or someone who practically made playing Risk and Axis and Allies a full-time job in 1997, there was a whole lot to like about what developer Muzzy Lane had on display at PAX East 2010. Ralph Gerth, game designer and art director for Making History II was kind enough to give us a walkthrough of this most ambitious of turn-based strategy titles.
Making History II can best be described with a single word: grandiose. Set in the years immediately surrounding the Second World War, it allows players to shape the agenda of just about any country that was in existence during that time period — Cuba or Germany, America or Mexico, you guide your chosen state towards its place in the postwar era.
You guide your chosen state towards its place in the postwar era. While based upon historical events, there's nothing that dictates a game of Making History II has to be historically accurate. The artificial intelligence that guides a nation like Germany may be expansionist, but your own actions could very well turn the tides for better or worse. Players are able to control just about every aspect of their nation's policies, whether those primarily affect the home front or the outcome of a battle on some distant shore.
You may wonder how a nation like Cuba could possibly stand a chance against the Third Reich. Victory conditions are scaled to meet the capacities of the nation the player chooses to play — while a small African nation may be concerned with mere survival and acquiring basic necessities for its people, a more developed country will be more concerned with protecting its varied interests throughout the war's theaters. You the player choose your affiliation, and essentially decide the direction that each game will take.
While we weren't able to see multiplayer in action, it's clear that this will be a major focus of Making History II. Since the game runs directly in a web browser (thanks to Muzzy Lane's proprietary Sandstone Platform), players should be able to check in on their matches regardless of where they are — think correspondence chess, but with all the complexities and nuance of a modern tabletop experience. Whether your goal be education or entertainment, the future looks to be bright for Making History II.
