Warzone 2100

Pros • Hoyle! A 3D interface in an RTS that actually works! • Excellent controllable unit behavior. • Plus you get to design your own units from a body shop of over 400 parts.	Cons • Some may notice a real lack of diversity in units. • Interesting single player concept, but missions are unimaginative and the plot is somewhat weak.
Bottom Line In the year 2100, the future may not be pretty... but in 1999, Warzone 2100 is certainly going to turn a few heads. You know, I've really been fearing the advent of 3D Real Time Strategy. I knew it was going to happen. It was only a matter of time, of course, like everything else. But I really was scared for the genre. You see, I could just envision what would happen. RTS would go 3D, the units would become masses of blocky polygons and jerky animation while a horribly clumsy interface fumbled a camera around carelessly rendered terrains, trying meekly to only miss a mere three quarters of the action, instead of all of it. "Wave of the future" be damned! 3D would be the ruination of RTS. I knew it. Here we are today, just as I foresaw it, and sure enough RTS is making its way into 3D. Last week, upon receiving my first 3D RTS title, Machines, I closed my eyes and held on for what just knew would be a rough ride. I waited, but the nasty blow I was expecting didn't come. Perhaps this 3D thing wouldn't be so bad in an RTS after all... but I still couldn't help but feel a little confined by the Machines environment. Having eased myself into the water a bit, I accepted the neon orange box labeled Warzone 2100 with only faintly shaking fingers. As luck would have it, this was another 3D RTS title, to which I could easily compare my previous game to during my review. I loaded it up, once again expecting that vague smothering sensation of the RTS interface gone 3D. Surprise! What was this? As I tentatively tested the camera movement for the first time, I felt something... freedom? Could it be that this 3D interface was actually going to allow me to see everything I needed to see, without being a bother and making me long for the simple two dimensions of Warcraft II? As I began playing my way through the campaigns of Warzone 2100, it was confirmed. Someone had finally made a 3D RTS that worked.

I've always liked a good book, so maybe that's why I always pay attention to the plot of a game, even in the likes of Doom II (er, such as it was). Having said that, I experienced a sense of déjà vu while perusing Warzone 2100's plot.

Wasn't I just talking about the Earth and the computers and the nuking the planet bit? Well, folks, call them resistant to change, but once again a tale of nuclear devastation has been told. I'll just highlight the highlights. Year is 2100, world was nuked a while back by, what else, an evil malfunctioning computer. So here you are, ready to reclaim the world (or what's left of it). Unfortunately, you've still got some friends out there waiting for you...

Ok, despite being left in the dust for plot by such epic films as Showgirls, Warzone's single player missions do stay faithful to the story laid out. Although the single player starts off very slowly and progresses at a similar speed, a unique touch has been added. Instead of illogically starting off with a new base each mission, you retain all the units and buildings of the previous round. This is especially important since your units gain rank for kills, and thus becoming more accurate, stronger killing machines (yay!). This is great as it places more emphasis on base defenses and planning attacks, as the units you survive with are the units you will begin the next mission with. However, admittedly seeing the same base with the same terrain around you gets a little blah after a while. The mission worlds range from snow covered ranges to dry desert to post nuclear urban wastelands, all very pleasant to look at. Thankfully the use of 3D elevation has gone to good use as units have true line of sight. Misty haze effects finally edge us away from the ominous black "fog of war" present in almost every other RTS on the market.

As proclaimed on that crazily bright box, Warzone 2100 is "strategy by design". Yup, you design your own units. In fact, there are over 2000 different ways for you to put a gun together. WHOA, you say. COOL! Weeelll... It sure sounds that way, but in all honestly, be warned that a good 1800 of those units are a very slight modification of another. But still, with 400 parts to play with, the numbers are impressive. The basic idea is that you must research all the various parts of your army. These range from machine guns, to plasma cannons, to new treads. Once a part is researched, it becomes available in your body shop, where you mix and match to create a new method of mayhem. The idea is to choose a tech tree to follow, either opting for fast, medium armoured units, or slow moving behemoths.

I was certainly impressed with this unique approach, but I think it's fair to warn against any misleading ideas. Most of your units come from the same basic forms: tank-like, plane-like or cyborg-like. Regardless of whether your slap on a twin machinegun or a HE mortar, it's still a tank. Because of this, players will have to look at their personal tastes. Some may love the idea of "playing with stats", to make a faster vehicle with less armour, etc, like Total Annihilation and its hundreds of units. Others may wish for less unit options, and more diversity, like the total variety of Starcraft, where no unit is really the same. It's a personal taste, but make sure you like the former if you're interested in Warzone. Being able to design your own units is a lot of fun, and gives you a great deal of flexibility in climbing the tech tree. Definitely a plus!

One of the key things that Warzone has done to revolutionize the RTS is simplify the game structure. In the future, there's one resource to control: oil. And you don't even need a gatherer unit to get it. All you do is scout for an oil patch and put up a derrick. Your derricks are powered by generators, but don't worry. No need for wires and no distance limits are imposed. This approach is a lot like the solar generators of Total Annihilation.

Another important step to making things easier (one which I like very much) is an interface to control your construction that's independent of your buildings. You no longer have to search and click on a factory to build a unit. You can manage all your research, queue up new units and check on intelligence without ever being at your town. This makes staying on top of things, even while in a battle, a lot easier. Also, only a core collection of buildings is presented (about 10); the complexity of the game lies not in what structures you make, but rather, what you build in them (i.e. your unit designs). A whole slew of defensive structures are available though, which makes base construction a more important part. The reorganization of typical RTS priorities is very refreshing, and helps encourage new strategy to be developed, instead of mindless rushing.

The multiplayer aspect of Warzone is very strong, and is what will carry any good RTS. Internet play is built in over Mplayer.com, as well as all the other conventional methods (IPX, modem, serial, etc.). An especially good bonus is the fact Warzone 2100 is a 2 CD game, which means you'll be able to lend your CD to a friend for multiplayer action (especially handy for LANs). The multiplayer hosts a series of options, such as the usual map selection, resources selection, preset teams, etc., and even some fresh ideas, like choosing to start with a pre-made basic or advanced base. A single player mode against computer opponents is available for practice.

All in all, I was very pleasantly surprised with Warzone 2100. I was expected another clumsy attempt at fixing what wasn't broken (2D) with newfangled technology (3D). Warzone's engine truly made me feel free in a 3D world. The unit design element is a great alternative to the tired generic units of war, and the innovations in making the gameplay simple, yet effective (instead of the other way around) make Warzone a good reason why Westwood should be scared for its ever-promised yet never-delivered C&C2: Tiberian Sun. Take the plunge and go 3D. Jump into the Warzone.

-Graham Huber

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