DATA BECKER Previews America II at E3
-- New Version of Popular America RTS Game Coming in 2003 --
The smell of gunpowder fills the air. The nation is divided and on every stretch of land a battle rages. Geronimo, Chief of the Apache, swears revenge and quietly turns prosperous settlements into ghost towns. The Mexican Army, under the command of General Jose Maria Carrasco, drives back many Native American Indian tribes with his powerful guns and cannons.
The prairie burns. Lead by Quanah Parker, the Comanche fights against the white hunters to save the buffalo hunting grounds. The Native Indian war starts. The Americans, led by Colonel Henry and Kit Carson, strive for the expansion of US settlements in new territories. Legends like Wyatt Earp and Butch Cassidy arise in small, rough mining towns. Now the time has come to rewrite history.
In 2003, DATA BECKER will unveil America II, a new version of its popular 3D RTS game, America. The game will feature new groups including the Apache and Comanche Native Americans and a group of Miners in over 30 single player missions. A six non-playable nation, The Desperados, will be able to turn the tide in any battle.
In America II, every nation has completely different units, abilities and strengths. The game has a realistic Western feeling, a high level of graphic detail, dynamic animation and a free turnable and zoomable camera that places the gamer in the center of the experience. With new tactical planning features, an economic system for each nation and a new user interface, America II provides gamers with new strategic challenges through a streamlined interface. In addition, gamers will be able to easily create scenarios using an Editor Assistant feature. After a quick definition of a scene, the game engine generates the scenario map.
America II’s gaming engine, the Exortus 3D Nurbs engine (E3DNE) provides a high degree of detail at very low memory requirements. Even the smallest degree of detail, such as fingers in a hand, is rendered by E3DNE. The engine, developed by Exortus for America II and based on Silicon Graphics’ Maya 4 technology, makes possible the simultaneous representation of several hundred units for display and provides a camera angle that is usually seen only in cut scenes.
Added to a dynamic animation system, new AI modules and physical correctness, America II will provide a high degree of detail along with new units, new heroes and new missions. The game is being designed to automatically support future graphics cards. America II will be officially launched in 2003.
DATA BECKER Shows Beta Version of Highland Warriors at E3
-- Advanced Gaming Engine Brings Real-Time Weather to Highly Realistic Game Play --
The people of Scotland are proud and passionately patriotic; the country is beautiful, but rough and untamed, a fact exaggerated by its tough climate. Nowhere is this felt more strongly than in Stirling, Scotland, the legendary gateway to the Highlands. At E3, DATA BECKER will show how this fierce weather affects the Scots and other characters, as the company continues to introduce new features of its highly anticipated 3D RTS game, Highland Warriors.
Highland Warriors is the first 3D RTS game that actually changes seasons during a mission. Characters encounter heavy snow in the Highlands as the otherwise green pastures turn to white. Peasants, hunters, clansmen and soldiers are all affected by the changing seasons. Players can set the weather when building terrain maps, or respond to set weather patterns that are a part of all the missions.
At E3, DATA BECKER will be showing the British, the MacDonald and the Cameron Clans; game characters such as archers, peasants, and woodcutters; and animation and illumination so realistic that as a windmill turns, players will see a 360-degree millstone turn as well as the shadow of a building changing in the sun.
Gamers will also see the Highland Warriors artificial intelligence system enabling characters to move and act naturally adding to the movie-like realism of the experience. Other features to be shown include true time shadows, which move with a character or object, a dynamic 3D zoom in/out feature, and a full landscape engine that provides texture depth and more.
Highland Warriors brings alive the Scottish Middle Ages. The game begins with the original founding of Scotland around 850 AD and peaks with the fight for independence during the late 13th and early14th centuries. Players have the chance to fight the battle at Stirling Bridge side-by-side with William Wallace, or share in the glorious victory at Bannockburn with Robert the Bruce. Players can also fight on the side of the English at Falkirk, and show the Scots just what the Cavalry is able to do. The game offers three different Scottish clans and the English army complete with totally different units, knowledge, competencies and strengths (trade, diplomacy, warriors, etc.).
ATLAS Gaming Engine Advances Realism in 3D RTS Arena
Highland Warriors delivers a high degree of realism plus advanced gaming features through ATLAS, an innovative engine developed specifically for the game. ATLAS can show up to 200,000 polygons simultaneously without a loss of performance for highly realistic graphics and advanced playability. ATLAS makes possible realistic particle effects, 3D objects with a detail depth such as polycounts, and one of the most modern landscape engines available today. Added to the game’s real-time shadows, artificial intelligence and a freely rotating camera with full zoom, players are a part of the action like never before.
Customizable Game Interface
Highland Warriors unique customizable game interface allows users to redesign the game presentation to suit an individual player’s ability. Drag and drop buttons, screens, a mini map, and direct access to characters can be customized according to a player’s sensibility.
The user interface also makes the game’s statistics and overview simple. Pre-set camera positions prevent any problems with orientation.
Game Flexibility and Scalability
The first release of Highland Warriors will feature four campaigns with a total of 35 historically founded missions. For each of the four nations there is a campaign with non-linear missions. Player actions determine the course of each mission. Approximately 80 cut scenes drive the epic battle stories of Scottish patriotism and British invaders.
Complex Strategies
Different fighting units with various upgrades, levels of experience, special talents and different formations (offensive, defensive, etc.) will ensure a different course and outcome for each battle. The economic cycle provides a wide range of play, using a master title system, five different resources (food, wood, stone, ore and gold) as well as free trade. Fighting is more fun when players are engaged with others. Highland Warriors supports up to eight players through the Internet or LAN.
The game is expected to ship in 4th quarter of 2002.