Overview:
In 2011, the United States and the European Union sign the historic SLAMS (Space-Land-Air Missile Shield) Treaty, agreeing to co-develop technologies for a comprehensive, interlocking anti-ballistic missile system. Left out of the treaty, Russia accelerates development of its own system. SLAMS is activated in 2014. The US and EU launch test salvos against each other, which the SLAMS weapons completely destroy. Emboldened by the success of the tests, the US and EU pronounces "the end of strategic nuclear war," and the world celebrates a new age of peace and security.
However, in 2015 it is found that major oil companies have overstated the amount of recoverable oil reserves. The price of oil spikes to USD 200 per barrel, sending stock markets in New York, London, and Tokyo into a massive downturn. Energy security becomes the explicit priority of governments around the world. Only Russia, already the world's No.1 supplier of oil and natural gas, benefits from the energy crisis, spending its oil profits on modernizing its armed forces. A nuclear war occurs between Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2016, creating a global energy crisis that greatly affects the nations of Europe. Once an alliance of individual countries, the EU now evolves into a continental state called the "European Federation" (EF). The United Kingdom is not required to join the EF and remains neutral, while being allies of the EF and the US.
In 2018, the United States reveals plans to launch the "Freedom Star" space station into high orbit by 2020. While partly designed for civilian research purposes, the station will also house three companies of US Marines, who can deploy anywhere on Earth within 90 minutes. International reaction is extremely negative, to say the least. In 2020, when the final module of the Freedom Star is set to launch from Kennedy Space Center amid international outcry, it comes as little surprise when a group of terrorists attack the launch site. In investigating the source of the attack, the US, the EF, and Russia find themselves at odds, rolling with unstoppable momentum toward full-scale global war.
Gameplay:
Electronic Gaming Monthly issue 216 contained an interview with the game's lead designer, Michael de Plater. He confirmed the game to be a Real Time Strategy game, but not in the traditional sense. Units will gain experience as they are used in battle. The emphasis will be more on smaller scale battles rather than the overarching campaign. Clans will also be included in the game online for coordinating battles and creating a unified strategy for attacking or defending.
Factions-
There are 3 playable factions in EndWar:
The Russian Spetsnaz Guard Brigade, which is composed of veterans of Russia's many regional conflicts, specializing in heavy weapons and heavy armor.
The European Federation Enforcers Corps, which is made up of veteran elite counter-terrorist and peacekeeping forces from throughout Europe, especially skilled in urban warfare. While their weaponry may not be as precise as those of the JSF and their units are slightly less armored, their strength lies in electronic warfare, as well as non-lethal weapons technology and directed energy weapons.
The United States' Joint Strike Force, which is led by Ghost Recon main character Scott Mitchell, is modeled after today's Marine Expeditionary Units and is composed of army units. The JSF is built around small, fast, and light units. It also specializes in state-of-the-art stealth technology and battlefield robotics, such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Automated Sentry Drones and is made up of elite Army and USMC units.
There is also a fourth NPC terrorist faction.
Real-Time Strategy-
A prominent feature of the game is the Massively multiplayer online real-time strategy feature. Players choose a faction and engage in combat with players from opposing sides in roughly 40 battlefields spanning North America, Russia, and Europe, contributing to their side’s overall success and changing the front lines on the global map. In a Game Reactor interview, it was revealed that players will have a personal character, and each day the front lines of the overall war will be reset based on smaller battles that have taken place. A briefing before each match will inform the player of his or her previous actions and the current global situation, as well as the possible effects of the battle that they are about to fight. There can be hundreds of battles that last an indefinite amount of time in a single territory, with the victor being the side that was the most effective; there are plans to include game play recordings of the best players' battles. There will be multiple ways to initiate new combat on a continent that's already been captured by the enemy, some examples that were given were a "D-day" style invasion of France, amphibious landings in southern or northern Europe, and a mass invasion of Siberia through Alaska. there will be several different types of gameplay like Attrition, Siege, and Sabotage. If one faction completely defeats the others, the developers can create a new scenario based on the previous outcome and start the war over again. Also, according to Erik Brudvig, "Ubisoft didn't rule out a little 'interference' on their part if one faction was getting a little overambitious."
De Plater hinted at the game being "streamlined" with regards to units, resource management, etc. He stated that "every time [they] cut features out, it just made the game better." For example, only 12 groups are allowed under control at once, creating a "Madden at war" style of battle. Also, the resource system will be stripped down compared to other RTS games. Each unit costs the same amount of resources, which are gained by capturing strategic points on the battlefield. There will also be "no magic" in EndWar, meaning all new units must be transported onto the battlefield by a transport vehicle.
Units-
The number of unit types was revealed to be limited to seven: Riflemen, Engineers, Tanks, Transport, Gunships (includes tiltrotor aircraft, shown in the trailer), Artillery, and Command Vehicles. Troops which have been with the player for many battles will be more effective than fresh recruits. De Plater, lead designer, says this creates a "Pokémon-like" ownership of the player's units, and will have a large effect on his tactics. "It's a battalion that you own," says de Plater. "You can personalize it. You can customize it. You can choose its motto and its heraldry. You can change its composition and abilities." According to a Pre-GC IGN article: "Each faction has roughly 150 upgrades and units have six levels of experience. These upgrades are where the seven unit types gain great variety. Many of the related unit types other games consider a different class have merely been folded into one of the seven present in EndWar. For example, a rifleman may be upgraded to a sniper unit rather than having that unit type exists by itself." There are about 40,000 lines of dialogue, 9,000 of which are "unit chatter" that will give a battalion its own personality. Each unit will have a specific voice to help the player recognize instantly which one is in danger, and these voices show the degree of danger they are in (such as the severity of an injury or the morale the unit has).
The player will not control individual soldiers, but much larger platoons and companies. The soldiers will behave realistically, using stealth and military tactics. Veterans will act based on their experience in previous battles. Says Robert Ashley, a writer for EGM, "Squadrons of heavily armed soldiers, when ordered to a cluster of firebombed cars, will automatically take cover in different ways, periodically taking potshots at the enemy through windows and over hoods. If a soldier gets shot, one of his squadmates will drag him back to safety. When the player orders reinforcements, the additional troops deploy from helicopters, rappeling down the ropes like old pros. When ordered to take control of a building, the troops will gather around the entrance and break in Rainbow Six-style-boot through the door and guns blazing. Then they will take sniper positions in the windows." Craters, walls, debris, and buildings can be used for cover, and units can be pinned down by heavy enemy fire.
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