Editing Panzer General

{{About|the 1994 video game|the inspector general|General der Panzertruppe}}
{{Short description|1994 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
|title= Panzer General
|image= Panzer General Coverart.png
|developer= [[Strategic Simulations]]
|publisher= Strategic Simulations
|designer= SSI Special Projects Group
|programmer= Paul Murray
|artist= David Jensen
|composer= Doug Brandon
|series= 
|engine= 
|released= [[1994 in video gaming|1994]]
|genre= [[Wargame (video games)|Computer wargame]]
|modes= [[Single-player]], [[multiplayer]]
|platforms= [[MS-DOS]], [[3DO Interactive Multiplayer|3DO]], [[Mac OS 7]], [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]], [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]
}}

'''''Panzer General''''' is a 1994 [[computer wargame]] developed and published by [[Strategic Simulations|Strategic Simulations Inc.]] (SSI). It simulates conflict during [[World War II]]. The designers of ''Panzer General'' were heavily influenced by the Japanese wargame series ''[[Daisenryaku]]''.

''Panzer General'' was a major commercial hit: 250,000 units were sold at full price, and [[long tail]] sales continued in the years ahead. It became and remained SSI's best-selling game across all genres, and was named the best-selling computer wargame of all time in 2007. It is the first in the commercially successful ''Panzer General'' series.

==Gameplay==
[[File:Panzer General screenshot.png|thumb|left|German bombers attacking allied artillery]]
''Panzer General'' is a [[turn-based strategy|turn-based]] game, set on [[operational level]] [[hex map]]s. One plays lone scenarios from either Axis or Allied side and against a computer or human opponent. In Campaign Mode, the player assumes the role of a [[Nazi Germany|German]] [[Generalissimus]] against the Allied computer.

''Panzer General'' is an operational-level game, and units approximate battalions, although the unit size and map scale from one scenario to the next are elastic. While the names and information for the units are reasonably accurate, the scenarios only approximate historical situations.

Its novel feature was to link individual [[scenario]]s into a campaign spanning World War II from 1939 to 1945. Units are able to gain experience and become stronger, where success in one battle would award the player prestige to upgrade units, acquire additional units, and select a better scenario for the next battle.

The game requires the player to use combined-arms tactics, where each unit is strong against some unit types but very vulnerable to others. Dug-in enemy positions must be softened by artillery, which is vulnerable and needs protection. Before attacking the infantry and anti-tank, one needs first to destroy the enemy artillery that protects them from behind. If no tanks can get within range, one does this mostly by bombers, but then it is advantageous to destroy the air defense units first. The fighter planes must negotiate dual roles: destroying the enemy air force and protecting their own bombers.

The player must carefully observe the road system to speed the advance, or may use Bridge engineers to cross the rivers. The game rewards a [[Blitzkrieg]] strategy - penetrating deep into the enemy positions while postponing the destruction of some of the encountered enemy units for later.

The performance of units is increased by their experience points, which are acquired through combat. In Campaign mode particularly, one then has to protect the experienced units as the most valuable assets.

===Campaigns===
''Panzer General'' has 38 scenarios based on real or fictitious battles from World War II. The player can engage in a single battle or a campaign mode.

In Campaign Mode, a series of battles unfold as a campaign heads to victory. There is one long campaign as Germany, with five starting locales:

* Poland (1939); from [[Invasion of Poland|Poland]], through [[Operation Weserübung|Norway]], to the West with possible amphibious [[Operation Sea Lion|invasion]] in Britain.
* [[North African Campaign|North Africa]] (1941); from North Africa to the [[Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II|Middle East]].
* [[Operation Barbarossa|Barbarossa]] (1941); from the initial invasion of the Soviet border to [[Battle of Moscow|Moscow]].
* [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italy]] (1943); from the Allied [[Allied invasion of Sicily|landing on Sicily]] to the [[End of World War II in Europe|end]] of the war.
* [[Third Battle of Kharkov|Kharkov]] (1943); from the German spring offensive to the end of the war.

The task in most scenarios is to take all objective cities in a given number of turns; taking them at least five turns earlier is considered a ''major victory''. In scenarios from later stages of war, the Germans try to hold positions against a stronger enemy. A typical task is then "hold at least two of our objective cities for 20 turns; for a major victory, hold at least five".

All campaigns branch out and end either by the general being sacked for incompetence or end of the war. In Campaign Mode, a major victory could possibly change known historical events. For example, after a major victory over France, the player invades Britain. Later in the game, after a major victory in Barbarossa, the player can convince the [[Oberkommando der Wehrmacht|German High Command]] to attack Moscow immediately (which costs him or her much prestige) rather than diverting to [[Battle of Kiev (1941)|Kiev]] before Moscow.

If the player achieves a major victory both in Britain and in Moscow, he or she is allowed to carry out an [[Mainland invasion of the United States|invasion of the United States]] and reach Washington. In any other case, he/she must fight well in many battles to get another chance to attack them. If either Britain or USSR survive this attack, they drive the Germans all the way back to [[Battle of Berlin|Berlin]]. The best the player can do is to fight well in each battle to have enough prestige for the next one - and to achieve a major victory in the final defense of Berlin.

==Development==
The design of ''Panzer General'' was based on the Japanese wargame ''[[Daisenryaku]]''.<ref name=graeme /><ref name=cgwprev /> The [[Strategic Simulations]] (SSI) team had played a Japanese-language version of the game's [[Sega Genesis]] release extensively, and were inspired by its streamlined design.<ref name=cgwprev>{{cite magazine |last=Emrich |first=Alan |title=Rock 'n Roll Panzer Pushing |date=September 1994 |issue=122 |magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] | pages=97–99}}</ref> Scenario designer [[Chuck Kroegel]] later described ''Panzer General''{{'}}s structure as "diametrically opposed to the [[Gary Grigsby]] type of game that SSI was used to making". He noted that SSI founder [[Joel Billings]] was initially hesitant to adopt the design style.<ref name=retrogamer /> The company's Graeme Bayless later wrote of ''Daisenryaku'': "The genius in this game was the fact that it took the highly complex subject (WWII conflict on land) and boiled it down to the pertinent parts".<ref name=graeme>{{cite book |last=Fullerton |first=Tracy |date=2014 |title=[[Game Design Workshop|Game Design Workshop, 3rd Edition: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games]] |publisher=[[A K Peters]] |page=477}}</ref>

''Daisenryaku'' would go on to serve as the inspiration for the entire ''Panzer General'' series.<ref name=graeme />

==Reception==
===Sales===
''Panzer General'' was a commercial success. By November 1995, it had sold over 100,000 copies in the United States and 50,000 in Europe. According to [[William R. Trotter]] of ''[[PC Gamer US]]'', it was particularly popular in Germany.<ref name=trotter>{{cite journal | author=Trotter, William R. | author-link=William R. Trotter | journal=[[PC Gamer US]] | title=The Desktop General; Equal Time for Allied Generals! |date=November 1995 | volume=2 | issue=11 | pages=186}}</ref> By August 1996, sales had surpassed 250,000 copies. Describing the situation at the time, ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' columnist Terry Coleman wrote: "When you consider that a new Windows 95 and Macintosh version has just been released, it seems fair to say that ''PG'' will be incontestably the best-selling historical wargame of all time".<ref name=sales>{{cite magazine| author=Coleman, Terry |title=No Joystick Required |date=August 1996 |issue=145| magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] | pages=179, 180}}</ref> The following year, T. Liam McDonald of [[GameSpot]] reiterated that the game had sold over 250,000 copies, and noted that 60,000 of these sales came from its [[PlayStation]] release.<ref name=gamespot>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010418003719/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/previews/0,10869,2560272,00.html |url=http://gamespot.com:80/gamespot/stories/previews/0,10869,2560272,00.html |title=''Panzer General II'' Preview |last=MacDonald |first=T. Liam |date=September 23, 1997 |archive-date=April 18, 2001 |work=[[GameSpot]] |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2007, ''[[Retro Gamer]]'' dubbed ''Panzer General'' "greatest-selling true wargame of all time", and SSI's most successful title across all genres. The magazine noted that it had accrued 250,000 full-price units sold "and many more in the following years".<ref name=retrogamer>{{cite journal |last=Ritchie |first=Craig |title=Developer Lookback; Strategic Simulations Inc (Part 2 of 2) |date=November 2007 |journal=[[Retro Gamer]] |issue=43 |pages=82–87}}</ref>

===Computer versions===
{{Video game reviews
| PCGUS = 93%<ref name=pcgamerusrev>{{cite journal| author=Trotter, William R. | author-link=William R. Trotter | title=Reviews; ''Panzer General'' | date=February 1995 | pages=100, 101 | journal=[[PC Gamer US]] | volume=2 | number=2}}</ref>
| CGW = {{rating|5|5}}<ref name="CWG-PanzerGeneral">{{cite journal |date=January 1995 |title=Computer Gaming World - Issue 126 |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_126.pdf |last=Coleman |first=Terry Lee |issue=126 |page=222 |quote="SSI'S PANZER GENERAL Blitzes Through Wargame Boundaries" |access-date=August 5, 2015}}</ref>
| Allgame = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=5923&tab=review |title=Panzer General (PC) Review |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141115090122/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=5923&tab=review |archive-date=15 November 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
}}

''Panzer General'' won ''Computer Gaming World''{{'}}s 1994 "Wargame of the Year" and ''[[PC Gamer US]]''{{'}}s "Best Wargame" awards, and was a runner-up for the former magazine's overall "Game of the Year" award, which went to ''[[UFO: Enemy Unknown|X-COM: UFO Defense]]''.<ref name=cgwpremier1995>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] |title=The ''Computer Gaming World'' 1995 Premier Awards |date=May 1995 |issue=130 |pages=35, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44}}</ref><ref name=pcgamerusawards2>{{cite magazine |date=March 1995 |title=The First Annual ''PC Gamer'' Awards |pages=44, 45, 47, 48, 51 |magazine=[[PC Gamer]] |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |volume=2 |issue=3}}</ref> The editors of ''Computer Gaming World'' called ''Panzer General'' "the first wargame since 1987 to garner the #1 spot on the ''CGW'' Top 100 poll—a fine endorsement for the most exciting wargame in a long time".<ref name=cgwpremier1995 />

In 1996, ''Next Generation'' listed it as number 51 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time", contending that though the game's interface is simple, the complexity of the strategy is exceptional.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Top 100 Games of All Time |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=21 |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=September 1996|pages=51–52}}</ref> In 1996, ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' declared ''Panzer General'' the 15th-best computer game ever released,<ref name=cgw150>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=150 Best (and 50 Worst) Games of All Time |magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] |date=November 1996 |issue=148 |pages=63–65, 68, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 84, 88, 90, 94, 98}}</ref> and listed the [[Game Over]] scene as #8 on its list of "the 15 best ways to die in computer gaming".<ref name="cgw199611bestwaystodie">{{cite news |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1996&pub=2&id=148 |title=The 15 Best Ways To Die In Computer Gaming |magazine=Computer Gaming World |date=November 1996 |access-date=25 March 2016 |page=107}}</ref> The magazine's wargame columnist Terry Coleman named it his pick for the best computer wargame released by late 1996.<ref name=15wargames>{{cite magazine |last=Coleman |first=Terry |title=Command Decisions |issue=148 |date=November 1996 |magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] |pages=277, 280}}</ref>

In 1996, ''Panzer General'' won the [[Origins Award]] for ''Best Military or Strategy Computer Game of 1995''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.originsgamefair.com/awards/1995 |title=1995 list of winners |publisher= Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design |access-date=2014-01-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504094257/http://www.originsgamefair.com/awards/1995 |archive-date=2009-05-04}}</ref>

===Console ports===
{{Video game reviews
| EGM = 7.125 / 10 (3DO)<ref name="EGM-PanzerGeneral">{{cite magazine|title=Review Crew: Panzer General|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=75|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|date=October 1995|page=36}}</ref>
| NGen = {{rating|4|5}} (3DO)<ref name="NGen11"/><br />{{rating|3|5}} (PS1)<ref name="NGen25"/>
| Allgame = {{Rating|2.5|5}} (PS1)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2226&tab=review |title=Panzer General (Playstation) Review |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141115120410/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2226&tab=review |archive-date=15 November 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
}}

Reviews for the 3DO version were generally positive. The four reviewers of ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' remarked that the game's high level of complexity makes it difficult to get into and unappealing to anyone but enthusiasts of the genre, but that the gameplay design is solid and there is a strong dose of variety to the campaigns.<ref name="EGM-PanzerGeneral"/> A critic for ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' argued that while the music and battle animations quickly wear thin, the game allows them to be turned off and "what it lacks in style, it makes up in substance". He made particular note of the impressive depth of the strategy and the ability to control nearly every land and aircraft used in the World War II European theater.<ref name="NGen11">{{cite journal|title=Panzer General|journal=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=11|publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|date=November 1995|pages=174–5}}</ref> Sir Garnabus of ''[[GamePro]]'' complimented the accuracy of the 3DO port but otherwise panned the game, contending that war strategy games in general are poor due to their minimalist graphics and focus on thinking rather than acting.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Panzer General|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=87|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=December 1995|page=108}}</ref>

In their brief review of the PlayStation version, ''Next Generation'' remarked: "One of the best PC wargames of all time and still highly thought of, this version doesn't miss a trick".<ref name="NGen25">{{cite magazine |title=Every PlayStation Game Played, Reviewed, and Rated|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=25 |publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|date=January 1997|page=59}}</ref>

==Legacy==

{{Video game timeline
| compressempty = yes
| title = 5-Star General series
| 1994 = Panzer General
| 1995 = [[Allied General]]
| 1996a = [[Fantasy General]]
| 1996b = [[Star General]]
| 1997a = [[Pacific General]]
| 1997b = [[Panzer General II]]
| 1998 = [[People's General]]
| 1999 = [[Panzer General 3D Assault]]
| 2000 = [[Panzer General III: Scorched Earth]]
| 2009 = [[Panzer General: Allied Assault]]
| 2013 = Panzer General Online
| 2019 = [[Fantasy_General#Sequel|Fantasy General II: Invasion]]
}}

In 1996, Robert Mayer of ''[[Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games Strategy Plus]]'' argued:

{{blockquote|In the years to come, computer wargamers may divide the world into two epochs, Before ''Panzer General'', and After. Before ''Panzer General'', wargames were supposed to be complex, intimidating things, accessible only by the anointed few, the grognards, veterans of decades of board gaming and masters of military arcana. SSI's ''Panzer General'', however, shattered that view, with excellent graphics and animation, and sheer fun that drew in grizzled campaigners as well as green novices. Not surprisingly, there seems to be a rush now towards kindlier, gentler wargames.<ref name=ardennes>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050428043819/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/005/084/battleground_ardennes_review.html |url=http://www.cdmag.com:80/articles/005/084/battleground_ardennes_review.html |title=''Battleground: Ardennes'' |date=March 29, 1996 |archive-date=April 28, 2005 |last=Mayer |first=Robert |work=[[Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games Strategy Plus]] |url-status=dead |access-date=April 29, 2020}}</ref>}}

Bruce Geryk of [[GameSpot]] argued that ''Panzer General'' resurrected the computer wargaming genre.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/pc/history_spaceempire/p3_05.html |title=GameSpot Presents: A History of Space Empire Games |last1=Geryk |first1=Bruce |last2=Bush (designer) |first2=Katie |date=2001 |website=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[Red Ventures]] |access-date=February 5, 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011203095149/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/pc/history_spaceempire/p3_05.html |archive-date=December 3, 2001}}</ref>

===Direct sequels===
''Panzer General'' was the first game in the ''Panzer General'' series, which grew in the years after its release. It was followed by ''[[Allied General]]'' (''Panzer General II'' in Germany), which allows play from the Allied point of view and features four new campaigns. Other sequels include ''[[Fantasy General]]'', ''[[Pacific General]]'' and ''[[Star General]]''. Its mainline sequel, ''[[Panzer General II]]'' (titled ''Panzer General 3D'' in Germany), upgraded the interface to use an overlay of photorealistic terrain, and to display different unit facings, resulting in an improved appearance. In the April 2000 issue of ''[[PC Gamer]]'', it was voted the 44th best computer game of all time.

The series continued with ''[[People's General]]'', an upgraded version of ''Panzer General II'' based on a [[World War III]] scenario between China and the UN. ''Panzer General'' also provided a [[Play-by-mail game|Play by Email]] (PBEM) system. ''[[Panzer General 3D Assault]]'' arrived in 1999, with fully [[3D computer graphics|3D]] graphics. ''[[Panzer General III: Scorched Earth]]'' was released in 2000, with better graphics and a redesigned interface.

==See also==
* ''[[Panzer Tactics DS]]''
* [[Panzer Corps (video game)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{moby game|id=/panzer-general}}

{{Panzer General series}}
{{Authority control}}

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