Theatre of War 2 FAQ

       Theatre of War 2 FAQ



Item Title
Who develops and publishes Theatre of War 2: Africa 1943?
What historical period is shown in the game?
How many campaigns and missions are there in the game?
Is there any "right" order to play through the campaigns?
What are the system requirements?
My system is somewhat below specs. Will the game launch?
Where can I download the game for free?
What is the game's engine?
How did the visuals change?
Are there any new tactical options?
Has the AI been improved?
TOW2 is featuring a lot of equipment from WW2. Did you improve the models?
Are there any new vehicles in TOW2 compared to TOW?
Are there new infantry weapons?
Did the uniforms change?
Can we use hills and mountains to gain advantage over the enemy?
What types of fortifications are available in the game?
Can you tell us more about combat inside buildings?
How does the Line-of-Sight system work?
What is the Line-of-Fire?
How does the new "spotting by hearing" system work?
Is it possible to setup units on the map before the battle?
What about smoke grenades and shells?
Will there be mod support?
What tools/editors will be included? 



Who develops and publishes Theatre of War 2: Africa 1943?  	 

Theatre of War 2: Africa 1943 is a wargame from 1C Company's internal game development studio. There are several internal studios at 1C, one of them created the famous flight simulator IL-2 Sturmovik, while another one made Theatre of War and is now working on its sequel. TOW2 will be published by 1C Company in Russia and CIS countries, while the global publisher is Battlefront.com.




What historical period is shown in the game?  	

Theatre of War 2 is dedicated to the final stage of the North African campaign during World War II: the liberation of Tunis in February - March 1943. The choice of this relatively short timeframe allows us to show all the key events in detail.
 




How many campaigns and missions are there in the game?  	 

There are three campaigns, one for each side of the conflict: Germany, USA and UK. In several missions the German troops are reinforced by Italian forces. In total, there are 15 missions.



Is there any "right" order to play through the campaigns?  	

No, the three campaigns are all set at the exact same time period and are occurring simultaneously.




What are the system requirements?  	

Minimum system requirements:

    * Windows XP/ Vista;
    * Intel Pentium IV, 3,0 GHz;
    * 1 Gb RAM;
    * Video card nVidia GF 6600 or ATI Radeon X800;
    * 3,5 Gb HDD;
    * DirectX 9.0 compatible sound card;
    * DirectX 9.0c;
    * DVD-ROM;
    * Keyboard;
    * Mouse. 

 

Recommended system requirements:

    * Windows XP/ Vista;
    * Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon64 X2;
    * 2 Gb RAM;
    * Video card nVidia GF 8800 or ATI Radeon HD 3850;
    * 3,5 Gb HDD;
    * SoundBlaster Audidgy 2 sound card;
    * DirectX 9.0c;
    * DVD-ROM;
    * Keyboard;
    * Mouse. 





My system is somewhat below specs. Will the game launch?  	 

If the deviation is within roughly 200 MHz / 512 Mb RAM / 64 VRAM or so below the minimum specs, the game will probably still launch, but of course you may see some severe performance problems.






Where can I download the game for free?  	 

Nowhere. You need to pay for good games :) However, we will release a free demo of the game so you can try it out.



What is the game's engine?  	  


Theatre of War 2: Africa 1943 is based on a modified engine from the original Theatre of War game. This means that all the unique features from Theatre of War will also be present in TOW2 but with a lot of enhancements. We tried to accomodate the majority of requests from our gamers in modernizing the engine.



How did the visuals change?  	 


All the game models are improved! We also remade textures, enhanced object details and implemented the latest visual effects technologies. We reconstructed everything, even the skies!




Are there any new tactical options?  	  

In Theatre of War 2, we have implemented at least two of the main requests from our wargame community: combat inside buildings and the use of smoke ammunition. The A.I. has been significantly revised and many additional user options have been introduced to provide completely new tactical situations for the players. Moreover, in addition to enhanced line-of-sight and damage systems, we have also created a completely new way of "spotting by hearing". And these are only a few of the innovations in this sequel!
 

Has the AI been improved?  	  

Very much so! Besides some general enhancements and optimization of the original cose, the new AI now also makes use of the new tactical possibilities of the game, such as house-to-house combat and the use of smoke.




TOW2 is featuring a lot of equipment from WW2. Did you improve the models?  	  

Yes, every military piece of equipment in the game has been revised: we added camouflage and highlighted some specific features of the North African variants. The general quality of the models and textures has also been improved.


Are there any new vehicles in TOW2 compared to TOW?  	  

A number of vehicles appear in TOW2 that were not included in the original Theatre of War. For example: the American light tank M3 and the German pre-production "Tiger" tank.



Are there new infantry weapons?  	  

Of course! The Italian army is equipped with its nation-specific weapons and grenades. In addition to that, there are also smoke grenades.
 

Did the uniforms change?  	  

All uniforms in the sequel are completely new: all the soldiers are wearing North African camouflage uniforms.



Can we use hills and mountains to gain advantage over the enemy?  	  

In TOW2, there are many mountains, valleys and slopes. Some hills are impassable, some can be crossed by infantry only. Using these locations as tactical options is a must: they can help defending against the enemy or to stage an ambush.
 


What types of fortifications are available in the game?  	 

There are many fortifications in the game: machine-gun emplacements, pillboxes, sand sacks, masking nets, trenches, embankments. All these fortifications protect soldiers from enemy fire.


Can you tell us more about combat inside buildings?  	  


Soldiers can enter any building and/or shoot through windows. While inside a building soldiers receive extra defensive protection from enemy fire. It can be really difficult to crack an entrenched fighting position inside a building. Unless, of course, you destroy the entire house - which probably is going to kill all occupants.



How does the Line-of-Sight system work?  	  

Many game objects - such as walls, trees, or smoke - provide either complete or partial cover and concealment. Moreover, every soldier and vehicle has its own specific ability to spot enemy units at a distance. The Line-of-Sight (LOS)system is a way for the game to find out if troops on the battlefield can see each other.



What is the Line-of-Fire?  	 

The Line-of-Fire (LOF) is an imaginary line extending from a firing weapon to the target. If the line is blocked by an impenetrable obstacle, then there is no point in shooting. You can always check the Line-of-Fire before ordering an attack.


How does the new "spotting by hearing" system work?  	  

The new "spotting by hearing" system allows to "spot" enemy making any sounds even before you see him. The more noise someone or something makes – the easier it is to hear it. The "sound spotting" system expands the visual system (Line of Sight) and allows the players to estimate the situation on the battlefield more efficiently. For example - to find out the exact location of firing enemy artillery or an approaching tank column. The position of invisible but audible troop is designated with a special symbol.


Is it possible to setup units on the map before the battle?  	  

Yes. In Theatre of War 2 you can set up troops and units, even give them first orders (including "hold position and don't shoot") and doublecheck their line-of-fire before the battle begins.


What about smoke grenades and shells?  	  

A number of types of infantry and vehicles are able to use smoke shells and grenades. When a smoke shell explodes, it creates a cloud of smoke which blocks any lines of sight for some time. In total, we have 20 different smoke weapons in the game.


Will there be mod support?  	  

Yes, just in the same way as with the original Theatre of War.



What tools/editors will be included?  	  


Theatre of War 2 will include map and mission editors, a mission generator and the needed manuals. And you can always find the answers needed at www.battlefront.com/community