One of the chief problems with team-based games has been friendly AI. Often times, friendly NPCs will get caught in tight areas, or will foolishly charge right in front of the enemy without taking appropriate cover. Even the latest games which have involved friendly NPCs, including Half-Life 2, have had this problem. With Brothers In Arms reliance on NPCs to accomplish mission objectives, this could be a real deal breaker if the friendly AI weren’t up to task. When we first checked the game out back in August Gearbox seemed to have a pretty good handle on friendly AI but we only saw a couple of firefights so we’re in no position to judge the friendly AI found in the final game.
Enemy AI is varied. Early on in the game you’ll encounter regular German infantry; these guys aren’t very well trained and are basically cannon fodder for your unit. They’ll basically stand in place and return fire as best they can as your assault team moves into superior firing positions.
Later on in the game however, reinforcements will arrive in the form of German paratroopers, and eventually the SS. These units are better trained, have better equipment (including tanks) and will support each other as they try to flank you. Basically, these guys will use the same tactics and maneuver techniques you’re using, right down to having their own squad leaders.
Knocking out an enemy position
Move out guys
Graphics
While Gearbox has a long running relationship with Valve, dating all the way back to the original Half-Life, the Source engine isn’t used for Brothers In Arms. Instead Gearbox relies on a highly modified version of Epic’s Unreal engine. In terms of complexity, think somewhere between Unreal Tournament 2004 and Unreal Engine 3.
For instance, Brothers In Arms requires a DirectX 8 graphics card. This means that those of you with older GeForce and GeForce 2 cards, as well as the GeForce4 MX and RADEON 7500 series will have to upgrade to DX8-level hardware. According to the official website “These chipsets are the only ones that will run this game. Additional chipsets may be supported after release.”
If you own a DirectX 9 card, 2.0 shaders are used extensively, although to the best of our knowledge 2.0b and 3.0 shaders aren’t implemented in the game. In addition, facial animation, similar to what is seen now in Half-Life 2, is also employed in Brothers In Arms.
Advancing on the enemy
Multiplayer
Like the single-player campain, Brothers In Arms multiplayer is different than traditional first-person shooters. Rather than employ conventional deathmatch, multiplayer in Brothers In Arms centers around the teamplay and NPC elements found in single-player, with each team given an objective. Say for instance, blowing up a bridge. Up to four players can connect simultaneously, so in this case two guys would play as the Americans, with one person commanding the NPCs in the base-of-fire team, and the second American player leading the NPCs in the assault team. The two other players would play as the Germans, with each person leading his own team. Each of the four players controls three NPCs, for a total of 16 “men” fighting it out on the server simultaneously.
If one of the human players dies and there are still NPCs alive in his team, he’ll take over their role. Once the team is destroyed you come in as reinforcements, with the caveat being that you only have a limited number of reinforcements. If one player drops, his human teammate gets his allocation of remaining reinforcements.
Conclusion
If you’re into more traditional me-against-the-world type shooters like the DOOM series, Serious Sam, and the original Medal of Honor, then Brothers In Arms probably isn’t for you. But if the idea of mixing in a little bit of strategy and tactics with the action typically found in a first-person shooter sounds enticing, then you’ll definitely want to check out Brothers In Arms: Road to Hill 30. The game has gone gold and is now available for Xbox. Already Xbox user reviews online are overwhelmingly positive. PC gamers will have to wait a little longer though, as the game won’t be released until March 15th. Until then, gamers looking for more information on Brothers In Arms should check out Gearboxes website.
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Camera crews from The History Channel actually followed the Gearbox team as they visited Normandy and will be releasing an episode airing on the channel documenting the making of the game
![Brothers In Arms: Road To Hill 30 Preview [ Knocking out an enemy position @ 768 x 460 ] > View Full-Size in another window.](images/17-s.jpg)
![Brothers In Arms: Road To Hill 30 Preview [ Move out guys @ 768 x 460 ] > View Full-Size in another window.](images/18-s.jpg)
![Brothers In Arms: Road To Hill 30 Preview [ Advancing on the enemy @ 768 x 460 ] > View Full-Size in another window.](images/19-s.jpg)
Unique gameplay and realism
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