Multiplayer

The pre-alpha multiplayer build we got to play on used the Domination gameplay mode which once again makes this game more like a FPS than an RTS game. The map contains locations that have to be captured and held. One interesting twist is that units have to capture two or three specific points surrounding a location in order for that location to achieve the objective. After securing the location, the game slowly gives defenses like anti-aircraft missiles and anti-tank weapons in those areas. Obviously capturing these points is vital to winning the game, since the enemy side has to control more points on the map than you do to win the match. The two maps provided in the build both lend themselves well to this kind of mode. Both of them use rivers and bridges that become major strategic points to find over in the game.

Bearing in mind that this is a pre-alpha build, the gameplay in World In Conflict is already highly exciting. It's certainly a different experience contolling a particular type of unit instead of having to keep up with all sorts of different units in a multiplayer match. At the same time, we found that getting people to work as a team in matches will take some doing which is understandable. You may have some great and powerful tanks that you are moving in to occupy the center of town but your enemies could set up some infrantry with anti-tank weapons to take you out. Helicopters could help take out that infrantry but the enemy could have a player controller anti-air defenses.

We enjoyed this new kind of RTS gameplay set up; it certainly will throw long-time RTS players for a loop until they get the hang of it. Oh, and did we mention that the more points a team gets as they advance in the match, the more tactical points they get for even more deadly attacks, up to the dreaded (but still cool to look at) thermonuclear missle option.

Graphically the game looks as good as it has in previous demonstrations of the game (at last year's E3 and this year's CES) with impressive looking unit animations and modeling and solid map artwork. Again, World in Conflict is currently running on DirectX9 but a DirextX10/Vista version is in the works and we expect the nuclear mushroom clouds to look even better when that version of the game is released.

World in Conflict is still a long ways off (its due out in the fall of 2007) but even this pre-alpha multiplayer build is a lot of fun to play and that's saying something for a game that still has a lot of time for polishing and play testing. One thing we haven't got a lot of info on yet is the game's single player campaign, including the rumors of a third faction besides the US and USSR. We actually believe we will get some more info on the single player campaign very soon. Stay tuned as we hopefully will have some more info on that aspect of World in Conflict in the very near future.