Fireglow supposes it to be the last game produced by Fireglow Ltd that uses original Sudden Strike 2D engine. It is built around sophisticated military operations and diverse tactical schemes. Factories produce vehicles, and these vehicles are the most important resource that the player has. Player loses reinforcements when these objects are lost or destroyed.

So-called “factories” play an important part in Sudden Strike - Resource War gameplay. Usually the factory may be captured both by the player, and by AI controlled enemies. To gain control over the factory, the player must eliminate all enemy units within a range around the factory, and place one or several of his units there. There are factories which give the player reinforcements of infantry, panzers, and even airplanes.

Having gained control over the factory, and keeping in his hands, the player gets regular reinforcements. Usually reinforcement arrives every few minutes, and this process may continue for an unlimited time. The only limit is the overall limit on the number of player units (the airplanes have their own limit: the number of landing spots on the airfields).

The player doesn’t have to gather any resources to support production – he only has to protect the factory against the enemy attacks. In case the factory was lost, it may be recaptured again, any number of times. The factory may be also destroyed, and then reconstructed with the help of support units. Reconstruction requires a lot of time and resources.

Sometimes the factory activity depends on whether a certain other object (e.g. a power plant) is in the player’s hands. Sometimes a captured object (e.g. a research lab) may change the type of reinforcements the factory provides. Situations like these are always mentioned in the mission briefing.

Having a factory under control, the player may try risky operations without the risk to run out of units. Usually the enemy also has a factory and he will try to capture or destroy the player’s factory, using both regular attacks and bombardments/landing.

In the multiplayer mode, the factories allow us to avoid rushes and prevent stalemates (when all players have no attack force left). They regularly provide reinforcements which are necessary for a game.

Fuel for vehicles is fully simulated in the game. All vehicles use fuel, and it is especially important for valuable heavy tanks. Vehicles may be refueled from tank trucks, tank cars, stationary fuel tanks and fuel depots. Fuel is another valuable resource which can be captured.

Objects of strategic importance, like factories, airfields, repair shops, hospitals, fuel depots and power plants are of great importance in the game, and the player should pay his/her attention at them when planning the mission. These objects work as a reasonable source for well-balanced reinforcements both in single- and multi-player games, and allow the player to gain a serious advantage over the opposing player.

Fuel is now important for almost every unit. Introduction of fuel allowed us to make light units more important, as heavy units use more fuel and risk running out of fuel and stopping at the most wrong moment. The player now has to plan deep attacks and transfer of his forces from one front to another more carefully.

The units may be refueled by a fuel tanker (picking fuel from barrels and fuel wagons), or at fuel stations. Loss of a few tankers may damage your situation seriously.

Any building may now be reconstructed by support units (though it takes a lot of time). As every building is an important tactical object on the map, destruction and reconstruction of units allows the players to change the tactical scheme of the map dynamically, which is especially interesting in multiplayer mode.

The strategic objects cease to function when destroyed or captured by enemy. However, they can be restored to be fully functional again, with the assistance of sappers.

The functionality of strategic objects may be dependent on other objects. For instance, capture or destruction of a power plant may disrupt the enemy factory operation. This is yet another option for tactical tricks, and it also encourages the player to defend his/her own strategic objects.

A popular “gather-select-send forward-win” tactics just does not work in the game.

The player may control all types of vehicles: various armored cars and tanks, aircrafts, ships and armored trains.

In a single-player game, the player is sometimes assisted by AI-controlled allied forces. Sometimes the assistance is minor; sometimes it’s active enough to turn the game into an interactive show. The player may interact with allied troops to achieve his/her own goals.

Missions contain compulsory and optional objectives. Completion of the latter ones may give the player a significant bonus. It may also affect the course of following missions.

The game contains a well thought-out, intensive and well balanced multiplayer mode, one of the best among the RTS games. It does not stimulate rushes, and averts stalemates. A persevering player always has an opportunity to defeat a lazy one.

Buildings aren’t just scenery; they play an important role in planning one’s tactical operations (especially in multiplayer games). All buildings may be captured by infantry, destroyed, or repaired by sappers.

The game has an RPG element: the power of units grows defending on the experience they get in battles.

The player may control over 300 various units for 7 belligerent nations: US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and USSR. All units behave realistic and are balanced for gameplay.

All units have different balanced fields of vision. Even the most powerful tank is blind (and doomed) without infantry support.

A powerful and easy to use editor allows the player to create his/her own maps, missions and even whole campaigns.

The game makes about 100 hours of gameplay for an average player.

The game contains:

• 4 campaigns
  • Germany’41 – 4 missions; German assault in 1941 in the area between the flanks of Army Groups South and Center. Includes crossing the Dnieper, and assault on Kiev.
  • US’44 – 5 missions. The Rhineland campaign. Includes capturing Saarbourg and battles in the region.
  • Germany’44 – 3 missions. The Rhineland campaign and capturing Saarbourg from the German point of view.
  • UK’44- 3 missions. Operation Goodwood. Crossing the Orne and hard battles south-east of Cane.
• 10 various separate historically oriented missions.
• 10 multiplayer maps of medium and large size for 2 to 4 players. The game provides an option to create extra large multiplayer maps for up to 8 players.

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