Napoleonic wars epoch constitutes an extremely interesting and significant period in the history of Europe.

Napoleonic wars epoch constitutes an extremely interesting and significant period in the history of Europe. Despite its short duration, it became a turning point in development of many nations. Up to nowadays, there have been many contradictions around Napoleon's personality. Regarded on one side as a heartless tyrant who brought death and devastation and was sent by gods as retribution to humanity, he was however, a genius commander who made unification of Europe divided by various discords real as never before.

The game brings along six nations that played a leading role in the history of Napoleonic wars. These are France, Britain, Austria, Russia, Prussia and Egypt, with each country possessing its unique and peculiar abilities, architecture, development tree and military features.

Napoleonic period brought "civilized" warfare, fighting in combat formations into being. The very principle is put into practice in Cossacks II gameplay. Generally speaking, formations play a decisive role on the battlefields whereas individual units are mostly ineffective. Players are given a chance to lead their armies to victory through the pandemonium of epic battles with up to 64,000 units on the map, which is virtually the scale of real combats. What is more, ability to zoom in and soar upwards to get a bird's-eye view of the battle makes Cossacks II the most spectacular game on the Napoleonic era.

The game combines intuitive control, which is easy to learn even by a newbie and strategic niceties called to satisfy the needs of experienced RTS gamers. These include various types of troops, combat formations, morale, fatigue, experience and influence of such maneuvers as taking in the rear, outflanking, cavalry attack and artillery bombardment. This provides immense possibilities for brilliant victories through taking advantage of numerous tactical moves. Unit control was given a special attention. For this purpose, we designed a new interface, bookmark system, reworked on the path-finding algorithms, developed new AI for formations and enabled troops control through a commander-in-chief. Landscape also plays an important role in gameplay - fire-arms effectiveness reduces when firing through the woods, cavalry can hardly get over the marshy areas. The latter also diminishes efficacy of artillery bombardment. Armed with such tools and offering diversity of combat operations, Cossacks II can appease appetite of the most fastidious and scrupulous gamers.

Economic system underwent drastic changes as well. Players have to govern, develop and fight for towns and settlements built on the map. Towns and provinces are full of life and have their own infrastructure. Roads are economic arteries connecting different locations. Thus, apart from fighting, players can also impose an economic blockade to cut a capital from mineral deposits, trade routes, etc.

The single player game offers you unique opportunity to experience most known Napoleonic campaigns playing as a prominent figure and commander with a single purpose in mind: to rule the world!.

Tailor-made AI takes advantage of combat formations and tactical and strategic techniques that allows for "Battles" game mode against computer opponents.

Cossacks II multiplayer game offers two modes - classical Deathmatch and Battles with the latter reproducing real historical battles with possibility to change their outcome.

Even though Cossacks II is far from being a history textbook, it can recount a great deal of interesting historical facts from the Napoleonic period. Information suggested in the course of the game serves as unobtrusive hint to players. Storyline cutscenes, briefings before missions and campaigns help players get a full picture of the great Napoleon's attainments and conquests.

Here are some key features of "Cossacks II Napoleonic Wars":

· Historical RTS on new 3D engine
· 3D landscape (True Color) providing immense tactical possibilities
· Support for new-generation video cards, pixel and vertex shaders, etc.
· Coverage of European military conflicts of 19th century, Napoleonic war
· Battles on real historical scale with tens of thausands of units on one map
· 6 nations: France, Britain, Austria, Russia, Prussia, Egypt
· Over 150 unique units and 180 building types
· Over 1000 elements of flora and fauna
· Historically accurate campaigns, heroes as historical figures
· New level of economic and military management
· Simulation of commander
· Simulation of historical battles in single- and multiplayer game against AI
· Enhanced combat formations and tactical orders
· Realistic morale and fatigue
· Enhanced diplomacy
· Physical 3D engine providing realistic ballistics of bullet and cannonball
· Gaming over LAN and Internet in Deathmatch, Battles and Battle For Europe modes


What's New in This Release:

· Bugfix: Prussian pioneers are able to create powder barrels
· Bugfix: Pionneers/Combat engineers are only able to place powder barrels when standing in formation
· Bugfix: Disturbing noise while watching recorded games has been eliminated
· Bugfix: Recorded games will be shown until to the end of the recorded game
· Bugfix: Archers now can attack buildings only when standing in formation
· Bugfix: Palace and Coal Factory don't start producing recources before the buildings are completely finished
· Bugfix: Bug with AI formations fighting against each other has been removed
· Bugfix: Towers and blockhouses don't shoot at animals any longer
· Bugfix: Cannons stop firing once a building is destroyed
· Bugfix: Cannon limit-bug for light cannons and haubitzes (Austria, Prussia and Egypt) has been abolished
· Bugfix: Fast buildup of blockhouses by pioneers/combat engineers has been removed
· Bugfix: "Units armed with a pistol don't shoot anymore when the pistol is loaded but no coal is available" - Bug disposed
· Bugfix: Bug with invisible buildings removed
· Bugfix: Bug with invisible units removed
· Bugfix: Prussia: Tower upgrade doesn't any longer affect all towers
· Bugfix: Counter for rocket limit has been corrected
· France, pioneers are available after academy
· Austria, pioneers are available after academy
· England, pioneers are available after coal factory
· Prussia is able to build barracks from the beginning (simultaneously with town centre as an alternative to the light cavalry stable).
· Prussia – Barrack has only 120 free places for new units instead of 240 as hitherto
· Grenadiers of all nations can only attack buildings in the range of their grenades.
· Heavy cavalry will be "built" in a separate stable (-> introduction of heavy cavalry stable)
· All canons only need 200 instead of 300 units of gunpowder per shot (except England)
· Games against AI (Skirmish, Battles and Missions) will be recorded
· Recorded Games will be shown optionally with "fog of war"
· Game time and counter are shown
· Limit of 3 blockhouses at the same time per player
· Limit of 4 towers at the same time per player
· Limit of 2 stables for light and one stable for heavy cavalry at the same time per player (Egypt 1 and 1)
· Egypt: price for heavy cavalry stable: Wood -5000(10000) Stone -30000(32500) Gold -1000(4000)
· Prussia: price for second stable for light cavalry: Wood -5950(15300) Stone – 700(1800) Gold -700(1800)
· Time to build up a block house +300 (450)
· Life points for block houses +800(16000)
· Coal consumption per shot by a tower -100(300)
· England: huge dwelling: price rise -50(150%)
· kronwerk, fort and fortress have the ability to train officers, drummers and flag bearers.
· Every Barrack, stable, fort e. g. produces formations separately (formations won't be mixed up by units of different barracks. This was very annoying when the latter were placed a long way from each other).
· Free Save and Load has been introduced in the Battle for Europe mode.
· An Autosave option has been introduced in Skirmish.
· Automatic firing order has been introduced for the Egyptian fort.
· Price for grenadier upgrade has been significantly reduced.