Company of Heroes

[PeteJ]

The public beta can be downloaded here. It's a fairly hefty 1.6gig download, and includes multiplayer support and the training.

I can honestly say that no RTS in the history of the RTS genre has impressed me as much as Company of Heroes. Actually, the only game to come close would be Homeworld, which was by the same team!

If you don't know, CoH is a World War2 based RTS - 3D graphics, standard controls...but wait! This is one extremely well thought-out game, and I am very excited about the final release

First off - the main reason why this is an awesome RTS:
It isn't about tank rushing. It isn't about memorising upgrade paths.

The closest game I can think of is Bitmap Brother's Z, or perhaps Battlefield 2. Rather than just having two bases and two sides, you also get a number of 'command points' around the map which can be taken over. If you own a command point you automatically get more of one of the three resources. The enemy can take over these points at any time, so you have to defend, and can setup gun posts etc. It is basically Battlefield 2 in an RTS.

The two other resources are actually 'special' command points, which can be captured at any point also, but you will only receive the goods if there is a straight line of captured points back to your HQ. Basically, you can be dominating the map, but the enemy can come in a break the supply line at any point, screwing things up.

And now, a few things that send this game over the edge:
In any 'owned' area of the map, your troops can enter any building and setup point.

Your troops and any part of your army can level up, gaining new skills such as grenades, or a gunner in a tank. If that squad dies, you lose the upgrades.

As you take points, buildings and destroy enemies You gain experience, and when you've 'levelled up', you can buy special global upgrades, such as air strikes. It's similar to say...the talent tree in World of Warcraft.

Tanks can knock down walls, and pretty much drive through anything.

You can oblitorate just about anything. An airstrike feels like an airstrike. Things collapose and explode in realistic ways.

When using tanks the weakspot for massive damage is at the rear, which makes for some interesting tactics when there is more than one. Soldiers can take out tanks if you aren't careful, tanks can have their tracks destroyed but still have a working turret.

You can get flamethrowers to burn people out of houses.

You can send in paratroopers!

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Honestly, it's pretty damn awesome. My two main problems so far are: I can't zoom out enough in the main view (though you do get a mini-map), and it's difficult to select units quickly enough.

Not sure when the final release is, but I do recommend trying the beta!

[eastyy]

Sounds cool my one big gripe with most command and conquer style rts games is there is actually very little strategy and just require building as much as you can as fast as possible

[Ajay1986]

Totally agree with Pete its a fantastic game, its kinda like Solider Heroes of WW2 but much much better and the graphics are stunning.

[glazza]

do you need a hefty graphics card and cpu to run it at decent playability?

[PeteJ]

Yes it is pretty hefty, from the readme:

MINIMUM (NOTE!! SOME OF THESE REQUIREMENTS WILL BE LOWER FOR THE FINAL GAME)
Windows(R) XP
DirectX(R) 9.0c (included on disc)
3.0 GHz Pentium IV or equivalent AMD Athlon XP processor
1 GB RAM
3 GB free hard drive space for installation
NVIDIA GeForce 6600 and above with 128 MB Video Memory, or ATI x800 and above with 128 MB Video Memory
DirectX(R) 9.0c compatible 16-bit sound card
Keyboard, Mouse

RECOMMENDED
3.0 GHz+ Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent
2 GB System RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 7600 with 256 MB or more Video Memory.

REQUIRED FOR MULTIPLAYER
Internet: Broadband, or 56k connection for online multiplayer play
Network: TCP/IP compliant network

[SubparMario]

2 gigs of RAM recommended. Finally, BF2 has some company.

[Ajay1986]

There is a hell of alot going on tho, lots of explosions and units and it is all really really good looking. Im using an X1800 XT and 1.5 Gig RAM.

[briareos_kerensky]

The closest game I can think of is Bitmap Brother's Z, or perhaps Battlefield 2. Rather than just having two bases and two sides, you also get a number of 'command points' around the map which can be taken over.

Or Dawn of War, Relic's previous PC game that used strategic points and critical locations to gather one of the two resources used. As these locations lost value over time, it forced players to be aggressive and just not sit around waiting their armies are complete. It also called for a better use of resources and intelling deployment of units.

Sounds cool my one big gripe with most command and conquer style rts games is there is actually very little strategy and just require building as much as you can as fast as possible

Fortunately enough, RTS have evolved since Starcraft/C&C times...citing Dawn of War again, a group of rocket launcher-equipped Marines can bring down tanks and vehicles with minimal losses, allowing players to vary their tactics. With CoH placing even more realism than DoW on unit performance, I can already see allied infantry engaging in hit-and-run tactics to bring down a Tiger

[PeteJ]

An official demo has just been released - includes the training plus two single player missions (not in the beta).

Grab it here - http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=36468

[Zanza]

This is the game I am looking forward to more than anything else this year. I've been playing the beta since its release and its totaly blown me away, this is the best multiplayer game I have played since Battlefield 2. I think the main difference between this any many other RTS games is that a hell of alot of stratergy comes into play, the shear range of units and the differing abilities is perfect, and not to mention realistic.

My favourite command routes at the moment include:

Axis - Terror Doctrine - Purely for the quick access to the firestorm, and then later the V1 missle and Tigers (Although the Tigers arn't quite as good anymore).

Allies - Airforce Commander - Definately the most useful allied command choice, paradrops are great for stopping enemies from capping points quickly, and the anti-tank drops are similarly as handy for stopping tanks quickly. Add to that the even more handy fighter plane attack which is great for taking out large groups of men, especially in nested positions, and the brilliant bombing run for taking out pretty much anything.

Another thing that has impressed me about this game is the dedication of the development team, who are constantly updating the beta and actually listening to the feedback from the testers. The recent update was a wopping 900Mb and aswell as solving alot of the bugs it has also balanced the gameplay more for multiplayer, which was previously heavily favoured towards the Germans with their uber Tigers.

This game is quite simply perfection, and probably one of the best multiplayer games I have ever played.

Tip: If your having trouble selecting your troops quickly then use the grouping function. I think its either Ctrl or Shift and then a number to assign a group, which can then be later selected using that designated number.

EDIT: If anyone is up for a game PM me.

[eastyy]

saw a review in pc gamer some ideas that really appeal to me

Like when buildings collapse they can take some of the enemys out and no more energy bars

[Zanza]

Collapsing buildings do take out whatever is inside, as does burning them out with flame troops/tanks, which is even more fun as you get to see flaming men falling out of windows and running in shock.

Enemies do have energy bars though, it's not quite as important in the infantry as it is more or less just a place holder for each man in the squad, however they are pretty standard energy bars for vehicles and tanks.

One thing about the tanks that is pretty cool is the ammount of places you can hit them, if you attack from the front then your shells often ricocet off, while the back offers optimal damage. You can also destroy the gunners, main guns, drivers, and the engines, all of which have different consequences such as a motionless tank, a tank with no guns, or a tank that is out of control.

I also love the fact that you can build little medical tents in your forward lines, which with a team of medics that automatically run around the battlefield finding wounded men and dragging them back. When they have found enough men, they reassemble as a new squad and are ready to get back to the action.

The game is great, been playing it almost everynight since the beta came out, which is something I havn't done with a game since Battlefield 2, infact not even the Battlefield 2142 beta has managed to pull me away from this game.

[eastyy]

Well this will be on my must buy

I like the idea of RTS games its just it has got so stale over the years there is usually very little strategy

This though seems to be different and having a more real life physics do seem add something

[eastyy]

well played through the tutorial (i still think think tutorials in most RTS games are just to long winded) and the first mission

It definetly has more strategy then in most rts games also the destruction possible and the physics really do make this better then most rts games

[briareos_kerensky]

The biggest surprise is that the game doesn't rund under Win2k. Yes, I still use 2k and I'm very happy, but this game is important enough for me to switch to XP. I just hope that the postman will hurry with the CD, I just can't keep watching the bonus DVD over and over.