Faces of War

Overview

Faces of War (FoW) is a real-time tactical strategy game created by Ukrainian developer Best Way and released by Russian publisher 1C Company. It was released in the U.S. on September 12, 2006 and is the follow up to 2004’s Soldiers: Heroes of World War II.

Setting

Set during the final period of World War II, the game offers three campaigns that allow you to fight through a series of missions as the Germans, the Allies, and the Soviets. Missions will lead the player through Belgium, France, Poland, Hungary, the Netherlands, and ultimately into Germany as the Soviets and Allies push the defending Third Reich back to ultimately crush the German resistance in Berlin.

Gameplay

In Faces of War, you control small-scale forces--typically a squad of 2-6 soldiers of varying specialties--in a real-time tactical strategy scope. The focus of the game is to present epic encounters with scripted events and sandbox style play as you fight against and alongside large numbers of complex AI-controlled troops and vehicles.

Though technically a real-time strategy game, Faces of War offers a distinct play experience due to a number of interesting features and game mechanics not common to RTS-style games. One such difference is well exampled by a flagship game mechanic called Direct Control. The player can select a single unit and toggle Direct Control Mode to gain real-time control to move and aim with much more precision. The solider will face or aim in the direction of the mouse cursor and can be moved with the keyboard; in combination with a hi-precision visiblity system that accounts for windows, wall cracks, bushes, etc. the player's options to approach each situation are significantly expanded.

Alternatively, a squad command quickbar offers a streamlined approach to maximizing control of the various specialties of individual soldiers while allowing the player to command multiple units at once. For example, a squad of 6 soldiers containing a sniper or rifleman could be ordered to take an "Aimed Shot" at a specific target; the appropriate unit will intelligently carry out the order while the remaining 5 soldiers continue their current actions.

Features

• Direct Control - Move and aim a single unit with precision using the mouse and keyboard.
• Complex AI - AI controlled soliders will make intelligent, safe and efficient decisions instead of blindly following orders.
• Intelligent Fog of War and Visibility System - Hi-precision visibility system which accounts for things like windows, wall cracks and bushes offer realistic line of sight; invaluable in Direct Control Mode.
• Realistic Physics - Anything can be destroyed or manipulated to the player's advantage... or detriment.
• Unit Inventories - Each soldier and vehicle have individual inventories allowing the player to adapt to a given situation by equipping each unit with the best weapon or tool for the job.
• Contextual Actions - Units can be ordered to take cover, jump over obstacles, pilot vehicles, or peak around corners all with the same single mouse button.
• Shelter Identification System - Buildings and landscape provide invaluable cover... assuming it isn't destroyed, crushing you.
• Advanced Destruction System - Fully destructible buildings and dynamic modification of landscape with explosion funnels.

Multiplayer

Supports up to 16 players via LAN or Internet (GameSpy), and co-op play through any of the campaign missions with up to 4 players.

Multplayer Modes

• Battle Zones
• Chicken Hunt
• Combat
• Combat FFA
• Cooperative
• Frontlines

System Requirements

System Requirements

• Supported OS: Windows® 2000/XP (only) (XP recommended)
• Processor: 2.0 GHz Pentium® 4 (3.0 GHz recommended)
• RAM: 512 MB (1 GB recommended)
• Video Card: 64 MB DirectX® 9.0c-compliant (128 MB recommended)
• Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c-compliant sound device
• DirectX Version: 9.0c or higher
• Hard Drive Space: 2.5 GB
• Multiplayer: Broadband connection with 56 Kbps upstream
• Peripherals Supported: Windows mouse and keyboard