I recently attended Gamescom and got the chance to play HW2 several times, both on the Xbox One and PC.
We played Strongholds 3 v 3 on the new map, Rift. The visuals are impressive on both formats and I tried out for both sides: UNSC and The Banished. Both seem to be well balanced, with strengths and weaknesses for both factions.
For those who are not aware, Strongholds involves rushing out to occupy as many bases as possible, increasing your population cap, which allows you to build more troops, vehicles, air units, etc. I’ll be posting some footage soon and will link to that when I do.
I’m a fan of playing strongholds as it ups the pace of the match significantly, preventing players from simply turning into a turtle and holding out for a single climactic battle after several decades of building up. It’s a fast-paced gametype. Ideal for those who love rushing out in an effort to capture as many bases as possible. Additionally, this adds a tactical element to the gameplay. Do you stretch yourself thin and try for three or four bases? or do you grab one and solidify your position with troops and turrets before moving on to the next? This also means that you can opt to detour around enemy bases and go straight for their main base, hopefully co-ordinating with your team mates to maximise the damage and chaos.
The only drawback that I experienced was whilst playing on the PC. Two games crashed half way through the match, but the third was okay. I encountered no issues on the Xbox One version.
The Leader Powers for both factions are really useful, ranging from additional troops to dropping a MAC round on your opponents’ head. They all have a recharge time so you need to monitor what’s available when things get hairy.
Feel free to comment or ask questions. I’ll see if I can answer.
I missed out on the beta by one day as I was away at the time. But both factions felt capable. Nothing felt overpowered, with the exception, I feel, of the main leader power attacks: ventral beam and MAC.
So I suspect any balance issues have been addressed. Was there a specific unit in question?
> 2533274797756411;6:
> I missed out on the beta by one day as I was away at the time. But both factions felt capable. Nothing felt overpowered, with the exception, I feel, of the main leader power attacks: ventral beam and MAC.
>
> So I suspect any balance issues have been addressed. Was there a specific unit in question?
Chopper’s were an issue for the UNSC to handle if Banished just pumped them out.
Could you spawn cyclops or hunters without upgrading the base?
> 2717573882290912;7:
> > 2533274797756411;6:
> > I missed out on the beta by one day as I was away at the time. But both factions felt capable. Nothing felt overpowered, with the exception, I feel, of the main leader power attacks: ventral beam and MAC.
> >
> > So I suspect any balance issues have been addressed. Was there a specific unit in question?
>
>
> Chopper’s were an issue for the UNSC to handle if Banished just pumped them out.
>
> Could you spawn cyclops or hunters without upgrading the base?
All units were available in the match. And there was nothing left to upgrade. We were informed that this was for Strongholds which is designed to force players to quickly expand and explore instead of hunkering down and building up. Everything is unlocked and there was no need to gather resources.
I spawned choppers, but only three or four. But they never really seemed to last all that long.
There is an alternative gametype that allows for resource management for those who like going all Command and Conquer on their opponent.