Development of
Halo Wars 2 began in 2014 when 343 Industries approached Creative Assembly about collaborating on the title. 343 Industries were careful about choosing the right partner to work with on the project; Creative Assembly were chosen for their years of experience in developing RTS games. An effort was made to integrate the story of
Halo Wars 2 more closely with the main storyline of
Halo series. This approach influenced the setting of the game, which takes place on the Ark (featured in
Halo 3) and is set 28 years after the events of the original
Halo Wars to fit more inline with the current timeline of series' main story arc. The game was officially announced in 2015 at
Gamescom and showcased at a number of video gaming conventions prior to release. Two
open betas ran during the final year of the game's development so that the development team could make adjustments to the game based on player feedback.
Upon release,
Halo Wars 2 received generally positive feedback from professional critics. The campaign cinematics, created by
Blur Studio, were lauded for their outstanding animation quality. Reviewers found the game to be very approachable to beginners but observed that it was in need of more strategic depth to gain popularity amongst experienced RTS players. Enhancements made to the gamepad control scheme from the first
Halo Wars were praised but some critics were left disappointed with several nuisances present in the game's keyboard and mouse controls.
Gameplay
UNSC forces attacking a Banished Scarab. The green circle surrounding UNSC units is an active leader ability that restores health to the enclosed units.
Halo Wars 2 is a
military science-fiction real-time strategy (RTS) video game, in which players command armies from a
bird's-eye view of the battlefield.
[1][2] The game can be played using a
gamepad or using a
mouse and
keyboard.
[2] Like its predecessor
Halo Wars, the game features two playable factions: humanity's main military arm, the
United Nations Space Command (UNSC), who return from the first game, and a new alien faction known as the Banished, who serve as replacement for the
Covenant.
[3][4] A story-based campaign mode lets players take control of UNSC forces in battles against the Banished on an ancient structure.
[1][3] The campaign consists of twelve missions that can be played alone or
cooperatively.
[2][5] Each mission presents main objectives that involve capturing points, defending bases, or surviving waves of enemies,
[1] and often require the player to lead
Spartan supersoldier units around the map. The campaign also features optional side objectives such as ensuring a certain unit does not die over the course of a mission or destroying extra bases within a time limit.
[2] Animated cutscenes and dialogue precede each mission to provide context and integration with the game's story.
[1]
Outside the campaign, both the UNSC and the Banished are playable; each faction has a distinct set of units.
[2] Players choose a leader that is based on a prominent character and emphasises a particular style of play.
[1][2][3][6] Leaders have unique abilities they can be upgraded and activated during a battle; using one triggers a cooldown period before it can activated again.
[2][6][7] Abilities include healing groups of units,
carpet bombing a targeted area, deploying special troops and others.
[7] Combat in
Halo Wars 2 is
balanced by a "
rock–paper–scissors"
counter-attack system, in which ground vehicles are effective in combat against infantry, infantry are effective against aircraft, and aircraft are effective against ground vehicles.
[8] In most game modes, the player establishes a base of operations at a predetermined location on the map.
[2] Barracks and vehicles depots can be constructed at a base to deploy infantry and vehicles for combat. Each unit deployment, building construction, and leader ability requires supplies, a resource that can be gathered on the battlefield or collected via a supply pad building. Some units and buildings also require a second resource—power, which is produced using a generator or extractor building. Base buildings can be upgraded to grant passive bonuses and unlock access to higher tier units. Initially, the battlefield is shrouded by a
fog of war, which can be uncovered by moving units to clouded regions of the map. Units can be selected and then commanded to engage in combat or interact with structures on the battlefield.
[6] In addition to their primary attacks, every unit has a special ability and certain units like
Spartans have two abilities. For example, Spartans are capable of hijacking vehicles and performing a smash attack after leaping in the air.
[7] The player can build additional bases once they have accumulated enough resources and gained control over areas of the map, which allows them to expand their army further.
[6]
Halo Wars 2 features a number of multiplayer modes that can be played online with up to six players.
[9] Skirmish is cooperative or solo play mode against
AI opponents.
[10] Deathmatch involves eliminating the opponent's army.
[9] Stronghold and Domination are territorial modes centered around controlling bases or nodes on the map.
[2] Blitz is a mode that combines elements from
collectible card games with RTS gameplay by replacing the base building and resource management with a card-and-deck mechanic for unit deployment.
[11][12] Players create decks from card packs that are earned by playing the campaign mode and completing daily challenges. Each card features a unit that is deployed on the battlefield.
[11] Energy is the resource for using cards; more powerful units have a higher energy cost. Energy generates automatically throughout a match and more can be collected as additional energy supplies are dropped onto the map periodically.
[10] There is single-player and cooperative variant of Blitz, named Firefight, which pits players against waves of AI enemies.
Comments
Post a Comment
comment and like