Theatre of War Preview

Russian development team 1C: Madox Games, creators of the excellent World War II inspired flight simulation IL-2 Strumovik: Forgotten Realms, steps onto the gaming scene with another project, dubbed Theatre of war (previously titled: Wartime Command: Battle for Europe 1939-45.) (Ed. - Oh Goody. Another World War II game.) At this turn at bat, the developers are eager to prove their talents in the realm of real-time strategy games. Still, even though this game won't break any records of uniquness, Wartime Command should be different from strategies we're used to today. It's being hailed as a much more realistic tactical combat game than the competition. It will allow you to zoom right in on the action and view your vehicles and units down to the last detail. Of course, quite a few RTS titles nowadays feature detailed 3D graphics and flexible camera movement, but this title will have a bit more to offer. Judging from the media (take a gander at the screens) Wartime will boast vehicles and soldier models large enough to accommodate a FPS game. From the looks of it, 1C is on the right track with this one.

Wartime Command covers the entire period of WWII, from the invasion of Poland and France in 1939-40, all the way to the D-Day landings of 1944 and the fall of Germany in 1945. Players have the opportunity to control Allied or Axis armies, choosing from many different countries - American, British, French, Russian, or German. Every army in the game by the way, is equipped with numerous vehicles, weapons, planes, and units, all of which distinctly resemble those from war-stricken Europe from 1939-45.

Basically, this game is all about controlling a small group of units, ranging from your average infantry soldier to huge tanks and warplanes. From what was revealed at this point, the game allows you to control over 100 individual units during the campaigns. (Ed. - Not all at the same time obviously.) Diversity is not the only thing that characterizes units in Wartime Command. First of all, there are several factors that greatly influence the performance of each and every unit on the battlefield - combat experience, morale, and individual skills. All of these aspects are a rather welcomed addition to the gameplay and they promise some serious RTS fun. Believe it or not, there are 36 attributes that determine the way soldiers will conduct themselves during combat. These characteristics increase as players progress through the campaign and you'll then be able to distribute experience points to various attributes, such as accuracy and speed. You can level a single unit until it achieves a maximum number of points in a particular skill. Highly skilled members of your squad are likely to make it through the toughest combat situations. But alas, once these units die, they'll take all their hard-earned experience with them. Units may also enter tanks and be trained to operate as a team in vehicles or on foot. The original aspect here is the possibility of training troops in various ways. For instance, you may place a medic within a tank and in due time he will become an excellent tank driver. Nice one, eh? As a commander you are obliged to take care of all units. Because at the beginning of each mission there's a rather limited amount of them to help you... rather like in real-life WWII battle situations, but good tactics are the key to making a good commander. Players can often call in reinforcements via air strikes, long-range artillery barrages, and paratrooper drops.

The development team also went all out in their efforts to convey genuine maps by reconstructing over 33 authentic European locations and recreating many missions based on historical events. Actual photographs were used in the making of these maps to achieve a bona fide World War II ambiance. The impressive thing is that some maps stretch up to one square kilometer. To make players feel they're actually part of one of the world's greatest conflict, the developers have allowed you to look about three or four kilometers into the distance and take a peek at other battles that take place in the background. Although you cannot participate in these battles, it still presents a good addition to the in-game realism.

To cope with all the vehicles, troop models, and various background details on screen, 1C decided to utilize an upgraded version of the IL-2 Strumovik graphics engine. The graphics in Wartime Command promise to deliver a satisfactory array of details in the backdrop such as trees, grass, and highly detailed objects like houses and bridges. Water surfaces also look quite captivating... for an RTS anyway. Also, some of the surfaces like grass and trees can provide perfect opportunities for ambushes.

Next to the comprehensive and involving single-player campaign, gamers should look forward to experiencing some solid multiplayer action. The game will include ten separate maps that have been designed solely for your multiplayer amusement. You'll also get to try out eight different modes with your friends in Internet or LAN matches.

For the time being, it's a bit hard to forecast how this game will do once it hits the shelves in 2004. Still, from what we've seen and heard so far, Wartime Command promises to give C&C: Generals a run for its money. Keep an eye out for more updates on this one in the coming months.