Universe at War Earth Assault Preview

Petroglyph is developing Universe at War: Earth Assault, a real time strategy (RTS) game that will be released for the PC this winter and the Xbox 360 version will follow in the first quarter of 2008. The game has 3 factions but as of now there are only two functioning factions, Novus and Hierarchy. Judging by what has been seen in the demos witnessed so far as the thorough presence of robotic life forms it may be safely assumed that the third faction is most likely to be robots.

The Hierarchy invades the Earth in 2012 and they are basically giant robots (like those AT-AT walkers from Star Wars Episode V) only different and they are not meant to be tough. Because of their size they move slowly and crush anything that gets in their way. You can even think of them as giant mobile bases. The units are presented through numerous points and each can be upgraded with weapons, armor, and other devices. Besides being next to impenetrable to conventional weapons the walkers also create new units and put them on scout duty and also for flank protection. Resources are gathered using small walkers called Reavers. The Hierarchy can suck up anything from a house to a skyscraper and even harm animals and other objects in the environment.

The Novus is another robotic race that is more focused on speed, the weakest point of the Hierarchy. The Novus can build things like Reflector Turrets that act like mirrors for incoming fire. Everything is shot right back at the attacker. The various structures of the Novus are connected through what is called a Network and represented on screen by thin lines. The network allows for faster unit transfers and makes their bases dynamic. The tactical screen has options to accelerate unit speeds, give immunity from radiation, and many other abilities that can quickly change the game plan. This is especially effective if the current game plan is not working out and something better is needed, fast.

The multiplayer modes include Conquer the World in which the Earth’s globe is split into sections and the idea is to win them over one at a time until the entire globe is under the control of a single faction. You can even launch global attacks from one section to other. The Earth in the game follows real time day-night cycles and these have a serious impact on the gameplay.

Petroglyph is aiming at minimalism when it comes to the user interface. There will be no HUD so to speak, and all information will only pop-up when a unit is clicked otherwise the entire screen area is dedicated to gameplay. Petroglyph has also stated that the maps will be much bigger than the ones in Forces of Corruption.

Since the game is being released on the Xbox 360, a console that so far has had serious trouble adapting to the RTS genre, Petroglyph is attempting to create a new type of control mechanism that will be as effective on the Xbox 360 as the routine RTS control scheme for the PC. Only time will tell whether they can actually create a control scheme that will allow Xbox 360 users to compete with PC users.

Jitender Pal Singh Saan