Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor Hands On
More multiplayer mayhem from the team at Relic.
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The Company of Heroes sequel Tales of Valor is due out in a few weeks so, to break with the normal tumult and turmoil of GDC, we thought it would be a great time to talk about some of our experiences with an early build of the game. We recently had the chance to play through two of new modes in the game with the folks from Relic and it’s got us even more excited to get our hands on the final version.

First up is Operation Panzerkrieg. This three-on-three map takes place in a sort of industrial facility where each player controls just a single tank. The two teams each start with a repair depot on their side of the map and a few nearby munitions points to capture. The real conflict occurs in the middle of the map as the two teams battle for control of three separate locations and the benefits they provide, not to mention the victory points they generate.

To the south there’s a radio tower that grants the controlling team some air support, first in the form of reconnaissance and then later in the form of strafing and bombing runs. The mortar station in the middle of the field allows the controlling team access to artillery strikes. At the far north end of the map is an infantry barracks. Control this one and you’ll be able to call in infantry support to protect certain objectives. Since the whole conflict boils down to six tanks, having a few extra squads of infantry can really make a difference. And if you hold the barracks long enough, you’ll even be able to call in stealth infantry armed with sniper rifles and sticky bombs.

The winner of this map is determined by victory points and the host can set the match for 250, 500 or 1000 points. In addition to scoring points for holding the objectives, you can also score points for taking out enemy tanks. This leads to some of the same last-minute tension found in Battlefield 1942 where a few careless deaths can mean the difference between winning and losing in a close match.

The Allies and the Axis each have three different types of tanks they can choose for the battle and each tank has six different upgrades that you can purchase by spending command points earned during combat. The short 250 points will likely only see players making a couple of selections among the cheaper, weaker powers, but in our longer matches with higher victory point limits we had access to all the various upgrades by the end.

On the Allied side, players can go for the M18 Hellcat. This tank destroyer is made for speed and comes with a number of offensive upgrades. With the right upgrades it can drop mines and fire two types of armor piercing shells. It can also be equipped with camouflage markings that give it a great first strike bonus, or with increased visibility that gives it a better chance to spot the enemy’s camouflaged units. It can also gain the ability to mark enemy units, which lowers their evasion, makes them more vulnerable to attacks and even continues to reveal them through the fog of war. It’s one of the cheaper upgrades for the Hellcat but one that can really mess up a rival’s plans.

The M4 Sherman is nearly as good a direct fighter as the Hellcat but it has a few more support oriented upgrades. Crab flails can make short work of enemy minefields, while the .50 cal cuts down enemy infantry, and the smoke canisters screen friendly movement. Even players who would like to play a support role will find it hard to resist purchasing the 76mm gun upgrade for the Sherman. This massive gun upgrade is probably the best in the game as it offers a long range, high explosive, armor piercing, area attack. What’s not to like?

The Churchill is the heavy tank of the bunch and, though it lacks the massive attack upgrades of the other two tanks, it’s a force to be reckoned with. It has speed upgrades to get it in and out of battles in a hurry and can even go hull down to trade mobility for improved armor. Flamethrowers can toast enemy infantry and the tread breaker upgrade immobilizes enemy tanks for a short time. But the Churchill’s greatest utility is in its ability to boost the performance of other tanks in the field. It can heal nearby tanks with the field repair upgrade and can improve their visibility and attack speed with the heroic assault upgrade.

Arrayed against them are three Axis tanks that are just as deadly and just as versatile. The Hotchkiss is small but tough and is ideal for players who like to ambush the enemy. Combining the camouflage upgrade with a few well placed mines and an immobilizing stun shot allows the Hotchkiss to get in several good shots without having to worry about return fire. This extra bit of time is best spent firing off the massive barrage of rockets from the Wurfrahmen 40. They take a while to get off, but if you can find a stationary enemy, they can do a lot of damage when they connect.

The Panzer IV is for the player who likes to focus on the basics. This is a fast tank with a powerful gun and it only becomes more deadly with the right upgrades. Players can increase the damage or speed of the main gun and can also opt for a speed boosting overdrive and additional armor protection for the flanks. If that wasn’t enough the Panzer IV can also be upgrade to repair itself in the field. Used properly this tank won’t go down without taking a lot of Allied tanks down with it.

The Axis Panther is more a utility player. Yes, it has a Blitzkrieg power that improves its mobility and firepower, and yes, it can add more armor to strengthen its flanks, but the real power comes from its less direct abilities. Defensive smoke can keep the enemy from seeing your dispositions and movements, while precision artillery strikes and white phosphorous attacks can make short work of enemies who are bunched up together. The Panther can also enter a special sniping mode that immobilizes the tank but also grants it camouflage and extra range and damage on the main guns.

While playing through some of these tanks, we had the chance to test out the new direct fire option. This new feature allows players to control the aiming and firing of the gun by moving the mouse around and pointing it at specific targets. It’s a bit like the manual control in the recent Men of War except that there’s no option to manually drive the tank around. Relic explained that they didn’t include driving controls because they didn’t want to get too far from the core game experience, but after playing Men of War, this feature seemed a bit incomplete. It’s still nice for shooting the walls out of buildings though.

After a few tense rounds of Operation Panzerkrieg, we moved on to the 4-player cooperative mission Operation Stonewall. Players begin in the middle of the small town of Boucamps. The four players will have to fight off sixteen waves of Axis units, each tougher and more numerous than the last. The enemy comes from multiple directions, sometimes simultaneously, so players will have to make some quick decisions about how best to defend the town.

The first decision is how to create an army. Each player has their own HQ in the center of town and is responsible only for the soldiers and vehicles produced there. Players are free to pursue their own upgrade and production agendas here, but Stonewall really works best when each player specializes in a role. One player might spend all their resources just pumping out loads and loads of basic infantry and then tossing in an upgrade like sticky bombs. Another player might invest a bit more and open up ranger production. Still another player might spend even more to field a couple of big tanks. You’ll get more resources for defeating the invaders but by the end, you’ll need to have made the most of your resources in order to fight off the final waves.

The next step is to send forces out to capture the four outposts near the edges of the town. The bank grants the controlling player extra manpower and the manor provides a population cap bonus. The garage heals friendly vehicles, while the church provides the same benefit to friendly infantry. Since each outpost is held only by one player, you’ll need to ensure that you divide them appropriately. Once you own an outpost, you can use it to produce additional soldiers and rangers to hold off the enemy advance.

The early waves are a piece of cake. A handful of infantry garrisoned in a building, a tank down the street and few bazooka teams are more than enough to take on the paltry forces that come rolling into town. But things escalate very quickly. There are six roads into town and, although the game announces where each new attack is coming from, you simply don’t have enough men to protect every avenue. And once the fighting really intensifies, the buildings you were counting on to protect your precious infantry are going to be reduced to piles of rubble. By the time the enemy starts sending in multiple Tiger tanks and flame-throwing halftracks, you’ll know that your days are numbered. Fortunately, defeating some of the waves will give you some special abilities, like air strikes, but it’s never enough to deal with every threat that the game throws at you.

There’s one final mode in the game that we haven’t tried yet but you can bet we’ll be diving into it as soon as we can. The game is currently scheduled for release in early April and we’ll be back then with our full review.

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Company of Heroes Tales of Valor Hands On

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