Stormrise - A Classic RTS Game

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Details

• Publisher: SEGA
  
  
• Developer: Creative Assembly
  
  
• Genre: RTS
  
  
• Category: Strategy
  
  
• Shooter type: Third person
  
  
• Release Date: In 2009
  
  
• Available on: Play Station 3, XBOX 360

Introduction

The development team at Creative Assembly has spent the last three and a half years quietly working on the interface for a brand-new real-time strategy game called Stormrise. Stormrise is an upcoming game that is being developed with the ambition to make the real-time strategy genre accessible to console gamers. Creative Assembly unveiled a pre-alpha version of this upcoming game at publisher SEGA's E3 booth. SEGA has confirmed the development of Stormrise, built specifically for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. Rather than catering to PC gamers, Creative Assembly is optioning to make Stormrise as simple as possible along with attempt to keep the entertainment value high.

There was a time when certain genres simply stayed with the PC for a variety of fairly obvious reasons, but these days, those rules are changing rapidly. By adopting a paradigm anything else, Creative Assembly seems in any case well on the way to end the curse. The developer has indeed outrecuidance to develop a RTS on consoles to raise then on PC! Stormrise is from the team that created Medieval II: Total War and co-produced Rome: Total War, but the group is doing something different with Stormrise. First of all, Creative Assembly is handling the development, and secondly, from what we’ve heard thus far, Stormrise is shaping up quite well. Here’s an early look at the next-gen RTS that might drag in a whole horde of fans.


The beginning of a new era?

After three and a half years of development, Creative Assembly was finally able to present a pre-alpha version of their ambitious RTS. Ambitious, because the confession developers, ninety nine percent of orders not seek a button and the use of analog sticks. Specifically, the player finds himself navigating its troops to raze the ground via a zone selection in three dimensions. Adopting the training regiment selected, the latter can then be amended according to several configurations. Then, rather than designate an order of positioning. That is the basic method of travel. But if Stormrise that it had to offer, the ambitions of Creative Assembly seem well planned.

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Stormrise Game-plan

Stormrise’s basic plot is centered in a post-apocalyptic world that has two warring factions out to eliminate the other. Taking control of either the Echelon, a technology advanced race that comes well-equipped with mechs, or the Sai, a tribal group that has evolved with the environment, players will have tons of units to use throughout their campaigns to dominate the opposition. The objective for players is to capture energy nodes to gain more resources within the game which ultimately provide players the chance to call in more reinforcements.

The player has several regiments of troops and is therefore a first choice delicate game design. So, rather than attempting yet another unsuccessful transposition of mechanical PC to console, small guys Creative Assembly have devised an ingenious system and intuitive, Whip Select: to select several regiments at the same time, a circular area, always in three dimensions, appears on the screen and, like a needle on a dial walking by the hour, a beam just review the troops involved. Leader latter via an analog stick, the player only has to confirm the selection of a single keystroke or, conversely to direct the beam to the next. For seasoned players, it is also possible to go directly to the next by pressing the analog stick. Simple, but he needs to think

Once treated this second level of selection, it is time to move our troops. Again, Creative Assembly introduced a small discovery. In the heat of the action, rather than designating a specific destination to a regiment it is possible, using just the X button and stick right to print a single direction. It also appears in the form of an arrow colored offering better readability to action. A good idea, is so far, as the player spreads red of the traditional method: selection of the regiment, scroll the map and selecting the point of arrival. A gain significant time when the battle rages. But, although very focused towards micro-management, the gameplay established by Creative Assembly could only happen with a minimum of verticality. This is where it is a type of unity essential: the Infiltrator.

Added to arrivals, the unit offers the player a point of view quasi-omniscient on the battle. It allows it to identify enemy positions to be approaching closer thanks to its optical camouflage and therefore to move from micro to the macro-management. Note that the player embodies the Infiltrator in his travels like a Third Person Shooter. Speaking of macro-management, the player can also count on a holographic card offering him an overview of the battle. The apparatus tactical Stormrise and organized according to these three levels of management. A coherent system on paper and on screen, but it is difficult to judge as a mere spectator. Therefore, in part rely on the good faith of Creative Assembly, which seems, for the coup, very confident about the potential seduction of his new project. We'll see about the result we joystick in hand.

Finally, to address the content announced. The evolution of troops based on the distribution of contextual bonus. More simply, depending on the type of unity and action carried out the number of points will be higher or lower. As for technological developments it will be by the capture of enemy installations in order to feed their knowledge. Forget the promises addressing the multiplayer. Several methods have been announced, the chance to bring together eight players online in a single battle in four against four. A party may also welcome a new player at any time. Finally, the main campaign (whose life is currently estimated at between twenty and thirty hours) will play two players in cooperation, online and offline.

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Stormrise Controller settings

Stormrise essentially is controlled with four buttons: the left thumbstick, right thumbstick, A Button and X Button. The left thumbstick moves around the targeting reticule to show where the units will go. Wherever you place the reticule will result in the location of the unit’s destination. Using the right thumbstick will allow you to switch to other units and take control of them by selecting a general direction of where they are located. By highlighting any of the icons, you can move straight over to the selected units. There’s also a quick whip option by generally clicking the right thumbstick to select the closest unit in that direction. For the first face button, the A Button allows for players to execute actions on the battlefield. Lastly, players can also use the X button to indirectly order the units to go to specific spots on the map.


Conclusion

If we rely on the presentation that we proposed Creative Assembly, Stormrise has serious arguments for imposing a new kind of RTS on consoles. Taking advantage of the specificities of the joystick (here, Xbox 360), the title published by Sega could, hopefully, break the curse that affects the kind on consoles. But now, even if we did not find any big inconsistency or heaviness evident in the management of troops, this was a demonstration perfectly oiled.

Stormrise offers fans of the classic RTS genre an immersive and dramatic twist whilst challenging the conscience of the gamer. Experience the heat of the battlefield by leading your troops from the front line, instead of the traditional way of controlling the units from a detached view point.