#Sudden strike 4 editor tool trial#
There is no strategy here, just trial and error.Īnother major issue plaguing what could have been an excellent game is the poor troop AI. Too often the action boils down to sending recon units around blindly and hoping they’re not destroyed before you can locate the enemy’s artillery. This is a fine system to have in an RTS, but not one with a restrictive and overbearing visibility system. “Sudden Strike 4” provides you a limited number of troops per map and you’re forced to make do with the resources you’re provided. Maps laden with the fog of war are common in RTSs, but normally you’re also given control of resource management. They’re also highly vulnerable to anti-aircraft guns that are hidden, thanks to the fog of war. You’re usually provided with a small number of them per map and they only clear fog of war for a very short amount of time. In reality, you have to send your ground troops blindly across the map, hoping to not accidently stumble into a superior force. As can sending a very limited number of recon planes overhead. In theory, sending your soldiers scouting ahead to spot enemy artillery can help. This mission is a simple “go here, destroy everything, repeat until everything is dead.” However, the map is dense with the fog of war, and artillery fire that quickly decimates your units comes from all corners of the map. Now, contrast that with another mission, this time in the Allied campaign. There also are multiple ways to tackle the mission, provided you keep in mind the logistical necessities of battle. The developers on this map teach the player a lesson and provide all the tools needed to make informed, strategic decisions. It’s an important lesson to learn – and one that is reinforced in other missions. Lose that vehicle and you’ll certainly run out of fuel before clearing the map. Each of your units is massively important in this mission, but none more so than the vehicle that carries your squadron’s fuel. In one mission, you’ll take a fleet of tanks and other armored vehicles behind enemy lines, then sweep forward to remove heavy weapon emplacements. The swings in the game’s difficulty are so enormously pronounced that it really does feel like there were two different developers behind the maps – or that some of the maps were thoroughly tested, while others were not.Īllow me to give an example. Visually, the game is a treat, with the detailed villages, unit models and effects stamping this as a game that had plenty of care put into it.Īll the components for an A+ game are present – save for the one by which all RTSs live or die: balance. The controls are standard for an RTS, with no silly changeups to infuriate entrenched fans of the genre. KITE Games, developers of “Sudden Strike 4,” even put in some pop-culturally relevant missions featuring Dunkirk. The single-player missions incorporates many of the campaigns from the European Theater, including battles between Nazi and Soviet forces. The maps are enormous and offer various ways to tackle objectives and the missions are equally varied. “Sudden Strike 4,” the long-awaited sequel in one of the more historically accurate RTSs on the market, has all the components of a fantastic strategy game.Įach unit – from the far-seeing infantry to the highly-destructive artillerymen – serve a very specific purpose.