Halo Wars Demo

[Null Parameter]

For those of you interested, here's the latest news on Halo Wars.

Looks like today we can get a Vidoc (http://marketplace.xbox.com/games/media/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d8024D530808?cid=MajorNelson&partner=MajorNelson).

Also, a sizable Demo will be available on February 5th.

Personally, I'm waiting to see if I am getting the game until after I play the demo, mainly because I'm not usually too good at RTS games. :(

Putting the finishing touches on Halo Wars must be bittersweet for the developers. The long-awaited RTS game for Xbox 360 has gone "gold" today, a few days before Ensemble Studios will shut down (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/09/microsoft-confirms-ensemble-closure-new-studio-opening/) its doors at the end of the month (http://www.ensemblestudios.com/blogs/bshelley/archive/2009/01/16/halo-wars-on-schedule-wrapping-up-soon.aspx).

In addition to announcing the game's gold status, Microsoft released further details on Halo Wars downloadables. A video documentary that goes behind the scenes of the game can be downloaded off of Xbox Live today. The playable demo will be available on February 5th at 5AM EST (2AM PST).

The demo will include beginner and advanced tutorials and the first two campaign missions from the story mode. The demo will also include "Chasms," one of the 14 multiplayer maps included in the full game. Players will be able to go against the computer AI in Skirmish mode, playing as either the UNSC or the Covenant. No online play was mentioned in the release.

[thatdamnhippie]

I cant wait for this game personally. I grew up on RTS's for the computer.
I already pre-ordered the Legendary Edition, so I get the new Halo 3 maps a couple weeks ahead of time free :D

[PsychoBucket]

If I get Halo Wars, I probably won't play it for a while. I just want the new maps.

[Defiance]

I almost won an early release of the demo :[.
If I got to the chat like a few minutes earlier I would of gotten it.

[Murdock Sampson]

I almost NOM NOM NOM NOMNOM.

dang it something just ate half my sentence.


But anyways I gotta say I'm looking forward to this game.

I'm generally a fan of RTS games, and I love halo. So why not both?

[CostlyAxis]

I'm most likely not even going to touch this game. It has no appeal to me in any manner as I'm not a fan of RTS games, and having the Halo universe involved won't deter my opinion. This isn't to say the game is bad, it's just not a game I would enjoy.

[Null Parameter]

I'm most likely not even going to touch this game. It has no appeal to me in any manner as I'm not a fan of RTS games, and having the Halo universe involved won't deter my opinion. This isn't to say the game is bad, it's just not a game I would enjoy.
I started out thinking the same thing.

I've never been too big of a fan of RTS games either. Mainly because I suck at them. But, I decided to at least give the demo a shot, because there are several RTS games that I've liked in the past, if I can get into them.

For example, I used to play the original Warcraft (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warcraft:_Orcs_%26_Humans), because it was


Simple
Very Humorous

Both of which are things I can enjoy in a game.

I also played Age of Mythology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_mythology), because I'm a mythology buff. So, while it was difficult to get the hang of everything, I still enjoyed doing so, because I got constant access to all of my favorite stories/myths.


So, while a new game is the last thing I need (http://www.xforgery.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6341&postcount=3), I'm hoping that Halo Wars is a pleasant surprise and something I will enjoy.

[Denominator]

Plus, RTS games tend to have rather awkward controls on the console. I too remember playing Warcraft and Warcraft II, and how much quick controls you needed in the intense battles.

Then I tried some console RTS, and I just couldn't make it do what I wanted fast enough.

I might try Halo Wars when it gets cheap, but it's not anything I'm shitting my pants for.

[thatdamnhippie]

Yeah, all RTS games have not come easy to me either. I've played them forever but still find them hard. And hopefully when they said Halo Wars should be an astounding new way of gameplay for the Xbox 360 they will be right ;)

[Null Parameter]

And hopefully when they said Halo Wars should be an astounding new way of gameplay for the Xbox 360 they will be right ;)
That's what I'm hoping for as well.

[Null Parameter]

DOWNLOAD IT NOW (http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/games/offers/0ddf000a-0000-4000-8000-00004d5388ba)!

[Denominator]

DOWNLOAD IT NOW (http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/games/offers/0ddf000a-0000-4000-8000-00004d5388ba)!

Queued. Will get it next time I turn on my Xbox.

[Morphine]

I played the skirmish, it's very similar to the original starcraft. The only thing that kind of bothered me was the resources. Basically all you need to do is construct a building which magically drops you money every once in a while, as appose to mining something on the map like most rts games. The problem with this is once everyone gets a steady flow going there is no reason to ration your income or build only select units. Potentially, this system allows matches to last forever. Not to mention you can't get your allowed troop level to more than about 50 units, which means no truly massive battles. another thing lacking is there is no freedom to build bases where you please, there are preset locations where you can place a new main base then build up to 7 other buildings around it. Also this might just be because it's the demo but wasn't the flood going to be a playable class? in the demo it's only human and conv. From what I see I can't really justify the purchase, I will likely just use the money towards upgrading my pc for SC2.

[Null Parameter]

I played the skirmish, it's very similar to the original starcraft. The only thing that kind of bothered me was the resources. Basically all you need to do is construct a building which magically drops you money every once in a while, as appose to something you're mining on the map like most rts games. The problem with this is once everyone gets a steady flow going there is no reason to ration your income or build only select units. Potentially, this system allows matches to last forever. Not to mention you can't get your allowed troop level to more than about 50 units, which means no truly massive battles. another thing lacking is there is no freedom to build bases where you please, there are preset locations where you can place a new main base then build up to 7 other buildings around it. Also this might just be because it's the demo but wasn't the flood going to be a playable class? in the demo it's only human and conv. From what I see I can't really justify the purchase, I will likely just use the money towards upgrading my pc for SC2.
I agree that it does seem to make things quite simple, but to tell you the truth, I think they did the right thing. A lot of console gamers aren't RTS players, for obvious reasons, so making the gathering aspect less cumbersome they open up the playability for those who are less experienced.

[Morphine]

I agree it is very user friendly but I think they are sacrificing gameplay. The fact that you can't even build anything more than a few feet away from the main base really hurts the strategy involved. Not to mention they other players are basically told where everyone is at the start of the match. I just wish I could turret rush someone, like in c&c or sc.

[Null Parameter]

I agree it is very user friendly but I think they are sacrificing gameplay. The fact that you can't even build anything more than a few feet away from the main base really hurts the strategy involved. Not to mention they other players are basically told where everyone is at the start of the match. I just wish I could turret rush someone, like in c&c or sc.
While that is a nice strategy to have available for advanced players, that kind of strategy pissed off less experienced players, like myself. And again, trying to appeal to the masses, especially when, for the most part, RTS game are relatively the same, involves not giving Advanced RTS players too much of an upper hand.

[thatdamnhippie]

It r b amazin.
I played the demo today and almost shat bricks. It was awesome. I love the cintematics they were just astonishing. It was everything and more (:

[Denominator]

I love the cintematics they were just astonishing.
The cinematics are quite spectacular. Bravo on that.

[Kenny M]

I agree with Assassin i loved the demo and I'm glad i pre-ordered it.

[Murdock Sampson]

I agree it is very user friendly but I think they are sacrificing gameplay. The fact that you can't even build anything more than a few feet away from the main base really hurts the strategy involved. Not to mention they other players are basically told where everyone is at the start of the match. I just wish I could turret rush someone, like in c&c or sc.

That's the thing.

If you want a simple yet fun RTS with halo, try Halo Wars. If you want an advanced RTS, use a computer.

[Morphine]

That's the thing.

If you want a simple yet fun RTS with halo, try Halo Wars. If you want an advanced RTS, use a computer.

I doubt how long it can remain it's enjoyability seeing as there is no room for advancement. I don't mind that the game is easy to pick up, but a truly great game would have advanced strategy to set the more advanced/experienced players apart.

[Null Parameter]

I doubt how long it can remain it's enjoyability seeing as there is no room for advancement. I don't mind that the game is easy to pick up, but a truly great game would have advanced strategy to set the more advanced/experienced players apart.
Just because nobody has explored it enough to discover any extra advanced strategy, doesn't mean that one doesn't exist, it just means that it doesn't stick to the the norm of how RTS games have done it in the past.

[MovingTarget602]

In my opinion, the Halo Wars Demo is a great demo and will be a great game. I only did the first of the two campaign levels due to the fact of me playing skirmish. I have to say that it is simple, yet ingenuitive and quite fun to play. The two factions that you can play as are as different as night and day. But, I prefer the Covenant. I have found that unless the UNSC can get the ODST out, the Covenant have won. If and when the UNSC upgrades to the ODST, the game turns in favor of them. I like the ability to use the Prophet of Truth as a playable character. His Cleansing Beam, or whatever it is called, is a very powerful weapon. My favorite vehicle for the UNSC is the Vulture. I destroyed an enemy base single-handed with the Vulture. But, the Scarab is where the fun really is. One Scarab is powerful enough to go through the game by itself practically, but with two of them, it is overkill. The bases for the Covenant seem to overprotected. It has the ability to have up to four turrets and a shield generator, while the UNSC have only the turrets. That is where I could see some balance issues in the multiplayer aspect of the game. But other than that it is pretty balanced. I like the way that they balanced both factions while still keeping uniqueness. As the Covenant, you can get vehicles built more quickly than the UNSC, but they are weaker than the UNSC vehicles, with the exception of the Scarab. There is defintely a high probability of me buying the full version, since the demo only scratches the surface of the game's full potential.

[Morphine]

Just because nobody has explored it enough to discover any extra advanced strategy, doesn't mean that one doesn't exist, it just means that it doesn't stick to the the norm of how RTS games have done it in the past.

I wouldn't really say that they are 'not sticking to the norm', more so they cut a lot of units and functionality that are in a lot of other RTS games. There was nothing new in the demo not included in other RTS games. I just find it hard to believe there could be more strategies in a game that is altogether more restrictive.

[Null Parameter]

I wouldn't really say that they are 'not sticking to the norm', more so they cut a lot of units and functionality that are in a lot of other RTS games. There was nothing new in the demo not included in other RTS games. I just find it hard to believe there could be more strategies in a game that is altogether more restrictive.
Technically if "a lot of other RTS games" did something, even including unit(s) of type X, and Halo Wars isn't, then it isn't sticking to the norm.


And I really can't say much else, since I'm not an advanced RTS player, but from what I've seen, it is unique, especially when it comes to the abilities like dropping ODST Soldiers, compared to other RTS games I've played.

As I also said before, while it may not pull in the Hardcore RTS players, I don't think that was their demographic, because no matter how well you pull off the controls, they are always going to say that the PC can do X that you can never do on a console. So, they pulled this off perfectly.

I personally suck at RTS games, and when I suck at something I tend not to enjoy it. Because of this fact I had basically decided not to buy Halo Wars, and therefore deal with waiting for the Mythic Maps. But, I actually enjoyed playing Halo Wars. It was intuitive, pretty easy to control (I still hit A to attack for some reason), yet it offered enough depth in the different units and upgrades to keep me enthralled. Like I said though, I'm not one for standard RTS games.

[thatdamnhippie]

Here is one thing I noticed after playing a little. There is no like 'fixer' guys. On most of the RTS's I play there is one guy that you can build alot of and they help build and fix the buildings. They might change it in the release but yeah I noticed that.

[MovingTarget602]

Here is one thing I noticed after playing a little. There is no like 'fixer' guys. On most of the RTS's I play there is one guy that you can build alot of and they help build and fix the buildings. They might change it in the release but yeah I noticed that.
For the UNSC, there is the heal and repair that can repair buildings and units. There is also the upgraded Medic that can heal troops, but yeah, there are no mechanics or a specific unit to fix/build stuff.

[Murdock Sampson]

The biggest thing that you guys haven't even discussed yet is the potential for depth. I mean you can play on one map (out of about 20 i think) with only 2 different forces (i think the flood may be included? or was that debunked? maybe rebels will be included in final game.) and only against one AI. You only get to play 2 campaign levels! Short campaign levels.

I think that we can analyze this little foot of the game that has come out of the shadows, but if we over-analyze, then we're just judging a game we don't fully know.

The game bares certain un-RTSish limitations. But from what I can see it's only to make it easier and more fun for console players.

All in all i'd give it a 4/5k and I'm definitely gonna buy.

[Morphine]

And I really can't say much else, since I'm not an advanced RTS player, but from what I've seen, it is unique, especially when it comes to the abilities like dropping ODST Soldiers, compared to other RTS games I've played.

They are several abilities similar to that and more advanced in most Command and Conquer games. Some of which have been out for almost a decade.

The biggest thing that you guys haven't even discussed yet is the potential for depth. I mean you can play on one map (out of about 20 i think) with only 2 different forces (i think the flood may be included? or was that debunked? maybe rebels will be included in final game.) and only against one AI. You only get to play 2 campaign levels! Short campaign levels.

I think that we can analyze this little foot of the game that has come out of the shadows, but if we over-analyze, then we're just judging a game we don't fully know.

I'm not quite sure about the flood, from what I've seen it looks like they are in the game but only as NPCs in the campaign. While I understand the 'depth' of having more maps, in a lot of other PC RTS game you have to realize the majority of them do have farcry-ish map editors. Some even have advanced gametype editors allowing you to make anywhere from turret defense games to your own fully functional campaign levels(all of which you can take online).

The game itself looks good for people who want to start getting into RTS games but I personally can't justify the purchase. It just seems to basic after playing years of AoE, C&C, and Starcraft as a kid.

[PsychoBucket]

I don't think I have ever played a RTS game before. lol

[Kenny M]

I don't think I have ever played a RTS game before. lol

If you've played Spore and got to Tribe level then you played an RTS I think. Its basically an RTS

[PsychoBucket]

If you've played Spore
Nope!

[Morphine]

What about kingdom for keflings? That's about as basic as RTS games come.

[Kenny M]

That game made me crack up.

[PsychoBucket]

What about kingdom for keflings? That's about as basic as RTS games come.

There is not much strategy in that game. I did play Pharaoh though.

[thatdamnhippie]

I played a bit on Command and Conquer but most of my RTS games played were games like all the DUNE games. I had Emperor: Battle for Dune on my PC for awhile. Then I got xbox 360. (:
But I really like that they tried really hard to make this RTS, console friendly. Because I rented C&C for 360 and I didn't like it at all. I also tried Tom Clancy's: End War and didn't really like that either because they had a PC feel to them. But I cant wait for March 3. This game is going to be awesome. :D

[Null Parameter]

I played the Age of Empires and Age of Mythology games quite extensively.
I also delved into Empire Earth, and Civilization, but technically that is Turn-Based.

Star Craft was always too competitive for me, especially when it takes me a long time to adapt to RTS Games.

[thatdamnhippie]

I agree with you Null. Many RTS's like Starcraft take skill or 'playing history' if you would. Most RTS's I couldn't play online because alot of people were really good at them but I didn't play them enough to be that good :P

[HomerSPC]

The only thing I do not like about Halo Wars is how they bended the story line a slight bit. Choppers were originally vehicles with brute spikers attached to them and they were'nt anything like Halo 3 choppers, but yet when they introduce them, they made them the Halo 3 equivalent.

[Defiance]

Startcraft was Protoss=Carries Terrain=Battle Cruiser and Zerg=Zergling Rush

[MNM1245]

I love Halo Wars already. Great Demo! I have to get the game though because of the maps and I will have a huge dilemna of new maps or halo wars first?

[Murdock Sampson]

I love Halo Wars already. Great Demo! I have to get the game though because of the maps and I will have a huge dilemna of new maps or halo wars first?

what? the new maps come with halo wars (the first 3 that is; sandbox, orbital, assembly)

[Null Parameter]

He means which one to play first.

[GodlyPerfection]

Sandbox until I get bored of it... then Assembly/Orbital atleast once... then go go gamebattles for HW...

[BabySmuggler]

Oh, I never thought about GameBattles. HW clan anyone?

[Soren515]

The demo came out on my birthday ad i loved it. :)

[GodlyPerfection]

I rocked that demo hard in the face.. Prophet of Regret for the win.. I"M THE MUTHA FUCKIN PROPHET BIATCHES!!! ;)

And I'm down for an XF HW clan...

[wiggums]

I cant wait for this game personally. I grew up on RTS's for the computer.
I already pre-ordered the Legendary Edition, so I get the new Halo 3 maps a couple weeks ahead of time free :D

Isn't it the Limited edition? not legendary?

[GodlyPerfection]

Yeah it is limited... I wonder if we should host an opening tournament for Halo Wars this weekend... adn start a ladder with teams...

[wiggums]

That would be awesome.
I'd join, thought I'm not sure enough people would.

[GodlyPerfection]

I think we could get enough... cuz not many other sites are doing it...