"It is of course disappointing," Timothy W. Brooks, President and founder of North Carolina based Shrapnel Games said, "but unfortunately sometimes things happen beyond your control. In this case Mr. Murphy made himself quite known. For everyone who has been anticipating this title we apologize for the delay and ask for your patience. It shouldn't be too much longer."
The Star and the Crescent reteams developer ProSIM with designer PanClan Game Design, responsible for the earlier hypothetical simulation, Raging Tiger: The Second Korean War. Like other ProSIM titles The Star and the Crescent uses an enhanced ATF game engine, and also just like other titles in the series, such as Raging Tiger or The Falklands War: 1982, the game adds several new layers to the engine.
Some of these new features include a revised and refined direct fire bursting model, perfect for iron bombs and mortars, improved aerial bombing effects, individual buildings that impact line of fire and sight, detailed radar modeling for both land and air units, and more. The Star and the Crescent uses the latest version of the ATF engine, which includes all the improvements found in the ATF family of patches made public last month.
While PanClan Game Design burst onto wargame scene with a futuristic scenario, The Star and the Crescent focuses on the historical. Featuring several conflicts between Israel and its Arab neighbors, the game includes an extensive look at the Yom Kippur War, along with scenarios from 1956, the Six-Day War of '67, and pre-Yom Kippur/October War battles in 1973. And while mostly historical PanClan Game Design didn't completely abandon gaming possible future conflicts, as there are also hypothetical scenarios set in the near future included.
The Arab-Israeli wars were marked with lots of combined arms warfare, and everyone who loves to pound their foes with tanks and aircraft will definitely enjoy The Star and the Crescent. The included scenarios represent an excellent cross-mix of tactical situations, and you can always create your own with the included editors. Like other ProSIM games, The Star and the Crescent also fully supports multiplayer.
The Star and the Crescent retails for $44.95 and is available for Windows. You may order the game through the Shrapnel e-store, the Gamers Front.
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