Chat With John Hawkins Of War Plan Pacific Fame

January 21, 2009

Chat With John Hawkins Of War
Plan Pacific Fame

Brush text with greatness! Shrapnel
Games, publisher of the critically acclaimed naval wargame, War Plan Pacific, is
hosting a chat with John Hawkins of KE Studios on January 27th at 9 PM EST/6 PM
PST. John is the lead developer and designer of War Plan Pacific, so it will be
a great time to ask him questions like, "Why can’t we firebomb the Japanese
mainland with incendiary bats?" Yes, the US actually did toy around with
explosive flying mammals but realized that since you can’t really train bats
there’s no guarantee they’d end up where you’d want them.

The chat will be held on the
Shrapnel Games forums (located at

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/). You’ll find "Chat" on the top bar of the
forum, third entry from the left. In order to participate (even to observe) you
will have to register, which is the first entry on the top bar of the forum.
Registration is quick and painless and only takes a minute or two.

]War Plan Pacific is the first title
from KE Studios and though only released in mid-December has already earned
plenty of early praise. James Allen (Out of Eight reviews) finds that the game
"…is easy to manage, with great unit organization and simple mission
assignment. The multiple victory conditions are fantastic… War Plan Pacific is
a great way to taste strategy gaming…" Steve Butts (IGN) thinks that "…War
Plan Pacific is a welcome addition to the wargame catalog that makes good
decisions in terms of sacrificing details and streamlining gameplay." Troy
Goodfellow (Flash of Steel) has War Plan Pacific sharing one-half of his Wargame
of the Year award.

Let’s not forget about the fans! On
the forums Alejes02 says: "This game is a gem; a fascinating, accessible
simulation of the Great Pacific War and I thank the designer for his efforts.
I’m about to boot up my 12th game, and may I say, I’m having a blast!" MarkL is
loving it. "This is one that will remain on my HD for a long while."
panzerkiller thinks, "This game will do what Panzer General has done to the
wargaming community." Mouse gives it a thumbs up. "I really think WPP is one of
the most elegant systems I’ve ever seen in a wargame." gdrover really enjoys the
combat: "The combat sequences are truly awesome, and the heart of the game. It’s
an edge of the seat experience every time (even when you’re way ahead, as you
don’t want your air crews to suffer losses.)"

War Plan Pacific is a fast playing
beer and pretzels computer wargame for Windows on the conflict in the Pacific
during the Second World War. Inspired by the classic Avalon Hill board game,
Victory in the Pacific (and in general having a very digital board game feel),
War Plan Pacific streamlines the gigantic struggle into something playable in a
single session without losing the historical qualities wargamers expect.

Players command a grand strategic
historical order of battle using air and naval groups (land combat is
abstracted; the war in China is also not gamed). Movement is point-to-point
between twenty-nine strategically important bases, with turns representing one
month of real time. Victory conditions vary for each side, allowing gamers to
experience the war from two different perspectives. What strategies work for the
Japanese player will not work for the Allied player, and vice-versa.

Multiplayer is supported, and with a
game only taking a few hours to play, means that War Plan Pacific is a computer
wargame that you’ll actually have a chance to finish against a live opponent.
Put your computer in your dining room when playing and it will almost be like
the glory days of your tabletop years!

War Plan Pacific also supports
modding, with the ability for players to mod scenarios with a simple text
editor. All scenario files are .XML files, easy enough to tweak. Total
conversions are not possible, so enterprising players cannot change it from the
Pacific to Atlantic.

More information on the game and a
limited demo is available at the official product page for War Plan Pacific.

War Plan Pacific is obtainable
either as a physical product, shipped to your door in a DVD case, or as a direct
download. Both versions are $39.95 and are only available for Windows.

Remember, January 27th, 9 PM EST/6
PM PST! Keep the date open and give a shout out to John!

Please visit
www.shrapnelgames.com
to view our complete catalog of award winning independent games. Since 1999
Shrapnel Games has been delivering the very best in strategy gaming, along with
awesome niche titles you won’t find anyplace else. Recent releases include War
Plan Pacific and BRAINPIPE, currently nominated for an Excellence in Audio by
the IGF.