I didn't find anything here at B3D for Frontlines: Fuel of War, so I thought I would do my own little preview. I will be getting into the beta soon (woot!) so I can probably share more in a month or so. I am a huge Desert Combat fan, so I am quite excited for this title. DC is to Battlefield 2 as Bioshock is to System Shock 2 in many ways. So Battlefield fans should keep their eyes on this (especially since Kaos was the R&D team for BF2).
This game is totally flying under the radar. I know there isn't a lot of media out for the game and Kaos is a new studio. Battlefield is one of my top 3 all time favorite games and loved Desert Combat and played it, literally, for years. So seeing Kaos bring out a new game is exciting to me. I don't know if FFOW will live up to the pedigree, but I see some reasons to be interested, especially for console gamers as it offers a lot in the console space that, frankly, console gamers haven't seen yet. Here are some reasons why console gamers, on top of BF fans, should give this game a serious look when it comes out in early 2008.
#1. Kaos may be the new kid on the block, but their short resume is impressive.
Kaos, formerly known as Trauma Studios, made one of the most popular mods ever--Desert Combat. Very few mods are played more than their counterparts. You have CounterStrike / Half-Life, of course, but the Desert Combat / Battlefield 1942 combi is impressive. HL and BF1942 both sold milions (8M for HL, and about 3M for BF1942). EA estimated that 30% of BF1942 sales were the direct result of people wanting to play Desert Combat (so nearly 1M sales for a mod!) and at one point there were more DC servers active online than BF1942 vanilla clients. Desert Combat won a lot of "mod of the year" awards and was an absolutely amazing total conversion. Kaos did a lot of work on Battlefield 2. BF2 had excellent sales and is routinely in the top 5 played PC games online--2 years after release. Kaos did a lot of work on the commander mode and squad systems in BF2 (some of its best elements).
Kaos may be green, but they have shown they can do some quality work. If I hadn't played DC I would be totally overlooking this game too (yet another shooter! grrr) -- but DC totally drew me in for like 3 years. It was a blast, which gives me some hope for DC2 errr FFOW.
#2. Gameplay: Team-Class-Objective based.
A lot of online shooters appeal only to the top 10% of gamers. You either are good... or are connon fodder. The "Conquest" style gameplay in Day of Defeat, Battlefield, and FFOW gets away from that by implimenting a couple twists.
First, the game is team based. There is no death match. The game design is built completely around teamplay. Two teams, each with 16+ players, working together. And you need to work together because...
Second, the game is objective based. The goal isn't to kill everyone else. That can help you achieve your goal, but if you focus on killing you will lose. It is vital to coordinate squads and which objectives you take. Every time you succeed at taking a point the "battle front" or "frontline" progresses. There are typically 3 or 4 objectives that you can take in whatever order you wish. It is important to work together and to compliment your team, so they...
Third, the game is class based. The reality is that only a small percentage of gamers can be uber shooter masters. What about the other 80-90% of gamers? Being able to play a significant role to aid your team is rewarding. Sure, you may not be the best run&gunner, but teams still need medics and engineers. A good support role can help your squad stay healthy, longer, and do more damage. Class based team shooters create a dynamic where all sorts of gamers can be vital cogs to winning. FFOW has six classes (Assault, Heavy Assault, Sniper, Anti-Vehicle, Special Operations, and Close Combat). Each class has at least 15 weapon load outs. A breakdown of the classes:
For the unitiated, Conquest (aka Territories) is where you have bases and points to "capture". You do this by going to a point/base, killing the enemies, and being there long enough to "turn" it to your side. Now you must defend this territory and capture more. If you capture enough territories/control points, the other teams tickets bleed down. Once they are out the game is over and you win. So the fighting is over points on the map, which requires teamwork and ingenuity to win. Being sneaky is as effective as going in guns blazing. And being a lonewolf has a palce -- like being a sniper literally spotting arty and such for the rest of the team -- the reality is those who succeed are those working as a squad. Voice chat... made useful!
The industry really has a glut of UT/Q3A clones. DM and TDM, weapons spawn in open fields, and only the best twitchy gamers excell. While there will always be room for these games, a Team-Class-Objective based style really opens the door to deeper, more varied gameplay. DoD and BF really excel here and FFOW looks to carry on the tradition. And seeing as Battlefield 3 is still a ways off, it looks like slim pickings for this sort of game. The most similar efforts are the excellent looking TF2 and CoD4.
#3. Gameplay: Vehicles.
FFOW sets itself apart from games like TF2 and CoD4 in a number of ways. The most relevant way it separates itself is vehicles. If Battlefield was the mother of all vehicle-based FPS (with an assist from Battlezone, another favorite game of mine), then Desert Combat was the 'Big Daddy'. Where BF1942 had WWII tanks and planes, DC had A-10s, F-15s, Apaches, M1 Tanks, and AC-130s. FFOW carries on the tradition -- 21st century tanks, jeeps, helicopters, APCs, etc. The new twist is drones and drone countermeasures.
The most exciting element about the vehicles for me is they are receptive to fan feedback (they are promising a lot of community support). For example, helicopters. You have two approaches to helos: the "CPU-assist" style like Battlefield: Vietnam, EoD, and to a degree BF:2. And then you have Desert Combat: turn on a dime, loops, barrel rolls, and amazing control. DC helos were harder to control, but for those with skill could make them dance. So Kaos has 2 flight models: A beginner model where flying and hovering are pretty straight forward. And for the flyboys they are putting in a model like DC where you have a ton of control over the helo to make it the perfect killing machine.
It is the small touches like this that have me interested in the game. Another nice touch is vehicles have different armor depth across the chasis and react differently to different ammo types. It is surprising how some games still don't do this. While this may be the first full release from Kaos, these sort of finely tuned elements of the game are what you expect from a company making their 3rd game in a series. Right now the game has over 60 weapons and vehicles.
#4. Gameplay: Drones.
One of the twists to FFOW is there are a number of tech trees, one being drone tech. Pick the "drone technician" tech tree, and as you progress in your current match you will be granted access to more and more technology. Drones include mini predator drones, anti-infantry minigun tanks, and RC style cars. Drones can give you a view of more of the map or help you root out embedded enemies. Of course a drone tech tree wouldn't be complete if the other side didn't have countermeasures. A nice EMP grenade goes a long way to neutralizing a soilder who invested in drone technology (more on roles, like countermeasures, later).
As a drone technician you can deploy equipment and operate it in the heat of battle. In many cases you can take cover and allow the drone to do your dirty work. On the Western Coalition side you start off with a Predator drone. These can identify enemies (which show up on your teammate radar) and can explode inside bunkers. The Level 2 drone gives you access to chain gun on wheels, and Level 3 a motorized vehicle with a quad mortar launcher.
On the Red Star side you start off with a mini RC helicopter and is similar to the Predator drone, but a lot noisier. Level 2 is an RC car loaded with C4. The RC car is tough and fast -- taking big drops without getting damaged and able to catch up to slower vehicles before... BOOM! Level 3 gives access to another RC chopper, this time with a small missile.
Drones seem like an odd addition to the game. But those who have played BF know that sometimes getting a vehicle is difficult and it is always nice to have a little helper when trying to hold down a base. Having some extra "fun" tools to root out guys from a bunker is a nice addition. And drones can be killed by being shot at. But even more devastating is the countermeasures role. At level 1 they get an EMP grenade. Level 2 they can fire EMP rounds, and at Level 3 they can deploy a small EMP broadcaster that takes down all drone tech in an area.
#5 Gameplay: Avoiding consolitis.
Sorry console gamers, but your console version of games are often newbified. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat and Far Cry Instinct... yuck! Kaos is trying to avoid this. Sure, it will turn off some gamers, but it should appeal to gamers who want a deeper, more challenging experience on the consoles. An example is how they are treating vehicles (as mentioned before):
#6 Multiplatform.
PS3 and 360 owners will both get to play this game, as well as PC gamers. It also uses UE3. So everyone can enjoy this game without trashing it for being exclusive. And the game isn't getting dumbed down on either console.
#7 Dedicated Servers.
Very few console games (and even fewer Xbox 360 games) use dedicated servers. But the few that do, like R:FoM, really do distinguish themselves. Dedicated servers get rid of that nasty host advantage, clean up latencies, and importantly...
#8 32+ Players.
Yep, this isn't your kiddies online console FPS. FFOW is bringing large online environments packed with players to the console space. While 16 players works for a lot of games, when you are looking at huge maps with team oriented gameplay simulating a war environment, the more can be better. There is something special about a Desert Combat & Battlefield match on a larger server--and now Xbox 360 and PS3 gamers can get a taste of what PC gamers have been raving about for years.
Sure, more isn't always better. But more can be great. FFOW has 3 map sized (small, medium, large) and a variety of dynamics that change what vehicles are present and how you can use you drones. Smaller maps are about 6 blocks wide and more infantry oriented with larger maps are 4km*4km and have more vehicles.
#9 Ingame advancements / tech tree unlock.
Upgrades and unlocks are cool. Those that break the game and give longtime gamers a bigger advantage and "more fun" are not. BF2 dropped the ball here completely. CoD4 is trying to remedy this issue by allowing players to upgrade quickly.
FFOW is going with ingame, round by round, advancement. In addition to the 6 classes, each player level up up to 3 times per match. After the match your role XP is reset. The trees are ground support, air support, done technician, and counter measures. You earn upgrades by how well you use your role's tools, killing, and how well your team is doing at holding points. I mentioned the drone tech mentioned before, another example is the ground support role. You start with a torch to repair vehicles. Level 2 allows you to build mortars on tripods. Level 3 gives you a tripod mounted rail gun. That is how the Western Coalitions tech tree advances; for the Red Star team their ground support goes from torch, to centry gun with 180 degree turret, and level 3 gatling gun. IGN has a nice breakdown of the various roles.
FFOW opens the door to a lot of variety in class and user role. And FFOW uses upgrades on a per mission basis, thus everyone starts every match on level ground. It also means an investment in an XP tree that you don't like isn't lost forever. You don't like being a drone tech? Then be countermeasures next time. Even better, you can adapt your choices to your team's current needs.
A rundown of the combat roles:
#10. Singleplayer.
Typically the focus on BF and DoD has been MP. The BF singleplayer modes have been, to be kind, only servicable for learning the MP element. Sure they were fun for coop (humans vs. CPU; also humans/AI vs. humans/AI) but it wasn't cohesive and was tacked on.
FFOW has a full featured SP campaign that was developed from the get go and was the focus of early development. There are 10 singleplayer missions that, according to IGN, are very large and well over 1 hour in length. FFOW SP gameplay isn't linear, allowing you to tackle objectives in the order you like. As you take objectives (capture, kill, or destroy) your territory grows which allows more room for your to get repairs and health. Also, the more territory means access to new weapons, pickups, and vehicles.
SP, to me, is a perk. It is all about MP for me. But having a nice, 10+ hour SP campaign with a cool story is a nice perk. This is their storyboard trailer which I thought was pretty cool.
Some more story elements and the concept for drone tech:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6Fo9PZqaL0&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c28AduI09cQ&mode=related&search=
#11. Intelligent VoIP.
Xbox Live chat sucks (die kidz die!)... ok, now that I got that out of my system, FFOW is doing squads (ala BF2) but has also introduced a smart voice chat system. If you hop into a common space, e.g. a tank with other players, you immediately can talk to your teammates. While a small feature, making voice chat more intuitive is a big aid to a team based game.
#12. SIXAXIS suppport.
PS3 owners are getting a nice little perk in the form of SIXAXIS support. Players can snipe, melee, throw grenades, as well as control drones, aircraft, and vehicles through using the SIXAXIS motion technology.
--
FFOW is taking a proven concept and building on it. It won't be for everyone, but for BF fans, or fans of team based multiplayer, it should have some appeal. Especially for gamers tired of games with 8-16 players on Peer-to-Peer servers.
To say the least, FFOW isn't, "Just another shooter". The recent preview from TeamXbox was also really encouraging.
You can find all the above information, and more, through the following previews:
Previews:
1Up: http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3161039
IGN: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/769/769391p1.html
TeamXbox: http://previews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1747/Frontlines-Fuel-of-War/p1/
1Up: http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=0&cId=3157704
Notably the PC Gamer interview talks a lot about Single Player, the general design concepts, and the importance of team based gameplay and "open, non-linear" style of play.
Lets hope Frontlines: Fuel of War lives up to the preview information and is a quality evolution of the DoD/BF genre of MP shooters.
This game is totally flying under the radar. I know there isn't a lot of media out for the game and Kaos is a new studio. Battlefield is one of my top 3 all time favorite games and loved Desert Combat and played it, literally, for years. So seeing Kaos bring out a new game is exciting to me. I don't know if FFOW will live up to the pedigree, but I see some reasons to be interested, especially for console gamers as it offers a lot in the console space that, frankly, console gamers haven't seen yet. Here are some reasons why console gamers, on top of BF fans, should give this game a serious look when it comes out in early 2008.
#1. Kaos may be the new kid on the block, but their short resume is impressive.
Kaos, formerly known as Trauma Studios, made one of the most popular mods ever--Desert Combat. Very few mods are played more than their counterparts. You have CounterStrike / Half-Life, of course, but the Desert Combat / Battlefield 1942 combi is impressive. HL and BF1942 both sold milions (8M for HL, and about 3M for BF1942). EA estimated that 30% of BF1942 sales were the direct result of people wanting to play Desert Combat (so nearly 1M sales for a mod!) and at one point there were more DC servers active online than BF1942 vanilla clients. Desert Combat won a lot of "mod of the year" awards and was an absolutely amazing total conversion. Kaos did a lot of work on Battlefield 2. BF2 had excellent sales and is routinely in the top 5 played PC games online--2 years after release. Kaos did a lot of work on the commander mode and squad systems in BF2 (some of its best elements).
Kaos may be green, but they have shown they can do some quality work. If I hadn't played DC I would be totally overlooking this game too (yet another shooter! grrr) -- but DC totally drew me in for like 3 years. It was a blast, which gives me some hope for DC2 errr FFOW.
#2. Gameplay: Team-Class-Objective based.
A lot of online shooters appeal only to the top 10% of gamers. You either are good... or are connon fodder. The "Conquest" style gameplay in Day of Defeat, Battlefield, and FFOW gets away from that by implimenting a couple twists.
First, the game is team based. There is no death match. The game design is built completely around teamplay. Two teams, each with 16+ players, working together. And you need to work together because...
Second, the game is objective based. The goal isn't to kill everyone else. That can help you achieve your goal, but if you focus on killing you will lose. It is vital to coordinate squads and which objectives you take. Every time you succeed at taking a point the "battle front" or "frontline" progresses. There are typically 3 or 4 objectives that you can take in whatever order you wish. It is important to work together and to compliment your team, so they...
Third, the game is class based. The reality is that only a small percentage of gamers can be uber shooter masters. What about the other 80-90% of gamers? Being able to play a significant role to aid your team is rewarding. Sure, you may not be the best run&gunner, but teams still need medics and engineers. A good support role can help your squad stay healthy, longer, and do more damage. Class based team shooters create a dynamic where all sorts of gamers can be vital cogs to winning. FFOW has six classes (Assault, Heavy Assault, Sniper, Anti-Vehicle, Special Operations, and Close Combat). Each class has at least 15 weapon load outs. A breakdown of the classes:
For the unitiated, Conquest (aka Territories) is where you have bases and points to "capture". You do this by going to a point/base, killing the enemies, and being there long enough to "turn" it to your side. Now you must defend this territory and capture more. If you capture enough territories/control points, the other teams tickets bleed down. Once they are out the game is over and you win. So the fighting is over points on the map, which requires teamwork and ingenuity to win. Being sneaky is as effective as going in guns blazing. And being a lonewolf has a palce -- like being a sniper literally spotting arty and such for the rest of the team -- the reality is those who succeed are those working as a squad. Voice chat... made useful!
The industry really has a glut of UT/Q3A clones. DM and TDM, weapons spawn in open fields, and only the best twitchy gamers excell. While there will always be room for these games, a Team-Class-Objective based style really opens the door to deeper, more varied gameplay. DoD and BF really excel here and FFOW looks to carry on the tradition. And seeing as Battlefield 3 is still a ways off, it looks like slim pickings for this sort of game. The most similar efforts are the excellent looking TF2 and CoD4.
#3. Gameplay: Vehicles.
FFOW sets itself apart from games like TF2 and CoD4 in a number of ways. The most relevant way it separates itself is vehicles. If Battlefield was the mother of all vehicle-based FPS (with an assist from Battlezone, another favorite game of mine), then Desert Combat was the 'Big Daddy'. Where BF1942 had WWII tanks and planes, DC had A-10s, F-15s, Apaches, M1 Tanks, and AC-130s. FFOW carries on the tradition -- 21st century tanks, jeeps, helicopters, APCs, etc. The new twist is drones and drone countermeasures.
The most exciting element about the vehicles for me is they are receptive to fan feedback (they are promising a lot of community support). For example, helicopters. You have two approaches to helos: the "CPU-assist" style like Battlefield: Vietnam, EoD, and to a degree BF:2. And then you have Desert Combat: turn on a dime, loops, barrel rolls, and amazing control. DC helos were harder to control, but for those with skill could make them dance. So Kaos has 2 flight models: A beginner model where flying and hovering are pretty straight forward. And for the flyboys they are putting in a model like DC where you have a ton of control over the helo to make it the perfect killing machine.
It is the small touches like this that have me interested in the game. Another nice touch is vehicles have different armor depth across the chasis and react differently to different ammo types. It is surprising how some games still don't do this. While this may be the first full release from Kaos, these sort of finely tuned elements of the game are what you expect from a company making their 3rd game in a series. Right now the game has over 60 weapons and vehicles.
#4. Gameplay: Drones.
One of the twists to FFOW is there are a number of tech trees, one being drone tech. Pick the "drone technician" tech tree, and as you progress in your current match you will be granted access to more and more technology. Drones include mini predator drones, anti-infantry minigun tanks, and RC style cars. Drones can give you a view of more of the map or help you root out embedded enemies. Of course a drone tech tree wouldn't be complete if the other side didn't have countermeasures. A nice EMP grenade goes a long way to neutralizing a soilder who invested in drone technology (more on roles, like countermeasures, later).
As a drone technician you can deploy equipment and operate it in the heat of battle. In many cases you can take cover and allow the drone to do your dirty work. On the Western Coalition side you start off with a Predator drone. These can identify enemies (which show up on your teammate radar) and can explode inside bunkers. The Level 2 drone gives you access to chain gun on wheels, and Level 3 a motorized vehicle with a quad mortar launcher.
On the Red Star side you start off with a mini RC helicopter and is similar to the Predator drone, but a lot noisier. Level 2 is an RC car loaded with C4. The RC car is tough and fast -- taking big drops without getting damaged and able to catch up to slower vehicles before... BOOM! Level 3 gives access to another RC chopper, this time with a small missile.
Drones seem like an odd addition to the game. But those who have played BF know that sometimes getting a vehicle is difficult and it is always nice to have a little helper when trying to hold down a base. Having some extra "fun" tools to root out guys from a bunker is a nice addition. And drones can be killed by being shot at. But even more devastating is the countermeasures role. At level 1 they get an EMP grenade. Level 2 they can fire EMP rounds, and at Level 3 they can deploy a small EMP broadcaster that takes down all drone tech in an area.
#5 Gameplay: Avoiding consolitis.
Sorry console gamers, but your console version of games are often newbified. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat and Far Cry Instinct... yuck! Kaos is trying to avoid this. Sure, it will turn off some gamers, but it should appeal to gamers who want a deeper, more challenging experience on the consoles. An example is how they are treating vehicles (as mentioned before):
#6 Multiplatform.
PS3 and 360 owners will both get to play this game, as well as PC gamers. It also uses UE3. So everyone can enjoy this game without trashing it for being exclusive. And the game isn't getting dumbed down on either console.
#7 Dedicated Servers.
Very few console games (and even fewer Xbox 360 games) use dedicated servers. But the few that do, like R:FoM, really do distinguish themselves. Dedicated servers get rid of that nasty host advantage, clean up latencies, and importantly...
#8 32+ Players.
Yep, this isn't your kiddies online console FPS. FFOW is bringing large online environments packed with players to the console space. While 16 players works for a lot of games, when you are looking at huge maps with team oriented gameplay simulating a war environment, the more can be better. There is something special about a Desert Combat & Battlefield match on a larger server--and now Xbox 360 and PS3 gamers can get a taste of what PC gamers have been raving about for years.
Sure, more isn't always better. But more can be great. FFOW has 3 map sized (small, medium, large) and a variety of dynamics that change what vehicles are present and how you can use you drones. Smaller maps are about 6 blocks wide and more infantry oriented with larger maps are 4km*4km and have more vehicles.
#9 Ingame advancements / tech tree unlock.
Upgrades and unlocks are cool. Those that break the game and give longtime gamers a bigger advantage and "more fun" are not. BF2 dropped the ball here completely. CoD4 is trying to remedy this issue by allowing players to upgrade quickly.
FFOW is going with ingame, round by round, advancement. In addition to the 6 classes, each player level up up to 3 times per match. After the match your role XP is reset. The trees are ground support, air support, done technician, and counter measures. You earn upgrades by how well you use your role's tools, killing, and how well your team is doing at holding points. I mentioned the drone tech mentioned before, another example is the ground support role. You start with a torch to repair vehicles. Level 2 allows you to build mortars on tripods. Level 3 gives you a tripod mounted rail gun. That is how the Western Coalitions tech tree advances; for the Red Star team their ground support goes from torch, to centry gun with 180 degree turret, and level 3 gatling gun. IGN has a nice breakdown of the various roles.
FFOW opens the door to a lot of variety in class and user role. And FFOW uses upgrades on a per mission basis, thus everyone starts every match on level ground. It also means an investment in an XP tree that you don't like isn't lost forever. You don't like being a drone tech? Then be countermeasures next time. Even better, you can adapt your choices to your team's current needs.
A rundown of the combat roles:
#10. Singleplayer.
Typically the focus on BF and DoD has been MP. The BF singleplayer modes have been, to be kind, only servicable for learning the MP element. Sure they were fun for coop (humans vs. CPU; also humans/AI vs. humans/AI) but it wasn't cohesive and was tacked on.
FFOW has a full featured SP campaign that was developed from the get go and was the focus of early development. There are 10 singleplayer missions that, according to IGN, are very large and well over 1 hour in length. FFOW SP gameplay isn't linear, allowing you to tackle objectives in the order you like. As you take objectives (capture, kill, or destroy) your territory grows which allows more room for your to get repairs and health. Also, the more territory means access to new weapons, pickups, and vehicles.
SP, to me, is a perk. It is all about MP for me. But having a nice, 10+ hour SP campaign with a cool story is a nice perk. This is their storyboard trailer which I thought was pretty cool.
Some more story elements and the concept for drone tech:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6Fo9PZqaL0&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c28AduI09cQ&mode=related&search=
#11. Intelligent VoIP.
Xbox Live chat sucks (die kidz die!)... ok, now that I got that out of my system, FFOW is doing squads (ala BF2) but has also introduced a smart voice chat system. If you hop into a common space, e.g. a tank with other players, you immediately can talk to your teammates. While a small feature, making voice chat more intuitive is a big aid to a team based game.
#12. SIXAXIS suppport.
PS3 owners are getting a nice little perk in the form of SIXAXIS support. Players can snipe, melee, throw grenades, as well as control drones, aircraft, and vehicles through using the SIXAXIS motion technology.
--
FFOW is taking a proven concept and building on it. It won't be for everyone, but for BF fans, or fans of team based multiplayer, it should have some appeal. Especially for gamers tired of games with 8-16 players on Peer-to-Peer servers.
To say the least, FFOW isn't, "Just another shooter". The recent preview from TeamXbox was also really encouraging.
TeamXbox said:
You can find all the above information, and more, through the following previews:
Previews:
1Up: http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3161039
IGN: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/769/769391p1.html
TeamXbox: http://previews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1747/Frontlines-Fuel-of-War/p1/
1Up: http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=0&cId=3157704
Notably the PC Gamer interview talks a lot about Single Player, the general design concepts, and the importance of team based gameplay and "open, non-linear" style of play.
Lets hope Frontlines: Fuel of War lives up to the preview information and is a quality evolution of the DoD/BF genre of MP shooters.
And Warhawk is nicely paving the way for the PS3 audience to jump into this next. 
