This article needs additional citations for verification .(August 2013) |
Wargame Construction Set III: Age of Rifles 1846-1905 | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Developer(s) | Strategic Simulations |
Publisher(s) | Strategic Simulations |
Producer(s) | John Eberhardt |
Designer(s) | Norm Koger Steve Burke |
Programmer(s) | Norm Koger |
Artist(s) | Gennady Krakovsky |
Platform(s) | MS-DOS |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Computer wargame |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Wargame Construction Set III: Age of Rifles 1846-1905 (or simply Age of Rifles) is a turn-based computer wargame for MS-DOS, written by Norm Koger. [2] It was published in 1996 by Strategic Simulations. [3] It is the third game in the Wargame Construction Set series, following Wargame Construction Set (1986) and Wargame Construction Set II: Tanks! (1994).
Age of Rifles simulates battles throughout the era of percussion rifles, roughly comprising the second half of the 19th century. To this end, several dozen battle scenarios are provided in the game. Most of them are set during the American Civil War, but scenarios from the Crimean War, the Anglo-Zulu War, Afghan Wars, the Prusso-Austrian and the Franco-Prussian War, and the Russo-Japanese War are also included. [4]
Scenarios can be played individually or within the framework of a campaign, where the outcome of earlier battles influences the course of later battles. In addition, random scenarios are available as well.
There is also a scenario editor with which users can develop and share their own battles, and thereby extend the scope of the game. Scenarios as early as the Battle of Hastings have been generated this way. [5]
The game can be played with two human players, or with the computer taking over one or both sides. An option for playing out battles via e-Mail is also provided.
There is still a small community of players who develop and publish new scenarios for AoR.
Depending on the individual PC configuration, AoR may work as-is under Windows XP and Windows 7, or may require DOSBox to run.
Publication | Score |
---|---|
PC Gamer (US) | 86% [7] |
PC Games | B [8] |
The game was a finalist for Computer Gaming World 's 1996 "Wargame of the Year" award, [9] which ultimately went to Battleground 4: Shiloh . [10]
Panzer General is a 1994 computer wargame developed and published by Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI). It simulates conflict during World War II. The designers of Panzer General were heavily influenced by the Japanese wargame series Daisenryaku.
The Operational Art of War (TOAW) is a series of computer wargames noted for their scope, detail, and flexibility in recreating, at an operational level, the major land battles of the 20th century. A Norm Koger design, TalonSoft published the first of the series in 1998. Matrix Games bought the rights to the franchise and created a new game in 2006, TOAW 3, which was the first non-Norm Koger designed game in the series.
Steel Panthers is a series of computer wargames, developed and published by several different companies, with various games simulating war battles from 1930 to 2025. The first Steel Panthers game was released in 1995, and the most recent update was released in 2018 and is still updated regularly (yearly).
Age of Sail is a 1996 naval combat computer wargame developed and published by TalonSoft.
Matrix Games is a publisher of PC games, specifically strategy games and wargames. It is based in Ohio, US, and Surrey, UK.
Turn-based tactics (TBT) is a video game genre of strategy video games. They are turn-based simulations of operational warfare and military tactics in generally small-scale confrontations as opposed to more strategic considerations of turn-based strategy (TBS) games. Turn-based tactical gameplay is characterized by the expectation of players to complete their tasks using only the combat forces provided to them in a generally realistic manner.
Achtung Spitfire! is a 1997 computer wargame developed by Big Time Software and published by Avalon Hill. It is a turn-based air combat game taking place during the early half of World War II, including fixed-wing aircraft, air battles and operations by Luftwaffe, Royal Air Force and French Air Force in 1939–1943.
Fantasy General is a fantasy computer wargame published by Strategic Simulations in 1996. Its structure was taken from the game Panzer General with some modifications to the base system. It was the third in the Five Star General series. It allows gaming against other human players by email. It was published on GOG.com in May 2015 with support for Windows, macOS, and Linux after GOG Ltd acquired the copyright to the title.
Robert E. Lee: Civil War General is a 1996 computer wargame developed by Impressions Games and published by Sierra On-Line. Set during the American Civil War, it tasks the player with leading the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia to victory against the Union Army of the Potomac. Impressions sought to make Civil War General accessible to wargame newcomers by streamlining its gameplay, and the Panzer General series was a reference point for its design and title.
Battleground 3: Waterloo is a 1996 computer wargame developed and published by TalonSoft. It is the third entry in the Battleground series.
Wargame Construction Set is a video game game creation system published in 1986 by Strategic Simulations. Developed by Roger Damon, it allows the user to construct, edit and play customizable wargame scenarios. It was released for the Amiga, Atari 8-bit family, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and MS-DOS. Several sequels followed.
The Operational Art of War I: 1939–1955 is a 1998 computer wargame developed and published by TalonSoft. Designed by Norm Koger, it covers military conflicts around the world at the operational level of war, between 1939 and 1955.
Harpoon is a computer wargame published by Three-Sixty Pacific in 1989 for DOS. This was the first game in the Harpoon series. It was ported to the Amiga and Macintosh.
Empire II: The Art of War is a turn-based strategy wargame developed by American studio White Wolf Productions and published by New World Computing for the PC.
Steel Panthers is a 1995 computer wargame developed and published by Strategic Simulations. Designed by Gary Grigsby and Keith Brors, it simulates ground warfare during World War II, across the Western Front, Eastern Front and Pacific Theatre.
Steel Panthers II: Modern Battles is a 1996 computer wargame developed and published by Strategic Simulations. It is the sequel to Steel Panthers and the second entry in the Steel Panthers series. The game was designed by Gary Grigsby and Keith Brors.
The War College: Universal Military Simulator 3 is a 1996 computer wargame developed by Intergalactic Development and published by GameTek. It is the sequel to The Universal Military Simulator and UMS II: Nations at War.
Steel Panthers III: Brigade Command 1939–1999 is a 1997 computer wargame developed and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. It is the third game in the Steel Panthers series, following Steel Panthers (1995) and Steel Panthers II: Modern Battles (1996). Like its predecessors, it was designed by Gary Grigsby and Keith Brors.
Wooden Ships and Iron Men is a 1996 computer wargame developed by Stanley Associates and published by Avalon Hill. It is an adaptation of the board wargame Wooden Ships and Iron Men.