Shattered Union
Developer(s)	PopTop Software
Publisher(s)	2K Games
Platform(s)	Xbox, PC
Release date	October 17, 2005 (Worldwide) October 19, 2005 (GameFly) October 25, 2006 (Steam)
Genre(s)	Turn-based tactics
Mode(s)	Simultaneous, Story, Versus, Full Mission Single-Player, Quick Match, OptiMatch, Training, Campaign, Challenge
Rating(s)	ESRB:Teen
Media	CD, DVD, Download (Steam)
System requirements	Intel P4 1. A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual that creates Video games A developer may specialize in a certain video PopTop Software was an American Video game developer. It was known as the publisher of several Strategy games including Railroad Tycoon II 2K Games is a video game publishing subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive which also owns Rockstar Games notable for the Grand Theft Auto series In Computing, a platform describes some sort of Hardware architecture or Software framework (including Application frameworks, that allows The Xbox is a sixth-generation Video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated Events 539 BC - King Cyrus The Great of Persia marches into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 202 BCE - The Battle of Zama results in the defeat of Carthage and Hannibal. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1147 - The Portuguese, under Afonso I, and Crusaders from England and Flanders conquer Lisbon after a Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Steam is a Digital distribution, Digital rights management, Multiplayer See also [[Game classification]] Video games are categorized into Genres based on their Gameplay interaction Turn-based tactics ( TBT) or tactical turn-based ( TTB) is a computer and video game genre of Strategy video games that through stop-action A video game content rating system is a system used for the classification of Video games into suitability-related groups The Entertainment Software Rating Board ( ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that applies and enforces ratings, Advertising guidelines and Digital media (as opposed to analog media) usually refers to Electronic media that work on digital Codes. 8 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1800+, 256 MB RAM, 128MB video card

Shattered Union is a turn-based tactics computer game developed by PopTop Software and published by 2K Games in 2005. Turn-based tactics ( TBT) or tactical turn-based ( TTB) is a computer and video game genre of Strategy video games that through stop-action A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. PopTop Software was an American Video game developer. It was known as the publisher of several Strategy games including Railroad Tycoon II 2K Games is a video game publishing subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive which also owns Rockstar Games notable for the Grand Theft Auto series Events March 6 &mdash The television show 60 Minutes tackles issues within Video game controversy.

Story

In 2009, following George W. Bush's eight year term in office, David Jefferson Adams is elected the 44th President of the United States of America following a disputed election and a tie vote in the Electoral College (and subsequent tie-breaker by the United States House of Representatives), becoming the most unpopular president - and greatest dictator - in U.S. history. This article is about the year For the film see 2009 Lost Memories. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by The Electoral College consists of 538 popularly elected representatives who formally select the President and Vice President of the United States. The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. A dramatic amount of civil unrest and rioting springs up all throughout the United States, resulting in domestic terrorism. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion In response, President Adams uses the Homeland Security Act and declares martial law on many areas of the country. The Homeland Security Act (HSA of 2002, Pub L No 107-296 116 Stat Martial law is the system of rules that takes effect when the military takes control of the normal administration of justice

During the election of 2012, the Supreme Court disqualifies all the presidential candidates from holding office, effectively awarding Adams with a second term. 2012 ( MMXII) will be a Leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. The public reacts violently when incumbent Adams accepts his next term.

During the Inauguration Day in Washington, D.C. on January 20, 2013, a low-yield nuclear weapon is detonated, destroying the city, killing Adams, his cabinet, and most of the US Congress. Inauguration Day is the day every four years on which the President of the United States is sworn in and takes office. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. 2013 ( MMXIII) will be a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses The United States plunges into chaos.

The European Union parliament meets in an emergency session and votes to send peacekeepers to the greater DC area to secure international interests. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Separatist sentiment begins to rise in America. On national television, the governor of California declares home rule and secedes from the Union. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Texas follows a few days later, taking neighboring states with them and re-forming the Republic of Texas. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The Republic of Texas was a sovereign Nation in North America between the United States and Mexico that existed from 1836 to By 2014, all hopes for a peaceful resolution are gone, and the Second American Civil War begins. 2014 ( MMXIV) will be a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South

Screenshot of the various factions with The Carolinas territory highlighted

Early in the war, the Russian Federation militarily annexes Alaska, using the expanded operations of the European Union as an excuse. The Carolinas is a term used in the United States to refer collectively to the states of North and South Carolina. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent The invasion is personally led by President Nicholai Vladekov, an ex-general and former Soviet hardliner, claiming that Alaska was never really part of the United States and that Russia was merely reclaiming its former territory. A soviet (сове́т, "council" originally was a workers' local council in late Imperial Russia. Later, INTERPOL reveals the results of its investigation regarding the Inauguration Day bombing. The International Criminal Police Organization, better known by its telegraphic address Interpol is an organization facilitating international police cooperation President Vladekov had been dealing weapons on the black market for several years and masterminded the DC bombing so Russia could regain its military dominance and more easily control Europe. Protests throughout Russia force Vladekov to declare martial law in Moscow.

After the continent is unified under one faction, the Independent Commonwealth of Hawaii agrees to join the new government. The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the Vladekov refuses to cede control of Alaska, so the faction's forces marshal to invade the state and drive the Russians out of the New World. The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth specifically the Americas and Australia. The result of the war depends on whether or not the invasion of Alaska was successful and how high the faction's reputation is.

Gameplay

The game is based on a hex grid system. The various factions left over when the country broke apart (see below) wage warfare in numerous territories. The amount of income the player gets each round of attacks is based on how many territories he controls. When attacking a territory, the player selects which of his units to deploy to that area on the Deployment screen. If a unit is deployed to one area, it cannot be redeployed to another until that round of attacks is over. Each side can choose to either manually place their units on the battlefield where they want them to be, or have the computer do it for them automatically, with the Manual and Auto buttons on the deployment screen.

In each area there are various forms of terrain, each with its own effect on how a unit moves. Roads enable much faster movement, but decrease the unit's defense score. Forests, mountains, swamps, and other such terrain greatly decrease unit movement, but most increase defense. Cities do not have much of an effect on a unit's movement (unless a road runs through it, in which case it is increased), but increase the unit's defense. If not crossed by a bridge, rivers heavily hinder unit movement, slowing down infantry, requiring a whole day (turn) to cross for some vehicle units, and completely blocking other units, which must search for an intact bridge. Two units, enemy or allied, can never occupy the same hex at once.

Combat itself takes the form of one unit directly engaging another, without outside interference from any other units which might be in the area. The attacking unit always fires first. If the defending unit is still alive following the first strike, it will retaliate against the attacking unit. Each unit can only attack once per turn and retaliate once per turn, unless a sidebar power enables another attack. Air attacks are always retaliated against, provided that the unit has an anti-air score and will not get killed by the air unit's attack first. Each unit type has three statistics for attacking: effectiveness against infantry (EI), effectiveness against vehicles (EV), and effectiveness against air units (EA). The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists If the attacker's effectiveness stat against the unit type of the defender is higher than the defender's armor rating, damage will be done according to Attacker Effectiveness # - Defender Armor #. If not, no damage or extremely low damage will be done. Some units are specialized to only be able to attack a single type of unit. If enough damage is done to a unit, it will be destroyed.

The objective of the battle is either to destroy all the enemy's units or capture enough objective towns to control the battlefield. Objective towns can be identified for both their Objective Point worth and position on the Map screen, and can be made visible on the main battle screen using the Objective button (flag).

On the left side of the screen are the Sidebar Powers. These powers recharge over time, and the amount of time until they are usable again is shown over their picture/button. In the campaign, depending on the his political rating (judged by how much Collateral Damage (see below) he inflicts), the player will get more powers of varying type.

Unit Data

In battle, if the player click on one of his own units, a bar will appear in the lower right corner. This bar shows all the immediate stats for the unit, including EI, EV, and EA stats, their armor rating (how much attack power a unit can shrug off before it takes damage), their health rating (how much more damage the unit can take until it dies) and their gas level. Gas is required for vehicle and helicopter units to move- moving one hex drains one point of gas. If a unit runs out of gas, it can still attack within its range, but it cannot move for a turn or so until it is resupplied. Infantry, obviously, do not require gas.

There will also be a question-mark button next to the basic stats. Clicking this gives the player a more detailed setup of stats, including its Movement rating (the tire; how many hexes a unit can move per turn), its Attack Range (the target; how many hexes away from itself the unit can attack), its Line of Sight (binoculars; how far away from itself the unit can see), and its Collateral Damage rating (explosion; how much damage the unit will do tho the surrounding environment when it attacks). Line-of-sight propagation refers to Electro-magnetic radiation including light emissions traveling in a straight line Collateral damage is damage that is unintended or incidental to the intended outcome

As units survive multiple combats they also increase in rank. Higher ranked units gain bonuses to their attack, defense, and health.

Specific Units

There are three general types and nine general classes of units. The types are Infantry, Vehicles, and Aircraft. The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists The classes are One-Time Use units (classified as infantry), Infantry, Light Armor, Medium Armor, Heavy Armor, Artillery, Anti-Aircraft, Helicopters, and Aircraft. Artillery (from French artillerie) is a military Combat Arm which employs any apparātus machine Anti-aircraft warfare, or air defense, is any method of engaging hostile military Aircraft in defence of ground objectives, ground or naval forces Each class has a variety of specific units, varying in effectiveness with cost.

One-Time Use Units

These are units which, when used in a battle, are not usable again in another battle. These include defensive towers and bunkers, fixed artillery, and some form of militia. A military bunker is a hardened shelter often buried partly or fully underground designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary Citizens to provide defense emergency law enforcement or Paramilitary service

Infantry

The basic footsloggers. There are three varieties of infantry units, each with its own specialized purpose. Commando-style units are effective against infantry and vehicles, but have no air capacity. Heavy units are less effective against either type of unit, but have an anti-air capacity. Engineers are the weakest in direct combat, but have the ability to construct and place barbed wire, dragon's teeth (an anti-vehicle barricade), and hidden mines that damage enemies which move over them. During World War II the term " dragon's teeth " came to designate square-pyramidal fortifications used to impede the progress of mechanized armies

Light, Medium, and Heavy Armor

All three of these are varieties of armor, with simlilar abilities and differing mainly in cost to attack points. Armor is a primarily anti-vehicle class, but some varieties are more effective against infantry.

Artillery

Though they cannot attack within one hex of themselves and have horrid defense ratings, artillery have the longest range ratings of all types of units. Including both conventional artillery and mobile rocket systems, artillery are the heavy pounders of an assault force but require lots of protection, as they either lack anti-air defense entirely or have horridly weak ratings in it.

Anti-Air

Basically chopper killers. Anti-air units have low or nonexistent ratings against armor and moderate to nonexistent ratings against infantry, but against air units they excel. In addition, each anti-air unit has a "radius of protection" around it; any Airplane unit attacking another unit within that radius gets attacked by the AA unit as well as the defending unit.

Helicopters

With the longest line of sight, the highest movement status, and unimpeded by terrain, helicopters make both good scouts and firefighters. They can move from one front of attack to another with high speed, and are effective against most types of units. There is only one problem with them - they cannot capture objectives. Only ground units can do that, which delegates choppers to the role of support. It's good to have some AA supporting them, too - though most helicopters have an EA rating, it's never high enough to be a big threat to aircraft, and if an enemy spots a chopper the player can be assured they'll send planes after it until either they or it are dead.

Aircraft

These are the backbone support craft, the ace in the hole. Aircraft do not move along the field like other units- they are based at an Airfield and are called in via the Air Strike command menu. There are two types of aircraft: fighter and bomber. Fighter craft have no ground attack stats- they are only good against other aircraft. But they are good at what they do. Fighters can also "patrol" an area from around a hex visible to the player, lending their line of sight to it and their protection to the units below- if an enemy aircraft tries to attack a unit within the radius of the fighter's patrol sweep, it gets automatically attacked. Patrols reset after one turn of both the player and the enemy. It should be noted that fighters always cause damage to other fighters in battles, even if the other fighter shoots them down; however, a patrolling fighter attacking another craft coming into its patrol radius (if not directly attacked itself) does not suffer retaliatory attack. Bombers have no air attack stats- that is why they are bombers. One strike from a bomber will kill most units, and others will be heavily damaged. But bombers have to worry about anti-air, fighters, and the defending unit, so the player should make sure that he has cleared out the area of serious threats before sending them in- two AA units can bring down a bomber and the things are too expensive to lose.

Factions

There are seven playable factions in Shattered Union, each with at least one unit unique to that faction and its own set of sidebar powers.

California Commonwealth

The California Commonwealth is primarily made of the former states of California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Nevada ( is a state located in the western region of the United States of America. The State of Arizona ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States. Though wealthy in natural resources, the population is mostly clustered on the Pacific coast. A country's Pacific coast is the part of its Coast facing the Pacific Ocean. Californians are viewed by the rest of the country as shallow, but with an eye for color; however, they are also creative and resourceful, dangerous as enemies and not hesitant to employ rather controversial tactics, such as the Jackson flamethrower tank.

The Confederacy

The Confederacy is made up of the former states of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States South Carolina ( is a state in the southern region ( Deep South) of the United States of America. The State of Georgia ( is a state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America. Mississippi ( is a state located in the Deep South of the United States The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America Tennessee ( is a state located in the Southern United States. The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America. To the Confederacy, the war is an attack on tradition, and the acts of all other factions are treasonous. Though viewed by the rest of the factions as backwards and stubborn, the Confederacy is actually quite progressive, employing highly advanced armaments like the energy-focused Lee tank, and has little in common with the first Confederacy, apart from geography.

Great Plains Federation

Made up of all or parts of the former states of Minnesota, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, the farmers and herders of the Great Plains banded together in an attempt to preserve the integrity of the U. Minnesota ( Native Americans demonstrated the name to early settlers Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. The State of Iowa ( is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. The State of Indiana ( was the 19th US state admitted into the union Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee Wisconsin ( or wɪˈskɑnsɨn (French Ouisconsin) is one of the fifty United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States Kansas ( is a Midwestern state in the central region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the American " Nebraska ( is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and North Dakota ( is a state located in the Midwestern and Western regions of the United States of America. South Dakota ( is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. The Great Plains are the broad expanse of Prairie and Steppe which lie east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada S. heartlands. Though generally viewed as ultra-conservative dirt farmers with a stubborn streak a mile wide, the members of the Federation are generally more tolerated and tolerant than any other faction, as they were often familiar with or members of them. The Great Plains faction's special unit is the FCS Grant 400mm self-propelled howitzer.

New England Alliance

The NEA is made up of parts or all of the former states of New York, New Hampshire, Ohio, West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous New Hampshire ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads West Virginia ( is a state in the Appalachian Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern The State of Maine ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean Vermont ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Rhode Island ( officially named the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, is a state in the New England region of the United States The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Members of the Alliance are driven and feel a strong sense of purpose in the war. Though only comprised of three territories, the NEA has one of the highest population densities in America, and possesses a lot of industry, producing such powerful units as the Bragg rocket tank. Prior to the secession, New Englanders felt that they were not given a strong enough vote.

Pacifica

Made up of parts or all of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado, Pacifica came into being when refugees from San Francisco were forced from their homes by Californian militia. Washington ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The State of Idaho ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. Montana ( is a state in the Western United States. One-third of the state in the western part contains numerous mountain ranges (approximately 77 named of the northern The State of Wyoming ( is a sparsely populated state in the western region of the United States. The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city With nowhere else to turn, the region formed a defensive pact. Pacificans are often viewed as tree-hugging technophiles with no grasp on reality. However, the Pacificans see the war as a struggle against aggression and have put their technology to use in units like the Stuart gatling tank, preparing themselves to fight to the end.

The Republic of Texas

Some people argue that the Republic was just an excuse away from forming since Texas joined the union. Made up of parts or all of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri, the Republic is ferociously independent and a step away from anarchy. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. New Mexico ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. Oklahoma ( is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. Arkansas ( is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee Though regarded as beer-swilling cowboys and gun toting rabble, Texans are also known to live by no-nonsense rules and take a dim view of traitors and bureaucrats. Texans are surprisingly advanced as far as technology goes, employing such weapons as the monstrous Hood plasma-cannon tank and experimental cybernetic infantry.

The European Union Occupation

The breakup of the U. S. compounded the growing instability in the world due to the loss of such a large and prolific goods market. In a rush vote, the E.U. sent in a "peacekeeping" force to reestablish the union of states before the chaos spreading across America spread into the rest of the world. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The E. U. peacekeeping force now resides in a single territory made up of parts or all of Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, but American resentment has grown since the E. Delaware ( is a state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. West Virginia ( is a state in the Appalachian Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by U. decided to expand its role in the war. None of the units employed by the E. U. are the same as the American units, though their purposes are little different.

Russia

Though they possess no medium armor, only one class each of Anti-Air, Artillery, Helicopters, Fighters, and Bombers, and only two classes of Heavy and Light Armor, the Russians are still by far the most powerful faction that the player will face. Their units are deadly, heavily armored, and have long ranges and movement stats, and since the player crosses them only once, in Alaska, they have no compunctions against throwing everything into the fray. Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent The occupation of Alaska, led by General Vladekov, was not supported by the Russian Federation, but victory or defeat in Alaska could lead to a political swing in Russia. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending

External links

• Shattered Union official website
• Shattered Union for Xbox information from Gamespot
• Shattered Union for Windows information from IGN