August 13, 1942

The flight of eight B-17F's droned over the calm water of what would eventually become known as Iron Bottom Sound. Ahead, two columns of Japanese ships steamed southwards on a resupply mission for their new base under construction on the island of Guadalcanal. Spotting the enemy ships, the B-17's transition to a long single file line as they circle around the convoy.

Radio messages with the enemy course and speed are sent to a nearby US Navy task force before one after the other the B-17's turn inbound and begin a bombing run. Each aircraft carries a pair of 1000lb bombs, and each targets the rear two ships of the convoy. The bombs rain down, and two direct hits are seen, sending smoke coiling into the sky.

As the B-17's exit the area, the faint flash and boom of a ranging shot is heard. The USS North Carolina with an escort of cruisers and destroyers is steaming north towards the enemy convoy. The day's work is just getting started...

My review of the new update:

The first thing I noticed was how quickly the game loads to the main menu. In fact, the overall performance seems much improved. There are a ton of new scenarios, and I decided to try out the Fort Vaux map. This is an excellent map, that really does look like a Verdun fortress, just rendered in miniature. I do think maps should be larger overall, and this can be compensated for by just making battles and scenarios longer.

I immediately noticed the user interface has a bit of polish applied, the buttons and toggles are easier to see, and it's easier to pick one platoon out from others on the tactical map. The previous bug affecting getting stuck in the fire support call seems to be eliminated.

The action unfolded like it always does, I still think the tick rate for the game should be reduced slightly, as the action is fast and frantic when things get going, but the control of an infantryman seems a touch smoother. I noticed pathfinding for NPC's seems to be improved, and it was fun seeing troops throw grenades before assaulting a position, and they also throw explosive packs at tanks too. The lunchbox of doom is now a feature of the battlefield!

I noticed some new buildables, and your troops now man and use artillery quicker than they did before. However, the biggest feature of this new update are the TANKS! I quickly spawned a Renault FT and started driving around. The tank controls are simple, just drive forward, backward, and turn right and left. You can aim and fire the gun with an onscreen reticle, but the guns are somewhat inaccurate so it's more like a reference point. Even while driving the tank, the other weapons remain manned and will happily blast away at any enemy they see. This is a huge bonus over other types of games that neuter tanks the moment the player takes control.

I think the driving and turning speed of tanks should be reduced, in WW1 they were rather ponderous to drive and operate, and most tanks had a top speed of just 4 miles an hour, I.E. the rate of someone taking a brisk walk. They do seem to be able to path-find quite effectively, and I didn't notice any examples of tanks getting stuck or falling into trenches.

Overall, I think this update is fantastic, and I'm looking forward to digging into this update more extensively. Good job!