It is usually hard to know what to expect when a gaming genre makes the jump to the next-gen; is it all just about improved graphics? With World in Conflict however, you have a simple, yet powerful, explanation of what is coming your way from "Cece" Cederstrom, lead game designer of Team 2 at Massive, We want to take this really beautiful environment, that looks amazing, then just set out a war on this map, and blow everything to pieces. And when you're done, you're fighting in an ashtray. That's the goal of it all. Burn it down.
Destruction, and plenty of it, seems to be the driving force behind World in Conflict then; but there is some method to its madness. To begin to understand how the game will play, you will first need to understand the task with which Larry Bond, co-writer of many Tom Clancy novels, was burdened. Envision a past/future which results in an American/Soviet conflict in the late eighties. This what if scenario would allow Massive to unravel their vision of what a next-gen RTS game should look and play like.
As the Soviet war machine invades the U.S., in an attempt to divert attention from its war in Europe, the scene is set for an epic, high definition, war to end all wars. The single player campaign is made up of fourteen missions, each taking place on a new map. Since each mission will include multiple objectives, it is expected to take a, well-versed, player over one hour to complete. This would make the single player a 15-25 hour experience, depending on the style of each player.
Nuclear explosions play havoc with the light
The maps will vary considerably and will feature real world locations such as France, Russia and even downtown Seattle. Each map will be totally destructible allowing players to become innovative with the destruction they unleash. The player assumes the role of Lieutenant Parker and has to rise within the ranks and earn the right to use bigger and more powerful weapons, “Cece” explains, You are not supreme commander in our game. You are one of the guys fighting in the trenches, fighting for your life and the life of your men. It's not like you're sitting in some war room and just ordering units. You're there on the battlefield, and that's an important difference.
The rest of the cast, Massive have gone after strong characters in the game, is made up of the no-nonsense, old school Colonel Sawyer; the career soldier, Captain Webb; and the inexperienced Captain Bannon , whose career you witness unfold during the progress of the game.
“The Briefings”, cutscenes which aim to ease players into the missions, provide the necessary information but also add to the emotional impact of the game by providing characters and detailed facial features which draw the player in. During your mission a variety of scripted events, such as the bombing of an area by the U.S. Air Force, will take place and their aftermath i.e. the smoking remains of a U.S. target, will mark the mission environment.
As with any RTS, the more units you control the more havoc you may unleash and in World in Conflict you can control up to over 20 units with the U.S. faction, even more with the Soviets and the mysterious, third faction. All units, of course, fit in with the late 80’s era chosen as the game’s background. The immersion effect of the game is not exhausted at facial characteristics and detailed unit, over 10,000 lines of radio chatter have been recorded and are replayed during the course of your missions.
Once the mission begins you may explore your surroundings using the game’s 3D Camera system which will let you preview the entire map in all its visually stunning glory. You will not, of course, be able to see enemy units that you have not also spotted, in-game. Additional navigational aid comes from the MegaMap, an overhead 3D view of the terrain which holds updated terrain information; so if something is destroyed you can see it on your MegaMap.
When an objective is captured, immediate fortifications will appear including anti-air, anti-tank and machine-gun. Cece made Massive’s intentions clear, We do not have any base-building or resource-harvesting. We focus on action, and getting quickly into the matches and just having fun.
Multiplayer The developers of World in Conflict have invested a great deal in the game’s multiplayer mode as they see MP being an essential part of a modern RTS. Players do not get command of an entire army but instead have to choose from four categories; air, armor, infantry, and support.
An in-game reward system offers players Tactical Aid Points for every successful attack. Aggregating those points leads to the availability of special attacks ranging from air-support to a nuclear strike. Full details of the multiplayer mode are being closely guarded by Massive but it is clear that those classic modes such as assault and skirmish will be definitely available. These will have teams competing to gain checkpoints, spread out across the map.
The multiplayer system, according to Massive, has been developed with teamwork in mind. Protecting bases or attacking them successfully will depend on coordinated and well-thought out strategies.
World in Trouble