Panzer Corps 2

Panzer Corps 2 has some tweaks in how combat and units can act in comparison to original Panzer Corps: Wehrmacht, but still follows the same formula of Panzer General where player controls German troops through campaigns or various random scenarios with a goal of occupying strategic hexes (map consists of hexagonal terrain areas) in a given time. While many options are adjustable (such as battle result randomness, fog-of-war existence, etc.), things cannot be toggled on and off in mid game like one could in original Panzer General. Furthermore, things like weather (sunny, cloudy, rainy) cannot be turned off at all, meaning that all the planes will be grounded when it rains or less effective when it's cloudy.

The game offers several different game modes including multiple singleplayer campaigns, fictional and historic scenarios as well as random scenario map generator. For multiplayer the game supports hot seat and PBEM++/online game modes. Multiplayer includes several competitive scenarios as well as some co-op ones.

| Singleplayer campaigns and scenarios | | Type | Name | Information | | --- | --- | --- | | Wehrmacht Campaign | Poland 1939 | Starting with the invasion of Poland in 1939 and trying to conquer the rest of the world including assault on US. Years covered: 1939-1945 Campaign length: 20-23 scenarios | | Wehrmacht Campaign | Barbarossa 1941 | Fast forwards to 1941 and starts the campaign with attack on the Soviet Union. Years covered: 1941-1945 Campaign length: 14-17 scenarios | | Wehrmacht Campaign | North Africa 1941 | Fast forwards to 1941 and starts the campaign in Libya and Tunisia where you control German Afrika Korps. Years covered: 1941-1945 Campaign length: 14-17 scenarios | | Wehrmacht Campaign | Kursk 1943 | Fast forwards to 1943 where Germany launches operation Citadel in attempt to try and retake the initiative on the eastern front. Years covered: 1943-1945 Campaign length: 7-8 scenarios | | Wehrmacht Campaign | Italy 1943 | Fast forwards to 1943 and starts with allied landings on Sicily. Years covered: 1943-1945 Campaign length: 7-8 scenarios | | Historical Scenario | Crete | Germans attempt to gain control of the strategic island of Crete, relying mostly on their airborne forces. | | Historical Scenario | Fall Weiss | Operation Fall Weiss, the invasion of Poland.(Also available in multiplayer co-op.) | | Fictional Scenario | Defender of the Reich | Defending Berlin from randomized waves of enemy assaults.(Also available in multiplayer co-op.) | | Fictional Scenario | Fjord War | Fighting elite combines forces of USA, Great Britain and Soviet Union in a fjord environment. |

| Multiplayer campaigns and scenarios | | Type | Name | Players | Map Size | Information | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Competitive | Aachen | 2 | Small | Battle of Aachen 1944. Americans vs Germans. | | Competitive | Tobruk | 2 | Small | Second Battle of Tobruk 1942. German and Italians vs British and South Africans. | | Competitive | Fall of France | 2 | Large | Battle of France 1940. Germans vs French. | | Competitive | Steel vs. Steamroller | 2 | Large | East Front 1944. Soviets vs Germans. | | Competitive | Iron Cross, Red Star II | 2 | Medium | East Front 1942. Germans vs Soviets. | | Competitive | Not Napoleon | 2 | Medium | Fictional Battle 1940. French vs Soviets. | | Competitive | Maresal at War | 2 | Small | East Front 1944. Romanians vs Soviets. | | Competitive | Urban Annihilation | 4 | Large | Fictional Battle 1945. Germans vs Americans vs British vs Soviets. | | Co-Op | Husky Assault | 2 | Large | Operation Husky Landings 1943. Americans and British vs Germans and Italians. | | Co-Op | Minsk | 2 | Large | Operation Bagration 1944. Germans and Italians vs Soviets. |

The game features five difficulty levels:

• MAJOR -- more forgiving, adds +3 turns, +30% prestige, and adds free elite replacements between missions
• COLONEL -- default difficulty level without any changes in the base game balance
• GENERAL -- slightly more challenging level with -30% prestige
• FIELD MARSHAL -- harder level with -60% prestige, and +10% base accuracy to the enemy
• GENERALISSIMUS -- most difficult level with -80% prestige, and +20% base accuracy to the enemy

Unlike previous games in series and franchise, this game replaced 2D maps and units with fully 3D ones. The map can be fully zoomed out to see it in full in which case it switches to topographic display and 2D units (unless adjusted in options to leave 3D units on topographic display), or fully zoomed in so much that you can see a single unit across the entire screen. Units have a base strength of 10, but can be upgraded to 15 (tanks, artillery, and aircraft) or 20 (infantry). Each mission allows for a specific amount of unit spaces and depending on the type and size of unit, each unit occupies different amount of those spaces (i.e. regular infantry unit may occupy 2 spaces, but oversized unit of strength of 15 will occupy 4, more if armored trucks are included). As units engage in combat they earn ranks and merits, sustain losses and over time become more elite. Unit losses can be replenished by fresh troops which will reduce overall unit's effectiveness but are cheaper, or by elite reinforcements which are more expensive but retain unit's current rank and combat efficiency. Units can earn up to 5 stars which makes them most elite, but they can also earn medals as they excel in combat. Such medals may increase their combat efficiency against certain type of enemy units.

The game also features heroes which are individuals that can be attached to a combat unit of any type. Up to three heroes can be attached to a single unit, and each hero comes with a specific trait (i.e. makes unit impossible to be suppressed by enemy fire, or adds bonus attack against enemy tanks, etc.). Heroes can be detached from one and attached to other unit and are not fixed to a single unit from the time of their assignment. Units can also be given camouflages and insignia which doesn't do anything to unit's status and only provides an aesthetic feature. Camouflages from any country can be applied to any of the units (infantry, tanks, artillery, aircraft, or ships) at any point during gameplay.

Similar to previous games, the map consists of hexagonal grid and each player moves their troops in turn-based manner. Each unit has stats which detail its efficiency to attack and defend against certain type of enemy unit or traverse and fight a certain type of terrain. Also, terrain type plays a role on unit's effectiveness (i.e. any unit on an elevated ground gains a bonus during combat, or tanks fight better in the open fields but easily sustain losses in city combat). Units can also protect other units (i.e. artillery will protect nearby allied units when they are attacked, or anti-tank gun will protect adjacent allied units against tank attacks, or fighters will protect their bombers). There are some hero skills that add such features as well (i.e. making a tank unit able to protect any adjacent allied unit attacked by enemy tanks). Units have fuel and ammo which is automatically supplies as long as they're not cut off from their supply line or surrounded. Aircraft on the other hand are handled in an entirely new manner. They no longer need to worry about fuel and are tied to a single airfield. If that airfield falls into enemy hands, then they will get destroyed. In each turn they can go into combat and will return to the airfield before next turn starts. They can select any other allied airfield to be attached to which will cost one turn. Each unit can move, attack or replenish losses. Moving and attacking can both be done in any order, but replenishing losses will end turn for that unit. Tanks can attack several times in a single turn if they manage to destroy enemy unit and still have ammo to attack the next one. Units of the same type can be upgraded or downgraded without affecting their rank, but changing the type of unit (i.e. fighter to a bomber) will remove one star from the rank during retraining.

Player commander can be assigned points for strengths and weaknesses which take course throughout the entire campaign and cannot be changed afterwards. Each strength costs points and each weakness gives points.

| List of available commander strengths | | Name | Cost | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | Infantry General | 2 | All infantry units cost 25% less slots. | | Panzer General | 2 | All tank units cost 25% less slots. | | Industry Connections | 1 | Gets 15 to 20 random prototypes in every mission (except the first). | | Liberator | 2 | +50% prestige for capturing flags. | | Deep Recon | 1 | Map around all primary objectives is permanently revealed.+5% accuracy bonus from all recon units. | | Operational Initiative | 1 | All units get +4, +3 and +2 initiative on the first three turns, and +1 on all subsequent turns. | | Master of Blitzkrieg | 1 | All tanks get +1 movement point and cross minor rivers easier. | | Battle Academy | 2 | +25% experience growth rate. | | Auxiliary Force | 1 | Gets additional auxiliary slots in every battle, equal to 50% from available core slots. | | Trophies of War | 2 | Gets 2x more captured equipment and 2x more prestige when forcing enemy units to surrender. | | Deadly Grasp | 1 | Encircled enemy units suffer 2x penalties. | | Flexible Command | 1 | Splitting units does not consume unit slots. Also, any unit can split and merge any number of times in a single turn. | | Killer Team | 2 | Starts the game with three additional heroes. | | Anti-Air Veteran | 2 | Anti-Ait units inflict outright kills instead of suppression. | | Perimeter Control | 1 | Friendly unit in a hex cancels enemy ZOC in that hex. | | Meticulous Planning | 2 | All ground units get two movement actions instead of one, which allows them to move in two steps (without increasing the total amount of movement points). | | Force Concentration | 1 | Can assign one extra hero to every unit. | | Terrain expert | 1 | Friendly units get +1 base entrenchment in any terrain, even in open ground and when crossing rivers. | | Aggressive Deployment | 2 | Friendly units do not lose their attack action when deploying from organic transport. |

| List of available commander weaknesses | | Name | Cost | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | Inept Logistics | -2 | -10% core slots. | | No Overstrength | -2 | Cannot give overstrength to units. | | Denied Air Force | -3 | Cannot purchase air units. | | Denied Artillery | -3 | Cannot purchase artillery. | | Retrograde | -2 | Gets new equipment six months later than normal. | | Green Army | -3 | Elite Replacements are limited to three times per mission. | | Delayed Reinforcements | -2 | Cannot use replacements in the middle of the battle. | | Poor Maintenance | -2 | Due to breakdowns, units randomly lose move points and attack actions at the beginning of each turn. | | Chaotic Fire | -1 | Units spend two points of ammo on each attack instead of one. If a unit has one ammo left, it will shoot with half strength. | | Inefficient Supply | -1 | Units get reduced supply at the beginning of their turn. | | Poor Ground Control | -3 | Enemy units can freely move through ZOC. | | Bad Luck | -1 | Combat results can never be better than predicted. | | Trench Slog | -2 | Each attack deals 1 point less damage to enemy's entrenchment. | | Slow Modernization | -2 | Can upgrade no more than three units per mission. Transport upgrades and overstrength do not count. | | Fear of Unknown | -1 | Cannot order units to move through fog of war. | | Arrogant | -1 | Does not gt any combat predictions. | | Force Dispersion | -2 | Can assign maximum 1 hero per unit. | | Ruthless | -1 | Never accepts surrender. | | Slow Reaction | -1 | Friendly units do not shoot back when attacked by the enemy. |