History Line: 1914-1918
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| History Line: 1914-1918 (Europe) Great War: 1914-1918 (USA) |
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| Developer(s) | Blue Byte Software |
| Publisher(s) | Blue Byte Software (Europe) Strategic Simulations, Inc. (USA) |
| Platform(s) | Amiga, MS-DOS |
| Release date | 1992 (PC version), 1993 (Amiga version) |
| Genre(s) | Turn-based tactics |
| Mode(s) | Single player, single-system multiplayer |
| Media | floppy disks |
| Input methods | Keyboard and mouse |
History Line: 1914-1918 (released in USA by SSI as Great War: 1914-1918) is a turn-based tactics computer game developed in the 1990s by the German team Blue Byte Software. The storyline takes the player through various battles of the First World War. It uses the software engine based on the more known Battle Isle '93 game.
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[edit] Storyline
The storyline takes the player through various battles of World War I. The player can choose to play either the French or German side. There are 24 single-player maps in the game, after each one the player receives information about the course of the war (the game is linear - it is impossible to change history). The game starts in August 1914, with Germany invading France. As during the real war, the open greenfields of the first battles, dominated by cavalry, are gradually replaced by landscapes scarred with trenches and bunkers; as the number of tanks, artillery and aeroplanes increases the cavalry and infantry troops become progressively less effective. New units became available as the game progresses, such as A7V or Mark IV tanks.
The game also includes a lot of information about the period: after each mission, historical facts about two months of wartime are displayed. Informing players about the causes and conduct of the war was one of the aims of the game, which begins with a brief animation depicting the Western Front in 1916, followed by a sequence showing the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, whose assassination in Sarajevo precipitated the Austrian declaration of war which triggered World War I. Between the battles, text and illustrations taken from contemporary newspapers appear, keeping players up to date with key events in the course of the real war, as well as providing nuggets of interesting domestic news from the countries involved – such as sporting events. Animations depict notable incidents, such as a zeppelin flying above London Bridge during a bombing raid.
[edit] Gameplay
The game uses the software engine very similar to the more known Battle Isle '93 game. It is played on a hexagonal grid for a map. Both players act simultaneously on a split screen, each showing a part of a larger map. The turns are also divided into move and attack (order) phases. While one player moves his units, the other commands his own troops to carry out his actions.
The objective is to capture the enemy's headquarters building (while guarding your own); the victory can also be achieved by annihilating every unit the enemy controls. The maps have various features - different terrain types, as well as depots (to repair units) and factories (to produce) as buildings. Captured building may contain 'free' units. The units gain experience; however, this experience isn't carried over from mission to mission in campaign mode.
In addition to the 24 single-player campaign maps, there are 12 two-player maps.
The AI is relatively weak, relying on mass frontal assaults. After the player survives the first few turns and the AI's overwhelming numbers using protected artillery and terrain advantage, the computer is usually unable to mount a proper defence.
[edit] Cultural influences
The designers specifically tried to avoid raising any controversy. Despite the setting being one of the most devastating wars known to mankind, Blue Byte, as a German company, developed Historyline to meet the restrictions of the depiction of violence in computer games which exist in that country; thus even the battlescene animations avoid excessive violence. Further, the game manual declared the designers' opposition to violence and warfare, and the manual as well as the game itself tried to avoid interpretation, relying on bare facts.
The game was mildly successful, but although the name implied that there may be other 'history lines' and the designers speculated that they may go on to develop games set in pre-20th century conflicts, no such games were created, as Blue Byte decided to develop the more successful Battle Isle series.
[edit] References
- History Line: 1914-1918 at MobyGames
- Review at The Good Old Days
- Review at The Amiga Games Database
- Review from CU Amiga, February 1993, p.p.60-61 (scroll down for English translation)
