Warhammer: Mark of Chaos
Preview
This game will certainly revolutionalise the way we see RTSs with its beautiful graphics, soundscape, and heroic story arcs
by Marko Susimetsä
previewed on PC
Brutal visuals
The developers of Warhammer: Mark of Chaos have taken the miniatures of Games Workshop along with the rest of the vast Warhammer universe and converted that onto the computer screen. For the art department, this probably made the job somewhat easier, since all the designs already exist and they just had to be converted into computer graphics. It certainly appears that they have done their job, as every character is realized with a level of detail not seen in most other strategy games. Furthermore, the engine is flexible enough to ensure that the soldiers or monsters in your units never look the same - no more clone armies - as every single one of them is randomly generated from various pre-made parts: heads, body, armor, weapons etc. During battles, units can suffer a variety of wounds and scars and damage to further separate them from their peers.
The camera allows you to zoom in and take a close view of the battle, from above one of your heroes' shoulder, and truly take the player into what is happening on the battlefield. The animations of the characters, their movement, battle techniques etc, are all unique to each race and character type. With all that variation, it is almost impossible to get bored with the game.
Gameplay
Warhammer: Mark of Chaos will offer several different gameplay modes, including online play and various quests, such as a raid of Sigmarite Priests' caravan, a rescue of a Skaven Warlord, as well as a variety of escort missions. In the single-player campaign, the player will build his stronghold and fight mighty battles against the three other major factions. Ranging from siege warfare against emeny strongholds, defending your own, to major clashes on the open battlefield, it is all there. The focus of the average game in Mark of Chaos will be on developing your armies and heroes, grabbing territory and thenstrengthening and defending them.
You will control your wars on a huge tactical map. On it, you can make most of the strategic preparations for the battles. The actual battles are fought in real-time but before they start, you have time to plan. During this phase you can make tactical choices about your unit composition, the heroes you will bring and the use of musicians and standard-bearer units that provide extra bonuses to your armies' fighting abilities. The tactical map also comes in handly when moving your armies from one region to the next, base-building, resource management and research. When the battle starts, the game zooms in on the combat area and give you a close-up of this smaller area.
Since every faction has their own very different units, their strengths and weaknesses against the various enemy units need to be taken into account when planning and conducting a battle. For example, Cavalry units need room to be effective. If the enemy closes in, it cannot function at full strength.
Each faction in the game can have up to four hero units to help control your (hopefully) massive armies. These hero units will command the armies but also provide all sorts of bonuses. Heroes can also fight themselves and are able to enter into a 'duel mode' with enemy heroes, duking it out without any outside disturbances. The winner of these duels gets to take the other hero's treasure and will also benefit in experience points that, in turn, can be used to develop the hero into an even more formidable commander and fighter.
Overall
Everything about Warhammer: The Mark of Chaos 'breathes' the next-gen ambiance. While it retains many of the standard characteristics of the traditional RTS, it also introduces more detail, more variety in unit graphics and more complexity in warfare than most of its competitors. The hero and champion units have also been taken onto the next level and the duels really add something new to the genre. With unbelievably beautiful graphics, a fantastic soundscape and heroic story arcs, this Warhammer title will surely stand one step above the competition. The game is to be released later this year and I just know that fans of the series will barely be able to contain themselves in the meanwhile!
