[Palantir]

I played the demo 3 times now - the first I had to stop halfway.
I just got a fast glimpse (for some reason) of the keyboard controls. Can't really be called a tutorial (starts with part 2 at that) since it gives just a couple of hints at what you should do- not how you should do them.

I routed the Rebs twice: the first time I chased the HQ (all I could see) clear across the map to no avail- the game just ended.

The second time I surrounded the reb force & forced their surrender- but the HQ just rode away! I then got a message that more enemy troops had been spotted advancing and I traded some action with them (a massive formation) before the time ran out. {Major victory although I was nowhere near that floating "eagle" victory marker during the battle.}

I suppose the full game makes more sence as the other Union troops charged right into/ along and back threw my lines a couple of times. I don't know what their orders were. I don't know if there are "stacking" rules but it was a huge tangle of men going every which way until I managed to organize my men into column and march out of their way. (They probably think I should have been dismissed for being drunk.)

I was a little surprised to see my troops disappear into what I thought was a road twice- turns out they are streams - brown ones. They could have added a bit of blue water running along them...

I played mostly from above so I could see the majority of my command & toggled the trees off & on to see the enemy- BUT I had to turn them back on to see where the stone walls & woods borders ended etc. Plays a bit like CM, go up to see what's happening & then come down to view for details.

I'm sure there's some even terrain bonus or other as well as having my HQ near my guys.

Fun demo, the pace is slow which is good, giving me some time to scan all my units & give some "good" orders to each one.

I'll have to check out the price on this one, the MP is surely a blast to play- is it voice "chat" or a typing? OR delayed typing?