Order of War
We test drive the meticulously detailed World War II real-time-strategy game from Square Enix, due autumn.
Americans versus the Germans, or Germans versus the Russians – whichever side you choose, the realism of these WWII scenarios is hoped to engender fear and respect for all those involved. They might also change forever our perception of Square Enix as purveyors of Japan-oriented console RPGs. Order of War is the first western-developed project to be published by Square Enix outside of Japan, and it is exclusively for PC.
Order of War has been developed in co-operation with strategy game specialists Wargaming.net. The intention, as explained to us during a recent hands-on session, is to offer a ‘Total War’ type experience, but without the need to manage complex on-screen menus. In practice this means using the arrow keys or Q and E buttons on the keyboard to direct the viewpoint while using the mouse to issue commands directly to highlighted soldiers or vehicles. In fact most action-oriented commands can be handled via the mouse alone, even altering the viewpoint to a more limited extent.
The first of two maps we tried involved US soldiers attempting to rush down heavy artillery on a nearby hill. On default difficulty your resources are not limited, but you will still only succeed in good time with a carefully considered strategy. This is to keep players involved in the game while learning to think as a real commander. However on the toughest difficulty you’ll only have the troops and hardware that you took to the battlefield, which ought to please hard-line RTS fans. We played through this section without knowing about the cinematic zoom option but even so appreciated the detail as men rushed into position and tanks crunched through woodland to move within range.
On the second map the Germans had occupied a small town and the only way to flush them out was to send in an air-strike. Sending in the flyboys was a simple enough task, highlighting the target area after clicking the air-strike icon. Being British it would’ve been more emotionally rewarding to see Whirlwinds or Mosquitos raising hell, but the US P-47s put on a fine display! And it was all the more impressive after discovering the ‘cinema’ button (it isn’t actually called that, but never mind) that shows dramatic camera angles of your manoeuvres once decided. It’s kind of like a sports replay or the kind of attract scenes from FUEL or Forza Motorsport. Looks brilliant if your lads are giving the enemy a pounding, but not such an attractive option if you’ve sent them all to die in vain!
Up close the detail on soldiers and all vehicles is quite astounding for an RTS. We were also impressed to see that the soldiers all moved as individuals rather than following the same set pattern – reminiscent of the Massive (Multiple Agent Simulation System in Virtual Environment) crowd simulation technique used by Peter Jackson for his Lord of the Rings movies.
Historians should take note that all events in this ‘summer of 1944’ slice of WWII are based on actual operations on the eastern and western fronts during that time. You’ll also be able to take charge of Hitler’s forces if you wish, see how you fare against the Red Army. Controversial perhaps, but tactically fascinating if you’re a student of the war in Europe.
In the absence of a WWII Total War from Creative Assembly / EA, and given the user-friendly although authentic approach adopted by Wargaming.net, we’re greatly looking forward to spending more time with Order of War.
