Command Ops 2 Core Game

Best operational level wargame I've ever played. All other similar wargames are turned based with gridded maps, this is realtime.

Try it out, it's free!

i bought cauldron on 20July15 and have been playing since. There was a nice learning but it was worth it. i really like
the real time management aspect. make a plan. watch it all go wrong and adjust.

great fun great game.

really great game.

thanks lnl

i want my steam key for cauldron. still playing version i bought. not using steam version but can't wait. at least
i hope i might geat a steam key for cauldron. i will buy others.

I love strategy games but I couldn't make this work - on either my smaller laptop or on my 4K desktop screen, there were missing dialogue boxes, text was scaled so small I couldn't read it, and lots of text overlaps each other.

I couldn't launch a mission from my laptop at all. It looks like some buttons were missing.

On my desktop I managed to launch the tutorial mission but there was no instruction or direction on how to play. All I could do is highlight units with my mouse.

A real treat for all the armchair generals amongst us. A great WW2 strategy game on an operational level.

The cool thing about Command Ops 2 is its command structure. Every unit you get is part of a hierarchy, ruled by HQ's. Let's say you want to capture a small town. You can just detach one of your brigades from your division HQ and order them to attack the town from a certain flank. The brigade with all its companies will deploy itself and move out in a coordinated fashion.

If you have bigger objectives you can coordinate with multiple brigades. The AI (both friendly and enemy) does a good job of actually reading each situation and reacting to it. Don't like what your subordonates are doing, intervene and give them new orders. It is also possible to micromanage and give orders to each of your companies individually. This is only ever useful in smaller scenarios or some specific situations like deploying fire support units or using recce units.

Daunting at first, but really enjoyable if you persevere. Also, this is a hardcore military sim and will definitely NOT be for everyone. And finally: Command Ops 2 is only a shell with three scenarios (including the tutorial). To play more scenarios you need to buy one of the costly DLC packs.

Pricey, but man you could spend hours playing this game.

One of the greatest real-time operational wargames ever conceived. The fact that people can get in on a couple scenarios for free is huge, because most of us, who have played this for several years already had to drop $30-40 to figure just how good this game is. Now people who love this kind of game don't have to commit a bunch of cash and get to experience the game engine firsthand.

I've been playing Panther Games' Command Ops in its various iterations for a number of years now. It's by far one of the best WWII operational wargames I've come across. The graphics are spartan - essentially you see a map similar to the ones a commander like Patton or Rommel would have seen in his field headquarters, and use it to issue commands to your subordinates. Depending on their situation, supply, morale and fatigue, and the inevitable orders delay, your plan will either play out or you'll be forced to adapt as contact with the enemy leads to more accurate intelligence, and the fearsome A.I controlling both the opposition and your own commanders kicks in.

The research, map accuracy and orders of battle (down to detailed T&E listings for each unit) are staggering and although the scenario packs may seem a little pricy compared to other games you'll get a nail-biting experience in accurate simulation second to none. Fortunately the core game is free and comes with three scenarios for you to play through to see if it's for you. I also highly recommend the developer's introductory video tutorials (for an earlier version of the game but still an invaluable guide to the system and packed with useful tactical tips). From a grognard's point of view Command Ops 2 knocks just about every other wargame into a cocked hat (except, perhaps, Command: Modern Air/Naval Operations and Graviteam Tactics: Operation Star/Mius Front).

Magnificent, extraordinary one in its type these words come trough my mind when I think about this game. What astonishes me is the wonderfull translation of a combat commanding at the brigade/division/corps level into game mechanics.

You are issuing commands at brigade level to your battalion commanders they might pass them down to company commanders as they see fit, it always generates some sort of extra chaos that you would like to micro manage but after some time you notice that commanders do a decent job in commanding on their own.

Another part of the features in this tiltle is the latency of orders it takes a time to process the orders so your micro solution for chaos in the battlefield might arrive late and interfere with a current situation.

Making a long story short this game show why it took around to twenty years to prepare divisional level commander to his job.
It shows the importance of correct orders composition and a lot of staff work that was necessary to processes during military operations.

Pros:
Deep understanding of challenges at brigade level of command.
Detailed scenarios.
Extremely immersive.

Cons:
Difficulty
Extreme complexity
Price of extra scenarios

Definitely try it cause it is free at steam and if it fits you buy scenarios.

This is just a great war-game and I would highly recommend it to strategy players interested in WWII! It’s really quite unique with it's non-hex, pause-and-play style combined with the HQ-level management.

TL; DR Very well executed war-game/war-sim free from the micro-management and with high replay value!

I think it’s best enjoyed by emerging yourself into the battles on the various HQ-levels. Occasionally, mostly on defence and bombardment, I switch to a lower level, but I really enjoy how the HQ breaks down my orders into the lower levels by themselves. The order delays add an extra layer of realism to the game. The learning curve could be a bit steep, but I think this could be handled by focusing on the HQ-level only and adjusting the Orders-delay to None.

I’ve played around with the earlier versions of this game, e.g. Highway to the Reich and now also Command Ops 2. The replay value of each scenario is very high, e.g. I’ve played the free tutorial scenario Return to St Vith scenario over twenty times!

I could go into more details, but since it's free to play I suggest you try it out yourself.

I end with some of my favourite features/aspects:

* Multiple styles of play; Play a quick game on HQ-only level and on a faster play speed; Play a more slowly passed game with a lot of planning and attention to details, orders, etc.
* Multiple ways to strategize, i.e. not only one way to win a scenario
* Adjust difficulty by adjusting reinforcements and/or resupplies
* Supply modelled in a great way that really impacts the game without adding unnecessary complexity
* Replay a recorded game with the possibility to try “what if I would have changed my plan to this” mid game
* Multiple screen support combined with a customizable interface

As for a good DLC to start with after playing with the free ones, my suggestion is the Highway to the Reich Vol. 1. I think this is a great next step due to various unit sizes and the vast information available from other players playing the scenarios included in the DLC!

I have been intrigued by this game since the command ops 1 series. I haven't played it until now for various reasons the main ones being: 1) price, 2) I like lots of games and it just kept not being at the top when I made a purchase and 3) it is so ridicolously grognard I was scared of it!

Now that I am finally played it I confirm its fantastic! I also confirm that it is ridiculously deep as a game. As far as game play goes its not nearly as difficult to get into as I percieved. However watching the intro video at panther games or at least some of the lets plays that are starting to be produced is a must to get any idea of how to play. Then unless you want to be frustrated to the point of rage quit keep the manual handy to refer to. After all this is not an arcade game.

With those caveats and a little effort I can see this 'game' (or more accurately a game like military command sim) will reward manyfold. Despite the abstraction of the unit icons and this stripped back graphics this game is very immersive giving a very real feeling of how command may really have worked in WW2 combat and the impact down to company level.

PS I really like the maps and unit graphics....perfectly suited for operational planning and command!

This is a great wargame. I used to play Highway to the Reich, and it's good to see Command Ops 2 carries on that tradition - the AI is one of the best I've seen in a wargame if you let it do its thing and don't try to micromanage too much. Of course, if you want to issue orders to every unit you can, but where this system shines is in its ability to translate your general orders (attack/move/defend/probe etc) into meaningful actions on the ground.

It doesn't always get it right, or rather, it will sometimes put a plan into effect that has you scratching your head and wondering why it had chosen to carry out your orders in such and such a way, but that's part of the fun as well - reacting to your subordinate commanders' decisions and re-planning gives an idea of the sorts of challenges senior commanders faced in the field all the time.

I had some trouble initially getting the game to run, but Dave and his team at Panther Games went above and beyond to get it fixed, so a big thanks to all the guys at Panther Games for their excellent customer service.

As far as the actual game goes, I've got a couple of bits of DLC downloaded for later play, but at the moment I'm focusing on the St Vith scenario and re-acquainting myself with the game engine - trying out variants, getting used the streamlined interface and the like. I'm really looking forward to the battles to come.

TLDR? Highly recommended, very tight wargame from an experienced developer.

I have more experience with CO1, but I can affirm that this is one of the greatest wargames ever. The order of battle and the simulation of delay is really top notch. A true grognard game and a not so much steep learning curve. It's very rewarding when you get that battallion behind the enemy position as you put it through a little road on the flank and smash the rear echelon of a division.

I've definitely enjoyed my time playing the Command Ops series. There's nothing like it at this level that isn't a hex-and-counter dinosaur. The AI is very crafty and you'll find yourself with a company of Panthers rampaging through your supply lines if you're not careful.

It does have it's downside. The UI is a bit clunky. The windows don't dock. The pan and zoom can feel a bit weird at times. But you've got a ton of info at your disposal so I can give them some leeway on how to best present it all.

The really cool part of the game is selecting an HQ unit, setting an objective, and watching as it coordinates an attack between a bunch of different units and pulls off a better victory than you could have micromanaged on your own. I'm not aware of any other game that you can delegate command like that and actually see it happen.

I'm looking forward to some user made scenarios in the steam workshop. First person who makes a Red October Factory scenario gets a cookie!

I've been playing Panther Games - from Highway to the Reich, to Conquest of the Aegean, to Command Ops 1 and Command Ops 2, for at least the last 10 years. Great to finally see them on Steam.

There are literally hundreds of WW2 video games. So why should you care about another one? Well Command Ops 2 does what no other game does - puts you in the shoes of a real commander in highly detailed scenarios set in different theatres of the war. From the German invasion of Greece, to North Africa, Malta, Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge and on to the Westwall.

The Good:

• Unlike traditional wargames (and Civ 6), this game gets rid of hexes and turns and models everything in pausable real time on an open map, making the gameplay more dynamic.
  
  
• The AI. If you're sick of dumb units who couldn't pathfind themselves down the Yellow Brick Road, this game has no such issues. You can order units to take the quickest route or safest route to a goal. They will probe, attack, fall back, bunker down, rout, regroup and defend as the battles ebb and flow. The game also models pretty much everything about each company, from morale and cohesion down to the number of bullets they have for each gun. The upshot of this detail is it gives your units a personality in how they behave. Weaker units (or poorly thought out attacks) will fail. Stronger units and organised planning will result in the enemy going away with a bloody nose or worse;
  
  
• Although you can micromanage every unit, Command Ops uses automation to let you delegate tasks to subordinate brigade and company commanders who will attempt to carry out your plans (and do a reasonable job). A neat twist to this is the game also models the delay that would occur for your orders to travel from HQ down to the front line. So the game rewards careful planning and anticipation of events, rather than twitch based responses to new threats. In other words, it is a strategy game with real strategy.

• Yes, this is a wargame. That means your units are just small squares with numbers on them. Two dimensional wargames are a definite niche that most people (justifiably) pass over. The graphics are functional, but dated. Same with the game sounds.
  
  
[*]The game makes few concessions for newcomers to the genre. There is one tutorial mission (which is in the demo), but after that, you're left with a series of complicated scenarios and a 200 page manual. There is no grand campaign that gradually introduces you to units and strategies. You're sent straight into battle where you're expected to know the difference between a Sherman Tank and a Panzer Mk IV.

This game is really good and very detail, you can watch the tutorial here:
http://forums.lnlpublishing.com/media/command-ops-2-introduction-walkthrough-v1-0-youtube.626/

Command Ops 2 seems like a pretty decent strategy/ sim game from what little time I have put in so far. I would recommend fans of either genre check it out.

i like the concept of this game because it is a hyper-realistic strategy game and it stands out but they need a proper word based turorial level because i dont know how to even move the units but i have only been playing for twenty minutes

The game looks quite involved so I jumped straight into the tutorial, which much to my dismay didnt teach me anything or even do anything,

I admit im pretty new to this type of game but my first experience has left me feeling prety dumb.

As a fan of strategy games I would consider myself a target customer of sorts but this has put me off and I dont think it's unfair of me to expect a bit of hand holding at the start.

If I am going to spend money on the game then I dont really want to spend ages reading a manual, it kinda takes me back to the Amstrad cpc 6128 days.

I have gone tumbs up though as i like the principle and it would be unfair to judge it from just that.