Talk Strategy takes a look at one of the strategy hits of E3 2005. Check out the exclusive interview.
19 Jul 05

I mentioned we'd have a special treat for you today. One of the surprise hits from E3 2005 was Ghost Wars. It's a near future RTS that actually allows the player to zoom in and take control of a unit to help turn the tide of battle. Talk Strategy got a chance to run some questions by Cyril Piner Mata, Ghost Wars Project Manager.

TS: The Imperium Galatica series is a favorite among 4X fans, why should those fans be interested in Ghost Wars™?

CPM: As long as you’re a strategy games fan, you’ll be interested in Ghost Wars™. As it benefits from a new generation engine, Walker 3, which allows to get stunning graphics and visual effects, and Ghost Wars™ also brings new game mechanics, with the Direct Control mode and Game Master multiplayer mode.

TS: What time frame and series of events surround Ghost Wars™?

CPM: Ghost Wars™ story takes place in the very near future, and takes you deep into the clandestine world of the Government Special Operations Group and its secret war against emerging terrorist threats and networks.

Seemingly independent incidents throughout the world will all fall to place like in a giant puzzle, to reveal the shocking truth behind. Classified missions will take place in such locations as Cuba, Ukraine, USA and Afghanistan.

TS: What do you hope players get out of the ability to zoom in and directly control units?

CPM: The Direct Control mode - or FPS mode - is a very exciting feature, which all gamers will enjoy their way. First, this allows to get rid of an enemy faster than with the traditional RTS view. It makes battles more intense. But on the battlefield, you can’t overuse it, as it might lead to your defeat if you stop commanding your troops for a few minutes.

It’s also very useful for vehicles, which you can control in Third Person mode. Let’s imagine one of your tanks is in a difficult situation, then you can instantly take control of a helicopter to go and give it support. You can also drive a vehicle throughout the whole map with reconnaissance goals. It’s also funnier to drive a big tank in the streets and see the battle from the ground view.

The FPS mode is also a perfect way to enjoy the wonderful graphics and extremely detailed environment in the game.

TS: You're modeling a Special Forces unit. Some of the characteristics of those units include advanced/specialized weapons, highly coordinated maneuvers, and close bonds among unit members. How will these be modeled in the game?

CPM: Every weapon, vehicle and equipment has been faithfully modelized. Ghost Wars™ will feature more than 30 weapons, 40 vehicles and more than 25 different units. It’s worth mentioning that beside all this, the enemy equipment will be “lootable” and you’ll be able to take control of any civilian vehicle.

Concerning realism, we’re working with a US military consultant, who reviews all the equipment, weapons, vehicles, tactics in order to be as faithful to reality as possible. He even reviews the lines of dialogues that units will say in the game.

According to the geographical zone where missions will take place, the enemies’ equipment and tactics will be different, and inspired by real facts.

TS: Two more Special Forces hallmarks are detailed mission planning and adapting to changing circumstances. How much control will the player have in those areas?

CPM: At the beginning of each mission, players will be given a full description of the current situation, the objectives assigned, the key spots on the map, etc. So you will know exactly what you’re expected to do. As for changing situations, you will have lots of options at your disposal (go ahead, retreat, hold position, etc.). Your abilities to react quickly under enemy fire or offensive attacks will be assessed, but you may also face a violent response from the other side, so you will have to face various changing situations.

TS: Individual unit AI in the RTS genre is usually pretty bad. How do you plan to improve this and what will be the impact on gameplay?

CPM: It is true that AI and enemies’ reaction are often disappointing, and not only in RTS games. That’s why we’ve been paying much importance to it, working on a way to give units a variety of “human” plausible reactions. Units will of course be able to run, crouch and prone but they’ll also be able to take advantage of the environment. For example, they can hide behind a car during a fight or at the corner of a street. They can also retreat when they’re losing too much ground! All this will allow to get very diversified situations and intense, realistic battles.

TS: Will there be RPG elements or unit advancement in the game?

CPM: Yes, Ghost Wars™ will include an RPG aspect as you will have to make choices on the best way to develop your units via a skill system. A great variety of possibilities will be offered to gamers and it’ll be up to them to decide what to do to get a balanced, efficient team on the battlefield. Either increase the firepower of the riflemen or enhance the shooting range of your ambushed snipers… There are many, many possibilities.

TS: The gameplay concept reminds me a bit of Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising. Are you familiar with that game and are there any similarities?

CPM: I’ve heard of this game but I’ve never played it, so it hasn’t affected our vision of Ghost Wars™ in any way.

TS: Hostile Waters performed poorly in the US market because it lacked multiplayer. What can you tell us about multiplayer?

CPM: I agree that multiplayer is an essential part in RTS games. And Ghost Wars™ will feature several multiplayer modes : Hostage Rescue, Capture the Leader (similar to a well-known capture the flag game mode), Destroy, Cooperative Mode and the very exciting Game Master Mode. The game master gives orders in RTS mode to the player-controlled and non player-controlled units. He gets feedbacks from the players via voice and/or chat messages. He can’t switch into TPS and FPS mode so this guarantees players to have a tactician in the game master seat.

Finally, there are 2 playable sides in multiplayer mode : the terrorists and the Government Special Operations Group. Each side has a different kind of game play, different units and weaponry.

TS: How destructible are the environments and how will that affect gameplay?

CPM: In Ghost Wars™, the environment can be fully destroyed (buildings, vehicles, vegetation…). Thus you can really shape the battlefield for tactical purposes. Let’s say there’s a building you’re suspecting to be occupied by terrorists, and which you can’t reach safely, then you can also call for support to bomb it, you can also destroy cars or houses that enemies could use as a cover… So you can complete a mission in many different ways.

TS: Recently Ground Control 2 received praise for allowing players to adjust difficulty for each mission. Have you considered using a similar system?

CPM: The level of difficulty will be adjustable before starting your campaign, but not before each mission. There are always several ways to complete each mission; try another path, use air support, use some units for reconnaissance purposes. We prefer to keep Ghost Wars™ challenging and offer gamers the most intense gaming experience.

TS: Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War was one of the most popular games in the RTS genre last year. Its single player campaign basically had two types of missions. One was a puzzle like mission that played out the same way each time. The other was a more dynamic mission that contained the ebb and flow of battle often on multiple fronts that could turn out very differently each time you play it. How do your missions fit in those categories if at all?

CPM: There is one main campaign in Ghost Wars™, and each mission will have several objectives. There are of course primary objectives, which are compulsory and that the player must complete to succeed in the mission. Primary objectives are always known to the player. There are also secondary and secret objectives that can give a bonus when successfully completed.

So, the replay value is quite big and you’ll have to complete the campaign several times to make sure you’ve really explored the title.

TS: Finally, in the big picture, where do you see strategy gaming headed in the next five to ten years?

CPM: I think Artificial Intelligence will benefit from technological advancements, as well as more detailed environment. Both will allow to recreate lifelike situations and intense battles, which will captivate gamers and allow them to plan really strategic fights.

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Thanks to Cyril, Chris Clarke and Sandra McAuley for their help with this interview. Ghost Wars is expected in the first half of 2006. You can check out some Ghost Wars screenshots Here.

Jason