When you enter a new battlefield, you’re given a contingent of men with basic weaponry and set to your task. As you free the enemy from this mortal sphere, your men can pick up weapons, ammunition and supplies from those that have fallen. All types of World War II era machine guns, grenades, pistols, mines and explosive ordnance can be recovered and turned on your foe. Each soldier has a Diablo-style gridded inventory he keeps in a backpack that dictates how much gear he can carry. Weight is also a factor, and troops that are heavier laden than others will see their stamina statistic drop faster than their lighter accoutered comrades. When a unit’s stamina is low, he isn’t able to run, which is a real liability in some conflicts.

Soldiers also puts you behind the wheel of many vehicles from the Second World War. Everything from Tiger and Sherman tanks to armored personnel carriers and motorcycles with side cars are represented. Each mode of transport has a maximum number of occupants it can carry, but they also have a minimum number of passengers that’s required for efficient use of the vehicle. In a tank, for instance, a gunner, a loader, a driver and a commander are needed for peak efficiency. If one position is vacant, another member of the crew can fill in when needed, but they have to vacate their post first. So, if you only have one unit in a tank, he can drive until he needs to shoot, at which time the tank stops and he fires the gun. In order to move again, he has to stop shooting and reloading to drive. This game of musical chairs is all handled automatically and the empty spot is filled with the person who’s least busy at the time, but it’s far easier when you have a full crew.

Like the real world, your ammo and fuel supplies in Soldiers are limited. If you race around the countryside, you’ll need to stop to fill-er-up ever once in awhile or risk being stranded somewhere unsafe. Fifty gallon drums can be found that will help you along your way, as will 20 gallon gas cans. With a container in hand, you can also siphon fuel from disabled vehicles to pour into your own reserves. Likewise, ammunition can be pulled from abandoned vehicles to replenish your supplies. Heavy mounted machine gun ammunition is universal in Soldiers, but other mounted weaponry needs its own type to fire. Some tanks carry the same ammunition as is used in artillery emplacements, but others, like the massive Tiger tanks, have to ration what they use because their shells are unique.

Something new that Soldiers introduces to the RTS sphere is a control method called Direct Control. Have you ever played Rise of Nations and thought, “No, no, no! Don’t do that, you dim bulb! If only I could drive that tank, then the job would get done right.” Well, Soldiers lets you do just that. Units will operate on their own, according to a simple set of aggressiveness controls, and can simply be ordered to go from one place to the next like any other RTS unit, letting the AI do the work. However, when the job needs that hands-on approach, you can enable Direct Control and work your own brand of destructive magic. Activating Direct Control allows you to move your selected unit with the arrow keys and aim via the mouse. You can move and fire as needed, avoiding your opponent’s wrath where the computer, acting on your behalf, might not.