Cossacks: Back to War update

CDV Software has today released new gameplay information on Cossacks: Back to War, the second expansion pack for the real-time strategy game Cossacks: European Wars , which was released in April last year.

Perhaps the most exciting news about the Back to War expansion is that although it's designed to fully integrate with players' existing Cossacks games and configurations, a copy of the original game will not be necessary to play it since it also functions as a stand-alone game. Rest assured that while this expansion has obviously been designed to appeal to newcomers to the series, it also has plenty to offer Cossacks veterans.

For starters, the Back to War add-on features no fewer than 100 new single-player missions and introduces two brand-new nations--Switzerland and Hungary--to the conflict, bringing the total number of European nations in the game to 20. Once players have completed the new missions, there's also a random map generator to experiment with, along with a sophisticated map editor for anyone who fancies having a go at level design. One such Cossacks fan has already created a set of 30 playable maps along with a unique set of units to play with--these are also included with the expansion.

For fans of the game's multiplayer mode, a new VIZOR system has also been implemented, which allows players to view multiplayer games that are in progress online, perhaps to glean advice from more-experienced players on how to command the 8,000 units per map that the game supports.

GSC Game World, the company responsible for the original game as well as the Cossacks: European Wars expansion pack, released earlier this year, is nearing the end of development on Back to War, which is scheduled for release in North America and in Europe this October. For more information, you should check out our Cossacks: European Wars of the game.

You might also be interested to check out the company's next project, Cossacks: European Wars , which is the full sequel to Cossacks and will be released late in 2003.