As for Warhammer, I'm loving it.  It's leaps and bounds beyond the PC
version released in Dec. of 1995.  If you ever enjoyed playing pen and
paper Dungeons and Dragons, and have a penchant for controlling
real-time simulations, I bet you'll dig this game.

I'm pleased to tell you and others that the main detractor to this
game on the PC, the in-game interface, has been dramatically improved
for the PS version.

The interface such as it is in the PC version makes this game an
exercise in frustration and the "always getting there a split second
too late" syndrome;  if you have the patience to get a handle on the
PS version's complex yet highly usable interface, then you'll be
flying high, feeling remarkably *in control*.  But you better have a
high tolerance for delayed gratification, because the learning curve
is steep.

Initially I was disappointed after having bought this game when I
realized it wasn't mouse compatible;  that is, until I realized that
the PS controller is about 100% more appropriate for this game than a
mouse!  The lack of mouse feature wasn't the result of laziness at all
-- it's truly an improvement.

Many point-and-click interfaces for real-time games like this one
(it's not turn-based) are simply impractical -- and it's what made the
PC version almost unplayable.

Also, beware the very long practice period which you should expect
with a complex, real-time strategy/tactics game, which you'll
necessary suffer through for a good 3-5 hours before becoming even
close to adequate in the execution of your battlefield intentions.

The interface for this game is vastly different from the PC version,
as I've already mentioned, but in very important ways.

In the PC version, it was cumbersome to do the simplest of maneuvers,
such as turning a regiment toward an enemy:  the PC version requires
you to point-and-click at symbols on a map along a complex side-bar in
order to execute this turnabout of rank and file.

In the PlayStation version, you manipulate a situation-variable
interface, involving the use of a 4-button diamond configuration which
overlays the PS controller quite naturally -- the trick is becoming
efficient at recognizing and executing one's intentions by gaining
familiarity with the ever-changing functions of the diamond button
configuration:  for example, to do a turnabout with the PS controller,
use the d-pad to point the battlefield cursor anywhere at the edge of
the regiment which you wish the men in it to face;  then you just tap
the square button, which is represented by an onscreen lower
right-hand corner diamond button overlay with an appropriate about
face symbol.  If you were to press the square button at other times,
you might toggle the A.I., initiate a movement of the selected
regiment, or even attack.

If this sounds complicated, it is and it isn't.  The controller-screen
interface is moderately challenging when you're cutting your teeth on
it in the practice battlefield, and quite hard to manipulate in real-
time battle, until after a lot of fumbling and restarting.

I can tell you, though, the initial experience is less hectic than
Bullfrog's Theme Park (with either the mouse or the regular Sony
controller) because there's more order to a battlefield than in a
messy theme park setting filled with hundreds of randomly moving
visitors.

Despite the initial confusability of this diamond layout control
scheme, this setup allows for rapid execution;  when you need to
command three regiments in a simultaneous attack on an enemy regiment,
and you've adjusted to the nature of the diamond layout, it can be
hyper-efficient.

After four+ hours of play, I'm able to easily switch between three
different regiments, all operating independently, issuing commands
which are separated by split seconds each.  Believe me, a
point-and-click sidebar interface would be a living hell for this game
because so much of the success of this game lies in rapidly
coordinating forces.

With the full screen PlayStation version, I can flip between four or
more regiments with a simple L1 - R1 rotation (you can flip from enemy
regiments with the L2 - R2 buttons).  Using the rotation system, and
remembering how the CHARGE command is executed with the triangle
button, I can now surround a cluster of chittering Orc and Goblin
regiments, coordinating a three-pronged charge, and crushing in on the
befuddled enemy regiments from all sides at once.

When you're used to the controller-screen interface, you can do a lot
in about 4 seconds.  For example, after having 1)  deployed your
troops in the pre-battle phase, 2)  having hid a couple regiments
behind forest cover, pointing them both at the opening of a clearing,
3)  having left the last regiment at the back and middle of the
clearing as bait, and 4)  having waited for a regiment of Goblins to
scamper well inside the clearing,  you can then:

select the Mercenary bowmen regiment to volley arrows the approaching
Goblin regiment (R1, X, R2, X, TRIANGLE), having left the A.I. on so
they continue to fire-reload-fire automatically;  followed by
commanding both hidden regiments, to charge the goblins from behind [2
times the following:  (R1, X, R2, X, TRIANGLE)].  The result is an
initiative-gaining blow from behind, after the bowmen have cut down
four or five of the front row of Goblin regiment.

It won't always be this elegant, but if the baddies fall into you trap
just right then it can be.

Further, even though the button presses may be similar, they
frequently occur in different contexts, so it's not uncommon to
execute commands with the same consecutive button presses, even though
you mightn't realize you're doing so because the situation, and
therefore button functions, have totally changed.

The graphics are average at best but the mood, sounds, and music keep
you engaged.

Warhammer does not compare with games like Panzer General, Allied
General, or X-Com because they are turn-based;  the first two are also
different in that they focus exclusively on strategy, whereas
Warhammer and X-Com incorporate strategy and tactics.  Strategy has to
do with devising plans to defeat an enemy, while tactics involve the
situational implementation of that strategy.  I really enjoy the
tactical side of Warhammer, and it's a good thing I do, because
tactics are what define Warhammer more than anything else.

This game was very hard for me to find, as it wasn't ordered in large
quantities by any seller, best I could tell.  Also, you shouldn't
confuse this game with War Craft and War Craft 2, which are very
highly regarded on the PC, while Warhammer does not share that
distinction.

My advice to people who liked the atmosphere of Warhammer on the PC
but disliked the cumbersome click-and-point interface so much that
they returned it, is to give the PlayStation version a try -- the
interface is finally usable, but with much practice!

Now for some of the nitty gritty details.

You can save to a memory card with multiple slots (I've seen about 6
open slots on a partially filled card) but you can only do so outside
of battles.

The instruction booklet is 66 pages long -- thick enough that you'll
notice the CD case is double-sized to hold the extra thickness.

The battlegrounds vary quite a bit and are modeled polygonally, while
the combatants are well-rendered sprites (they look solid as you zoom
in/out or rotate around them with the remote camera, honest).

The management side of this game is down to a minimum, which may or
may not be a plus -- the battle is the thing, almost exclusively.

There are about 99 different sorts of characters/regiments, including
enemies, allies, and your infantry and calvary.

There's a magic system which is divided into five schools of four
spells each;  there're magic weapons which can be found if you
CAREFULLY observe and traverse the land after a battle (or sometimes
you'll come upon it in the heat of battle, like I did the first magic
item I came across as my Grudebringer Calvary galloped to the aid of
my Grudgebringer Infantry in my first mission).

There are some ambiguous issues which the instruction manual doesn't
resolve, and with which I am still grappling, such as how to stop
chasing down a routed regiment (defeated and fleeing enemy) so that I
can add these chasers to a more important ongoing battle.

As the game progresses, you accumulate magic spells through successful
battle, from which you gain experience points (if you have a wizard),
you come upon magic items, your regiments gain experience which
translates to battle prowess, you gain the choice of choosing from
more regiments (if you hire them, which you almost always should) to
go out on a given campaign, and you can have up to 10 regiments on the
battlefield at once.  Trust me, maneuvering four regiments operating
simultaneously in real-time will keep you plenty busy.

In a given battle, you may find that there are NPC regiments which
will help you out just because they're there and share a dislike for
your common foe.

If you issue and command and a regiment can do it, the leader of said
regiment will say something like, "Yes, my Lord."  If they cannot
follow a command for whatever reason, they might say something like,
"I can not!"

You can adjust the shape of the regiment on-the-fly, which can make a
difference in the battle, depending on the situation -- sometimes it
pays to make the ranks 2 wide so that the impact during a charge! has
more force behind it.

When you gain new regiments I highly reccommend that you take them
onto the practice field and see what they are capable of.  Also, be
sure to mess around with quick-changing from one regiment to another,
and coordinating an attack by using the the shoulder buttons alone!
It'll help you improve dramatically.

Last, there are banners which fly over regiments (they all have 'em)
which indicate the race or designation of that group, or sometimes
they'll signal a type of magic the regiment has at its disposal --
these take time to recognize -- so you'll be pausing the
game/restarting the battle fairly often.

In conclusion, I cannot give this game a rating yet because it has a
learning curve which I'm still climbing.  But I'm enjoying the
challenge of it so far, as well as the promise of continued
improvement.  It doesn't hurt that the genre is fascinating to me,
given that arrows fly, swords swing, and wizards zip out thunder bolts
which bend around trees and barns as they seek out their victims.

So I keep coming back to it for more.  One thing is for sure when you
play this game:  you're going to see those buzzards flying overhead a
lot.  :-)


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Rick Brown
brow0130@gold.tc.umn.edu
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