Company of Heroes
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| Company of Heroes | |
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| Developer(s) | Relic Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | THQ |
| Designer(s) | Josh Mosqueira |
| Engine | Essence Engine |
| Latest version | 1.4 |
| Release date(s) |  September 14, 2006  September 29, 2006 |
| Genre(s) | RTS |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Mature (M) PEGI: 18+ BBFC: 15 OFLC: MA15+ USK: 16 |
| Platform(s) | Windows XP, Windows Vista. Does not run on Windows 2000. |
| Media | PC-CD / PC-DVD / Collector's Edition |
Company of Heroes (abbr. CoH or CofH) is a Real Time Strategy game for the PC, first announced on April 25, 2005. Developed by Canadian based RTS veteran, Relic Entertainment, it is published by THQ.
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[edit] Story
Company of Heroes is set during World War II where the player follows a military unit, known as Able Company, as they fight their way through some of the greatest and bloodiest battles of World War II in the European theatre, including the D-Day landings at Normandy.
The developers took quite a lot of "creative liberties" with level design so that missions would fit comfortably with the gameplay. For example, Able Company landed at Omaha with the 29th Infantry Division, yet was inexplicably transferred to the Advance from Utah Beach, with the 90th Infantry Division.
Also, the members of Fox Company (another company in the game) and Able Company referred to the other companies as though they were the only Fox and Able Companies in the US Army - in fact, "Able" and "Fox" Companies were present in every Regiment in Normandy - as "Able" and "Fox" were Joint Army/Naval Phonetic Code for "A" and "F"
[edit] Distinguished Characters
Captain MacKay The commander of Able Company. He appears to be an Army Ranger by his character model, although he commands a regular infantry company. He is killed by Captain Shultz after the battle of St. Lo.
Sergeant (later Lieutenant) Conti At the start of the game, the First Sergeant of Able Company. He was with Captain MacKay at boot camp, and is revealed to be the game's narrator. He is almost killed alongside Captain (Mug) MacKay. Afterwards, he is promoted to Lieutenant, and commands Able Company for the rest of the game.
Captain Schultz A German Tiger 'Ace' captain. He serves as the personal antagonist of Able company. He commands the Panzergruppen that attacks the Red Ball Express, after which he watches Captain MacKay from afar. He commands forces in St. Lo, assisting in their breakout. He kills Captain MacKay, and Able later conducts their revenge on Schultz while his unit retreats.
[edit] Single Player Campaign
The first level is Omaha Beach or D-Day then followed by Vierville (Vierville actually happened before Omaha Beach, when Fox Company dropped early D-Day morning). The following level is Carentan again played with Fox Company and then Carentan Counterattack is where Fox Company is reinforced by Able Company. Montebourg is the next level it is also known as the "Red Ball Express" where Able Company saves Dog Company from Axis forces. Following Montebourg is Cherbourg where Able Company is supported by the 4th Cavalry and the USS Texas. In Cherbourg Able Company found documents from a Axis bunker which shows a V2 Rocket launch site near Sottevast. In that level Fox Company attempts to destroy the launch site and is later reinforced by Able Company. Next is the level of St. Fromond at town north of St. Lo. St. Fromond is followed by Hill 192 were Charlie Company is destroyed and Able Company takes out the German forces. Then comes St. Lo were Able Company has to take the Axis HQ, the level following St. Lo is Hébécrevon where Able Company is told to take out what is left of the Panzer Lehr Division, which is 7 Panther tanks. Mortain is the following level where Able Company defends Hill 317. The following level is Mortain Counterattack where Able Company has to defend Hill 317 while taking out 88s. Next comes the level of Autry, in this level Able Company takes out the Tiger Ace and avenges Captian MacKay. Chambois is the final level in the Single Player Campaign. In this level Able Company closes the Falaise Pocket and repels Axis attacks.
[edit] Gameplay
The game allows for multiplayer matches of 2 - 8 players via LAN or the Internet. Multiplayer will focus on teamwork as teams will share resources and territory.
For Company of Heroes, Relic will be using a new online gaming system called Relic Online. Previous Relic games used GameSpy Arcade or WON services. This new system includes many features that the previous systems did not have, including a built in automatch and ranking system.
[edit] Multiplayer Modes
- Victory Point Control
Victory point control games have several statues around the middle of the map. These statues can be captured similarly to strategic points. When one side has more victory points under their control than another, the other side's "tickets" start to decrease. When one side runs out of tickets, they lose. Alternatively, the player can simply destroy all enemy buildings to win the game. Before the start of the game, the host can choose between 250, 500, or 1000 tickets.
- Annihilation
Annihilation games lack the victory points of the Victory Point Control game mode. To win, the player needs to destroy all enemy buildings. This does not include observation posts. Only base structures and bunkers need to be destroyed.
[edit] Resources
Company of Heroes attempts to revolutionize the RTS genre by introducing changes to the traditional resource model, eliminating as much macro management as possible expanding on concepts from previous games and creating a more strategic and action-oriented RTS experience.
As such, the resource model found in Company of Heroes is similar to that of another Relic game, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War. Players must take control of certain points on the map. The more of these points a player controls, the more resources they acquire. This concept demands constant expansion of a player's territory. These points are connected like supply lines, and so, during the course of a battle, a player can capture one point in the "supply line", isolating the rest which had been connected to the base through it, therefore severely reducing the enemy's resource intake.
Players collect three resources: Fuel, Munitions, and Manpower. Fuel allows players to purchase tanks and other vehicles, as well as global upgrades. Munitions allows players upgrade individual squads or vehicles and use special abilities. Manpower is necessary for all units, but is particularly useful for infantry. The player can decide, at a Manpower cost, to place Observation Posts on their resource points in order to increase their production, which means sacrificing resources in the short-term for a greater long-term intake.
Game units generally require a sizable amount of resources to produce. This separates Company of Heroes from other games in the RTS genre, where large amounts of massed units are a common sight.
[edit] Units
Allied units tend to be cheaper and more versatile, whereas German units tend to be more expensive, but more powerful. An example is the German Grenadier infantry. When equipped with MG42 machine guns, it is far more powerful than the Allied infantry. However, such units are very expensive.
The Allied forces are far less varied than the Germans but are suited to adapting to many roles. The basic Allied Rifleman remains useful throughout the entire game (though there is a strong argument that all German infantry remain useful as well). Versatility is the lynchpin of Allied forces. The basic M4 Sherman tank, for example, is for most Allied players the beginning and end of Allied armour, and when used correctly the only kind of tank that is needed, though its variant, the M4 Sherman Crocodile, is also highly useful.
The German Wehrmacht forces include both disposable infantry like the rather rushed Volksgrenadier militia, and high quality infantry like Grenadiers or squads comprised of winners of the Knight's Cross. German field operations can be supplemented by specialized equipment like the Nebelwerfer rocket artillery. German armor is far less mobile, but in direct combat generally superior, fielding equipment like Stug assault guns, Panzer IV and Panzer V Panther tanks. With specialized commander focus, German forces can deploy crushingly superior units, like the Tiger I tank, in two versions: Crewed by normal crews, and crewed by a designated "Tiger Ace".
Expanding on the cover system implemented in Dawn of War, units in CoH automatically seek out cover (such as sandbags, walls, and destroyed vehicles) without orders from the player to give them an advantage over enemy forces. Units hiding in cover gain a defense bonus, making them more effective in combat. Utilizing cover effectively in CoH is essential to victory. The advanced AI is also aware of its surroundings and reacts realistically in certain situations.
Infantry units, such as an Allied Rifleman squad, can pick up heavy weapons (Panzershreck, M9 Bazooka), man heavy weapons like heavy machine guns, antitank artillery, or mortars, and pick up and use certain automatic weapons. (Examples are the Browning Automatic Rifle or for the Germans, the LMG variant of the MG42.)
Unlike in Dawn of War, another Relic game, squads of units must be near a HQ, forward barracks, or half-track vehicle to reinforce (replenish) lost units within the squad. American airborne troops are exempt from this limitation as reinforcements are parachuted to the field.
Also like Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, some units can be upgraded with additional upgrades or add-ons, like a .50 caliber machine gun with gunner for a Sherman tank, or Panzershrecks for German infantry units. Certain add-on or upgrades affect unit abilities, like a Sherman's Crab flail. It can clear mines, but reduces the speed of the Sherman moving.
Because CoH features a physics engine, different types of cover will be more effective against certain units.
[edit] Buildings
Units can occupy a building and convert it into a field HQ, allowing certain units or squads to be created by that building.
Infantry units can also occupy buildings and use them as cover or a garrison to protect against attack, but this limits their firing range because the infantry are a stationary, immobile target, rendering them vulnerable to sniper fire and easy to surround. Also, while garrisoned, infantry units can only shoot out of windows or holes blown into a building. Certain weapons are immensely effective against units holed up in a building; satchel charges or infantry-carried rocket launchers can demolish a building, tank fire can blast the building, and infantry or tanks armed with flamethrowers can literally set the building on fire and burn out the occupants. However, there are advantages; infantry are well protected from small arms and most buildings are sturdy enough to stand up to limited tank fire before collapsing.
Occupied buildings can be destroyed after taking fire from enemy units or any other attack like artillery fire or demolition charges. Civilian buildings cannot be repaired or rebuilt. However, both the Allied and German forces can construct garrison able buildings (the Allies can build a .30 caliber machine gun nest, while the Germans can construct bunkers).
[edit] Table of units
[edit] Graphics
Company of Heroes is the first game to make use of Relic's next generation engine, known as the "Essence Engine". This engine was designed and coded from scratch by Relic in order to make use of all next-generation graphical effects, including High Dynamic Range lighting, dynamic lighting & shadows, advanced shader effects and normal mapping. As producer John Johnson puts it "We will have every advanced graphical effect you'd expect from a game like Half-Life 2, and more."
Using the Essence Engine allows CoH to be rendered in complete 3D with intricate detailings on the infantry, vehicles and structures whilst retaining a solid frame-rate without the need for a high-end gaming rig. There are said to be nearly 2,000 different animations for a basic infantry unit alone.
Company of Heroes also utilizes the Havok 3 Physics Engine, giving CoH a more realistic physics system than any previous RTS. Parts of buildings can be destroyed by grenades, satchel or mortars, and tanks can drive through sections of walls or other barriers. Smoke created from explosions behaves realistically and is influenced by wind. Debris is realistically influenced by explosions; a blast can send barrels flying and shower troops in dirt, leaving behind a large crater. When infantry are bombarded by artillery, body parts detach and are flung in all directions. Bridges and building can be destroyed by engineer using demolitions.
[edit] Reviews
As of 12/6/2006, all critic reviews were positive [1]. Currently, it is one of the highest rated RTS games in video game history.
PC Gamer UK awarded Company of Heroes 94%, the highest they have given an RTS, they also gave it a 'Must Buy' tag [citation needed]. PC Gamer US gave CoH a 96% as well as an Editors Choice Award [citation needed].
PC Zone in the UK awarded Company of Heroes 93% in Issue 173 meaning it was awarded with a Classic award
Edge, a UK publication, awarded Company of Heroes a score of 9 (out of 10) in Issue 167.
Metacritic Review average of 94, Gaining Universal Acclaim
Online, Company of Heroes has received a score of 9.0 from GameSpot[2] (original score was an 8.9, revised because 1.2 Patch fixed SLI problem[1]), a 9.4 from IGN[3], 5 out of 5 stars from GameSpy[4], 10/10 from Eurogamer[5], a 10 out of 10 from 1UP.com[6] and a 9.2 from GamerNode[7].
[edit] Awards
- E3 2005 Game Critics Awards: Best Strategy Game [2]
- GameSpot 2005 Best PC Game of Show; Best Strategy Game of Show; Best Overall Game of Show[3]
- Runner Up, Best Strategy Game (PC), Runner Up, Technological Excellence (PC) - IGN.com
- Best of E3 - GameSpy.com
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Company of Heroes Redux.
- ^ 2005 Winners. gamecriticsawards.com.
- ^ 2005 Winners. GameSpot.
[edit] External links
[edit] Official
- Relic Entertainment
- Company of Heroes Official Site
- Company of Heroes Official forum
- Company of Heroes Modding Wiki
[edit] Reviews
- Company of Heroes at MobyGames
- Company of Heroes Reviews & Scores at Metacritic
