Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders Preview

A Perfect Image

Since we presented the storyline and the main game features in our previous coverage, this time we are going to focus on different matters and the info provided by the good people at Phantagram Interactive.

Err... Our handsome soldiers are lost in the woods.

Right, the enemy is in sight, wait for it people!!

Currently the game is being developed for the Xbox exclusively, which is why the developers have maintained their focus on optimizing the gameplay for the controllers, rather than the PC keyboard and mouse standard. (We'll still have to wait in order to find out more about the PC version.) So, the goal of the development team was to go forth into unfamiliar territory and cast away the conventional methods of unit control. RTS games on a console? How do you make it work? Typically, the player would use a quick mouse movement to select the requested troops, but with no mouse on a console, this would be more difficult. The developers knew this, and engineered a clear-cut control scheme, in which the players can manage an entire squad of troops instead of having to bother with each one individually. You simply take control of a single hero unit (or a sub-hero unit) and the rest of your forces will follow.

Making Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusader wasn't exactly easy. The main task was to re-create all of those old 2D buildings, units, and surroundings in full 3D. According to the creative team at Phantagram, the graphics are going to be optimized to fully exploit the Xbox's capabilities. In our previous article you learned about the vast number of polygons that were incorporated into the in-game models. The same approach was used in representing the background. Plus, you will be treated to some tasty particle effects, as well as cool reflections on the models and objects in the environment. Also, remember that the game's going to feature real-time model damage, due to which players will have a vivid picture of true medieval-style warfare. Everything you'd expect to see in a large scale battle will be there: after fighting your troops start to looking exhausted, dirtying their armor and clothes with blood and mud. Sounds cool you must admit!

From what we've seen on our exclusive video, the characters are beautifully animated and every single troop shows a considerable amount of detail. As your army marches through the fields and forests to meet the foe, dust floats in the air from the stomping of your unit's feet. Next to all of these spicy effects the game appears to have realistic day and night cycles. Anyway, I know you think that would be enough visuals for one RTS game. Believe it or not, the game designers are intently working on various neat magic effects - fire boulders represent only a portion of what they have in store (check out this effect in the clip and on one of the screens).

As displayed in the footage, the beefed up effects have produced a rather sluggish frame-rate. Additionally, it is important to stress that the footage represents a mere slice of the juicy special effects you will witness in the game. Therefore, we urge you not to make any snap judgments regarding technical issues, unit performance, or AI routine. Thus far, the game is only half-done, which means there's still a lot of toiling and tweaking left for the development team at Phantagram.

Troops, foes, and warfare!

Since I've mentioned warfare, you'd be happy to know that the game has a good range of siege weaponry you can look forward to - for example; players can use the catapult (mighty useful for long-range attacks). There will also be quite a few units to behold on the battlefield such as javelineers, regular cavalry, archers, archer-cavalry, and so on.

Your choice boils down to two different races, the Hironeiden and the Eclessia. Both of these races have four strong and prominent leaders, who are destined to guide their armies through combat. Every hero-unit will be supplied with a specific type of weapon and a unique set of abilities. This is where players will have to rely on their strategic skills, if they wish to prevail over a foe that's much stronger in numbers and arms.

We were really impressed when we saw how much effort was put into the design of enemy troops. Orcs and what not will be attacking you in vast numbers. These extensive Orc formations are reinforced with menacing 10 feet tall ogre-units that have a particularly lethal swing move, which sends your troops flying sky-high (kind of like the routine we saw at the beginning of Fellowship of The Ring, when the unstoppable Sauron strikes at a host of men and elves). At any rate, even when you surround the ogre by multiple troops, it may take you a while to overcome it.

Boy, this heat caused certain female individual to dispose a portion of her costume.

Don't fear, our hero can handle the situation.

Hold the Line! Stay With Me!

Fortunately, the humans have a few advantages themselves. First of all, your hero represents the pinnacle of your army's might. Heroes can boost the moral of your units and can confront several enemy units, taking them all down simultaneously. Your main character has various sword-fighting moves, enriched with a couple of useful abilities such as a very effective punch and a swift kick. Ah but that's not all, heroes play an essential role on the battleground. They lead the troops into combat and issue out commands. Basically, your hero symbolizes a genius of military strategy.

In actuality, various things direct the course of a battle. Besides moral, experience points, and attack timing, Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusades has a number of factors that will determine the performance of your soldiers - for instance, they may be dazzled by sunlight and their efficiency can change according to terrain contours (ground height and surrounding nature). Weaponry and the density of soldiers are also things that could affect the player's strategy.

The gameplay clip shows a very practical interface and a simple map system. It demonstrates a couple of things: convenient camera placing, which can apparently be altered at any time; an easy-to-use map that allows you to effortlessly create and realize your battle plan - checking out the location of enemy defense forces, positioning your archers, using you spells in the right moment (the "fire boulders" raining from the sky), etc.

Epic Atmosphere Going Online?

While watching the delicious clip you will notice that the in-game atmosphere is reminiscent of big-screen blockbusters like Lord of The Rings and Gladiator. The sounds of orders being shouted over a cacophony of clashing arms, along with highly detailed surroundings create an intense epic feeling. There's one small flaw though. The movie has a hard-core-trash-metal music track in the background, which sure as hell doesn't coincide with the magnificent action taking place on the screen. Hm, well that's just probably me.

Phantagram seems to be making outstanding progress. Up until a few moths ago, we were not certain Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders would feature online capabilities, or any kind of multiplayer mode for that matter. Thankfully Phantagram informed us that they're planning a massive network/online option - which indirectly confirms that the game is being adapted for Xbox Live.

OK, without any further ado, we leave you to enjoy the exclusive movie and screens we received from the makers of this extraordinary strategy game. Do your best not to drool too much...