UMS - Universal Military Simulator

Simulation 1987 Dos Intergalactic Development Military War

For hardcore military fans only

This really is an antique from the days of gaming yore, and while it introduced some interesting elements to the military strategy genre, it now stands as more of a curiosity than an actual playable game. It is certainly ambitious however, and attempts to simulate virtually all kinds of warfare, from ancient battles to futuristic ones, and with real-world situations like the Battle of Gettysburg and the Battle of Waterloo available for re-enactment. The game allows players to control most aspects of the battles, from customising the field of war itself, to the units involved and the scenario details. Combat is played out on map screen which is now incredibly crude and which simply uses text to represent names of units rather than any form of visual icon. Battles can range from small scale encounters to massed assaults covering an entire theatre of war but due to the game's age and limited graphics, there is little sense of the epic nature of these historical feuds. The game does score slightly higher in the degree of strategy that is required, with the many units and scenarios offering plenty of opportunities for different tactics to be tried out. Things are rather marred though by the awkward user interface, which makes the game more frustrating than it ought to be, while there are also several omissions which prevent it from being a truly universal simulator, including a lack of naval warfare. UMS spawned a number of sequels which improved on the basic idea, including War College, but the series remains one for the hardcore sim enthusiast, so if you number yourself amongst the number, you may find some enjoyment here. However, everyone else is better off with Panzer General or Empire Deluxe.

Expansive and with an original graphical theme

With The Universal Military Simulator you will get a whole lot of diverse gameplay possibilities, a lot of different options and directions. Also, putting it apart from the mass of games of strategy, this one is highly stylized, with a uniquely crafted, even if simple graphics theme. So, imagine that the game offers you play based on this elevation designed land that is made up of squares. Thus, if you craved something that seems taken out of Tron, you'll have it here, no issues. In terms of play, you get an expansive campaign as well. My time spent with it showcased a game that plays pretty well, and is also immediately clear what you have to do. Thus, The Universal Military Simulator is a very particular, beautiful, playable and well balanced military sim, of a kind that really stands apart and that is very direct. No multiplayer though, but you'll have a lot to do in single so no issues there. So, I dunno, if you crave something else Tron esque, maybe Lode Runner will do it, though not in strategy style.

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