Company of Heroes is Perfect

[Jason]

<strong>[ Review ]</strong>

<p><strong>The Week of the RTS</strong> rolls on and the Company of Heroes reviews roll in. And it looks like some people really really really like this game. Here's <a href="http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/company-of-heroes/732881p1.html" target="_blank" title="Gamespy">Gamespy</a> (5/5):</p><blockquote><p> In the end, there isn't one uber-feature that deserves all the credit for making Company of Heroes such an outstanding game. Any element by itself -- the deep strategy, the extraordinary art design, the sound, the unit AI or the multiplayer aspects -- might have made Company of Heroes a decent game. Two or three and you have the makings of a great one. It's only when you get all of these things together wrapped up in a package with amazing flair and polish and a fanatic attention to even the smallest details that you get a truly outstanding title. I wish we had more of them, but until all games are made like Company of Heroes, at least we have this one to show us how it's done. </p></blockquote><p><a href="http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3153681" target="_blank" title="1Up">1Up</a> (10/10):</p><blockquote><p> You're going to hear folks talk about this being a banner year for RTS games. That's true, depending on whether you thought Rise of Legends or Lord of the Rings: The Battle For Middle Earth II were great, good, or merely average. Company of Heroes brooks no such debate (or if you think it does, you're a loony, so go take your loony self off to play Rise and Fall or something). Here, finally, is a WWII RTS that historian Stephen Ambrose and maybe even ol' Ike himself could get behind. Stop making great games, Relic. Some of us have lives, you know.</p></blockquote><p><a href="http://videogames.yahoo.com/gamereview?cid=1991777871&tab=reviews&page=0&eid=481878" target="_blank" title="Yahoo">Yahoo Games</a> (5/5):</p><blockquote><p> It's been a good year for RTSs, and now it's a good year for World War II games as well. Company of Heroes is going to be a tough act to follow in both regards. </p></blockquote><p><a href="http://www.gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/80729.shtml" target="_blank" title="GamePro">GamePro</a> (4.75/5):</p><blockquote><p>Put simply, Company of Heroes is a masterpiece. Its dedication to realistic battle concepts and tactical warfare is enough to make it a high watermark for the RTS genre but its excellent graphics and physics, along with an intensely enjoyable single-player campaign and multiplayer options, help make this an instant classic. </p></blockquote><p>I guess GamePro didn't get the perfect score memo. But yeah, everyone seems to like this one, even picky jerks like Astromarine. So is there anyone out there who doesn't? Any disappointed Dawn of War fans who think Relic should get back to sci-fi territory?</p><p>edit: According to <a href="http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/733/733032p1.html" target="_blank" title="patch">Voodoo Extreme</a>, the 1.2 patch is already available. </p><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><p><a href="http://www.tacticularcancer.com/gallery.php?dir=Company%20of%20Heroes&file=COH8.jpg"><img src="http://www.tacticularcancer.com/screenshots/Company%20of%20Heroes/thumbs/COH8_thumb.jpg" alt=" " width="200" height="150" /></a>
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[Direwolf]

It runs too damn slow for how crap it looks. And D-Day? Again? Get over yourself people. D-Day was shit.

 

[Paranoid Jack]

It runs slow? I must be lucky then because it runs great on my system with everything maxed beyond the games recommended setting for my machine. It can slow down if I jerk the camera controls while there is a lot of combat especially the explosions with lots of physics being calculated but I would say that is to be expected.

And though I wouldn't say it is perfect (nothing is)... it is very very damn fun to play. Just wish there were more maps. And I haven't got around to searching out the possibility of a map editor or it's availability.

I don't really like the German tech tree (well nothing compares to the Allies Armor Company tree) but I need to try them out or learn at least one so I will be ready for some on-line multi-player. I usually get spanked though playing RTS on-line.

Just wondering, which German command tree does everyone like best?

 

[Greatatlantic]

Hmmm... I think the Blitzkrieg Command is the most popular. It gives you special units like up to two Tigers. However, Defensive Doctrine is surprisingly useful. It has a "map hack: ability and Registered Artillery is simply Godly. For 125 munitions Axis players can send an artillery strike on any strategic point or building they control. Its almost gaurenteed to kill the capturing unit since it launches so quickly.

Terror is a bit more subtle. Yes it has the dreaded Tiger Ace, but you will rarely see it during normal ladder play as its pretty much an end game unit. Also, terror has the firestorm artillery attack. Great for clearing out buildings or AT guns.

However, if you are playing armor company its not any one tree you need to worry about. Its a Stug spam. A Stug is a dedicated anti-tank unit that costs 340 manpower + 50 fuel. Thats significantly cheaper then a Sherman or a Calliope, so the Axis can build more of them and simply outgun your attempt to create an Allied tank battalion. Throw in the fact that Stugs are Tier 3 and a good Axis player will always get them before you can build your tanks... you get the idea.

 

[Paranoid Jack]

Yeah, though the AI doesn't seem spectacular it is good enough to try that very tactic. I usually counter them with lots of mines placed at choke points created by tank traps, and of course the occasional sticky bomb (though the sticky bombs seem weak).

That was one thing I loved about Heroes Soldiers of WWII... the specific damage areas on tanks. You could take out a tank (or immobilze it) by hitting the main gun or tracks. Then hit it a few times to get the crew to exit, kill them, and send your guys in to clean it out or even take some fuel.

Seems the CoH's AI is a bit soft on all but the Expert setting. That doesn't mean you can make dumb decisions when it comes to map control or tactics but once you get the basics the AI isn't very much of a challenge. And then when you turn on Expert it seems to cheat by producing units faster than possible. At least it appears that way to me.

I wonder if they tried to build in too much randomness. Sometimes it feels like I am playing a kid who knows little about the game. Also the AI seems to like to harass your control points a bit too much instead of defending it's own.

Either way this game is a good one and will keep me busy until Gothic3, NWN2, or better yet AoD gets released.

 

[Direwolf]

It runs slow? I must be lucky then because it runs great on my system with everything maxed beyond the games recommended setting for my machine. It can slow down if I jerk the camera controls while there is a lot of combat especially the explosions with lots of physics being calculated but I would say that is to be expected.

Sure, buddy, keep telling yourself that.

 

[Greatatlantic]

I'm having no trouble running the game at 1024x760(?) with all settings on high except Terrain, shadows, and trees, which are all on medium.

Of course, I have 3.2 ghz Pentium 4, 1 Gig Ram, and a 7800GS(256 MB VRAM). So, my performance may not be typical for the rest of you.

 

[Paranoid Jack]

Runs great and not one crash but your experience may vary. :wink:

I have it set to 1440x900 (wide-screen) with everything turned on/high settings or maxed though the game didn't recommend these settings it seems to runs fine. Model Details set to max also. These are my specs...

Hanns-G HW191D (LCD Monitor)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ (Dual Core)
2GB of OCZ Ram (Can't remember the specific type)
7900 GT CO (256MB GDDR3 PCI-E)
SB X-Fi Platinum (damned good sound card)
Sony DVD Rom (DRU-820A)
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium (not using SLI mode yet, don't really see a need, but want to have that option should I get the desire)
2x 250G WD 7200 SATA2 16MB (WD2500KS-OEM, they're running in a RAID 0 set-up)

 

[DarkUnderlord]

Oooh? A Sony DVD-ROM? I AM impressed¹.

¹Okay, I AM impressed but mentioning the DVD-ROM drive? That's like saying "Got this car. It comes with plastic windscreen wipers..."