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Derek dela Fuente
07/08/2003
From the creators of S.W.I.N.E comes a new strategy title set during WWII...
CDV has now gained a reputation for releasing classic and well presented strategy titles and on their production line next is Codename: Panzers coming from Hungarian studio Storm Region, which has previously created the highly acclaimed S.W.I.N.E game.
Codename: Panzers is a 3D tactical combat that fuses RTS (real-time strategy) and RPG (role-playing game) elements where massive tanks are a crucial element set in World War II. Russian, German and Allied troops fight in three campaigns and more than 30 breathe-taking single player missions are on offer. Over a hundred authentic 3D vehicles are at the playerâs disposal as well as a wide range of ground troops. We spoke with Tamas Szeremy, MD at Storm Region, to get a fuller briefing on what Codename: Panzers offers.
Amongst some of the interesting features is the strategic possibilities, such as occupying enemy tanks, entering strongholds and buildings and, more importantly, being able to hear the noise of tank engines and tracks or weapon fire which plays an integral part in your possible success. Also more compellingly the soldiers gain experience during battles and develop four weapon skills. Throughout the course of the game vehicles and squads of soldiers can be carried between missions making it necessary for you to take care of your men - keep them alive and develop their skills as best you can.
With such a mouth-watering list of features, Tamas was eager to add his comments.
"The programming team has created an excellent and smooth 3D engine and has done a lot of research but it is far from over. We've got a bookcase full of WWII volumes covering every subject we need and more than a hundred modelling magazines but the Internet is our largest source of information, where you can find full and detailed battle descriptions, veterans' stories, data on vehicles and pictures of uniforms. We also check as much from the net as we can to make sure the data is correct. We try to stick to historical facts as long as it's in harmony with the game play, which is our first concern. Most missions are historical or linked to historical events but there are some fictional ones too which let us indulge in our imagination."
Atmosphere, story and GAMEPLAY, which takes precedence, are the three focused areas for the team.
Tamas summarised: "In three campaigns (German, Soviet, American-British) the player is presented with 30 challenging, sometimes adventurous, missions placed on varying locations. By accomplishing objectives you receive prestige that can be spent on requiring newly developed tanks, self-propelled guns and infantry with the latest weapons. Every good deed is rewarded, including freeing civilians from houses kept by the enemy. Realistic damage model, revolutionary experiencing system, easy and obvious unit and camera control make the game even more enjoyable. The ATMOSPHERE is guaranteed by high polygon objects with detailed textures, authentic vehicles, airplanes and infantry uniforms and amazing visual effects, like explosions, fire, smoke, real time self-shadow. In addition to the graphics, impressive sound effects will help you enter into the spirit of the battle."
âThere are ten types of squads consisting of varying numbers of troops with different weapons. You have every kind of vehicle you might need on the ground and in the air: self-propelled artillery, towed artillery, armoured cars, fighter planes, bombers and dive-bombers, motorized anti-air guns, jeeps, trucks to transport infantry and tow the guns, repair trucks to keep all the vehicles in good condition and ammunition trucks to resupply all the fighting vehicles. Besides the most important and famous tanks (Tiger, Panther, T-34, KVI-II, Sherman, Churchill) and self-propelled guns (Wespe, Hummel, Bishop) you will have all the vehicles on all sides that played a role in the war. We are not including vehicles that were manufactured in small numbers except some really interesting developments that you will see when fighting against the Germans: V1-V2 rocket, Dora huge railway cannon, Natter (Viper) rocket propelled airplane.â
Altogether more than a hundred vehicles to control, plus other forms of transportation: tram, train and so on
To add to the points Tamas made, the soldiers can see much farther than tanks so you have to use them as the eyes of the tanks. They can also hear which means a half-track or tank symbol appears where they heard it. This hearing range is reduced by the noise of rain. You can give the soldiers equipment like magnetic AT-mine, inflatable boat, hand-grenade, tank mine, mine detector, etc. to make them versatile.
The STORY of your hero, presented by in-game animations, unfolds as you advance in the campaign. Motion captured animations, smooth and realistic camera movement creates the impression of a war movie. As the would be hero you control an elite detachment. The number of units you can send into battle is limited by the mission but as you advance you can have more and more units. In some missions you receive allied reinforcements that will double your force just enough to repel the enemy attack.
As there are three sides to select, in turn there are three stories of the three heroes and are not separate as the characters actions sometimes overlap and in the plot lies cross over. When playing the American-British campaign you meet Hans von Gröbel who was your hero through the German campaign. The American hero Jeffrey Wilson and your British hero James Barnes have to save each other from time to time. In the end they don't even know who owes the other more.
Getting the AI right and ensuring authentic and plausible interaction is being worked on as Tamas explained. "You'll encounter Polish, French and Hungarian armies and Yugoslavian partisans. French partisans will help on the western front. In our previous game, SWINE, the units with different experience level had different unit AI that proved to be not the best idea. The player couldn't really know what to expect from an advancing enemy. Science often adopts solutions from nature. That's exactly we had to do, look at history, and tell why an army is stronger than another. Technological development of weapons, quantity of weapons and soldiers and the quality of the soldiers determine the strength of an army. This is altered by several factors like the terrain."
A couple of typical scenarios on offer will see you in Stalingrad where Hans - the German hero - saves the life of a little Russian girl who is lost. The girl is about to walk out into the open straight into crossfire when Hans dives saving her life while he himself gets injured. You will then see him being transported back to Germany into a hospital and his fate in unknown until ... well, you'll see in the game.
Conversely the story of the Russian hero contains some emotional parts. Alexander (Sasha) meets his parents when he leads his recon team into the village where he was born. He hasn't seen them for a long time so it's a warm welcome. Sasha gets to know a girl Michelle who is also a spy and they fall in love with each other. A French resistance group led by Michelle helps us in Normandy by spying on the enemy. Later Jeffrey and James, the American and British heroes, free her from German captivity. All this might sound very bland but the team has tried to create an emotional side to the game, which is a real part of war. Many war games come across as very clinical and formularised so trying to have some affinity with some of the in game personnel must be a move in the right direction.
Getting into the game should be painless and intuitive, and familiarising with the game is not over with the three tutorials, as the first missions of the campaigns are easy. In these missions you practice fighting with infantry only then later with the different kind of vehicles and off-screen fire support.
In-game animations interrupt gameplay to bring the story forward, to show spectacular actions or to give you a clue on how to complete a certain objective.
"Our intention was to balance infantry and vehicles so that they are equally important in the game. No more disposable infantry, actually they are very important since it is the crew not the tank who learns. On the other hand infantry is far from enough to stop a combined attack. Armoured transport vehicles increase their mobility and defence, artillery and bombers increase their range of fire and damage, recon planes extend their sight and tanks help them to break the enemy line."
