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When you think of tactical shooters, the first name that will come in to most peoples mind is 'Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, but just because it has been the most popular realistic shooter in recent times, that doesn't mean it wont have competition, step forward 'Rogue Warrior'. Rogue Warrior is a game being developed by Zombie Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks, who also recently developed the popular The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for the Xbox 360. Rogue Warrior is based on the novels written by the former navy SEAL commander Richard Marcinko. The storyline is about how Richard Marcinko and his team of elites are dropped into North Korea for a reconnaissance mission, however the situation turns sour when North Korea declares war on South Korea thus leaving the team stranded and alone in enemy territory. Their new objective is to get out of the country, but it is inevitable that they will encounter some enemy resistance along the way.
Rogue Warrior is a tactical shooter so expect a realistic feel to the game in terms of weapons, damage, AI etc. Most of the screen shots show the game being played from a third person perspective however the game can also be played as a first person shooter. Rogue Warrior promises to offer a more open ended game, allowing players to take multiple paths to get to objectives. This means the levels will be large and open which adds a little creativity to the game. This should hopefully help it appeal to a wider gaming audience since it will please stealth fans as well as 'run and gun' gamers. In terms of allowing gamers to play stealthily, this might involve avoiding patrolling guards, planting booby traps or distracting enemies, for 'run and gun' gamers, well, the name says it all really. Perhaps there will be achievements for both styles of play which should offer some incentive for players to try out different methods. At the start of the game, the enemies that Marcinko and his team will fight will be normal North Korean soldiers, but as the game progresses players will confront the North Korean Special Forces whom will presumably be better equipped and better trained than their 'grunt' counterparts. The developers have stated that there is an 'Advanced AI' system being implemented in the game, so expect enemies to fight authentically and communicate with each other – for example in most games taking down a guard has no consequences; however in Rogue Warrior enemy soldiers will become suspicious when their comrades don't answer the radio. If the single player component of the game doesn’t catch people’s attention, the ambitious multi player side of the game probably will.
Rogue Warrior will have up to four player co-op and it sounds as if it will work in a similar way to the co-op mode in Gears of War, where a player can join at any point in the game and take over an AI player and if the player leaves the AI will take over again. In an interview with John Williamson, the producer of the game he dished out some interesting information on the game’s multi player. There will be around a dozen multi player game modes, ranging from the classic Deathmatch, to king of the hill and a handful of some new ones. The gametype 'Promotion' involves getting points for getting kills, however the player will receive more points if they kill someone of a higher rank. The player’s own rank depends on how many kills they have and the rank of the eliminated enemies, the winner is the player with the highest rank. Most games keep single player and multi player separate, Tom Clancy games are a good example of this. Rogue Warrior however is slightly different, for the players rank displayed in multi player will also take into account their single player exploits as well, so it would be wise to complete the single player in order to reach a higher overall rank. As well as some inventive gameplay modes, we should also expect something more from Rogue Warriors multiplayer experience.
The new map tile system in Rogue Warrior is what makes the game’s multiplayer stand out when compared to other games. In order to combat those players who always run to the best 'camping' or sniping points as well as players getting bored of the maps, the developers have implemented a new map tiling system. This means that the multiplayer map is made up of three tiles, each team votes on a tile and the middle tile will be selected randomly by the server. The developers have the Unreal 3 engine to thank for this as they claim that it was never feasible before, they also believe it is a very innovative idea which adds a new take on multiplayer gaming, which so far looks believable. The combination of tiles means hundreds of different maps can be created which helps eliminate both the problems stated earlier. Teams can vote of which type of tile they want which can range to more open areas to tight, close quarter areas.
It's good to hear that the developers are designing the game in such a way that in order to succeed, players will have to work well and communicate as a team. Each player can select equipment as well as weapons which gives them special attributes, which if used in the correct way will work to their advantage. In order to make the most of their chosen equipment, which could be night vision, medic kits or body armor to name a few, they will have to select the right equipment for the type of tiles used; for example night vision will presumably be useless for a daytime map. It will also depend on the victory conditions; again for example you can only presume that if the game type was a 'defend the hill' objective, then no doubt equipping a PDA/map would be fairly pointless for the defending team if they need to stay in the one area. Hopefully the developers get the balance right and teams which do make silly or wrong decisions will be 'punished' appropriately by the enemy than if they take more suitable equipment. A few key features have also made it into the multiplayer, such as booby traps and stationary gun emplacements; the former especially should provide more creative and fun ways to dispose of enemies which can be followed by taunts over Xbox Live. As with the single player level design, the multiplayer maps will allow players a variety of routes to reach destinations, for example swimming up around the enemy but this will leave you more vulnerable in the water, so maybe the heads on approach or alternatively taking the not so well lit areas and sticking to the shadows for some sneaky stealth kills?
In theory, both the single player and the multiplayer are promising ideas in theory, but it is yet to be seen whether it will all come together but if it does, it will make for a unique gaming experience different from the usual shooters. Hopefully Richard Marcinko’s influence and his military experience will benefit the game in becoming a solid tactical shooter. The amount of options for the single player campaign means that the enemy AI needs to be reliable for it to be successful. The multiplayer is looking promising; offering a large variety of game modes and maps, but hopefully the developers can get the balance right and make a game which rewards good teamwork. A lot of people are focusing on Xbox 360 exclusive titles for 2007, but for tactical shooter fans and players who enjoy Tom Clancy titles as well as those looking for a different multiplayer experience; Rogue Warrior is definitely worth keeping an eye on.
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