14 DAY TRIAL // Video game developer Relic and publisher THQ have revealed information about the way weather will be used in the upcoming Company of Heroes 2, with a complex simulation designed to offer both realism and extreme conditions on the Eastern Front.
The aim of the design team behind the strategy game was to stay true to the real-world conditions that were seen on the Eastern Front between ’41 and ’45 and the tools they are using are the Essence Engine 3.0 and its ColdTech subsystem.
The results include sub-zero temperatures where the in-game infantry is in danger of freezing off and becoming unable to fight, with the player required to either provide fires or garrison them into buildings to counteract the effects of weather.
Snow is also a focus for ColdTech and its presence on a map will mean that both men and vehicles move slower than usual and will allow players to see the movements of large forces.
Ice will play a role in Company of Heroes 2, allowing players to plunge enemies into water to take them out of a fight and use it to slow down enemy maneuvers.
Quinn Duffy, a game director at Relic Entertainment, commented when ColdTech was revealed that, “Company of Heroes 2 is all about authenticity and no game based on the Eastern Front would be complete without extreme weather conditions. Thanks to the enhanced technology offered by the new Essence Engine we are able to accurately portray the bitter Soviet winter which crippled the German army.”
Company of Heroes 2 will focus on the action on the Eastern Front and will include unique new mechanics for both the Soviet Forces and the Nazi Germany armies they are facing.
Company of Heroes 2 will be launched exclusively on the PC during early 2013.