For our online strategy games of the American Civil War and WWII, if we were to use small 3D images of the infantry, cavalry, artillery, tanks, mortars, etc, you would not be able to see the battlefield. All computer games that attempt to present a battle using 3D graphics have this problem. If you zoom out to see the battlefield, the troops become smudges, and can hardly be seen. If you zoom right in, and can see the 3D graphics, you can't see the battlefield. By using "blocks" that present units with strength points representing a number or men, guns or tanks, you can see the whole battle and know what is happening.

Since this game is more focused on the strategy, it makes more sense to use a 2D layout.

We consider most difficulty levels in computer wargames bogus. Everyone knows that playing a human is a lot harder than playing an AI opponent, unless the AI can cheat. Because an AI cannot use smart and clever tactics and strategy to beat you, the designer usually has to give the AI an unfair advantage. This means that any attempt to represent an historical battle, for example, will not work. We have a "player rating". So if you want to play a harder game, find a tougher human opponent to play.

Now when you want an online game with someone, you will be able to see how good they are. If they are REALLY good, you might think twice before challenging them. This is far better than having a difficulty level.

We feel that fighting a battle in real time is not a realistic way to present the battle, as a battle takes many hours to fight, and usually takes up a large amount of land.

Take, for example, Napoleon or Wellington at Waterloo, one of the smaller battles of the Napoleonic era. Napoleon fought it with aids riding in with messages from his front line commanders, who would tell Napoleon where to move the small flags on his map that presented his divisions and corps. He did not and could not see the whole battle as if on a big screen. A battle is more akin to a game of chess for the commanders, than it is to a boxing match. If the players have time to issue orders and devise a battle plan, a more accurate feel of the battle is created.