Interview: Codename Panzers: Cold War

Written by: Darren Cartledge Posted: 17th March 2008

We spoke to Stormregion, Community Manager John Randall about their upcoming real-time strategy title Codename Panzers: Cold War.

RG: For the first time the Panzers series leaves the WWII theatre, why did you choose the Cold War?

There is a large gap in the game offerings for the Cold War. The beginning of the Cold War especially is new unbroken ground in gaming and we felt that this would be an exciting and interesting setting for Codename Panzers Cold War. We also wanted to continue the storyline from the previous games by including many of the familiar heroes from Phase Two (Wilson, Grobel etc.).

RG: Obviously Codename Panzers follows an alternate timeline and such games seem to be becoming popular, why do you think this is?

True history has been explored in great detail in gaming and analyzed to death by Historians. Alternate history offers gamers the opportunity to experience a new history based in part on what they already know but different enough to make it interesting.

RG: So John, with this alternate history timeline in mind, does technology in the game stay true to history or have you been able to be more creative with units in the game?

We always ensure that our games are accurate in terms of technology and weapons design before we get into the subject of gameplay. This gives us the right foundation to begin with. From that point on, we can look at prototype weaponry of the era and make adjustments to the technology to improve the gameplay for the player. So although we do have a few prototypes that did exist but never went into mass production, we stopped well short of jetpacks and laser rifles.

RG: What do you think are the best new units available in Cold War?

Say that's a nice tank!

The supertanks!!! NATO has a voracious beast called the Ontos and the Soviets have their own darling, the Troyanov. You don't want to meet either one on the battlefield if they are in the enemy's hands. But if you do, you'll find that the helicopters that we have brought into the series for the first time will help you take care of these monster tanks.

RG: The previous Panzers games were all fairly well received, why did you decide to change the engine for Cold War?

The Gepard engine that powers our games was built in-house here. This is to ensure that we are able to keep ourselves ahead of the latest gaming technology. We rebuilt the engine from the ground up to incorporate different elements into our games such as a very versatile physics engine.

RG: So with the physics of the new engine in mind, what differences from the previous panzers games will players notice, apart from the obvious cold war setting?

The biggest difference is how much more interactive the world of Codename Panzers: Cold War is. With our physics engine, every object in the game is now usable, destroyable or both. So players will be using their environment a great deal more to gain an advantage over the enemy. An enemy which will die spectacularly thanks to our ragdoll physics. We also have included numerous animations (over 1400) that make the soldiers behave in a realistic and fluid manner.

Aside from these differences, there are numerous new gameplay elements worth mentioning. We have vehicles with removable equipment and squads that can be optimized for the coming battle by combining various squad leaders with different kinds of squads. Each of these squads has their own kind of fortifications that can be quickly built and torn down on the battlefield (barbed wire, watchtowers, foxholes etc.). Then we have the big stuff: Helicopters with specific roles (support, attack, reinforcement delivery etc.), weapons of mass destruction and a few other surprises.

We also wanted to enable the player to monitor the warzone more effectively. So we have included dual screen support that allows the player to view the map on one screen and a tactical map with important information on it on a separate screen.

RG: What new graphics capabilities does the new Gepard engine bring to Cold War?

There really is no comparison. So many elements were added to the engine for Codename Panzers Cold War that it now looks far superior to its predecessors. Every object in the game can have normal mapping applied to it and all the different systems (lighting, clouds, fire etc.) all interact with each other in a very realistic way.

RG: We’ve already heard about the graphics capabilities of the new engine, but what environments can players expect to have to battle in and how does it affect the gameplay?

All types ranging from urban warfare to rolling hills in the countryside to mountainous terrain and more. The biggest effect that the environment will play a part in is the weather system. Rain and snow reduce visibility and movement; paved roads increase movement rates etc.

RG: We’ve talked about how the game looks and the capabilities of it engine but what modes will be included?

For Singleplayer, we will have the Campaign as well as a Skirmish mode. For Multiplayer, we will have Team match (the MP version of Skirmish), MP Mission (a Cooperative mode) and Domination. Domination will have three sub modes: HEAT (a race for prestige), POI Grid (capture a network of strategic points and hold it) and Free for All (an all-out battle between players)

RG: To finish, overall how do you think Cold War improves the series and what is the biggest advancement the game makes?

Cold War brings a new system for organizing your front line troops and vehicles. Your infantry are broken up into highly customizable squads with different types of leaders (the Green Beret, the Commando, the Lieutenant Etc.). Vehicles are also very customizable on the spot during gameplay. You can add and remove equipment that greatly influences the abilities of your vehicles. If you need to cross a river, you can add amphibious equipment. If you need to mow down enemy troops, break out the flamethrower, plus many more groundbreaking customizations.

As well as that, there are the incredibly realistic environments that the player will become immersed in.