General Comments
I might have missed some of it in earlier playthroughs (or just forgot about it since), but this time around I felt the earlier chapters were a bit more fleshed out for the better, especially in C1 where you can establish your opinion of the French, and the variations in the Casablanca attack depending on which lieutenant’s involved, which adds a bit to replayability. There also seemed to be a few more choices too where you could think about the war, which was nice.
I didn’t have the time to comment for the previous build, but I liked the encounter with the Italian infantry in that version (not only because I had a role in suggesting it!). It was quite tense and made a change compared to the previous fights, and also filled out the chapter a bit. However in this build I can’t trigger it no matter what (see below).
Chapter 4 seems very promising, but it also seems quite buggy. There are things that don’t seem to trigger properly which leads to a rather disjointed experience particularly in the earlier hub scene which gave us a proper look at army life outside of combat. For instance, I can’t report to whoever’s in charge and get rid of my prisoners, I can’t meet Driscoll, and I don’t know what “Blade Force” is as that’s not explained. The game’s very complex and branching, and it seems like Chapter 4’s the most complex of the lot. It works as it is, but the bugs are a bit hard to ignore.
I liked the engagement at the farmhouse. I couldn’t get the assault gun there – I don’t know if it’s actually possible to kill it – but it certainly left me with a sense of frustration. Sure they could have mortared it and gone in, but I think that gets across the reality of combat, that everything always won’t go your way even if you’ve had a smooth run so far. And it also shows that the Italians aren’t just walk overs, which is a bonus.
The airfield fight was a nice foil to that: where the Italians can’t be moved, the Germans are simply overrun with ease, but of course there’s the Panzer III to deal with at the end of the chapter. Kind of hope Staudenmeier becomes an antagonist. Perhaps a bit stereotypical being a bombastic German tank commander but hey, it adds some more emotional attachment to fighting beside trying to get yourself and your crew out alive.
But what Baume’s looking for is the most intriguing part of the chapter. Given the Ju 52s and the location, I’m guessing it’s gold reserves? I faintly recall some of the French or Belgian gold reserves being diverted to Dakar, so it’s part of that? It would certainly explain the letter by Ike. That said, I think it’s entirely possible that the letter is actually be a forgery. Certainly, whoever gets hold of what Baume’s looking for – especially if it is French gold reserves – would become very influential indeed. Henri Giraud seems like the most plausible candidate, though in that instance the letter from Ike could still be genuine, given that the Americans seemed to like him over De Gaulle.
And of course, if it turns out to be gold, it would be rather interesting if the PC got an opportunity to pocket a few bars for themselves…
Bugs and Typos
Chapter 1
Around a bend you spy an attack already underway, four tanks and at least a company of infantry advancing against stern resistance.
…
He pats your tank affectionately, then clambers down and hurries off to a knot of men struggling to set up a machine gun. The tank commanders scramble aboard their vehicles and clamber into the cupolas.
Continuity error. If you arrive late to the attack on the fire control centre due to helping out the infantry, it says that the attack is already underway. However, it’s later mentioned that the tanks are only getting underway after you’ve arrived.
I also looked at the code – the option “Listen to the radio to determine if Colonel Wilbur has issued any orders.” has a *disable_reuse, so the variants which are coded to appear if you repeatedly listen to the radio don’t show up.
The medics, their white armbands crossed by red, as they set to work while greasy black disperses into a gray haze above the battlefield.
Grammatically incorrect?
“You Lieutenant Stern?”
If the PC has no gas and suggests siphoning the fuel out of the other tanks, Knox doesn’t tell them about Stern, so the PC shouldn’t know of Stern to ask this question.
Chapter 3
I’m not sure if it’s a bug or not, but I got Piazza as my mechanic even though Nelson survived Casablanca. I still got “Nelson sleeps beneath the tank, happy enough to be dry and out of the rain” so he’s around apparently. It feels like a bug – is it intentional?
Taking a look at the code, it looks like there’s a *if mechanic_status = “okay” which leads to the above text. Then there’s a *if mechanic_status = “wounded” and an *else, the *else introducing Piazza. If it is a bug, is the *if mechanic_status = “wounded” meant to be an *elseif?
hey are Triallers, riflemen from Morocco
Tirailleurs? Of the Tirailleurs Marocains, I’m guessing?
The survivors are all staring your way when Sergeant Baume’s men surge out of cover and surround them. They offer no resistence. It doesn’t seem like they’re even armed.
no resistance
You call out the range. Close.
Mendoza has already lined up the shot. He pulls the trigger. The cannon cracks out. The enemy erupts in smoke, then flame. Burning figures spill out the back and fall to the ground, rolling in agony until, mercifully, they stop. The accompanying trucks wisely reverse and motor off, the sound of their engines diminishing until the steady crackle of flames from the assault gun takes over.
With nothing more to accomplish, you order Owens to head out.
Suddenly there is a gray ribbon of road ahead. The treads bite in and you clatter right along.
A thump on the turret draws your attention.
“Well done, my friend,” Sergeant Baume says as he leans against the cupola machine gun. With a practiced flick of fingers, he offers you a cigarette from a badly crumple pack. With the tank in motion, lighting up for either of you will have to wait though. “Except for leaving the bomber, but no one is perfect. Indeed, I am happy that this is one less foe, and one more step to liberation.”
I got this. I drove to the bomber, right up to it and gave first aid to the Luftwaffe pilot and scavenged the bomber for padding. Afterwards, I then decided to fight and looked for a hiding spot. I then took aim instead of firing. The text implies that I didn’t go the bomber crash site?
Also, no matter what, I can’t get the Italian infantry to show up no matter how I play, including hitting it with the first shot and letting it hit me in turn. In the previous version I think it triggered when I hit and killed it with the first round.
Chapter 4
with a soft kick, you have Owens bring the Sugar Pie to a halt. The moment the treads cease to clatter, a sergeant carrying a crate under his arm approaches.
Missing capitalisation for With a soft kick
Report to whoever is in charge
This didn’t trigger a scene with whoever’s in charge for me. I got the scene which begins “As you prepare to set out” about the script, but when that finishes it drops you back at the hub. If you don’t do this, it also seems like you have zero script to play with.
Go gambling. Toss dice.
“Back again?” Sergeant Hawser says to you with a raised eyebrow. “Hope you’ve got more than a few bits to rub together this time.”
I got this when going gambling as the first option at the C4 hub despite it being the first option.
You give the order and Owens accelerates through the plane wreckage and maneuvers the %!{tank_nickname} beyond the airbase perimeter.
%!{tank_nickname} appears in the text
) and then re-emerges “mysteriously” on the other side, leaving almost an amnesia-like feeling in its wake.
It sounds like there should be more opportunities to earn it, in my opinion.