Not that all the other wars were just a bit of goofing around, but World War One – a conflict remembered more for its bleak, arduous trench warfare than any great triumph over evil – seems like a particularly unusual source of inspiration for a strategy game that will, presumably, be played for fun. Nonetheless, The Great War: Western Front, a combination of macro planning and tactical RTS battling revealed this week at Gamescom, has elected to lean right into WW1's complexities and difficulties rather than dance around them.
Developers Petroglyph have gone for historical accuracy in various ways, senior designer Chris Becker and audio director Frank Klepacki explain to me at a hands-off demo in Cologne. The soundtrack will even include licensed music from the era. But something they want to really hammer home is the brutality of the war: territory won't be won in heroic pushes but slowly and bloodily, while collapsing morale is as much a danger as any advancing army.
In fact, it's possible to lose the whole campaign – playable as either the Allies or the Central Powers – if your 'National Will' to fight falls flat. Becker opens the demo in Theatre Commander mode, the game's strategy layer, and it permanently displays both sides' National Will at the very top of the screen. There's a grid-based map that shows unit positions and Europe's frontline, but pushing that line into enemy territory isn't the only way to win. Breaking their National Will through battles, even if you don't claim complete, outright victory, will eventually see them surrender.
Along the way you'll be presented with surprise events, presenting a choice of how to spend or save your resources in a pinch; when asked how to deal with rising cases of shellshock, for example, you can invest in researching proper treatment or preserve your coffers (at the cost of losing National Will) by telling victims to get on with it. Theatre Commander mode also includes a gigantic branching tech tree, covering everything from weapons and technology improvements to economic measures and espionage tactics. Becker opts to invest in Death From Below, a perk that can provide an edge in future battles via shovel-wielding saboteurs digging under the enemy lines and planting explosives right beneath their sodden boots.
Performing this kind of prep work seems just as vital, if not more so, to the RTS battle mode as your actual troop movements and firing orders. Back in the Theatre Commander view, risking a spy mission can reveal enemy infantry and equipment numbers – details a more forgiving RTS might give up freely. Then, if you choose to engage, there's a lengthy (lasting a month of in-game time) and highly detailed setup phase where you'll need to build trenches, communication lines, and weapon emplacements.
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