Company of Heroes Online : trailer, questions, réponses et screenshots

Voici une bande-annonce qui officialise le grand retour de Company of Heroes, cet automne et dans une version massivement multijoueurs option free to play. Le trailer permet de se faire une idée de l’ambiance qui vous attendra, mais pour en découvrir un peu plus, voyez surtout ces nouvelles captures d’écrans ainsi que la série de questions / réponses ci-après, expliquant les principales caractéristiques du jeu.

En résumé, vous pourrez créer un personnage « persistant », un commandant, et le développer au fur et à mesure du jeu (ex : spécialisation infanterie, parachutiste, …). Vous gagnerez de l’expérience, a priori, vous permettant d’acquérir des améliorations (compétences / abilities) offrant divers bonus (santé, vitesse, visée, …) et de meilleurs soldats (unités spéciales), puis vous aurez la possibilité de recruter des héros, le tout vous permettant de constituer petit à petit une « armée ».
Un système de micro-transaction permettra d’acheter des améliorations, sans toutefois déséquilibrer le jeu (pour ceux n’ayant pu acheter les bonus payants ; le mot d’ordre de THQ étant que le jeu soit fun pour tout les joueurs, cf. video interview plus bas), en théorie. Les serveurs des anciennes versions multijoueurs de Company of Heroes seront maintenus, il y aura un système de matchmaking pour le nouveau jeu, ainsi qu’une bêta publique et des mises à jour régulière du contenu.

Pour plus de détails sur le jeu, voyez le nouveau site officiel. Sortie prévue cet automne, peut-être dès septembre prochain, en Amérique du Nord. CoH Online devrait par la suite sortir aussi en Europe.

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Company of Heroes Online – Q&A

What makes Company of Heroes Online different from the other COH titles?
Company of Heroes Online is a completely unique free-to-play experience which builds upon the great multiplayer gameplay the franchise is known for. COHO allows players to create a persistent commander from one of several combat doctrines, including infantry, airborne, and armored to name a few. As players progress, they can upgrade their commander’s special abilities, outfit their troops with unique upgrades, and enlist the aid of Hero units. This persistent progression and expanded customization allows players to build their armies over time and strategize both on and off the battlefield.

What kinds of upgrades can you get?
The game features a large number of upgrades and special units. You can obtain upgrades to increase speed, improve accuracy, decrease resource costs, and increase health of your units to name a few. Players are limited on how many they can bring in a match. You can also recruit Hero units which have special abilities not available to standard units. Heroes level up from match to match as well, adding persistence to units between matches. Both of these items can be unlocked by playing the game or can be purchased from the store.

Will the micro-transaction model affect balance / give a player the advantage?
Maintaining play balance is extremely important and is a key focus for the team. We aren’t ready to speak in-depth about specifics just yet, but we are looking to maintain fun and fair competition through a variety of methods including free upgrades, earned in-game “currency”, and intelligent matchmaking.

What will happen to players of the original COH / support for the original COH when this comes out?
It is of the utmost importance to us that we continue to support the players who helped make Company of Heroes great. We will be maintaining the current servers for the foreseeable future, so players can continue to engage in multiplayer matches in Company of Heroes, Opposing Fronts, and Tales of Valor. We will also be unveiling unique rewards in Company of Heroes Online for our loyal fanbase in the near future. We will definitely continue to support these players.

How many maps / factions / features will it have at launch?
We aren’t ready to go into details on this yet, but suffice to say the game will feature a broad selection of content at launch, with continued post launch support and updates.

How will COHO be distributed?
COHO will be distributed digitally. At launch, players will be able to download it from the official site www.companyofheroes.com and start playing right away for free.

Will you be doing a beta?
We will offer a beta phase and will be revealing more details soon.

What is the release date?
Company of Heroes Online will be coming to the US and Canadian markets in the fall of this year.

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Interview THQ – Fun for everyone