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				Scheduled release date:  Summer/Fall '07 Publisher:  THQ Developer:  Kaos Studios Number Of Players:  1 (1-32 online) Genre:  FPS Screenshots
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  E3 2006 Live Demo

  On the show floor in a small theater, THQ was showing a pre-rendered trailer for Frontlines: Fuel of War a new combat game from internal developer Kaos Studios based in New York. Giving Design Director David Votypka the super secret handshake however got me into to a live demo of the game. It was only 10 minutes so I sat through it a couple of times to take it all in.

  F:FoW is a military shooter in the same vein as Battlefield with a little Call of Duty thrown in for good measure. The single player mission boasts non-linear gameplay, they call it a “Combat Sandbox” where you are presented with objectives but you can go about completing them any way you see fit. The game takes place about 20 years in the future and has 2 warring factions battling it out for earths dwindling oil supply, the US/EU vs. Russia/China. The developers did not want to present the US/EU as the good guy’s so you are able to play from both sides as they each are fighting for their societies survival. There are four classes of soldiers to choose from, Infantryman, demolition, recon and support/technical. There is a loadout where you can choose from 25 different play styles. For example, you could be a sniper and choose a recon roll that gives toy surveillance and detection abilities to help you with your sniping.

  The demo takes place in an ‘old’ city where you are embroiled in a frenetic firefight as you struggle to take control and push the enemy back. Weapons fire is very satisfying as are the numerous explosions that send all sorts of fine debris and smoke into the air. The environments boast destructible set pieces but not everything is destructible. I was very pleased with the overall graphics, which boasted detailed textures, realistic lighting and high poly models. The weapons looked great and seemed very satisfying to fire. Some may balk but watching our solider complete a ‘bank shot’ with his grenade launcher blowing an enemy solider off the top of a wall was quite amusing.

  Your AI squad mates seemed smart and will drive vehicles such as tanks with you operating the machine guns or you can take the drivers seat and kick ass from either 1st person or 3rd. At one point, our solider tossed some C4 onto a cracked wall, which was then blown to hell and allowed an unprotected entrance into the city’s heart. Once inside he tossed up a small radio controlled drone. This looked super sweet and seamless. Now doing this will leave you vulnerable to attack, so you must be in a safe place. You can only fly the drone so far, as it has a limited distance. Flying the drone looked easy and you could switch from 1st to 3rd. Kaos Art Director Luis Cataldi who was playing the demo with an Xbox 360 controller wired to a powerful PC flew the drone high over head and found a hole in a ceiling where some bad guys were hold up. He dropped down on them unexpectedly and blew them to kingdom come. The drone can also be used for recon Intel similar to what we see in Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter.

  At one point our solider stole an enemy drone, this one of the 4-wheel variety, and drove it across the battlefield and under an enemy tank, blowing it to bits. After the city was cleared of enemies, our solider used his binoculars to paint a bridge target for a drone plane to take out with a drop of cluster bombs. At this point, the town was clear so the developers took us for a ride in a helicopter, which looked very reminiscent of Battlefield.

  Exhibiting much enthusiasm for their game paid off, as after the demo they loaded up another bit of code for me. It was something they were just experimenting with. It was a tank battle that took place on what looked like a dry lakebed in some desert. Shortly after the demo started, a large flash was seen in the distance, followed by a large radial shock wave headed our way. As it passed over or battalion of tanks a very impressive and quit scary fiery mushroom cloud was ascending into the stratosphere as a small tactical nuke was let loose. I could almost taste the radiation, very cool!

  F:FoW is built on the Unreal 3 engine. It is set to ship summer / fall ’07 for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. All versions are planed to ship at the same time. The game will ship with 10 multiplayer maps and the Xbox 360 version will hold 32 players over Live. The development team is comprised of about 45 members and is growing.

  Below is the official word from THQ:

  Not too far in the future… The global natural resources are on the brink of depletion. As our economies and our way of life tumble into chaos, the superpowers clash to gain control…

  Set in a fictional future based upon the headlines of today, F.O.W. brings players into the world’s next great war. As society succumbs to a worldwide energy crisis, a new global depression takes hold. Amidst this desperate backdrop, two superpower alliances emerge. Join the battle on the frontlines of tomorrow as the Western Coalition or the Red Star Alliance.

  Features:

  •  Tomorrow’s weapons, today:

  As depicted in F.O.W., the U.S./E.U. and Russia/China have combined their military research and budgets, and the result is over 60 next-gen vehicles and weapons inspired by military designs for the near future. This includes remote controlled drones, gun cams, and next-generation counter-measures systems, all of which are player-controllable.

  •  Advanced information sharing:

  Use high-tech combat systems to collect and relay recon, targeting, and threat information between teammates. Target acquisition and sharing between vehicle occupants is just one example of F.O.W.’s focus on an advanced team play experience.