Panthers in the Fog was announced back in April 2012. Matrix Games has licensed Slitherine Games to develop this new version of Close Combat. This will also be the last version using the existing game engine. Panthers in the Fog (PiTF) will recreate the German counter attack named Operation Lüttich taking place between August 7 to the 13th in and around the town of Mortain. The counter attack was ordered to push the Americans back after thier gains made during Operation Cobra.
There is some new changes and rehashes of things we have learned to expect from these new versions. Some of the changes are open to wide interpretation until we can get some more information. I'll summarize what I feel are the most important good or bad changes and the continuations.
- You can control up to 21 units with up to 10 soldiers
- 32bit graphics which you can see the screenshot examples included below
- Non customizable force selection
- Intergrated multiplayer lobby
- Two player
- Fog can hide enemy units
- Holding high ground enables you to see distant troop movements
So theres a few things to hash out and hopefully gain some more details on soon. Visit the Panther in The Fog forum to discuss. There has been a public request for beta testers over at Matrix Games. It may not be too late, CCPiTF Beta Testers.
Press release statement...
Close Combat: Panthers in the Fog is the latest release in the critically-acclaimed Close Combat series. It details the desperate German counter-attack at Mortain, the last chance of the Wehrmacht to stave off defeat in Normandy. Can you match the tenacity of the American defenders of Hill 314? Or can you succeed where the Panzers failed, driving through to the sea and changing history?
Play single battles, linked operations, or even the Grand campaign simulating all six crucial days of fighting. With 35 linked battlefields and historically accurate formations and units, strategic choices are as important as tactical prowess. New features of long-range interdiction, strategic high ground and adverse weather conditions bring an insight into the challenges faced by those who commanded both sides in this pivotal WW2 battle.
For the Allies the Normandy landings of June were followed by two months of hard fighting in difficult terrain against a tenacious German defense. But in late July the U.S. Army’s Operation Cobra has finally created a decisive breach in the weakened German line. Patton’s 3rd Army races through the opening along the western coast of France and into the clear, driving for the Brittany Ports. Faced with the choice between retreat and last-ditch counter-attack, the Germans struggle to assemble a panzer force for one more charge. Can the Germans move quickly enough to overcome a desperate situation, push through to Avranches on the French coast, and cut off Patton’s racing spearheads? Or will the thinly stretched Americans troops screening Patton’s flank be able to hold out, regroup, and hold the vital lifeline open?
