The 3.4.0.202 update marks a significant expansion and improvement to The Operational Art of War III (TOAW III) in almost every area and we’re very proud to be giving gamers such a fresh and polished TOAW III experience as we approach the 5 year anniversary of the game’s release. This update is the product of a lot of hard work and dedication as we have worked and reworked many key elements of the game to provide gamers with a truly enhanced version of this classic wargame. Perhaps the most exciting element for existing TOAW III owners is that this mega update comes free of charge! We hope that TOAW III fans who have put the game down for a while will become invigorated by all the new content and designs the update will breathe into the game and will jump right back in to the TOAW saddle!

Left image: More terrain and icon types.

Right image: Some modern icons

One overall theme we’ve adhered to throughout the development process for the update is that we have frequently left in the old version of any aspect of TOAW III we’ve improved. Being big TOAW III fans ourselves, we understand that some people may just want to play the game as it was originally designed and thus many of the major rule and engine changes we’ve made are completely optional.

Looking over the change list can be a bit daunting since there are so many different areas covered let alone individual changes. Below is what we think is the “highlight reel” of what’s available in 3.4.0.202. Some changes veterans of TOAW III will no doubt rejoice in, but even newcomers to the engine will be able to see the substantial improvements in many of the areas just at first glance.

• Player-Turn Equalization: The unfair differences between side-one and side-two have been greatly reduced by splitting that process into separate calculations for each player-turn.
  
  
• New Supply Broadcast Method: The old supply broadcast method, which used only four supply-level steps, has been replaced with a new simpler process that has continuous exponential decay of supply-levels with distance in movement points. This also includes Variable Supply Points, in which the supply value of the point itself can vary from Full Supply or even be updated by events, perfect for beachheads and pockets.
  
  
• Addressing “Ant” Units: This includes “RBC Escape from Blocked Retreat Path” and “Assault Ratio Rules”. The former allows blocked defenders to overrun relatively tiny enemy units blocking their retreat path. The latter makes gamey attacks with inconsequential units close to useless.
  
  
• Eleven Changes to the Combat Model: This includes several enhancements to the RBC rules that will address combat issues with some tiny defenses that, before, could be unrealistically hard to dislodge. The update also fixes the issue with poor cooperation levels and combat, in addition to providing defender terrain benefits vs. retreat from combat. Other notable changes to the combat model include an improved system of merging terrain benefits with deployment benefits, the allowance of adjacent artillery to bombard, and reduced AAA lethality.

• Eleven Sound and Graphical Enhancements: Maps can now look more like real maps. This includes support for and a new suite of Alpha Channel map and unit tiles. Alpha Channel means that you can have clouds that you can see through and other neat features. Those tiles include a dedicated “Huge View” suite of tiles. It includes enhancements to placenames, such as allowing different font specifications for each placename, and adding a suite of placename bitmaps. So, different placenames can have different font specifications (including size and color). And placenames can now include a bitmap – some of the ones that have been provided include various resource symbols like oil rigs. Placenames now scale with zoom level. You can modify the resolution in the ini file and play at 1280x720 or any resolution that’s supported on your PC.
  
  

  

  Top Left:  The new supply distribution method.
  Note that the supply continues to drop with distance.
  Under old method, all locations at this distance would be at 14.

  Top Right: Huge mode and recolorization.
  

  Bottom Left: Huge mode, recolorization, and one of the bitmaps.

  Bottom Right: Many more of the bitmaps.
  



• Forty User-Interface Enhancements: Among many others, these include splitting the Advanced Rules into two pages – one for Game Options (affect both sides and can’t be changed in PBEM) and one for Player Options (affect only the player’s side and can be changed in PBEM). So now, for example, one player can have the Air Assistant on, while the other does not. It includes PBEM cheat prevention changes that ensure player-turn calculations can’t be changed by reloading. It includes support for XML language files, making them easier for users to mod, and support for Unicode characters (e.g. Chinese). It includes “Tool Tips” that provides a host of pop-up information for new users. It includes “Elmer Assist” that permits players to give control of some formations to the PO. It includes an option to skip the Movement Popup dialog. It includes group movement for naval units.

• Twenty-Eight Bug Fixes: This included play-affecting problems with canceling sea invasions, the retreat of entrained units, counterbattery fire, map-edge reinforcements, embarked helicopters, weather, the “Donut of Death” for escorting air units that can't reach their bomber's targets, gamey engineering tricks, the non-functional Force Electronic Support Level, entrenched terrain modifiers, bogus attacker evaporations, and overstacking by airmobile units. And it includes interface problems with map clipping, auto-centering, the scenario dump, playback issues, and “wrong equipment file” issues, among others.
  
  
• Fourteen PO Enhancements: Elmer should handle his forces more intelligently in many ways.
  
  
• Eight Editor Parameter Modifiers: These allow scenario designers to fine-tune some game and force parameters including: AAA lethality, engineering rates, hex-conversion costs, entrenchment rates, density penalties, supply & readiness costs of movement, and ZOC movement costs. ZOC movement costs can be changed by event.
  
  
• New and Updated Scenarios: Including 14 new and 39 updated scenarios for the TOAW III Suite.

• Other Changes: Fan supported translations of the game (manual not included) into Chinese, German, Spanish, French, Italian and Polish are now available plus plenty more!

Left image: More Terrain, like bocage.

Right image: Placename fonts in small view mode.

There are, of course, many other individual changes that didn’t make it to the highlight list. In addition to all the bug fixes and engine changes, a lot of time has gone into helping the new player to get into the game more easily. There are a bunch of optional new things. The space bar hides all the units and shows them. As mentioned before, there are Tooltips which will tell you what the terrain effects are so that you will know that Forests help Infantry 200%, but won't help Armor. The combat planner has been redesigned to allow you to add and remove units from combat more easily, including artillery/air units. You can now do the industry standard left click select and right click move/attack instead of popping up a menu. The AI is more of a challenge. You can now drag units or drag the map to move things around. Double-clicking on an enemy unit brings up the attack planner. We've also spent some time perfecting the touch interface under Windows 7, and it's great for casual play. A highly recommended method of play now is to sit in a chair or relax in bed with an iPad connected to a desktop using a third party RDP client like iTap RDP.

Bear in mind that all this is rolled in together with a $5 limited time discount to celebrate the improvements in this mega-update. We think there’s never been a better time for both budding operational wargame fans and veteran wargamers who remember the old TOAW series to hop on board TOAW III!