched. In all, as close as most of us (thankfully) will get to being
in a real tank in a real war.
There are any number of ways to approach each battle. The number and type
of enemies you face will depend on which route you take, how quickly you
take the enemy on and what you do with your other forces and so on. How
you work through the game depends on your own abilities as well as your
choice of tank. This means that a true walkthrough for PANZER FRONT is
pointless as well as impractical, and this FAQ should be taken as simply
an introduction to the game and a guide to basic tactics. The routes and
strategies suggested are not the definitive ones, just suggestions to
help you get through those first missions so you can become adept enough
to start planning battles of your own.
Try the training levels with this guide just to get yourself started, and
then you should be confident enough to go off and explore those other
missions at your own pace. Sometimes it is no fun knowing exactly what to
do and when to do it, but then again you will miss ALL the fun getting
stuck and giving up. If you have the determination and patience to figure
it out for yourself from the manual and by experience, then you will
probably find it more satisfying, but anyway I hope this guide will at
least give you some idea of what you can expect from PANZER FRONT if you
haven't tried it before. More importantly I think it may help if you have
tried the game a couple of times and perhaps given up in frustration. It
really isn't so difficult to play, but it takes a little patience. When
you take the time to understand the controls and begin to think
strategically, you will begin to get the best out of this complex and
challenging game.
_________________________________________________________________________
P L A Y I N G T H E G A M E
_____________________________
For the unprepared then, PANZER FRONT must have about the highest "What
the hell is going on?" factor of any title on the PlayStation. The
learning curve is steep, and for a good reason: this is not your run-of-
the-mill 'Shoot 'em Up' blast fest. It is as near as possible a realistic
enactment of the deadly, heartstopping, sometimes thrilling experience of
a contest between matched opponents in battle - with the all too frequent
consequence of sudden and unexpected destruction meted out at the hands
of an unseen enemy. At least with a game there is a chance to try again.
If you are experienced at playing the game I will say now that I am far
from an expert, and there isn't anything here that you won't know
already. For those who are keen to try it out; let's take it one stage at
a time and try to get the very best out of it from the start.
Load up the disc and enjoy some sample in-game scenes mixed with dramatic
B/W film clips of WWII tank action at the introduction. Then press X to
choose 'START' and you arrive at the Menu screen.
The default screen is headed 'Veteran Mode' and there are actually three
levels of difficulty which can be set by choosing 'OPTION'. You see at
the top of the Option screen that these are Rookie, Veteran and Ace. The
course of the game is pretty much the same for each, but the controls are
configured a little differently. If you switch between the modes with
LEFT and RIGHT, you see which of the settings shown below them are 'on'
or 'off' for each of the three experience levels. Don't bother with the
'Rookie' option which is for spoon-fed babies. 'Ace' means that you are
fighting without a lot of the automatic aids, and because you might find
the control system a little complex at first, leave the default settings
for now and play as 'Veteran'. (Which we aren't yet, but hope to be
soon.)
I would suggest just one change to the 'Veteran' options: use DOWN to
highlight 'Double Loading Speed' and press LEFT to turn this to 'on'.
You'll thank yourself for it later.
[While you have this screen open, use R1 to check out some of the game
Sound options. You can highlight 'Sound effects' and scroll through half
a hundred superb battle sounds. 21 and 22 sound particularly satisfying I
think, and check out the barrage of shots and explosions in the 40's. 31
and 32 will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and the
very last one will probably make you dive for cover! Attention to detail
is often overlooked in the construction of games, and I feel this is a
good indication of the quality of this one.]
As far as the choice of controller 'Type' goes, these are all explained
and compared in a table in your manual. Use DOWN to highlight 'Controller
settings' and take a look. Types 1 and 2 are for digital controllers, and
if you somehow do not have an analog pad, then now is the time to splash
out on one. (In fact the Dual Shock adds greatly to the experience; you
feel every thump and rumble and Ding! as shells explode on all sides.)
This leaves the choice of Types 3, 4 and 5 which suit Rookie, Veteran and
Ace respectively. Choose Type 4 (or Type 2 if you prefer digital), leave
all the other settings alone for now and EXIT. SAVE these settings to
your memory card if you wish.
The game choice is between 'TANK SELECT' and 'TACTICS'. The scenario for
each is exactly the same, but these give you the choice now between
taking command of 'real' or fictitious tanks. The difference is a matter
of preference, but there are certain other options available within the
'TACTICS' game which we will consider later.
It isn't a great help, but you might as well put the kettle on, then sit
back and choose 'TUTORIAL'. The reason it is not much use is that you
cannot take over the controls to learn in safety - you will have to try
everything out for the first time on the actual battlefield. Another
reason is that it all looks deceptively simple because none of the
tutorial targets are shooting back!
'TANK SELECT' is now highlighted, so press X and let's take a look...
_________________________________________________________________________
T A N K S E L E C T
____________________
In this mode you see that you have a choice between six tanks. These are
all fictitious but carry the characteristics of various real tanks which
are modelled in the 'TACTICS' game. These fictitious tanks are generally
more robust, therefore making the missions a little simpler, and so this
is a good way to familiarise yourself with the methods of operation for
any tank in PANZER FRONT.
The choice in this mode is between:
Aureole ....... German
NC-152 ........ Russian
SHORTBULL ..... Allied
T69E3 ......... Allied
CY-122C ....... Russian
E-79 .......... German
Choosing either tank between the three armies means that you can play
three different scenarios one at a time. For this guide we will play as
the Allies and choose the SHORTBULL. This is about the biggest of all
these tanks and so it should stand up to the more experienced gunners
facing you! Actually, it reflects the eternal trade-off in tank design:
Small = light and fast but lightly armed and weak / Big = strong and
heavily armed but slow. Broadly, the choice between the two tanks for
each army is for one of either of these types, although as mentioned the
relative scenario will be the same whichever you choose.
Simply scroll left or right until your choice is highlighted at the top
of the screen. Press X.
(Stirring martial music..!)
You now have the opportunity to press DOWN to highlight 'TANK STATUS', at
which another press of X will let you see your tank's vital statistics.
The most vital is 'Armor'. Notice the ShortBull (as with all tanks) has
thicker armour at the front, and so you will nearly always want to meet
your foe head-on. Don't worry about all those other fairly meaningless
figures for now unless you are a trainspotter type. Press SQUARE to see
your tank in all its glory. Press CIRCLE a couple of times to step back
and then press UP to highlight 'SELECT MAP' and press X again.
_________________________________________________________________________
S E L E C T M A P
__________________
Below the title is a grey box, reading:
,---------------------------------------------------------,
|||||| USA ||||| Training-1 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'---------------------------------------------------------'
If you press X this box opens up and you see that this is the first in a
list of missions continuing with Training-2 and then some dates and
French place names are listed. There are 8 missions in all:
,---------------------------------------------------------,
| USA Training-1 |
| Training-2 |
| 1944/ 7/ 9 St. Jean-de-Daye |
| 1944/ 7/10 Le Dezert |
|||||||||||||| 1944/ 8/15||Argentan |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1944/12/18 Poteau |
| 1944/12/21 Saint-Vith |
| 1945/ 3/ 7 Ludendorf Bridge |
'---------------------------------------------------------'
You can scroll up and down and highlight any mission, as 'Argentan' is
here, and therefore play any mission in any order. There is no
'storyline' to follow; each mission is a separate episode. To begin with
we need to get to know our tank, and the training levels are set with
less action than the later missions (although you will still be fighting
for real like in all the others), so the first in the list is the proper
place to begin. Move the cursor back up to 'Training-1' and let's get
started.
You can press CIRCLE again to step back one screen and now press START. A
small box-out appears with MISSION BRIEFING highlighted, so press X again
to assess your task:
T r a i n i n g 1 D e c 1 9 4 4 , A r d e n n e s
____________________________________________________________
Enemy vehicles sighted!
2 tanks and 3 SP guns approaching!
Destroy all enemy vehicles to the east of the village!
Well, that seems straightforward enough. Press X once more and feel the
tension build as the loading screen takes over. Soon enough there is your
tank directly ahead in the 'Battle screen' and we are in business.
_________________________________________________________________________
F I R S T D R I V E
____________________
If this is your first time playing PANZER FRONT, then forget the mission
for the moment; we are just going to learn how to handle the tank and the
other controls.
You are playing as Fireball 2 and normally your efforts will be in
following or giving orders to co-operate with your other forces to
destroy the enemy. For just this first occasion, don't press any buttons,
but watch Fireball 1 as he heads off to meet the enemy. Above his tank
are Green numbers which show you the distance between your tank and his.
Pretty soon a Red triangle appears ahead and you see Fireball 1 exclaim
"We've found the enemy!" (Or something similar.) Clearly then, the
direction of any enemy target when spotted is shown by a RED triangle.
Your priority throughout the game is to quickly identify and if necessary
go to meet the challenge of a Red marker.
Press START and you are presented with a MAP of the current battle arena.
This is the Map screen. Yours is the vehicle flashing Blue (denoting any
friendly force over which you have control) and there is your
identification - Fireball 2. Press and hold RIGHT and the cursor tracks
along the road to highlight the position of Fireball 1 who is flashing
Green, which denotes a friendly force but not controllable by you. Press
and hold RIGHT again, and some distance up the road is another tank, and
this is coloured Red (for Danger!) and will also flash as your cursor
passes over and you can now see it is labelled 'Assault Gun'. Since it is
directly ahead (as that red onscreen marker was earlier) you can be sure
that this is the Enemy to which Fireball 1 is referring.
Use the D-pad and the front shoulder buttons to zoom in and out and
scroll around. This is useful for noting gradients and ditches which the
top view doesn't show. You can see the full extent of the arena and
various types of terrain, including roads and bridges as well as rivers
and trees and the location of buildings. The map for each arena is
fundamental to your successful progress through the game, so take the
time now to familiarise yourself with the concept. Although you can
scroll around the full arena, only that one enemy is to be found -
obviously because the others mentioned in the Mission Briefing have not
been located yet. Only those forces shown by triangular markers on your
Battle screen will be identified on your map. Press CIRCLE to exit the
Map and once again do not press any buttons, but watch as your brave
Leader goes to engage the enemy. Pretty soon, and with just a few puffs
of smoke, Fireball 1 declares "Enemy Assault Gun destroyed!" Good show!
Take another look at your map and scroll along to see what he's done.
There is the enemy tank, but now it is coloured Grey and is no longer
flashing and does not need to be identified - clearly for him Ze Vor Iss
Over. (OK, I'm not going to do that anymore.) Whenever a target is
knocked out, you will find these greyed-out wrecks, and they can be
helpful in orienting yourself quickly should you get lost on later
missions. Press CIRCLE again and await developments. In a few moments
another Red triangle appears onscreen probably followed swiftly by
another as Fireball 1 declares once more "We've found the enemy!" You can
take another look at your map to see the location of these, not far from
the first one. Time to lend a hand I think.
[There is a certain random element to each mission, so the actual
sequence might differ from that described here, but the principle is the
same. For example Fireball 1 might not take out the first opponent but
come under fire from two or even three at once and not kill any of them.
If so, you can check for 'dead' tanks later.]
Exit the map screen with CIRCLE again and let's get to grips with the
tank controls. Press and HOLD L2 + R2 and your metal steed rumbles into
life. As you trundle up the slope, lift off one or other button. The tank
begins to turn, and most likely in the opposite direction from what you
are expecting! If you know anything about tanks (or paid attention to the
introductory film clips), then you know that the tracks on each side feed
across teeth on the motorised wheels to give traction. You can operate
either side individually while the other is 'locked' to force the tank to
turn against it. Think of it as a brake on each track that is always on
and you have to hold the relative button to release it. It will become
like second nature very quickly.
Advance along the road and you will arrive at the village of Poteau where
by now Fireball 1 will probably declare "We've taken massive damage!" and
if so the red markers will disappear off your screen. He is no longer
able to report the enemy positions, and so these will no longer appear on
your map, but of course they are still out there. It's up to you now! As
you pass through Poteau you will see another Red triangle marker appear
somewhere off to the right ahead, and this time there are Red numbers
similar to the Green ones you saw above Fireball 1 at the beginning. The
numbers indicate the distance to your enemy, and unfortunately for you it
also means you are within range! Press START to pause the action and take
a look at your map to locate the culprit. There he is - a Panzer IV up on
the heights around Polberg. You'll have to take him on quickly. Once
again exit the map screen and prepare to get to grips with your armoury.
First off, press and HOLD L1 + R1. You are in motion again, but this time
in reverse. And a good thing too as probably you are under fire from that
Panzer! Try lifting off one or other of the buttons again for a moment
and once more you will veer off wildly, in an even more unexpected
direction. No matter, just back off as fast as you can and watch the
numbers over the Red marker count up as high as comfort allows. You'll
have to take a stand somewhere and now let's try and hit back.
Move the LEFT ANALOG around and notice how the turret swivels
accordingly. You will see the crosshairs of your gun in a small white
box. Try always to keep that 'crosshair' icon facing forwards, by turning
your tank to face the enemy whenever you meet them. The camera will turn
with the turret too. Turn the tank towards that Panzer right now with the
turret facing forward and try to line up the crosshairs (with LEFT ANALOG
or the D-pad if you are using it) to be somewhere just underneath the red
marker denoting his position until the icon turns RED and starts
flashing. If you can't find where to place the icon, see if you can make
out the tank as a little black shape right under the triangle. (If you
can't see anything or the red numbers disappear, then you are too far
away or blocked by scenery - move around a bit.) Get the little circle in
the middle bang over that black shape. Well done - you have him in your
sights! Unfortunately, your sights are way off the mark unless he is ten
feet in front of you... You will have to calibrate them before opening
fire. Take a look at the numbers above your target, and now press CIRCLE.
This is the view through your gunsight and you should get a close look at
that tank. Probably too close! Don't panic. Press the TRIANGLE or SQUARE
button in turn, and notice the scale across your sights moves up and down
accordingly. Can you remember the number above the enemy tank? If not,
press X to return to the Battle screen and take a quick look (it might
have changed if he is advancing on you). Make sure the box is still
flashing Red (adjust your turret again if not) and now press CIRCLE to
quickly return to the gun view. If your crosshair when aligned with the
marks on the scale matches close to the number you just saw (rounding up
and knocking off the last two digits), place the crosshair on the centre
of that Panzer, and press CIRCLE once more to Let Him Have It!
You get a lovely kick out of the Dual Shock and a most impressive noise.
If you kept a cool head and lined up the crosshairs properly, then you
should be rewarded with a fantastic sight - the camera follows the
trajectory of your shell smack-KABOOM! into the beastly Hun. Of course,
it is more than likely that you yourself are under fire at this point,
and any hit will shake your aim, so if you missed then wait patiently as
your gunner reloads before you can have another go. Don't waste the shot!
This is the very opposite of a blast fest, remember... in the game proper
you will only have a certain number of shells, and your goal should be to
make every shot count.
Watch as your gun is loaded. First the type of 'warhead' and then
(usually painfully slowly) the shell itself. Use these few seconds to
check your aim and make sure the trajectory is correct. Usually it is
best to aim slightly high if you seem to be missing. Now let it go once
more... BOOM!
Tank Commander: "Whoa! How do you like that!?!"
Lots. With the Panzer in flames, press X to return to the Battle screen.
Take a look at the icon down in the bottom right corner. That shows the
type of ammo presently loaded. Press SELECT and you see the icon change
from 'AP' to 'APCR'. If you consult your manual, you see that this means
that you have switched from 'Armour Piercing' shell to 'Armour Piercing
Composite Rigid'... (Huh?) Different tanks have different arsenals, and
the ShortBull carries both AP and APCR, which is a more destructive type
of ammunition (at short range anyway). Another press of SELECT changes to
High Explosive (HE), which is not effective against tanks, and there is
also the option to switch to Machine Gun (MG) which is really only of use
against infantry later on. Don't press this by mistake when you have a
Panzer in your sights - the slugs will simply bounce off like a
peashooter! As we progress through the game you will find out the
different capabilities of each of these types of shell and others, but
for now it is enough to know that the type can be different and each has
its advantages against various opponents. Just get used to switching
quickly between them by pressing SELECT. Scroll through to load up the
stronger APCR once more, which we will use to try to deal with the
remaining German tanks.
By now you should be getting a good feel for the movement of the tank,
but of course if you need more practice, simply head off over the rail
road tracks to the right (out of harms way), and trundle about among the
scenery for more practice - don't go too far though, as you will forfeit
the game if you ignore the objective. Watch out for obstacles such as
walls and trees; you can crash through them with a bit of effort but
don't get tangled up if you are under fire. Single trees will fall gently
under your tracks, but thickets will block you, as of course will large
buildings. Observe that steep slopes will slow you down and leave you
vulnerable. Also use your map to keep an eye out for ditches and rivers -
if you stumble into one of those it is all over for you.
If you press TRIANGLE you get a nice view as if through binoculars, and
this can be quite useful in assessing your target from a distance, but
obviously not when they have spotted you and you are under fire. It lets
you see all around but without having to rotate the turret, which would
be a bad idea since you need to keep your gun facing forward as much as
you can and it turns agonisingly slowly.
Especially get used to manoeuvering your turret so the crosshair icon
faces mostly to the front as you turn side to side. Notice that the
crosshairs sometimes arrive at the target before the turret has swivelled
to meet it, so remember that it is better (i.e. quicker) to turn the
whole tank in the direction of attack and not just the gun. There is an
option to turn the automatic targetting off, but while we are learning
the ropes we will need a bit of help. You can swivel all the way round,
and take on any enemy coming up behind you, but on nearly every vehicle
the rear is extremely weak and one hit will often finish you off. If you
meet an enemy and can't fight him off don't turn tail and run - reverse
to a safer place so as not to expose your rear. Similarly, the flanks are
usually only lightly armoured, and so try always to swing around to face
the enemy rather than spend an eternity rotating the turret before you
can fire and in the meantime leaving yourself vulnerable. You'll learn
all this very quickly. Head back to your start position and advance back
up the slope through Poteau.
When you near the crossroads past the buildings you will no doubt find
the smoking wreckage of Fireball 1 nearby. Watch out now, as you will
also find whatever knocked him out! The Red triangle will pop up as soon
as you are in view, so as before keep a cool head and don't waste any
time in drawing a bead on your opponent somewhere there off to the left.
Turn quickly on the spot by running one tread forward and the other in
reverse (L2 + R1, or in this case L1 + R2 - think of the letter 'X').
Centre the white box icon so it turns Red, note his range and press
CIRCLE to return quickly to the gun view to set this range and FIRE!!
Once again, take note of your mistake if the shot appears to fall short
or overshoot, and if you are already under attack simply estimate the
distance and adjust your shot a little up or down but keeping the target
dead centre. Keep the shots coming if you missed and watch also for your
gunner's comments, as sometimes you have the correct range but the angle
causes the shell to deflect. Bad luck!
Do your best to hit whatever you can. It is a real thrill when you see
the damage you cause with a careful shot, but I expect that very soon you
will see a little cut scene from far away as an unseen assailant lobs a
shell in your direction and the camera zooms across to your burning tank
and you get the unwelcome news:
____________________________________________________________
M I S S I O N F A I L E D
____________________________________________________________
Tank Commander: "We're finished! Bail out!"
Never mind. It gets easier with each go (or less difficult anyway), so
press START and then X for 'RETRY'. This time, head out close behind
Fireball 1 and let's try some joint firepower...
_________________________________________________________________________
U S A Mission 1: T R A I N I N G - 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
At the first opportunity press CIRCLE and then TRIANGLE to cheat slightly
by calibrating your gunsight in advance: lower the crosshair to align
with the lines marking '10' which means the sights are adjusted to 1000m.
It is a good idea to do this anyway first chance you have - you rarely
meet your first target at point-blank range. Return to the Battle screen
by pressing X. (Not CIRCLE by mistake, or you will blow the lid off
Fireball 1. Don't ask me how I know.) Next press SELECT to switch to the
more powerful APCR ammo, and then head up the slope after your Leader.
Pull slightly to the left side and lag just behind him until you
encounter the Assault Gun. It helps if this enemy targets him and not
you, but anyway waste no time then in charging forward into Poteau. Stay
slightly left (leaving Fireball 1 a clear shot to keep that Assault Gun
busy) and advance to NO MORE than 1000m of him. You should by now have
alerted the Panzer off to the right, but you are shielded by the
building. Don't go too far forward either, and you have the other
buildings to screen you from the waiting guns to the left. (If a red
marker pops up to the left, you have gone too far and are now exposed to
crossfire - use L1 + R1 to back up a bit.) Now draw a bead on that
Assault Gun and press CIRCLE, and since you have your sight preset, you
simply get him in your crosshair and press CIRCLE again to let one go...
ka-BOOM!! Easy.
If Fireball 1 is still behind you, advance a little past the building to
the left and turn quickly even as the Assault Gun over there pops into
view. Take note of his range (about 700m) and adjust your aim down at his
base slightly to compensate for the 1000m preset and quickly loose off
another round. He is nested among the thicket of trees and that is his
downfall as there is no escape from your deadly accuracy (!)
By now Fireball 1 will have trundled ahead and is probably engaging an as
yet unseen opponent around the corner to the left, so move slightly
forward and turn your attention to the Panzer up there on the right, to
protect his flank. That enemy may already be targetting either you or
him, but often he will be trundling along the ridge almost out of sight.
This is where your targetting ability comes in handy: carefully note the
range and recalibrate your sight (probably not far from your 1000m
preset) and one shot will drop clean over that ridge and land on top!
Once again, don't panic if you miss, and take note of your mistake. The
shell takes a little while to travel, so it helps to aim very slightly
ahead if he is on the move.
Press START to pause the action and take a look at your map. In PANZER
FRONT things can often happen very quickly, so it helps to take a
breather and assess the battle as opponents sometimes seem to pop up out
of nowhere. Take a cool view of where the biggest threat is; for example
the nearest target may not have seen you, while you are already under
fire from a more distant opponent. Later you will see that some things
such as Anti-tank Guns can be a swifter and more deadly foe than tanks.
Prioritise. For now, have a look to see what Fireball 1 has spotted. If
all has gone to plan, one or other of you should have knocked out 3 of
the 5 reported enemy already, so you are doing well. You see from the map
(if Fireball 1 has spotted them both) that the last two are off around
the corner to the left. Press X to go and help mop up.
Move forward to the left where Fireball 1 should be engaging the last of
the Assault Guns parked up on a ridge about 800m ahead. Mark the spot
carefully and it is an easy knockout. If you have been accurate enough
and done all this quickly, there is still time to move forward a little
(keeping almost to the single trees on the grass verge to the left so you
are protected by the bank) and then simply STOP and wait.
Soon enough the second Panzer comes menacingly in sight along the road,
but you have loads of time to aim slightly ahead of him at point-blank
range, press CIRCLE once.. twice... KABOOM!!
____________________________________________________________
M I S S I O N C O M P L E T E
____________________________________________________________
Commander: Alright! That takes care of hte south.
[As mentioned before, there is a certain random element, so don't be
surprised if your mission plays a little differently to this, which from
my experience is the simply the most likely. For example the Panzer to
the right may advance to come up behind you across the little bridge, or
the other one may appear from the left around the corner a bit sooner or
Fireball 1 may get knocked out and so on. With careful shooting on your
part, the outcome should be the same.]
Press START and then X, and after a short pause you EXIT to the battle
statistics screen:
________________________________________________________________
| |
| Battle results M I S S I O N C O M P L E T E |
|________________________________________________________________|
Name Vehicle Tanks(Total)
Fireball 2 ShortBull 4 ( 4)
Fireball 1 M4A1(76) 1 ( 1)
,--------------------------------------------------------------,
| Hit Ratio 4/5( 80%) |
| Hits taken 4 TOTAL SCORE |
| Total time 1:40 1 1 4 2 1 |
'--------------------------------------------------------------'
Well, that's OK but it Needs Improvement. In which case, you see that you
have the chance to press LEFT ANALOG UP and then X after START at the end
of the mission in order to 'RETRY'.
The Battle results depend on several factors, most especially your 'Hit
Ratio' which is obviously how many shells you use per target destroyed
(tanks only), for each of which you score 1000 and your allies contribute
500 points. Deducted from this will be 500 points for every ally lost
which is controlled by you (in later missions). In addition to these
factors there is a certain time limit to be met, although this limit is
never specified. The manual mentions "other indefinite factors" which
influence the score, which as far as I can figure may as well be for
Artistic Impression. There are no league tables, so just have some fun
trying to perfect your missions.
Run through this first mission a couple of times anyway and try to
improve your abilities now that you can see exactly what is going on.
Especially get accustomed to switching between the Battle screen and Map
screen and also practice quickly zeroing your target to lay down accurate
fire. When you are really comfortable with these procedures, try swapping
the ShortBull for the nippy little T69E3 (the same as Fireball 1). The
methods of use are exactly the same, but the handling is quite a bit
different. Give it a really good workout and see which best suits your
style.
After viewing your Battle results at the end of the mission, press X and
you now have the option to Save. Whether or not you choose to save this
first mission, press X once more and then again on 'SELECT MAP'. Another
press of X and you return to the list of Missions. You can choose any of
these, but I suggest you continue with the training, because anyway it is
really a mission just like the others.
Highlight 'Training-2' and press X.
_________________________________________________________________________
U S A Mission 2: T R A I N I N G - 2
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This mission teaches you how to use the other forces at your disposal.
T r a i n i n g 2 J a n 1 9 4 5 , A r d e n n e s
____________________________________________________________
Press an attack on enemy held territory.
Make your advance, but watch for enemy ambushes!
Destroy all enemy vehicles!
Press START and have a look at your Map. It is an expanse of open country
with patches of woodland and various rivers and bridges, with a number of
narrow tracks through the snow. Your objective will be Maldingen, far off
to the south, and you can bet that the terrain will not stay empty for
long! Once again, yours is the tank flashing light Blue, identified this
time as Marlin 1. If you scroll behind you a little way you find Marlin 2
(a darker Blue) in close support, and further back and facing south-east
is Marlin 3, also dark Blue. You probably noticed their respective Blue
markers on your Battle screen, which point off to the side because they
are identified but not visible unless you rotate the turret or turn
around.
Return to the Battle screen now and start your advance. Move forward a
little and try turning off the road onto the grass off to the right and
notice how the tank slows down a little. Now put her onto the snow and
the handling changes again; different types of terrain make your vehicle
travel differently and this is something to be aware of throughout the
game. It is a nice piece of programming that certainly adds to the
overall highly realistic experience of PANZER FRONT. Get yourself onto
the speedy road surface again and head straight on and pretty soon the
enemy put in an appearance far off somewhere to your left - check your
Map and scroll along to find him. Uh-oh, it's a Panther. These are big
and yet fast and are fitted with angled armour to deflect your shot, and
they also have formidable long-range firepower. They can pick you off at
enormous distance if you sit around too long - watch for those Red
triangles and get moving!
If you place the cursor over any tank in your Map screen, you can press
SQUARE and then use the D-pad for an all-round examination, and zoom in
and out with the shoulder buttons. This is fun to do, but it has a
serious purpose too; you can assess the enemy tank to see its weak points
in respect of armour, so you will know the best angle of attack rather
than trusting to luck. You can consider their firepower too, since these
can vary on similar model of tank (although you don't have to worry about
this too much, even when you play through in 'TACTICS' mode - shoot at
everything!). I'm not sure what 7.sch KwK42L/70 means in respect of
'ARMAMENT', but I don't like the sound of it. Time to summon
reinforcements...
You notice that even though you began the advance, Marlin 1 and 2 stayed
put. You have to give them orders or they will sit out the entire
mission! So how do you 'give them orders'? In the Map screen press
TRIANGLE to move the cursor to the nearest Blue tank. You can always move
quickly around the map wherever your Blue forces go by pressing TRIANGLE
again to jump to the next nearest available ally and so on until you jump
back to your own tank. Once you have your cursor over your chosen vehicle
(in this case Marlin 2), press X to select it and you see its icon
disappears from the map while it is selected. Then use the D-pad UP to
set the required rate of advance - 1, 2, 3 or 4 (the fastest speed) and
then you see you can also move them backwards, which is handy if they get
stuck or you need to pull back. You can vary the rate of advance within a
single path, but it is a bit fiddly to do and there is rarely a need for
it. There are also other options available by pressing LEFT and RIGHT,
some of which we shall look at shortly.
For now, and with the rate of advance set at a steady 2 or 3, press X to
set the start point for Marlin 2 and move to a point a little way ahead
of it and press X again to place a 'marker' i.e. the position to which
you want the tank to move. The line of travel will be shown by a Red
line. Make sure there are no obstructions! (It is best here to put
straight lines along the roads ahead, as there are many single trees on
the verges and they are hard to see as the small darker spots on your
map. These guys haven't got the sense to come in out of the rain, so
don't expect them to cope with a line of trees or a ditch.) You can place
further points with more X's to move each tank by stages as far as you
like until you finish their route off by pressing SQUARE. The line turns
Grey, and the camera will pan along all the way back to your target tank
to confirm the route. Press TRIANGLE to move to the next one and repeat
the trick.
They will not actually begin their advance until you return to the Battle
screen. Remember to keep an eye on the Blue markers as you move yourself
around to keep track of them, and watch for any alerts they might give.
If any unit runs into an enemy they will let you know, so act promptly by
calling up that Map screen and quickly assessing the danger. Update your
orders or move them out of harms way; perhaps while you deal with a
greater threat. (As if you didn't have enough to do!)
To begin, set Marlin 2 rolling straight ahead and then down to the left a
short distance along that road behind you. Then set Marlin 3 a course
straight ahead and then to the his right another short distance, so that
he will approach from your far left. The intention is to rendezvous
somewhere near that little bridge a bit further along.
With the other units now under way, put some distance between yourself
and that first Panther by heading off to the left toward the riverbank
(or take him on if you now feel confident about your targetting ability).
Then waste no time cutting across where the trees are across the little
road and ignore the faint Red marker to the right (that target is a long
way off yet) and track down the darker Red triangle pointer which appears
on your screen and you should come across another tank through the trees
lying in wait for Marlin 3 coming down that road. Too late he will be
alerted to YOUR presence close behind, and you can zero him quickly and
pop one straight up his wienerschnitzel. Hehheh!
By now, Marlin 2 should have arrived at the turn-off, so assess the
battlefield by using the Map and if it looks safe, send him down to the
little bridge over the river. (This is good, isn't it?) Join up with
Marlin 3 and plot his advance to the river where there is another bridge
ahead. There also seem to be one or two enemy vehicles now moving about
on the other side... Time to get in some target practice.
There are only a couple of Panthers and two Tank Destroyers in all, so a
few well-aimed shots will wrap this mission up nicely. If you feel you
have got the hang of moving the Blue tanks around, why not attempt this
mission using JUST the other tanks? It is possible, but you will have to
keep them working together and sneak up on the enemy one at a time; go
with them as an 'observer'. One thrilling option is to set them both at
assault speed over the bridge and up to the right. Try to keep up as they
storm those two tanks over there and then you can turn their attention to
the last one over the rail tracks to the left. Alternatively try the
mission without the others to hone your own skills. Find alternative
routes such as running all the way down to Beho and Aldringen, dodging
the enemy fire all the way and then coming up behind them one by one.
Practice this simple level well, because you need to be up to speed for
the next mission, which is a lot tougher.
_________________________________________________________________________
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ +
+ S P O I L E R A L E R T +
+ +
+ ------------------------------------------------------------------- +
+ +
+ The following sections describe in fair detail what you can expect +
+ from each Mission now that you are ready. Many of the surprises +
+ will be gone! (And therefore much of the challenge.) +
+ +
+ If you now have the taste for it, you will no doubt play each +
+ mission many times anyway, but there is nothing like the sense of +
+ adventure and achievement in doing it yourself the first time. +
+ Try to play on without further guidance and the experience will be +
+ far more rewarding I feel. Read the tips for your latest mission +
+ only if you are constantly failing or still wondering what to do. +
+ (Although I repeat that this is far from the definitive guide.) +
+ +
+ Each section represents only one way of finishing a mission. There +
+ are many others and your own ideas may be better or easier, but +
+ anyway I hope that it makes for an interesting comparison when you +
+ have finished the missions for yourself. +
+ +
+ If this doesn't bother you then read on - there are still a few +
+ things to practice. Get Them before They get You! +
+ +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
_________________________________________________________________________
U S A Mission 3: S T. J E A N - D E - D A Y E
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This mission, and many of the others, is played out among the fields and
hedgerows of rural Northern France; this accurately reflects the actual
battlefield conditions in the days and weeks after D-Day. You will have
to keep your wits about you, as the roads are likely to be well defended
and there is not much room to manoeuvre. Cut across fields and screen
yourself behind the hedges and at all times proceed with caution - the
enemy can appear in moments around any corner and you will soon see what
I meant by sudden destruction at the hands of an unseen enemy...
9 J u l y 1 9 4 4, S t. J e a n - d e - D a y e
____________________________________________________________
Begin an attack to the south from St. Jean-de-Daye.
Capture the two points shown and assist the infantry units
attack on Pont-Hebert.
Once again, they aren't asking much! When do we get some Leave? Press X
and press on.
First as always, press START to open the Map screen. Your ultimate goal
is to enter/capture the village at the very bottom of the map. Along the </pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
way you must support the infantry as they move up on those two points
indicated in the mission briefing, and since you can't be in two places
at once, this mission will test your ability in moving your units to
where they can be most useful. If you thought it was tricky dealing with
just two Dummies, then try it with this lot...
You play as Amber 1, and line astern are Amber 2, 3 and 4. All are dark
Blue and are therefore awaiting your orders. The Green tanks just ahead
of you are Bola 1 and 2 and they will look after themselves.
In the Map screen press X and then LEFT or RIGHT on the D-pad. You can
scroll through a number of useful options here - including 'RETRY' if you
are making a hash of it - and you will see 'FIRE SUPPORT' (sadly not
available on the USA missions) and then 'MAP' and 'SEARCH MAP' among
others. (Make sure the cursor is moved away from any Blue vehicle but
your own or you will be selecting a different set of options. Anywhere
else onscreen is fine.) Scroll to 'MAP' and press X to get an aerial view
of the entire battlefield with all known forces marked. Off to your left
some distance ahead and to the east are two green flashing dots which
prove on investigation to be Bola 3 and 4 in close support of allied
infantry. This 'MAP' function is very useful in keeping tabs on your
forces when there is a lot going on like this. Don't forget that the
infantry are spotting the enemy movements as well as your buddies in the
tanks, so you will sometimes have almost too many targets to deal with at
once. Stay focused and bring to bear some deadly fire to take them on
just one at a time.
From the start, let Bola 1 and 2 head cautiously up the road and try
making your own way off to the right, crossing the little stream and
hugging the hedge and turning the corner to ford the stream again just to
the south (where it bends slightly). Clamber up the slope and soon enough
Bola 1 will come under fire from a Panzer IV to his right, which should
now be marked with a triangle somewhere directly in front of you. Ignore
him for a minute, but instead burst through that hedge sticking out by
the pond on your map and you see why I suggest this route - an enemy tank
is lying in wait just where the gap in the hedge is, overlooking the
Chateau! Let him have it at short range. With the surprised Panzer in
flames, manoeuvre yourself through that gap and turn swiftly to the right
and rush forward a little. The other Panzer is trying desperately to back
up to meet your sudden appearance, but he hasn't got a chance..! Two
down, eleventeen to go.
Carry on straight down, using the hedge to screen yourself from a tank
which is lying off to the west of the map. If you trundle all the way to
the trees in the corner of that field and wait a second or two, another
Panzer will show itself only just on the other side of that hedge - if
you judge it just right you can pop one through at point-blank range
without even seeing the target! DON'T crash through this hedge though, as
there are a good many enemy guns trained on anything approaching from
that direction as you will see from your map if Bola 1 or 2 are still
engaged.
You are close to your first objective now, which is a couple of enemy
Fire Points in the buildings south of the dirt crossroads to the west of
La Chesnee. Stay off the actual crossroads as this area is heavily
defended and the open fields around there are a killing ground, so you
won't get far on your own. Waste no time then in going to the Map screen
and directing Amber 2 to join the battle now raging on the road straight
ahead. Having cleared the Chateau area it is now safe to bring Amber 3 at
speed diagonally across the fields behind it to join you, and send Amber
4 front and left to support the infantry over there with Bola 3 and 4 to
the east of the map. No doubt by now some of Bola squadron have been
knocked out of action, but you need to start to work a pincer movement to
keep those Assault Guns busy. Bola 2 will be valiantly battling to
support you in the centre, so bring up those tanks quickly or he will be
overwhelmed. You will have to make frequent updates as the battle heats
up, so give them just a few short directions each time, keeping to the
side roads and avoiding obstructions as before, although you can easily
get them to plough through the hedges. (I have occasionally had to make
tracks to find a straggler only to find it churning its tracks trying to
head through a copse like a fly banging against a window. I don't know -
if you want something done...) Your comrades are perhaps most useful in
this mission as spotters and decoys - there are an awful lot of enemy
tanks wandering around out there.
You yourself should concentrate on clearing the area to the west. There
are half a dozen tanks to hunt down as well as a couple of tricky A-T
guns, any of which will finish you in one shot if you stand around for
too long. Of course you will usually have to stop to fire, so make sure
you do this quickly at close range and line up your best shot straight
away. If the shot deflects or misses, don't sit there slugging it out -
someone somewhere is drawing a bead on you! Too often it seems, no sooner
have you started to line up an enemy than somebody else is having a go at
you. One message you definitely do not want to hear when you have
something in your sights is
"We're taking fire from someone at seven o'clock"
Far from being later on about tea-time, this is rather urgent. You will
grasp that 12 o'clock is dead ahead and 6 o'clock is directly behind, but
a slight confusion in the heat of the moment may be "Which side is 4
o'clock?" Think of your tank as standing on a giant clockface and it
comes easily. You don't want to present your rear as an easy target, so
flick quickly to the Map screen to assess the danger and look for the
right way to turn or reverse without making things difficult. You will
have to think very quickly at times and this is where a cool head will
save you. Don't get flustered and try to do two jobs badly - prioritise
again.
Mostly try to stay in the fields behind hedges and pop in and out as the
opportunity arises and take those Panzers out one by one. A handy trick
is to use HE to blow a hole in the hedge and then angle yourself to fire
through the gap. (Of course, you may like to 'cheat' a bit, because
sometimes the enemy units will be drawn by the computer before the hedges
and trees, so if you pay attention you can sometimes see them looming out
of the 'mist' as you approach a hedge so you will know where they are!
Call it advance reconnaissance. Similarly, move close to a hedge and try
the binoculars for 'X-Ray' vision.) With Bola 2 ideally still covering
the east, bring Amber 3 down from the north-west and Amber 2 can continue
to distract the A-T gun and any remaining tanks around La Chesnee as you
burst through the corner of the hedge at north-east of the crossroads.
You will encounter at least two tanks parked at far left of the
crossroads on the map (if you didn't pick them off earlier) so waste no
time in directing Amber 3 straight ahead to distract them so you can
knock them out broadside. Move across now using the far hedge where one
of the tanks was for cover, as an A-T gun makes its presence felt. Stick
to the hedge to come around on it from behind with the HE ready. Keep
this loaded and make an assault on the two now defenceless Fire Points -
launch a couple of rounds of HE at the buildings showing tracer fire and
before you know it, that is Objective 1 accomplished.
By now you are probably exhausted but the mission is still not over...
With the way clear, you can work your way now to the east with any of
your surviving units. Amber squadron will be replaced by Arrow squadron
and then Conqueror units replace them. Do try to be a little more
careful, Bond.
There is a good deal of mopping up to do; leave the infantry to the
others and concentrate on the A-T guns. Bring your tank replacements down
from the start point at top speed to press an attack on Pont-Hebert which
is being defended to the last Assault Gun. Several of the buildings to
the front have been turned into Fire Points, so spread your Blue units
across the approaches and pour in some more HE. Even though they do not
appear on your map beforehand (camouflage of course) they will show with
a Red triangle just as soon as the tracer starts flying out of the
windows, so you can at least see what to aim for. The only indication on
your map should be a large Red X when you or someone else destroys them.
And that's another little job done.
There is so much to cope with in this battle that there is no point in my
trying to give you more than a few hints like this. This is one of the
tougher missions, so if you managed it then you are going to be OK on
your own. By now you will be confident in the handling of your tank and
will no doubt want to have another go to find your own way down to Pont-
Hebert. The aim as always is simply to knock out every tank on your map,
and you can't do it on your own, so this mission will be the test of how
good you are at directing the other units. Bon chance!
_________________________________________________________________________
U S A Mission 4: L E D E Z E R T
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 1 J u l y 1 9 4 4, L e D e z e r t
____________________________________________________________
Enemy tanks approaching! Don't let them break out
at Le Dezert!
Protect the 39th Infantry Regiment that is defending the
village until air support can arrive!
This time you are Dodger 1. Dodger 2 is up ahead in Le Dezert and Dodger
3 is in close support of your own tank with Dodger 4 further back
screening the infantry around La Caplainerie. They will have their own
battle to fight, because you will have to go forward to the crossroads
approaching the village which is under imminent attack. As always, press
SELECT to load your deadliest ammo. (When playing as an 'Ace' there is a
limited stock of each, but for now we can go nuts with it.)
Head up the road and set Dodger 3 a course to follow you at about speed
2. Take it easy as things are about to get lively. Straight away you will
see one and then two Panthers coming down the road into Le Dezert. The
range is about 1800m so waste no time in knocking one or other out, but
watch it because you remember that the Panthers are much stronger at long
range. If you miss with a couple of shots, move quickly or they will have
too much time to zero you. Yet another tank will appear up the road
shortly so don't hang about. (When you get more proficient you can speed
straight up the road swerving under fire, and knock them out at close
range one by one as they trundle into view.) Dodger 3 will arrive about
now and carry on laying down fire. All the Blue units will open fire
whenever they encounter an enemy; you just need to be sure they are
targetting the right thing. Before long you will also face Incoming from
somewhere to your right. More Panthers!
Direct Dodger 2 forward at speed over the road (if the Panthers do not
still command it) and toward the fields to the west of Le Dezert. By now
the road behind there will be crawling with enemy tanks moving north and
you need him to stall their advance as you head up the track and cut
through the field to the right to try to sneak up on the Panthers which
are already troubling Dodger 4. Follow the Red triangles moving past the
hedges and locate them exactly on your Map screen and spring an ambush
from behind (as long as another unit is tracking them - if the markers
disappear you will be blind). Through all this, take frequent sightings
in the Map screen to direct your comrades most effectively. Bear in mind
that even when you give orders (i.e. place points for them to advance
to), these may need to be changed should circumstances dictate - to reset
each tank's directions just press X to select it again and choose the
rate of advance once more, then add or delete points as necessary (the
buttons used are shown onscreen). Don't forget to press X in a blank part
of the screen and scroll RIGHT occasionally to check the aerial MAP to
keep abreast of the overall picture. There is a lot of action and you
don't want to be running round like a headless chicken.
You can't expect to end the battle with everyone intact (although that is
something to aim for), but quick thinking saves lives; break off your own
conflict whenever you can to move Dodger squadron out of imminent danger
or set them to confront it. Reserves from Bravo and then Red unit will be
available should you need them, so keep checking your Map screen and tab
around with TRIANGLE to locate them over to the east when they become
available. Hold out as long as possible and take on as many of the
invaders as come your way. It seems to be that this mission is based on a
time factor and not the number of enemies you destroy, so keep mobile and
keep shooting.
Remember the objective and don't stray too far from Le Dezert, but try to
knock out anything to the west and then return to the crossroads back in
the village and see how Dodger 3 is coping. Move any replacements across
the bridge and into the village straight away. Try to tuck them into
buildings so that the constant stream of Panthers coming down that road
have nothing to shoot at (they are better shots than your men in the open
unfortunately). This way, the Blue units can at least pick off the
attackers if they trundle by. Experiment with this idea and keep the road
there well defended; however well you are doing elsewhere, if Le Dezert
falls to the Germans the mission will fail.
At long last the promised air support arrives. See if you can swing your
sights up in time to see them swoop overhead with a thrilling roar and
cannon blazing; it really is quite something.
Tank commander: "Here comes the air force! It's about time!"
Whoo-hoo! Pour It On, Boys! Give 'em Hell!
But still you have to 'clean things up' - probably there are still a
Panther/Panzer or two and some infantry around la Caplainerie, so head up
there now and bring any remaining Blue units with you. The enemy infantry
is usually to be found scurrying about the hedgerows - they don't do much
harm, but of course they can relay your position to their own tanks, so
slap an HE round in the tube and turn them to ashes (aim down) or strafe
about with the MG a bit. The aiming is sometimes a little awkward and
don't bother with them if there is a tank bearing down on you. Don't
forget to switch back to tank ammo! Stay off the vegetable patches as
well because these will bog you down just like a real ploughed field -
such is the superb attention to detail.
Eventually and unexpectedly the mission is complete.
[Just to let you know how hard you will have to work, on my latest test
run I knocked out 15 tanks and my seven buddies (yes, SEVEN) didn't
register a single one between them! Actually six of them didn't make it,
so they have an excuse - of course I directed them badly. You will know
that you are irretrievably hooked on this game when you start to fret
about leading a single one of your buddies into danger.]
_________________________________________________________________________
U S A Mission 5: A R G E N T A N
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 5 A u g u s t 1 9 4 4 , A r g e n t a n
____________________________________________________________
The enemy is trapped in the Falaise pocket and looking
for a way out!
Don't let them get back home!
Destroy as many enemy vehicles as possible!
You play as Bacchus and you have control of Brandy and Cognac close
behind. Masker is up ahead. As usual, take a moment from the start to
load up with your strongest ammo and preset the sights to about 500m.
There will be some close action to start.
Forget the others for the moment, but advance at speed toward Ecouche.
Lose no time in cutting diagonally across the fields to the left - zip
through the little gap in the corner instead of wasting time crashing
through the hedge. (Assuming you are still using the T69E3?) If you are
quick enough, you will see 3 Armoured Personnel Carriers speeding past
the gap in the corner of the field - try a potshot to take one out
straight away if you can, and then burst through the hedge and you will
have a couple of easy knockouts as you blast the others from behind. Your
objective is to stop these vehicles escaping over that little bridge up
ahead, or hunt them down on the other side where the others already are
if they do.
Meanwhile, Masker will have started his advance, but is soon pinned down
by Anti-tank fire from the direction of the village, where an Assault Gun
and a Tank Destroyer are also prowling. Having blown up the retreating
APC's, make your own way carefully into Ecouche from the south-west. You
will soon see an Anti-tank Gun nested in the buildings at the very north-
west of the village. Watch out! These can knock you out with one shot the
very moment you cross them, (as you remember from Mission 3). When you
have sent in a couple of HE rounds from a safe angle and destroyed it,
make your way through to the north of the village to come up behind
either of those tanks which will be engaging Masker from the far east
side of the village. Even as he declares "The enemy is too strong: pull
back!" you will be belting a couple of shells in from behind, and if you
have timed this just right, you won't have many easier knockouts in the
game. A bonus is to do all this quickly enough to save Masker as well.
You ideally need the village clear as you bring your forces with you to
cross that little bridge. Bring them both forward and send one to the
west and up from there, and the other can go straight ahead and then left
to meet on the riverbank by the wooden bridge. This will split the
attention of any enemies on the far side.
Make your own way to the riverbank to cover the approach of your buddies.
There will most likely be a couple of Tank Destroyers approaching. When
your men arrive at the bridge and the way is clear, send one over and to
the right a little way to attract the attention of any Tank Destroyers as
you dash across and speed off with the other to the left, where the rest
of the APC's are to be found in a field on the far left side of the Map.
As well as some more Anti-tank Guns and yet more Tank Destroyers...
Fill your boots but stay mobile. Take out the Anti-tank Guns before the
tanks, since those will just stay put unless you get too close, whereas
the A-T Guns can get you from a surprisingly long way away once they
sight you. Press START to have another look in your Map screen and scroll
to the 'SEARCH MAP' option and press X. The computer takes a little while
to assess your field of view and - Voila! Every bit of ground you would
be able to see on a clear day with binoculars in all directions is
highlighted. The areas below hills or behind buildings is shaded dark
blue. So what? Well of course you can scan to line up those enemies you
can see (those you can't are not shown of course) and see if you have a
clear shot if they are in range. There again, this also shows which
enemies can target you! That is sometimes worth knowing if you are out of
range but heading into danger, so use this option frequently when you are
stalking around.
If you seem to be a hot target right now, see who has you in range and
perhaps bring up any surviving Blue tank for use as a decoy. If
necessary, pull back a little to avoid the fire from the right, and just
wait for the APC's to make a break for it one by one in front of you and
knock them out at your leisure. Try to keep them bottled up and don't let
them slip past or you will be drawn into an endless game of cat-and-mouse
among the hedgerows to the east and all the roaming enemies therein. If
that spare Blue tank is still covering the bridge and has seen off the
Tank Destroyers, perhaps send him north up the little track to cover the
escape route. There are lots of tanks around that area though, so keep
checking your map to monitor the situation. Don't expect to destroy every
single enemy target; your primary concern should be those APC's. When you
have finished off all the troop carriers and a sufficient number of other
tanks it's Mission Complete.
Sadly after all that effort, those APC's and the Anti-tank Guns don't
show up on your Battle results; just the tanks. Don't be surprised if
your useless mates failed to get on the scorecard either.
_________________________________________________________________________
U S A Mission 6: P O T E A U
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 8 D e c e m b e r 1 9 4 4 , P o t e a u
____________________________________________________________
In order to strengthen Saint-Vith, you must hold
the Vielsam - Saint-Vith highway.
Destroy all enemy vehicles that appear from
the north of the highway!
From the start this should all look very familiar... Check your Map
screen and it is indeed the same arena as 'Training-1', when you were
just a Rookie. Now you are truly a Veteran! As you might guess, Poteau is
a little better defended this time, and it will take a lot more effort to
clear it.
There are your squadron of tanks to the right, all nicely lined up with a
clear run ahead. Time to try something a little different - press X and
then UP a few times to take a look through the 'FORMATION' option. This
is best suited for Missions like the Russian steppes, with flat terrain
and lots of space to move around, but this is a nice introduction. Having
the Dummies move en masse takes the headache out of it anyway! Choose a
shape you like and press X again and then exit the Map screen. Make your
way up the slope towards Poteau and then take another look at the Map.
There are the Blue tanks now clustered together like a gaggle of geese
and all set to follow you wherever you go until you tell them to 'HALT'.
Take care with this option as you can too easily lead the lot of them
into danger. When it is time to get serious you will need a proper
strategy for moving these guys about, though. Experiment a little for
yourself. If you want to concentrate on the missions, then mess about a
bit and Retry to get serious.
There are many more enemies to be aware of this time, and the incoming
fire is a lot more accurate - expect to find yourself getting blown up
from unexpected directions over and over until you figure out a safe
route ahead. I recommend going left around the back of those buildings to
ambush the Tank Destroyer waiting there (he will otherwise blast you as
soon as you poke your nose around the building if you just breeze up the
road) and then set about the German infantry with some HE. While you have
it loaded, nudge forward and locate and destroy the A-T gun in the open
just ahead (while it is firing at someone else of course) and try a few
shots at the more distant one behind. Then change back to APCR and try
for the Tank Destroyer tucked in by the trees to the right of it. Stay
close to the buildings and don't expose yourself to crossfire. Edge
forward and be ready for fire coming from the left as in that training
mission. Stay tight in. That gun needs to be taken out as he has the
crossroads at his command and can pick off any of your forces trying to
move up.
The Green tanks will have taken a pounding and may call off the attack,
but you are made of sterner stuff, so press on regardless. This is a good
place to try out the 'Smoke' shells. Simply load up and toss one down the
road to the left a short way and be ready to dash forward under cover of
a thick white cloud. The enemy won't see you but then again you won't see
them, so know where you are going first. Of course the smoke is also very
much appreciated I'm sure by the poor bloody infantry who are even now
slogging their way through a hail of fire behind you. Lob a couple of
canisters high across the field overlooking Poteau to block the view of
the A-T gun there and since you have screened the lethal crossroads from
fire coming from the left, it is now safe to send a couple of your tanks
over to attack it now. (There are Cherokee or Cheyenne and possibly even
Cliquante replacements for your Braves should they get knocked out - keep
checking and press TRIANGLE to locate them when they arrive as they are
no use to anybody at the back of the line, where they are already exposed
to shellfire in any case.)
By now you will know the real value of those Blue 'Dummies'. To play the
game properly you should think of the overall picture and try to come up
with ways to use them really effectively and not just throw them forward
as I have been suggesting. Experiment with different routes and speed
settings, and maybe try laying them up to spring an 'ambush' when you
replay the missions and know where the attacks are likely to come from.
You can use the 'FIRE POINT' command to set the target when it arrives.
Just click on the chosen Blue unit with the 'long' red arrow icon
displayed and then click CIRCLE on the intended target and your man will
open up on that target and no other. With the 'short' red arrow they fire
at anything they see, but actually it seems to me they do that anyway. It
doesn't help or hinder your progress to use these commands in any event.
You can also set them to fire when you do by using the yellow arrow, but
that is not much use unless you have set an elaborate ambush. The
explanations for all these commands are in the manual, so explore them
for yourself if you are interested.
Make your way left under cover of the smoke and quickly knock out the
Assault Gun up there on the slope as before, and now you see another
around the corner as well. Use more smoke if you are cautious, but in any
case deal with him quickly and then retire back around the corner leaving
a clear view across the field but with the trees screening you slightly.
Settle back and wait for the arrival of several Assault Guns from the
north. Pick them off as they come into view at about 1500m, and see off
any infantry round about you heading for those trees in the meantime. Any
surviving Green units will join you here after the area in front of
Poteau has been cleared, and you should now call up any spare reserves as
well. Soon enough there are swarms of tanks heading your way and you need
as much help as possible when the shots come raining in. Give plenty of
your own back.
After wreaking some destruction, you get a call from 40th Mechanized
Battalion urging you to help in pressing their attack from the west. This
is trickier than it first appears. There are two Tank Destroyers parked
up at the far east side of the map, so after having repulsed the attack
from Huppertsburg make your way over there now (perhaps entertaining
yourself by wiping out some more infantry on the way) and help knock out
the enemy on the far bank. They are a fair distance away so your shells
are weak, and the angle is not favourable when they are shooting at you.
You will certainly need at least one Blue tank to distract their fire so
you can pour in the rounds when they turn aside. Meanwhile, make sure you
send some reserves to cover the Salmervenn road back there, as there is
about to be one last attempt to break through by yet more Assault Guns.
Having cleared the way for the 40th Mechanized, you can now speed along
the south of the river and catch the attackers in a classic pincer
manoeuvre. Bring to bear whatever firepower you can and that's the end of
that chapter.
[Like all these 'TANK SELECT' missions, this task is easier than it will
be when playing with the - authentically - weaker 'real' tanks in
'TACTICS' mode.]
_________________________________________________________________________
U S A Mission 7: S A I N T - V I T H
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 1 D e c e m b e r 1 9 4 4 , S a i n t - V i t h
____________________________________________________________
A massive German attack is underway on the
7th Armored Division, which is defending Saint-Vith
on the north side of the Battle of the Bulge.
Protect your infantry units!
Don't let any enemy vehicles get through!
Check your Map as always. Another empty and snowy wasteland but before
you know it you are joined by half a dozen German attackers dead ahead!
This time you have 3 tanks to help you in Cutlass squadron. You are going
to need them all. Further back are Tomahawk and Sword squadrons,
defending 'Sankt Vith' with the infantry.
As the enemy Assault Guns start to sweep forward from the east, it would
be suicide to move right to block them. Take off at speed straight ahead
and swing around the trees to come up behind them instead. You'll be met
by two Panzers, but if you stay off the road and close to the trees to
sweep around on an angle you will have the edge, since they are covering
the road and so need to swing around slightly. Put in some pin-sharp
shooting and hurry on around the trees to come up behind another tank and
then two more up on the ridge. Take them one at a time with a full
broadside and hunt down the one that escaped. As always, ignore the
infantry for now.
About this time, Ste. Vith will be menaced by Panzers from the south,
while other units report tank movements to the north! What to do? Stick
with the task in hand, but make swift preparations elsewhere. Pull
Cutlass 3 and 4 back over the river (just to see how the 'Move Backward'
command works) and by now you should be near to the position of Cutlass
2. Good work.
You should be in hot pursuit of a stray Assault Gun, so let him go one
way around the trees to attack Cutlass 2, while you skirt around the
other to catch him broadside. Now you are facing south in front of Prumer
and you have the opportunity to intercept the two invaders from the
south; do it like this and you already have them in your sights and can
put in a couple of hopeful shots. Don't worry if they slip past in the
distance; there are other units to block them and you can't fight every
battle. Turn around and strafe any German infantry moving across the snow
if you feel like it, but next you should turn your attention to the more
urgent situation in the north.
Assess the position. You will face half a dozen tanks including a couple
of Panthers. But not just any old Panther that you would find at the
bottom of the garden; these have bigger guns and even stronger armour
than the ones you have already met. Send Cutlass 4 to help the Green
tanks start the defence. If you lose any of your Blue tanks, the
replacements appear in the area behind the woods to the south-west of
Ste. Vith on the far left side of the map, so move them up quickly. Join
the barrage raining in from the Green tanks, and they will draw some fire
as long as they are active. You will have all the targets available to
you at once, but keep a cool head and a steady thumb and target those
Panthers first - they will most likely be the ones in front. Now you will
see just how hard it is to take one of these monsters on at distance -
your shells are so weak that as often as not they just bounce off. This
wouldn't be so bad, but you will be taking a pounding from all the shells
exploding around or on top of you, so you will probably have to reset
your aim after every shot. No time for precision, just adjust your aim
visually. (At any rate, this will give you a taste of life as an 'Ace' in
TACTICS mode.) If you are taking too many hits, you'd best move closer to
the town so that some of the others draw the fire instead. It seems that
you are the only decent shot amongst them anyway.
Keep the fire coming and remember to use those replacements as soon as
you lose one of your own units. This is like the battle of Kursk! Whoever
has laid down the greater firepower will win, and hopefully that is you.
[Remember that all these are just suggestions. You will always have your
own ideas, and there is no 'right' or 'wrong' way to complete any
mission. It's your game and it's up to you. For example, one alternative
here is to speed along the river on the east side and up to the north to
traverse the railway tracks and close in from behind. This is quite
exciting since you will draw the fire of the whole bunch of them as you
race alongside in the opposite direction, but at least you will be able
to knock them out from behind, and they are now caught in deadly
crossfire. Experiment a little.]
Meanwhile, the sneaky dastards are mounting another attack from the east,
so no sooner have you wiped out that lot than you face a horde of Nazis
closing on Prumer. You should still have Cutlass 2 guarding that
approach. Don't be lured away, but turn your attention there now, and
start by bringing any replacements through Ste. Vith to support him. With
enough firepower on that bridge you can beat off the attack, but even
then another Panzer is sighted advancing from Schloss in the north-east
this time. However, this is just a diversion; the final onslaught comes
from three Panthers closing from the north-west to pound your weakened
defences in Ste. Vith. What is so damned important about this town?
If all the Green forces have been wiped out, you're in trouble - pull
back to Ste. Vith. Your best chance is to use the buildings for cover and
snipe at any opportunity or manoeuvre around them to try to sneak up
behind the Panthers one at a time. You need to return to the town in any
case when the Panthers are annihilated. There you receive the unwelcome
news that it has all been for nothing - the line must pull back.
_________________________________________________________________________
U S A Mission 8: L U D E N D O R F B R I D G E
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 M a r c h 1 9 4 5 , L u d e n d o r f B r i d g e
____________________________________________________________
Capture the steel bridge across the Rhine!
Suppress the defenders from Remagen and destroy all
enemy units on the far shore!
Ah yes, the Bridge at Remagen. For a game that is clearly as meticulously
researched as this one, it seems a little strange that nobody has
troubled to blow any of the many bridges so far. Now we fight for the big
one.
Looking at the Map screen, you see your Fireball squadron all lined up
ready for the advance. It has been a long time since basic training, and
you have earned the right to be Fireball 1. Have another go at moving
your men in formation - just pick a pattern you like and press X. Move
forward slowly and give them time to fall in line, and then practice
moving left and right over the open ground and see how they respond;
again not too fast. You will find that you can break any of them out of
the formation by selecting them individually as usual. If you return to
the Map screen and give the order to 'HALT' then they will stop and
dutifully turn their attention to the nearest target but stay where you
want them. It is not usually worth the bother of trying to advance in
formation, but now you have tried it you can decide for yourself.
Scout ahead and get the lie of the land. Open heath and a few scattered
trees. A ridge of high ground to the left and not much cover. The
infantry are already on the outskirts of Remagen which is crawling with
tanks. A wide river bisects the map and there is only one way across. The
other side doesn't look too heavily defended though...
The terrain looks simple enough, but you are soon met with a hail of
fire. The enemy have had plenty of time to get their range across here,
so it seems that there is little choice but to dash forward and hope for
the best. Notice those little scrubby patches of darker ground? That is
marshy bog which will slow you frustratingly always just when someone has
you in their sights... There is no point in stopping to return fire, as
there is a ridge running all the way across the front of the town and you
can't see a thing shooting at you, nor be able to draw an accurate bead.
If that wasn't enough to cope with, when you get closer you find a new
and deadly enemy - 88mm Anti-tank Guns! Lots of them. You can try a
frontal assault with all guns blazing, but you are quite likely to be cut
down in a short time because most of the buildings are turned into Fire
Points as well as all those tanks and guns which are trained on your
little tank crawling pathetically slowly over that ridge. It can be done
this way, but it's a whole lot of hassle and you'll take a pounding.
Plan B: From the start, head off to the left and make towards that big
hill. Pause over the railway line and draw a bead on those three Tank
Destroyers at about 1700m. Some careful calibration should give you three
swift kills before any of them turn on you. This will allow the Green
tanks to move up. Don't waste time if you start drawing fire. Proceed to
the high ground and skirt carefully along the foot of it using the
lighter ground among the trees so you don't get bogged down. As you get
closer to Remagen the 88's will pop up at short distance; side-on they
present a good target. If you are lucky, the Green tanks will repay your
favour by knocking them out before you arrive, but if not get in as close
as you can as quickly as you can and lay down some deadly fire. Pick off
any available target, as all guns are focused on the frontal attack by
the Green tanks (prioritise anybody who seems to be aiming at you). Know
what you are shooting at by checking your Map screen frequently and
switching between HE for those 88's and the usual APCR for the tanks.
With a rush of blood to the head (because even a single round at point-
blank range is a bit fatal) you can charge straight down on an 88 and the
crew will abandon it - much quicker than picking it off anyway. With
enough support as a diversion you can swiftly clear the high ground and
then aim down at Remagen. Bring up a couple of your Fireball squadron if
the Greens get thinned out, and in any case they seem reluctant to
advance too far and you need decoys for the run to the end of town.
As you get closer, the targets will be the buildings which are being used
as Fire Points. Look for the tracer to identify them and bring those
buildings crashing down with some HE and then carefully assess each Red
triangle target to knock out the remaining Tank Destroyers or A-T guns
one by one. (What appears to be a direct shot is sometimes a tank behind
a building, as you will see from the rubble flying as he tries to shoot
you 'through' a building. Edge forward very carefully for a clear shot
when he turns away.) Try lobbing a couple of smoke shells across the town
to confound the enemy and give the Greens a breather, as this plan will
only work when there are sufficient numbers of attackers to keep the
defenders focused elsewhere. There are way too many folk shooting at you
if you try it alone. If at first you don't succeed Retry and try again.
You have to sweep everything out of the town because those guns parked on
the riverbank will be determined to prevent you crossing the bridge.
The fly in the ointment is that in amongst this close action you will
shortly come under pin-point fire from the far bank. That fellow is a
nuisance and jammy too - you won't believe the distance when he
inevitably picks you off. Try again and this time when you get this far
keep moving fast and shoot quickly to clear some room. When you trigger
the warning to "Watch the far side of the river!" you may like to open
the Map screen and scroll over to that newly-arrived tank and examine it
with SQUARE. You will get a nasty surprise. So that's why he is such a
handful - look at the size of that gun! Be grateful he is so far away.
You need some peace before you can keep a steady aim to try to hit
anything at all on the opposite bank. If you are quick after the
JagdTiger appears on the scene you will see him motoring along the track
down to the bridge, so you have a good target but he is moving fast. At
least he hasn't seen you yet... Your heart may sink when he does turn
slowly towards you. Fire quickly at a range of about 2000m and you might
get lucky. The problem is that at this distance, even deadly accuracy
will probably see your shells dint harmlessly off that sloped armour.
Bah! The solution is to bring up a couple of Blue units once the town has
been cleared a bit, and set the 'FIRE' command on that big boy up there
in order to get him to turn his attention to them. Which means he turns
his side to you. Which means you hit the side. Which means... ka-BOOM!
You can never get tired of hearing it. It is vital that he is taken out
or you have no chance of getting across the bridge.
Now you can concentrate on the last cluster of guns at the end of town
below you. Send a couple of Blue tanks to draw their fire and put in some
accurate shooting or they will be knocked out fast. When you are sure
that Remagen has been cleared of defenders it is time for the final act.
You can roam the riverbank and try to get a shot at that last defender on
the other side, and it may even be possible to hit him but I've never
managed it. We'll have to go check it out.
Trundle along the railway track and approach the bridge. Fire Point
ahead! Launch some HE to demolish it with surprising ease, and then
cautiously drive forwards and you cross the Rhine with dry feet. There is
that lone Tank Destroyer and he is still just sitting there..? Now you
see why you were unable to knock him out - he is shielded by a concrete
bank and his intention is clearly to stay there and stop you passing. It
must be commanded by Robert Vaughn. There are a number of ways to knock
him out, from mad dash to creeping caution to pushing your buddy
reluctantly ahead as a shield. (They won't advance beyond the end of the
bridge by themselves, even when directed. Not so dim after all!) Just one
shot will do for that fanatic defender, but there again just one shot
will do for you! Do you feel lucky?
(After all that effort and a good half-hour of close action, there is a
distinct possibility that your score for this round will make you weep!)
_________________________________________________________________________
T A C T I C S
_____________
Finish a mission and after your Battle results you see the SELECT MAP /
TANK STATUS screen. Press CIRCLE twice to step back through the TANK
SELECT screen and arrive at the Menu screen from the beginning of the
game. This time choose 'TACTICS'.
,---------------------------------------------------------,
|||||| USA ||||| Training-1 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'---------------------------------------------------------'
,- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -,
| | PLAYER U S A
| | CPU G E R M A N Y
| |
| |
| | 0. M4A1(76) x1
| M A P | 1. M4A1(76) x1
| | 2. PzIV H s x2
| | 3. StuGIII G x3
| | 4.
| | 5.
| | 6.
|_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _| 7.
|> = S T A R T B A T T L E
In this screen you see that you are the PLAYER (still playing as USA) and
your CPU computer opponents are Germany. Your forces are Blue, and theirs
are Red, and that is matched in the list to the right just underneath.
These are all the types of tank and the number of each that will be in
play for each level you choose. Press X and you get another screen
listing the Missions, and it looks very similar to the one we saw at the
very beginning when we played 'TANK SELECT', and indeed there are all the
missions we have just played, but this time there are even more
underneath.
,---------------------------------------------------------,
|||||| USA ||||| Training-1 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Training-2 |
| 1944/ 7/ 9 St. Jean-de-Daye |
| 1944/ 7/10 Le Dezert |
| 1944/ 8/15 Argentan |
| 1944/12/18 Poteau |
| 1944/12/21 Saint-Vith |
| ___________ 1945/ 3/ 7 Ludendorf Bridge |
| RUSSIA Training |
| 1941/12/ 9 Strike Army |
| __ 1942/ 8/27 Gaytolovo |
| \/ 1942/ 1/18 Poselok No.5 |
'---------------------------------------------------------'
These are all the Missions available for play in PANZER FRONT. You can
scroll DOWN and see the list for Russia and also of course Germany and go
on to play those later. For the rest of this part of the FAQ we will stay
with the Allies. In 'TACTICS' mode you can play exactly the same missions
as you have just been through with your fictitious tank, but now you will
have the more interesting choice of taking command of a tank modelled on
ones used in WWII. This is much more challenging because often your tanks
are weaker and the enemy is stronger, so replaying all those Allied
missions will be quite different next time around.
Some if not most of the mission strategies outlined here will not work as
well with the weaker tanks which are the default in 'TACTICS' mode. Where
previously one shot would knock out a tank at distance, now your shells
bounce off as often as not. You can't afford to take as many hits either,
so sharpen up your shooting skills. Learn to make best use of your Blue
forces and know which battles are safe to fight - charging in is usually
the route to failure. You will certainly notice the difference in
handling; gentle slopes that you breezed up before are now a maddeningly
slow grind and the snow and those marshy areas bring you to a crawl. Try
the simple 'Training-1' mission again now and see what you think. It is
going to get a lot tougher than that as you well know, so see how you get
on and then start in on your favourite mission if you feel confident.
The default vehicles for each mission, together with their respective
opponents, are as follows (in-game descriptions):
| Player Blue units Green units Enemy
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
Training-1 | M4A1(76) - M4A1(76) StuGIII G
| PzIV H
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Training-2 | M4A1(76) M4A1(76) - Panther A
| Hetzer
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
St.Jean | M4A1(76) M4A1(76) M4A1(76) PzIV H s
de | M4 M4 StuGIII G
Daye |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Le Dezert | M4 M4 M4 Panther A
| PzIV H s
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Argentan | M4A1(76) M4 M4 StuGIII G
| PzJagdIV/L48
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Poteau | M4 M4 StuGIII G
| PzIV/70(V)
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saint-Vith | M4A1(76) M4A1(76) M4 StuGIII G
| PzIV H s
| Panther G
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ludendorf | M4A1(76) M4A1(76) M4A1(76) PzIV/70(V)
Bridge | Hetzer
| JagdTiger
As you see, the main battle weapon for the Allies is an M4 or a variation
of it. While this is adequate for most of the missions, it is seriously
lacking in others. (Of course that is the challenge.)
If the default tanks seem just too vulnerable for your liking, then we
come to the most interesting feature of the game. With the 'TACTICS'
screen open, take another look at that list of tanks down the right side.
Press DOWN and you can tab through them one at a time. Highlight your own
tank (listed as '0. M4A1(76)') and press X again and accept the warning
about your scores by saying 'YES'.
,---------------------------------------------------------,</pre><pre id="faqspan-3">
| USA Training-1 |
'---------------------------------------------------------'
,- - - - - - - - - - - - - -,
| | PLAYER U S A
| | PzIIIJ/L42 ||||| | CPU G E R M A N Y
| PzIIIJ/L60 |
| PzIII N s |
| PzIII H s | 0. M4A1(76) x1
| Panther A | 1. M4A1(76) x1
| Panther G | 2. PzIV H s x2
| Tiger I L | 3. StuGIII G x3
| Tiger II | 4.
| Hetzer | 5.
| __ PzJagdIV/L48 | 6.
|_\/_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | 7.
Now the map has been replaced by a window with a list of tank names.
Press DOWN and you will find more than 30 German, British, Russian and
American tanks, as well as those fictitious ones bringing up the rear.
What now? Highlight any one you like the look of. Some of the names you
should recognise and why not go straight to the top of the Allied tree
and choose 'Firefly Vc'? If you know anything at all about tank history,
then this will be a familiar name, as it was just about the only tank the
Allies had that could match a Tiger. When you press X again you return to
the TACTICS screen, but of course you will notice that your player line
now reads '0. Firefly Vc'. Could it be..? Press START and yes, indeed -
there is your mean green fighting machine ready for awesome action. In
fact the Training level is just too easy for you. (Notice for example
that the ammo type says 'APDS' and this is no ordinary weedy shell. Try
it and see! - One shot. One shot...)
After finishing Training-1 in record time, go back to the list and pick
another tank (DOWN and then X). They all have different capabilities,
most notably the relative speeds. Try the 'M10' - after lumbering around
in all those monster tanks it is as nippy as a motorbike and packs quite
punch even so (just don't get hit broadside as it is very weak). No need
to limit yourself to the Allied tanks either; you can choose ANY tank in
the list, friend or foe. Go on then - get the Tiger. Whoa-oh YESSS!!
The gunsight on the German tanks is a little different: the TRIANGLE and
SQUARE buttons give a rapid digital readout of the distance and then you
aim the tip of the central triangle at the target. Fantastic! The pin-
point accuracy will leave you reluctant to go back to the other type. If
you like to live dangerously, why not try it in the Marder? This looks
like a comedy golf-cart with two paper thin gunners clinging for dear
life as you swing it around to dodge the flak. Weak, slow AND poorly
armed... now there's a challenge!
Well, now that you can choose your own tank, why not set your opponents
to match? This is where the game gets really interesting. Try this first
training mission with you and Fireball 1 in a Firefly and your opponents
to be Tigers and JagdTigers. (Just keep pressing DOWN to highlight the
others after you set your own tank.) That should make it about as tough
as it can be. You can even set EVERYBODY in Tigers for a 'death match'!
How about everybody else in Tigers and you stay in your Sherman? No?
Try and give all the tanks (and non-tanks) a work-out and assess their
strengths and weaknesses. You will soon see which match each other and
then you can start to plan how to make all those missions even more
challenging by setting your opponents as strong as you can handle, or
giving yourself the handicap of a weaker tank when it all gets a little
easy. But still that isn't even the half of it... don't forget about that
'Ace' setting.
_________________________________________________________________________
'A C E'
_______
Go to the Menu screen and choose 'OPTIONS'. Press RIGHT to set the
difficulty to 'Ace' and take a look at the changed settings beneath.
Compared to what you are used to with 'Veteran' there may not appear to
be much difference, but a couple of these will have a major impact and
should add greatly to the challenge. The automatic aids for the
'Transmission' and 'Turret Rotation' won't be much missed, and the loss
of the 'Double Loading Speed' you can cope with because of your improved
shooting ability. However, the 'Tank Damage' and 'Limited Ammo' will
affect you greatly, and in a bad way at first.
The 'Tank Damage' is an ingenious feature that contributes yet further to
the sense of realism in PANZER FRONT. Seemingly randomly, your vehicle
will take on unwelcome characteristics such as suddenly not having the
turret rotate or (more seriously) not being able to fire the main gun. In
that case, and also when you lose a track or suffer mechanical breakdown,
it is as good as over. Just like the real thing. On the plus side, you
will be able to inflict identical levels of damage on your enemies!
The 'Limited Ammo' option similarly adds another touch of realism; just
as with a real tank, you now carry only a small stock of shells according
to type. You will have to husband these very carefully, and keep your
strongest type for the most deserving enemy. You should switch often
between the type according to the target and stop loosing off hopeful
shots into the distance, as you will curse the loss of every wasted shell
when you go to meet three targets at once with only half a dozen of the
strong ammo left! Again there is a plus side in that your enemies can
also run out of shells, and you will know this when a Panzer starts
pathetically spraying you with MG fire... To compensate for this handicap
in 'Ace' mode, there is an added feature with this option which is a
'Supply Point' to replenish stocks, but it is usually in a remote place
and you may have to fight hard to get to it.
Just for the first time playing as 'Ace' I suggest you turn 'Tank Damage'
off; that really does make it a game for experts, and at least knowing
there is another grade of difficulty in store gives you something to aim
for when you have played through all the missions a few times over.
Start with the Training-1 mission (even though you may be sick of it by
now). Open your Map screen and you see the first big difference in this
mode. There is a large semi-transparent Red square just behind the
starting position which is labelled 'SUPPLY POINT'. Whilst it is not
critical on this training run, this is an important feature in later
missions, so always locate it in your Map screen first thing.
When you set off after Fireball 1 your tank seems very sluggish. Not
surprising, as it is still in first gear! Of course you have swapped your
automatic gearbox for a manual, so press X to change up and SQUARE to
change down (which you don't have to do if you only let it slow down - it
won't stall! This gives you one more thing to worry about and you can't
be doing with that when you need a quick escape with two on your tail and
you're stuck in a bog... I usually switch the automatic gearbox back on,
but see if you like it. It's more of an irritation than a challenge.
Soon we come to our first opponent, so start launching shells his way.
With the default tank, these consist of APC M62's. I'm guessing that the
first bit stands for 'Armour Piercing' something or other, but if you hit
that first Assault Gun with it the effect is quite spectacular anyway.
Glance through your arsenal and you see other unfamiliar names (which I
suspect have little significance to any player not into trainspotting),
but which you can see are beefed up versions of your familiar arsenal,
and they carry all the same characteristics and usages.
Notice that there are white numbers above each shell type, and that
ominously the numbers count down once with each shot. Well, that isn't
going to be a problem on this run unless you are the world's worst shot,
but some of the tanks carry less shells and even this tank has a limited
stock of the type most useful in other missions. This is where the Supply
Point comes in.
If you fancy checking it out, reverse back to the start point (allowing
you to keep that Panzer at bay with a couple of volleys). Don't forget to
change gear (from Slow to a Bit Less Slow) and simply trundle over the
supply point - it tells you onscreen when you are over it. Take a look in
the Map screen and click for 'Yes' to 'Replenish ammo supply?' Now you
see a small box-out listing the ammo you carry according to your tank
type, which for the default M4A1(76) reads:
,- - - - - - - - -.
| M4A1(76) |
|- - - - - - - - -|
| APC M62 x 32 |
| HVAP M93 x 20 |
| HE M42AI x 33 |
| HCBI M88 x 5 |
|- - - - - - - - -|
| REMAINS 0 |
'- - - - - - - - -'
Despite letting fly with a few shots at that Panzer, whatever your tally
of shells was on arriving at the Supply Point, you now automatically have
the full complement shown above. Cool!
But that's not all - the figure at the bottom next to 'REMAINS' says '0'.
Tab down to the HE (which is entirely useless on this training run) and
follow the guidance of the onscreen help and press SQUARE a couple of
times to 'DECREASE'. The figures beside HE go down accordingly because
you are now offloading those useless shells at the Supply Point, and you
will see the figure for 'Remains' goes up by the corresponding amount per
click. Now tab to HVAP and press TRIANGLE for 'INCREASE' and this time
those numbers beside 'Remains' go down but your HVAP numbers start to go
up! Even cooler. You will grasp that the idea is that you only have so
much capacity in the tank and you must juggle the ammo around according
to your usage. The 'Remains' figure is a sort of credit meter - give one
and get one.
Apart from the handling of your tank (if you choose to play on with the
automatics aids switched off) about the only difference in the game will
be that you won't see replays when you hit a target. This means that you
should be aware of when a tank is knocked out so you don't pour
unnecessary fire in - watch for comments from the crew and check the Map
screen as sometimes it can look as if there was a big explosion but he's
not dead yet. More realism.
If you find this is all well within your capabilities then there is one
more adjustment to make that even the 'Ace' has as a default setting:
turn off the 'Range Indicator'. Now you will have to judge visually the
distance to the target when you come across one and home in shot by shot,
just like a real tank gunner! This is where your experience will pay off,
but you can guess the difficulties ahead when you find yourself
surrounded and alone, damaged and nearly out of ammo, and a long, long
way from the either supplies or the objective...
Happy hunting!
_________________________________________________________________________
C O N C L U S I O N
___________________
Of course PANZER FRONT is not for everybody, but as you have seen there
are so many wonderful features to try out that even when you have played
through every mission, for an enthusiast this game should never lose its
appeal.
If you breezed through some of the earlier rounds in 'TANK SELECT' then
you may be surprised at how much of a challenge 'TACTICS' mode is when
you try them again. Now you must think up different approaches, and there
are so many ingenious touches and discoveries that you will think you
have never found the perfect route. Of course there are also scores to be
improved upon - and the little matter of all those Russian and German
missions!
Always be ready to try something new and you can get surprising and
sometimes very satisfying results. For example, when playing 'Le Dezert'
I got to wondering why the forces with Dodger 4 to the north got
overwhelmed so easily every time, so I did a U-turn and crashed off
through the hedges to take a look. After a fierce battle with the three
tanks and not paying attention to the radio calls, I realised that
because I had sent no reserves, the defenders at Le Dezert had been wiped
out. Three Panzers were closing from the west and two Panthers from the
south and the village wide open! I raced along the lanes and expected to
see the "Defences have fallen" message any second but rounded the corner
from the north-west to come across the lot of them trundling along the
open field and lined up broadside...
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
..with only a slight turret adjustment, and then sped around a building:
And just where are YOU off to? Not so fast, my friend... Ka-BOOM!!
An exhilarating victory snatched from the jaws of defeat in 15 seconds.
Now what other game gives you that experience 100 times over?
_________________________________________________________________________
PANZER FRONT - PLAYSTATION
Released: April 2001 (UK)
Developers: Enterbrain
Publisher: JVC
_________________________________________________________________________
(c) J Woodrow 2002
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