Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers (Interview) Preview

Developer	BattleBorne
Publisher	Acclaim
Genre	Action
Release Date	6/6/04

Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance. Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2. Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel. Champions of Norrath. The Bard’s Tale. All of these games run on one of the highest quality PlayStation 2 game engines: The Snowblind engine, created by the talented development house Snowblind Studios (Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, Champions of Norrath). The impressive engine is getting a heck of a workout, and for good reason. It just happens to be one of the most well-crafted game engines this generation, and every game mentioned above just oozes in quality, and the game engine itself delivers in its performance every time.

There’s one more game though that utilizes the Snowblind engine, but unlike the fantasy action/RPG’s above (save for Fallout), this title is taking a different approach. Instead of combating hordes of armored skeletons and fire-breathing dragons, players will be faced with the daunting task of living through the many nightmares of World War II. Sure, we’ve all played those games before. But you haven’t played through the World War II experience quite like this.

A New Subgenre: The Combat/RPG?
Acclaim and Nevada-based development studio, BattleBorne (which consist of talent that had major roles in the making of such games as Ghost Recon, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, Fallout 2, and Stone Keep 2) bring gamers a new breed of WWII-based videogame, taking a page or two out of the Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance book along the way, but offering up an experience unlike any other. Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers is a third-person action game set during WWII, beginning with the D-Day invasion of France, where Allied paratroopers were sent in behind enemy lines during the Normandy beach invasion to support the Allies who were pushing toward Germany. Like the other titles that utilize the same engine, Combat Elite is set in an isometric perspective, a far cry from the first-person shooters we’re accustomed to playing. And though an action title, Combat Elite contains some RPG-like stat-increases, so you can build the commando you control up with points accumulated with the completion of levels.

You can choose which soldier you’ll control, and the other members of your team (up to three, depending on the mission) will be AI-controlled (unless you allow a friend to enlist with the two-player co-op option). Each trooper has his own special abilities. As you clear more and more of the game’s various levels, you earn points in which you can beef up your character’s attributes. You can also climb the ranks. The interesting thing about this option is that, once you reach the rank of officer (if you so choose to be an officer), you can no longer spend points on beefing up your character. However, you get to do a bit of squad managing, as you can dole out attribute points to your squad members as you see fit. But players don’t need to leave the enlisted at all, and can keep the points for their own character.

Elite Combat
Since Combat Elite is set during a period where firearms rule, BattleBorne has modified the Snowblind engine to better accommodate ranged fighting. There will be several camera views, mostly isometric, but there will be times when a first-person camera is used, and the team is currently experimenting with other views for both the indoor and outdoor settings.

As for weaponry, expect WWII standard weapons from both the Allies and Axis, such as the Thompson, MP38, MK98, Luger, MG42, M1 Garand, M1911, and M1 Carbine. Obviously, scoped rifles would require a first-person scope viewpoint, so it’ll be interesting to see how such weapons will be used.

In addition to the goodies above, Combat Elite will also allow you to carry things such as grenades and other explosive toys and devices. Your character can carry three weapons at a time, along with an item such as grenades, so the game offers some strategics on how to arm yourself and your soldiers, which ought to make for some more in-depth gameplay than what you’d normally see in other games of this type. The troopers themselves also have their specialties, so it’s possible to choose a character that suits your own play style. Enemy vehicles will need to be taken out by the player too, though players can’t commandeer them themselves.

War-Torn Europe
Players will fight through lots of different missions. Some will be familiar, like D-Day and Operation Market Garden, but there will also be many missions to carry out that are more obscure. To accompany the mission variety is plenty of environmental scenery to admire as players tear across Europe, from France to Belgium to Holland. Along the way, players will fight in environments such as gently rolling hills, grassy plains, small farming communities, manor houses, and war-torn cities.

There’s plenty here to see too. The graphics are already looking quite sharp, with crisp textures, and brilliant lighting effects. It remains to be seen whether Combat Elite will look as good as Champions of Norrath -- the best looking of the Snowblind engine-powered games – or even better. But if what we’ve seen so far is anything to go by, chances are that those hoping for some delicious eye candy won’t be disappointed. Aside from the texture detail in the environments themselves, the game is running quite smoothly, and we’ve been witness to a dazzling array of particle effects as well.

Only the Beginning?
So, is Combat Elite a one-off game, or are there plans for future titles? Our sources tell us that there are definitely some big plans for the future; franchise potential to be sure.

What has us the most excited is how BattleBorne chose this engine to mesh with their gameplay type, and the possibilities that can be realized; possibilities that really couldn’t be done in a fantasy-style game. It’s an interesting approach to be sure, but will it be a successful one? Only time will tell, but if an action game is what you’re looking for, and you’re tired of the same ol’ same ol’, Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers may be just what the medic ordered. Look for Combat Elite to storm U.S. shores on PlayStation 2 and Xbox July 6th, 2004.

A Conversation with the General of Combat Elite:WWII Paratroopers Producer/Lead Designer Eric DeMilt

GWX: Games of this type have been primarily fantasy action/RPG games. What made you decide on a WWII-era title for an engine of this type?

Eric Demilt: There were several important reasons for selecting the Snowblind Studios Engine for this game. First was gameplay, in most First Person Shooters you don’t have much situational awareness, the player’s perception of the world is limited to a 90 degree slice directly in front of them. With the top down view in Combat Elite the player is able to have a complete sense of the battle in front, to the sides and even behind. This increased situational awareness allows us to create a more realistic battlefield and to place enemies in ways that build suspense rather than just surprise. In CE you’ll see allied and enemy NPCs fighting in a battle rather than just noticing them when they run into your rifle sights. The second reason for choosing the engine we did was that we wanted to bring something new and unique to the combat/action genre. There are a lot of great FPS combat games already out there and, a lot more in the works and we didn’t want to just offer gamers more of the same in a different box. Drawing the combat/action experience out of the FPS/hardcore gamer world, into a more mass market setting where we could focus on complex environments, visual detail, and a variety of tactical situations in a historic setting made the engine choice an appealing one.

GWX: Can you briefly explain how troop management will come into play? Sounds intriguing.

ED: In CE, friendly troops fight a long side you in battle but they are not a micromanagement encumbrance. With CE we wanted to make a great fast paced action game, not a game where the player hid while trying to give orders to a bunch of AI in an ever changing combat environment. The number and type of troops with you varies from level to level, some troops are part of your squad and will move through a level helping you take key objectives. You can hide in the rear and let them do the fighting for you, move ahead and try to clear the way as they mop up, or stay with them and add to their firepower as they move through an objective.

GWX: Nice. So we get some AI troops to help us whop some as, but they can think on their own? We can dig it. Players can upgrade their skills and abilities. What kinds of skills can players look forward to?

ED: Our skill system is very similar to that of games like Ghost Recon. Combat Elite is a combat/action game but we want players to be able to customize their characters to suit their type of game play, build out characters they identify with, and to supplement their weaknesses. Since the game is a combat/action game all the skills are oriented around combat. Skills are broken up into Hand-to-Hand, Pistol, Sub Machine Gun, Rifle, Heavy Machine Gun, Grenade, Stealth, Combat Sense and Medic. Players receive skill points at the end of each level which they can choose to spend at any time. Each skill upgrade has definite in game benefits. Weapons skills improve shot grouping, reload times, and damage amounts. Non weapons skills also have unique Hand-to-Hand skills increase the amount damage done by fists and knives and also unlock new attacks. Medic skills are great for careless players like myself, spending points here will give you more healing per med pack and will eventually give you some self heal abilities. Combat Sense gives players a visualization of enemies as well as warning you when you are being targeted.

GWX: Do characters have his/her own unique abilities? If so, what are they?

ED: Yes, each of the 3 characters starts with a different set of specializations. This gives players a bit more skill with their starting weapons as well as giving them a character they can identify with right from the start. Private Patrick Harper of the 101st starts with Rifle and Pistol specialization, John Howe of the 82nd starts with Heavy and Sub Machine Gun specialization, and Private Stephen Frost of the British First Airborne Division starts with Pistol and Hand-to-Hand specializations.

GWX: Combat Elite is already looking quite sharp. While Black Isle Studios proved that minute advancements in the engine still produce beautiful results in Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2, it was Snowblind Studios who really pushed the graphical boundries of the engine in Champions of Norrath, offering much improved detail, non-dynamic bump mapping, improved camera zoom effects, etc. What kinds of advancements has BattleBorne made to the Snowblind engine? Do you introduce any of your own tools to accompany the engine?

ED: Thanks! We are using the latest and greatest version of the Snowblind Studios Engine so we reap the benefits of their ongoing development. We’ve worked closely with Snowblind to ensure the engine suits our needs throughout the course of the project. Countless little tweaks and improvements to the engine and tools have been made along the way. The most noticeable improvements/changes that players will see are to physics and combat AI. We tend to blow a lot of stuff up in our game so we’ve done a lot to improve the physics on shattering props and debris from explosions. Since our game is not fantasy adventure we’ve had to make a lot of changes to the combat AI to get enemies and allies working effectively with machine guns, rifles and hand grenades. You’ll see a lot more scripted movement, ranged combat and fire and maneuver behaviors than in previous games using this engine. As far as tools go we’ve made a ton of improvements/tweaks to the tools used to develop the game. Snowblind’s tools were already great; we just made them better suit our needs, and more user friendly. None of these will be released with the game so you’ll have to stop by the BattleBorne offices to check them out.

GWX: Will players be able to interact with non-player characters (NPCs)? Will they be able to participate in conversations complete with response trees?

ED: You do a lot of interacting with NPC’s with bullets and grenades but we try to keep the dialog to a minimum. As a combat/action game there is not a lot of role for dialog, especially dialog trees with unique outcomes. Given the historic setting of the game there isn’t a basis for talking the Germans into surrendering France or for changing mission outcomes based on the amount of attitude you give the guys in your squad.

GWX: Shoot first, and don’t bother to ask questions later, huh? Sounds good to us. Are there branching paths or optional side missions throughout the game?

ED: While some missions do have secondary objectives we have focused on creating a game that has one path beginning to end.

GWX: What engine tweaks is BattleBorne making to handle the ranged combat in Combat Elite?

ED: We’ve had to make quite a few tweaks to the engine to do a better job of handling ranged combat. We’ve moved the game camera a bit further back to give the player a greater field of view, the camera also shifts to give the player a greater forward looking field of view when they are still or taking cover. The game controls have been changed to better suit a combat game with ranged weapons. Pressure sensitive buttons are used to raise your weapon and target before firing a shot, players can crouch to move slowly and carefully and take cover behind objects. An auto targeting system has been created to show players where they are aiming and what they are targeting when the weapon is raised. This system also snaps targeting to nearby enemies so the player is not required to exactly line up each shot. AI has been customized a great deal for a ranged combat game. NPC’s use cover points, firing positions, leapfrog movement, ranged combat, melee attacks, grenades and a variety of different combat behaviors and states to fight the player and one another effectively in a battlefield made up of small arms combat.

GWX: Will the game sport multiple camera sets and/or a zoom function?

ED: CE has one primary camera, which is used for both single player and multi-player games. We also have several first person weapons in the game that the player can use from time to time. These include a sniper rifle, bazooka, and heavy machine guns. We do not support multiple camera sets or zoom functions as this can have a huge adverse effect on the combat system. Everyone wants the camera in close until the first firefight where they can’t see who is shooting them.

GWX: We see that Combat Elite is being released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Is the game built to any particular console specs? Can we expect a GameCube version down the road?

ED: No, the game isn’t really built with any one specific console in mind. We definitely try to get the most out of any console it’s running on. Any other platforms beyond PS2 and XBX are really a decision made by the sales and marketing guys over at our publisher. You would have to ask them.

GWX: Are there any ideas that the team had for the game that had to be left out? Can you briefly detail any of them?

ED: Unfortunately there are always things you want to do in a game that just don’t make the cut or that you figure out too late. Since we were lucky enough to be working with such a solid engine most of the stuff on my wish list made it in. One of the ideas that didn’t make it was the famous crossing of the Waal River in boats by the 82nd Airborne Division during operation Market Garden. In the game it would have been sort of like the arcade game Toobin with machine guns and artillery.


GamingWorld X would like to thank Eric DeMilt for taking time out his schedule to talk with us, and also much thanls goes to Alan Lewis at Acclaim for setting up the interview, and for continued media support.

Preview by Brendon Hivner