Tom Clancy's EndWar
Preview
Find out why RTS games might finally work out on consoles
by Patrick Steinmann
previewed on PS3
Units
Every faction will have seven basic unit types: Riflemen, Engineers, Tanks, Transport, Gunships, Artillery, and Command Vehicles. While this may seem rather rudimentary, each type will have several dozen upgrade possibilities, and you can also evolve them into new unit types, e.g. upgrade a rifleman to a sniper. A very interesting feature is the experience system. The more battles a unit has lived through and the longer it has been in your army, the smarter it behaves on the battlefield. Smart soldiers will, when, for example, ordered to storm a house, execute coordinated drills, while fresh recruits will just storm in (and presumably get mowed down). This should give a sense of ownership over your troops and make sure you actually care about the well-being of your men, plus it will serve as a sort of reward system for fighting efficiently.
Gameplay
The Gameplay in EndWar will, as a sort of complement to the Voice Command feature, focusses on what a true general does in a battle. None of that “where should I build this factory?” rubbish. Now, you simply dish out the orders. In the same manner, you won’t view the battlefield from a high, 3D perspective; instead, EndWar throws you down into the grime and grit with your troops. To know what’s happening on the field of battle, you switch between various 3rd person views behind your troops. This not only does away with annoying fog of war (as you’ll only ever see what your troops see), but also creates a quite immersive feeling. In true general style, you can however always refer to a large tactical map, containing all known friendly and enemy positions, to plan assaults and set waypoints. This is where the Madden reference comes to play, as you call the “plays” for the whole team, but only control one guy in-game. Another rather important privilege of generals is calling in the big stuff. While all three superpowers are too scared to go full-scale on the nukes and WMDs, in drastic situations, these may be the only way to succeed.
Mission Types
EndWar will come with a plethora of different mission types. These will include Conquest, where you and your enemy will try to reach and secure various key points scattered on the map, Annihilation, Sabotage Siege, a Holdoff-type mission where you must ward off assaults from various enemy troops, as well as terrorist-hunting missions. It has been mentioned that there are various ways of accomplishing the goal of the mission. For example, if you’re playing a Conquest mission and notice you won’t be able to reach the crucial point in time, you can simply drop a so-called “Rod from God” from a satellite onto that point, effectively annihilating it and any troops in its proximity, and calmly make your way to your enemy’s strongholds to take them over.
Multiplayer Galore
RTS games are destined for multiplayer, and EndWar makes not exception. A great feature here is the possibility to stage huge, global conflicts. Many dozen players form one of the three factions, and then battle across Europe, with the “frontiers” being adjusted every day based on how every “team” member fought in his respective battle for a small piece of the line. These gigantic wars might well go on for weeks if not months, depending on how equal the factions are. Beyond that, we expect the usual mix of multiplayer missions, probably based on the single-player mission types. De Plater has said that quite a few of the mission types were not only available in co-op mode, but rather designed with co-op mode in mind.
Finale
I sincerely hope that Ubisoft can continue on its current course. With its Voice Command feature, immersive gameplay and great multiplayer, this game may well become a must-have for all RTS fans in 2008.
