Homefront Multiplayer Hands-on Preview

06 Oct 2010 at 03:24:31 by John Robertson

First-person shooters hardly struggle in terms of popularity or volume of options.  Since the HD console era began, they have cemented their position as an ever present at the top of Western sales charts.  However, unless you’re already an established brand such as Halo, Call of Duty or Battlefield, it can be a difficult market to crack. 

Into that environment enter Kaos Studios’ Homefront, the team that brought us the multiplayer focused Frontlines: Fuel of War.  Without wanting to sound too condescending, it’s reasonable to assume that displaying ‘from the team that brought you Frontlines’ on the box blurb will struggle to shift many copies with the aforementioned franchises occupying shelve space in close proximity.

So it had better impress to avoid an early retirement at the bargain bin.

The set-up: the year is 2027 and North Korea have decided to get their Genghis Khan on by conquering the majority of the globe, leaving small pockets of poorly trained resistance fighters.  Step one for a successful shooter, provide an epic and implausible plot (or epically implausible), achieved.

Step two; make sure your multiplayer is equal parts fun and addictive. 

Based on our pre-alpha multiplayer session, the early signs are promising that step two is on its way to being satisfied.  Describing it in one sentence by saying it plays like Call of Duty with a Battlefield approach to level design wouldn’t be too far off the mark.

Up to 32 players can battle it out online across maps that vary in size and scale, some granting you the ability to take control of vehicles; namely, helicopters, tanks and humvees.  This Battlefield-esque set-up is coupled with a Call of Duty style perks and damage system (i.e. it doesn’t take an entire clip to dispatch an enemy).

The two maps we were let loose on were ‘Cul-de-Sac’ and ‘Farm’. Cul-de-Sac is an 8 vs. 8 map set in a claustrophobic, bombed-out residential area in which fighting takes place from building to building and between burnt out cars.  Significant advantage can be gained by controlling upstairs windows and laying waste to the opposition on the streets below.

Farm is a significantly larger proposition that allows for 16 vs. 16 matches and consists of open fields, dotted with barns, large trees, a small river and a partially destroyed silo/storage area.  Farm provides some excellent opportunities for sniping and causing apocalyptic levels of damage; not least because it allows you to commandeer vehicles and unleash a whole new degree of punishment unto the enemy.

On both maps we played ‘Ground Control’, a capture point based game mode in which both teams fight to secure two designated locations and gain credits for holding them.  After the available credits have been exhausted the two points changed location and the battle focuses on another section of the map.

It’s hardly something fresh or unique but it does force players to make use of the whole map and develop new strategies and avenues of attack as the round progresses.  This is especially interesting on the smaller Cul-de-Sac map as the tight, narrow passages between buildings provide a range of options for creatively minded armchair soldiers to exploit as the capture point switches places.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of what we played was the Battle Points (BP) system, granting you the ability to purchase vehicles, weapons, attack drones and ammo on the fly during battle.   BP is earned for everything you might acquire experience points for in other shooters, including kills, assists, securing capture points, avenging team mates etc.

Your tally is displayed in the bottom right hand corner of your HUD along with your purchasing options.  To spend your points you just need to hit the relevant direction on your D-Pad and it’s yours.  For example, if you’re having a particularly successful round as a sniper and run out of ammo you can simply purchase some more, allowing you to retain your spot on the map.  Or, if a helicopter has suddenly appeared in your crosshairs, you can arm yourself with a rocket launcher (if you have the required BP) and give yourself a chance to take it out quickly and easily.

You can push the boat out a little more and arm yourself with a brand new vehicle or drone.  Drones are controlled remotely so you can hole yourself up in a safe, quiet corner as you guide your mini-tank or chopper around the battlefield clearing the path for your squad mates.  You’ll need to watch yourself though as drones have limited ammo and battery life and cannot be relied upon to last the entire match.

Helicopters, tanks and jeeps can be bought between deaths, before you spawn, (as well as during the heat of battle) which is great if you want to start your next life in a vehicle without stressing over having to race your team for a spot in the tank, helicopter etc.  If there’s a free spot in a vehicle that’s already in the fight it’s also possible to spawn directly into it without spending any points.

It’s worth noting that BP doesn’t carry over from game to game, so if you don’t spend it you lose it.  This intensifies the matches as each round is almost always filled with powerful weapons, drones and vehicles (for those maps that support them).

Again, what we saw was pre-alpha so there’s likely to be a number of changes before it releases next year.  However, the basic concepts of shifting capture points, Battle Points and varied maps supporting different numbers of players seem to work well and allow you to approach the fight in a way that suits your playing style.

It’s going to be a tough challenge to upset the balance and topple (or even equal) the brands that I mentioned at the top of this preview, but things seem to be moving in the direction.  Let’s hope it stays that way and we get something that turns out to be a viable alternative to the established order.

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