- UPDATE: Caching histograms - 5 May 2024
Today's update changes the minigame histograms to be included with the game instead of being downloaded from our servers.
- Last Call BBS - The last game by Zachtronics! - 5 July 2022
Boot up your Z5 Powerlance and dial into Last Call BBS, the last game from Zachtronics! The Barkeep’s loaded up his retro computer with a full set of puzzle games for you to download and play. No need to worry about copy protection, they’re all fully cracked and ready to enjoy! Includes eight full games: 20th Century Food Court: Design factories to produce food just like they did over 700 years ago in the 20th century. Keep your costs low and your machines running fast! STEED FORCE Hobby Studio: Assemble robot models based on the anime smash hit Steed Force right on your computer. No sandpaper required! X’BPGH: The Forbidden Path: Enter a cursed world and create bizarre flesh sculptures in exchange for eternal life. The master is pleased… but can you trust him? Sawayama Solitaire: It wouldn’t be a Zachtronics release without a brand-new solitaire game. This time it’s a fresh take on Klo…
- Möbius Front '83 from Zachtronics now has online and AI multiplayer - 18 January 2021
Möbius Front '83, the difficult turn-based strategy game from puzzle masters Zachtronics has seen a big free expansion adding in quite a lot. Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2021/01/mobius-front-83-from-zachtronics-now-has-online-and-ai-multiplayer
- Zachtronics wargame Möbius Front '83 has multiplayer now - 15 January 2021
Möbius Front ’83 is a wargame set in the mid-eighties in a world where the USA must defend itself from an America from an alternate timeline – which weirdly sounds a bit like the plot to 2021 so far. But, if you’re tired of fighting America as America, you’re in luck. Today, Zachtronics added multiplayer so you can battle your pals as the Soviet Army now. (more…)
- Zachtronics wargame Möbius Front '83 has multiplayer now - 15 January 2021
Möbius Front ’83 is a wargame set in the mid-eighties in a world where the USA must defend itself from an America from an alternate timeline – which weirdly sounds a bit like the plot to 2021 so far. But, if you’re tired of fighting America as America, you’re in luck. Today, Zachtronics added multiplayer so you can battle your pals as the Soviet Army now. (more…)
- UPDATE: Multiplayer and a new Soviet army - 15 January 2021
Today's update adds a new multiplayer mode that enables one-off skirmish missions against the AI or Steam friends (or even people that you're not friends with but are in a group chat with, like the group chat that you can join at the top of the game's Community Hub). Because your ability to play as the enemy "Americans" is only unlocked when you complete the single-player campaign, we've also added a brand new Soviet Army faction with over 20 units, including: The T-72 Ural, an old tank but cheap tank that can be used to overwhelm your opponent. The paratrooper team, which can deploy directly to any open hex on your side of the battlefield. The BM-21 Grad, which launches four artillery attacks at a target in a single turn. Try it out and let us know what you think!
- UPDATE: More AI improvements, escort mission tweaks - 11 December 2020
Today's update includes a bunch of small AI adjustments and some tweaks to the escort missions based on player feedback; they're all back to 10/5/0 and give you 5 trucks instead of 6, which I guess just means they're back to where they started. You should also now be able to select enemy units during your turn to see their attack previews, much like you can with your own units.
- UPDATE: Fix for loading times on Mac and Linux, AI tweaks - 5 December 2020
Today's update should fix a bug where the game would load very slowly for some Mac and Linux users. It also includes a few miscellaneous AI tweaks, mostly to stop the AI from making dumb choices in very specific situations.
- UPDATE: Loading time improvements - 1 December 2020
Today's update includes further improvements to the game's loading times, in addition to a small tweak to the player's deployment points on mission 3/08 in response to player feedback from the last update.
- UPDATE: Balance tweaks, performance improvements - 26 November 2020
This week's update includes the following changes: Improved rendering performance greatly (about 200% of previous framerates). Improved loading times slightly (about 70% of previous loading times). Increased the deployment costs of some enemy units now that the AI is much more effective with them. About half of the missions in the game should now be slightly easier. Which half? Who knows! Reduced the deployment cost of the minelaying UH-1 from 2 to 1. Increased the ammo for the M151 with TOW from 2 to 4. Adjusted the convoy missions so that the convoy trucks are free but the player has 5 fewer deployment points. There should not be any net effect to difficulty. Fixed a bug where missed artillery shots had a preference for some directions over others. Fixed some AI behaviors related to transport helicopters.
- UPDATE: New AT mine-laying UH-1, and much more! - 21 November 2020
Today's update includes the following changes: Added a new player unit to the game, a UH-1 that drops anti-tank mines that disable tracked vehicles. Added objective icons to SAM missions indicating the locations of the SAM sites. Reworked missions 3/10 and 3/12 to be more interesting and less difficult. Adjusted the chapter 3 escort missions to be less difficult on "relaxed" mode. Fixed a bug where entrenched M294s had too much health. Adjusted all the maps in chapter 3 to make sure that no were too close to the player's deployment area. Fixed a bug where enemy units could move through . Fixed a bug where attack previews were not shown for enemy laser units able to call in an airstrike. Changed the defensive smoke bonus from an invisible damage reduction to a temporary armor increase. Removed an enemy signals team from a map that should not have had one (3/05). Changed the input on the…
- UPDATE: A smaller balance patch - 13 November 2020
Today's update reduces the difficulty of SAM hunt missions. Apparently the "defensive" AI we enabled in the previous patch was more effective than we realized. This patch also includes a fix for broken histograms in cribbage solitaire.
- UPDATE: Fixing the crash handler - 13 November 2020
Today's update fixes our crash handler to point to a new URL. Nothing else should have changed.
- UPDATE: First major balance patch - 12 November 2020
Today's update is mostly balance-related gameplay changes, but also includes some UI and bug fixes. Gameplay Changes Rebalanced a bunch of missions that our metrics indicated were abnormally difficult. Increased the base health of "proper tanks" like the M60 and M1 from 3 to 4 so that they're slightly more survivable. They will still become immobilized when reduced to 1 health. Increased the damage of the M67 used by enemy anti-tank teams from 2-5 to 2-6 to match the increase in tank health. Added the ability for utility helicopters (UH-1, UH-4) to fire their door guns while flying and after landing. Added an ammo count to mortar teams (6 rounds). Added an ability to M813 cargo trucks that resupplies ammo to friendly infantry units. Adjusted the AI to be more defensive on SAM hunt and convoy missions. Improved the AI's ability to advance with infantry. UI Changes Improved the instructio…
- UPDATE: Overhauling the missions in chapter 1 - 7 November 2020
Today's update includes an overhaul to the missions in chapter 1 to make them more varied and interesting, and generally bring them in line with the missions in chapters 2 and 3. If you're in the middle of playing one of these missions when you load your save you may find yourself sent back to the campaign map, but most players shouldn't miss any cutscenes or have to replay any missions they've already beaten. Also in this update: tracked vehicles now have a small speed bonus on roads.
- The Flare Path: A2Z - 6 November 2020
A is for Alphabetised wargame and sim news. Welcome to the cosy corner of RPS where the vehicular is valued, the historical is hallowed, and the paragraphs are shorter than 7.5 cm Kampfwagenkanone 37 L/24 barrels. (more…)
- Zachtronics wargame Möbius Front ’83 strikes out today - 5 November 2020
It’s the mid-80s, and the United States Of America is about to face its most dangerous enemy yet – itself. Out today, Möbius Front ’83 is a new tactical wargame from Opus Magnum and Infinifactory developers Zachtronics, a dimension-hopping military strategy romp that sees the puzzle boffins take their shot at a more violent form of problem solving with troops, tanks and attack helicopters. (more…)
- Tactical turn-based combat with two versions of America, Möbius Front '83 is out now - 5 November 2020
The latest game from Zachtronics is out now with Möbius Front '83, a turn-based tactical strategy game that has America face off against America from an alternate universe. Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2020/11/mobius-front-83-is-out-now-zachtronics
- Mobius Front '83 is not a wargame, but it comes pretty close - 5 November 2020
A common complaint levied at games like Panzer Corps and Unity of Command is that, really, they fit more within the realm of a 'tactical puzzle'. Your mileage will vary on the truth of this, but what can be stated is that games that follow this model like to offer a set-piece or a specific challenge. Your job is then to find the optimum way out of the predicament put in front of you. The argument is that this differs from 'real' tactical games where there is a more loosely defined objective, and you simply have to use the tools you are given to achieve it. I suspect this kind of distinction really comes down to how easy a developer finds it to code a challenging AI. We were very excited when we learned of the impending release of Möbius Front '83. On the surface, it looked like a tactical hex wargame set in the Cold War. The developer, Zachtronics, are known for their creativity in play…
- Möbius Front '83 review - not so advanced wars - 5 November 2020
During the post-WW2 period, developments in weapons technology - specifically anti-tank ordnance - challenged the dominance of the tank on the battlefield. It's a problem that vexes even modern militaries (and there hasn't yet been a big enough war to sort it out), but after playing Cold War tactics game Möbius Front '83, you can tell the creators are quite taken with this particular doctrinal puzzle. Advancing through rural America is less about large, rolling formations of armour, and more about the tactical application of infantry and AT weaponry - about shepherding your heavy-hitting Patton MBTs into position so that they can deal out their righteous fury. Or, more likely, get caught out by an enemy ATV's movement range and instantly deaded. Möbius Front's AI is tenacious, but it can also be frustrating. This turn-based tactics game is inspired by official US Army training manuals f…
