- Patton Versus Rommel
Infobox VG
title = Patton vs. Rommel
caption =
developer = Chris Crawford
publisher =Electronic Arts
distributor =
designer =
license =
series =
engine =
version =
released = 1987
genre =Turn-based strategy , Wargame
modes = 1-2 players
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platforms = Macintosh, PC,Commodore 64
media =
requirements =
input ="Patton vs. Rommel" is a computer war game designed and programmed by Chris Crawford, and published by
Electronic Arts in 1987 for the Macintosh and PC systems. The PC version was adapted bySculptured Software , and aCommodore 64 version was also created.After the success of Crawford's game "Balance of Power" EA wanted to work with him, but could not acquire the rights to sequel the game. Instead, they suggested he build on the tradition of his seminal
Atari title "Eastern Front".Rather than create a derivative game on the Western Front, Crawford elected to focus the game's design on
fog of war and the personalities of American generalGeorge Patton and the German Field MarshallErwin Rommel . In real life the two were never involved together in a major confrontation, as Rommel was wounded in 1944 and later forced to commit suicide (due to his association with the anti-Hitler conspirators of theJuly 20 plot ), before Patton had command in large-scale land operations. The game'sAI , however, worked to be true to the strategies of each of the two generals."Patton vs. Rommel" is set in and around the
Normandy beachhead shortly after theD-Day invasion of June, 1944. American,Canadian and British forces are placed in the correct positions as theAllied advance started to bog down. The German forces of Rommel are likewise in place defendingCaen and other cities.To win the game, the Allied player must advance farther and faster than the real-life Allied forces. For the Rommel-side player to win, he or she must defend more territory longer than the actual German defenders. If the German side can effectively counter and stall the Allied attacks and prevent a breakthrough, the Rommel player will usually win.
This creates a dynamic where the Patton player must look for a way to create a hole in the German lines wide enough to push one or more
armored division s through into the German rear area. Since almost all of the German forces are concentrated at the front, the principle of "fog of war" means that units that are not within sight of enemy units "disappear" from the game map – and from the thinking of the enemy. When they suddenly reappear in a surprise attack from the rear they have an overwhelming advantage over the units they are attacking. In this way an Allied player can roll up a major element of the German line and achieve a victory.In real history the Allies eventually broke through and surrounded several German
panzer andinfantry divisions, which were decimated as they attempted to escape through theFalaise Gap . In the game this decisive victory requires practice and skill by the Allied player.The game was very well-received by war game enthusiasts but never became popular in a wider marketplace. "
Computer Gaming World " described the game as "very playable", admiring its in-game advisors and simple movement scheme, even allowing units to queue actions that are remembered turn-to-turn.citation | date = March 1987 | last = Harrington | first = William | periodical =Computer Gaming World | title = Micro-reviews: Patton vs. Rommel | year = 1987 | pages = 52-53]One irony of the computer game industry is that the game was produced for EA by
Don Daglow . Only three years earlier Crawford had been a prominent game designer forAtari during the early 1980s video game wars, while Daglow was Director of Game Development for its arch-rivalIntellivision . The pairing worked, and Daglow later underwrote a portion of the costs for the 1987 launch of Crawford'sJournal of Computer Game Design , which was followed by Crawford founding the now-preeminentGame Developers Conference .References
External links
*moby game|id=/patton-vs-rommel|name="Patton Versus Rommel"
*http://www.thelegacy.de/Museum/451/ German site about the C64 version
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