Today we've talked with Nico Zettler about the upcoming "Mission Barbarossa", Blitzkrieg's addon

Nico Zettler: Hi again! I'm Nico Zettler, one of the producers here at CDV. In a nutshell, I am responsible for a smooth relationship between developer and publisher and must do everything to hold the release date.

Nico Zettler: In a way there’s nothing ground-breaking about Mission Barbarossa itself, but just a myriad of little details we added compared to Blitzkrieg. We want to think the sum of them will eventually add up to a markedly different playing experience from the original Blitzkrieg - the kind of game play that should give good vibes to experienced war gamers; and, hopefully, induce more generic RTS players into liking World War 2 real-time war gaming. In Mission Barbarossa, what we wanted most to convey to the player is a sense of historical accuracy, while keeping it a fun and challenging gaming experience.

Nico Zettler: Mission Barbarossa portrays the actual events during the early weeks of Operation Barbarossa. Changing the course of history is out of the scope of this add-on. However, our aim is to give the player an accurate feeling of what operations could be like during that turning point in WWII, on a tactical level.

Nico Zettler: The new German campaign portrays the progress of General Guderian’s 2nd Panzer Group during the first weeks of Operation Barbarossa. As part of Army Group Centre the player starts the campaign with the 2nd Panzers’ initial attacks into the Soviet-held Polish territory at Brest-Litovsk and ends with the successful encirclement and capture of Smolensk.

Nico Zettler: Weather does play its role during Mission Barbarossa as it did in reality. Towards the end of the campaign the player will find the true meaning of ‘rasputitsa’, well, within the limits of the game engine, and its direct influence on armored and wheeled vehicles movement.

Nico Zettler: As in the original game the supply of ammunition plays an important role in Mission: Barbarossa. The player will find that certain units carry restricted ammunition and will require a regular supply of provisions to remain effective. The refitting of infantry squads is also limited in order to stress the fact that the infantry played a vital role during operations and shouldn’t be squandered needlessly.

Nico Zettler: The player will commence the Mission Barbarossa campaign with a few core units. These will gain experience as the player progresses through the various missions and chapters. Also the player will be promoted depending on their performance. Each promotion will bring more core units in the form of additional tanks and artillery, up to 16 tanks and 6 artillery units, which is much more than the original Blitzkrieg offers.

Nico Zettler: Well, Mission:Barbarossa represents only a short period of World War 2 (June to September 1941) so expect no huge jumps on the German side in terms of technology! In retrospect, German materiel was anything but impressive during the early years of the war. Still, as the player progresses through the campaign he’ll gain access to more effective equipment such as better tanks, effective antitank guns and rocket launchers. But most of all, there are a few surprises on the Russian side the player will have to discover… the hard way!

Nico Zettler: Our add-on mostly focuses on single player experience and doesn’t include any multiplayer maps. Still, the option stays open for any map maker keen on creating a Mission Barbarossa multiplayer map. We may even offer a few unofficial multiplayer maps after release.

Nico Zettler: Yes, we do. We could tell you about it, but then we’d have to train that 88mm Flak on you…