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One of my main goals at PAX 08 was to ferret out games that looked interesting, but for whatever reason have been riding low under the radar – and I think I may have found just what I was looking for with EA’s Battle Forge.
Developed by EA Phenomic, the team behind the SpellForce series, Battle Forge is a blend of RTS and CCG (collectable card game), which was enough to get my attention. For the most part, gameplay runs similar to a traditional RTS; you can move units around the battlefield in real time and must collect resources to construct new units. The major difference is that there are no buildings aside from monuments, which are sort of like “life points” and forges, which produce your main resource.
Before battle, you create a deck of 20 cards that is displayed at the bottom of the screen. Each unit features attributes like power, health, casting cost and any special abilities. Units come in four sizes, ranging from small squads to a monstrous Champion that tower over most of the battlefield. Although you can cast units while on the march, there are a few restrictions to help keep things in check. Units can only be cast within close proximity of other units or in a territory that you control. Additionally, the types of units you can cast are limited by how many forges you’ve collected. Early on you can only cast your deck’s smaller units and must collect additional monuments and forges to unlock larger units. Also, there's a limit to the number of times you can cast a unit.
In addition to units, you can cast spells that will either heal or damage units based on their elemental alignment. Like units, spells are aligned with one of four elemental properties (only Fire and Ice were available on the show floor), so hitting a fire unit with a fire spell will heal it. Spells share the same casting restrictions as units as far as resources, though you can target any unit visible on the screen.
Battle Forge will ship with a basic “starter deck” of cards to get you started as well as a few that can be unlocked during the campaign. You’ll also be able to purchase 8-card booster packs to further enhance your armies. The price per pack hasn’t been determined yet, though they shouldn’t be more than three dollars per pack. Similar to other card games, each pack will feature an assortment or common, uncommon and rare cards.
One of the more interesting elements of Battle Forge is its online aspect. Up to 12 players can compete in co-op and competitive battles. Co-op campaigns are neat because they require each player to work together. In one mission, both players had to take out two enemy units simultaneously on different sides of the map. There are also areas where maps will wrap around each other, giving one player a different vantage point to launch their attack from.
The online features will also embrace more social aspects beyond the requisite community boards. Players will be able to sell or trade unwanted cards or participate in special auctions. Taken alongside the interesting gameplay, Battle Forge looks primed to be the next “big thing” in the RTS market when it ships next year. |
