Combat Mission: Black Sea is a realistic war game in one of the most popular series of this type. The game has been created by Battlefront – a team of developers responsible for the previous installments in the Combat Mission series.
Plot
The game tells the story of a conflict between Russia and Ukraine and allows a player to take control over one of the two factions. Developers deliver a vision of the near future, in which the conflict flares up after the government in Kiev announces that Ukraine has ed the European Union and NATO. In response, Russia moves its army closer to the Ukrainian border, while all the of NATO mobilize their forces near the west Ukrainian border. The nervousness begins, and the war finally breaks out after fights in Donetsk in the summer of 2017, after which the Russian and Western military forces invade Ukraine.
Mechanics
Combat Mission: Black Sea maintains the basic mechanics known from the previous series’ installments. Battles feature a turn-based system, in which a player issues orders and observes the results of his decisions in real time. As usual, the developers have put a strong emphasis on the aspect of realism of the utilized gear and the behavior of soldiers on a battlefield.
Combat Mission: Black Sea is the first installment in the series to be based on the third generation proprietary engine designed by Battlefront. The gameplay now features certain new options – primarily, the water is not an imable border anymore, so most of the units are able to cross a lake or a river. During the game, one can use a wide range of available drones including the toy-like RQ-11B Raven that soldiers throw into the air and the powerful machines, such as MQ-1C Gray Eagle. A key aspect of the game is the electronic warfare allowing one to disturb the satellites and the radio systems to hinder enemy’s communications. Combat Mission: Black Sea delivers also the night vision devices and the precise artillery that uses lasers and GPS for targeting the enemy forces. Moreover, a player can use explosive rounds operated by both infantry and vehicles - this tactic allows one to attack the foe hiding behind cover.
