Company of Heroes
| Company of Heroes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio |
 Relic entertainment
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| Publisher |
 THQ
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| Erstveröffent- lichung |
September 12, 2006 September 29, 2006 |
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| platform | Windows , macOS , iPadOS | ||
| genre | Real time strategy game | ||
| Game mode | Single player , multiplayer | ||
| control | Mouse , keyboard | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
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| medium | DVD , download | ||
| language | English , French , German , Italian , Spanish | ||
| Current version | 2.700.2.43 (from June 1, 2017) | ||
| Age rating |
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Company of Heroes [ ˈkʌmpəni ɒv ˈhɪərəʊs ] is a real-time strategy game for the Windows operating system and since March 1, 2012 for macOS . The computer game was developed by the Canadian software company Relic Entertainment and distributed in Germany by the publisher THQ from September 29, 2006 until its bankruptcy on December 20, 2012.
Game style and content
Company of Heroes takes place during World War II and begins with the campaign of the Allied landings in Normandy , D-Day . By capturing and holding resource points, the player earns the three resources of manpower , ammunition and fuel . Almost every action in the game costs at least one of the three resources, for example you need a certain amount of the ammunition resource for the infantry ability "Throw grenade" . The same goes for recruiting units. The battlefield is divided into roughly equal areas.
By holding a resource point, you also have control over the associated area. The unit limit depends on the number of controlled areas. This means that you cannot hide yourself in your base and build an army, but also have to risk a failure to get resources and increase the unit limit.
Experience points are awarded for destroying enemy units or building buildings. There are two different types of experience points. On the one hand, points are awarded to the player; these are converted into so-called command points. Command points unlock special attacks or additional units that can come in from outside the map. On the other hand, experience points are allocated to the unit that carried out the destruction. These units can thereby rise in rank, so that they z. B. better target accuracy or higher speed is available. The amount of experience points depends on the combat value and price of the destroyed enemy unit. Destroying wrecks also gives experience points depending on the value of the wreck.
In the battle mode there are two modes with different victory requirements. In the extinction mode , all buildings of the opposing base must be destroyed. In the Victory Token Control mode, several control points are placed on the battlefield which must be conquered and whose holding reduces the opponent's point account as long as the opponent holds a lower number of control points.
Single player campaign
The campaign comprises 15 missions and covers, among other things, the conquest of the French cities of Carentan and Cherbourg . Only the US Army is playable in the campaign, the German Army is only available in multiplayer and combat mode.
- The first level begins with D-Day and the landing of the Able Companie during Operation Neptune on Omaha Beach and the conquest of the coastal defenses and gun emplacements.
- On the second level, Fox Company jumps off during Operation Chicago at Vierville , an airborne operation that took place shortly before the events on Omaha Beach.
- The next mission is the Battle of Carentan , the strategic hub for control of the French Cotentin peninsula , by the Fox Company ...
- ... as well as the defense against the German counterattack, in which the Fox Company is supported by the Able Company.
- In Montebourg , the Able Company freed the Dog Company, which was trapped by German troops, and secured the logistically important supply route for Operation Red Ball Express in Lower Normandy .
- In the ensuing battle for Cherbourg and its seaport , Able Company is supported in house-to-house combat by the 4th US cavalry and artillery fire from the battleship USS Texas (BB-35) .
- In Cherbourg , the Able Company found evidence of a German V2 launch pad 15 kilometers south near Sottevast . With the support of Fox Company, the launch base is to be captured by Able Company and the large rockets ready for launch are to be destroyed.
- The next mission is about Operation Cobra and the capture and subsequent defense of the city of Saint-Fromond 14 kilometers north of Saint-Lô .
- In the attack on Hill 192, Charlie Company is wiped out and the German troops are repulsed by Able Company.
- In the battle for Saint-Lô , the Able Company takes the German headquarters, to then ...
- ... to wipe up the remains of the German Panzer Lehr Division in Hébécrevon, seven kilometers away .
- In Mortain the Able Company entrenched and defended Hill 317, ...
- ... to fend off the subsequent German counterattack during Operation Liège on the hill and to destroy the enemy artillery positions deep down.
- In Autry , Able Company fights the Tiger Ace and avenges the death of Captain MacKay.
- Chambois is the 15th and final level in which the Falaise pocket is closed and the retreating German troops are blocked from retreating across the River Dives .
main characters
- Captain MacKay is the Commander of Able Company. He appears like a United States Army Ranger , even though he commands a regular infantry company . He is killed by Captain Schultz in the fighting for Saint-Lô .
- First Sergeant Conti commands Able Company. He was in the training camp with Captain MacKay and after his death takes command of Able Company as a lieutenant.
- Captain “Tiger Ass” Schultz is in command of the German Panzer Lehr Division . As the antagonist of Captain MacKay, he commands the tiger troops attacking the Red Ball Express and later kills Captain MacKay with his tank in the Battle of Saint-Lô.
Multiplayer
The multiplayer area comprises 46 cards (version 2.502) for two, four, six and eight players, with half of the players always being allies and Germans fighting for victory. This limits the specialization somewhat, so that the players should be able to master both sides if possible. In multiplayer mode, building a base and conquering certain points is in the foreground. The same units are available as in the campaign. The multiplayer contains the two victory conditions annihilation and victory markers . When wiped out , all opposing buildings must be destroyed. In the Victory Token mode , certain strategic points must be captured and held in order to reduce the opponent's point account to zero.
In multiplayer mode, the special abilities of each side come into their own. These skills cost so-called command points, which you get when you destroy enemy units and facilities, as well as your own research and construction of buildings. These skills are in turn divided into three areas: For the Americans, the areas of infantry, airborne and tanks. On the German side there are the specializations defense doctrine, blitzkrieg and horror doctrine. Depending on the specialization, the player receives special close air support and artillery strikes, additional infantry and armored units or special skills.
You can either play over a local area network , on self- hosted servers or on the official ranked servers . Ranked servers cannot be hosted and players cannot be selected on them. After the game, the game results are evaluated on the ranked server and rewarded with points, for which there are then rankings.
control
The game is displayed in three dimensions and can be rotated and zoomed continuously. It is controlled with the mouse and keyboard .
technology
Company of Heroes is from the developed specifically for the game graphics engine shown "Essence", which the physics engine of Havok includes. The game is characterized by a very good level of realism, high-resolution textures , many model details and an almost completely destructible environment. With the 1.7 patch , the Essence engine also supports graphics display with DirectX 10, which improves the shadows, the lighting effects and the level of detail in the surroundings.
units
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Reviews in gaming magazines
At the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2005, when the Company of Heroes was first announced, the game won the Game Critics Award and was named E3's Best Strategy Game .
| Games current | 10/06 | 89% |
| GameStar | 11/06 | 87% |
| PC action | 90% | |
| PC Games | 90% | |
| PC PowerPlay | 10/06 | 90% |
German version
In the German version, the content of some dialogues and text panels has been changed. References to Nazi Germany were played down or removed, e.g. B. the term "Nazi" was replaced by "The Germans" or "Krauts".
Opposing fronts
| Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio | Relic entertainment | ||
| Publisher | THQ | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
September 24, 2007 September 28, 2007 |
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| platform | Windows | ||
| genre | Real time strategy game | ||
| Game mode | Single player , multiplayer | ||
| control | Mouse , keyboard | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
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| medium | 1 DVD , download | ||
| language | German | ||
| Current version | 2.700.2.43 (from June 1, 2017) | ||
| Age rating |
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| information | Playable with DirectX 10 | ||
In September 2007 Relic Entertainment released the stand-alone add-on called Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts . This expansion, which can be run without the main program, is an independent game with two new armies and each with its own campaign. The 2nd British Army fights for the liberation of Caen in nine missions , the German tank elite (Kampfgruppe Lehr) has to fight back Operation Market Garden in eight missions . The names of the previous armies, Allies and Axis powers , were changed to American and Wehrmacht . In addition, the graphics engine has been updated to DirectX 10 , the behavior of the vehicles has been improved and new weather effects have been added.
The British are mainly focused on the defensive and can build many defensive buildings and good artillery, on the other hand the German tank elite acts very aggressively and uses many vehicles and powerful tanks and can therefore act very quickly and agile. The British, on the other hand, lack heavy tanks and the tank elite have few defensive positions. The main characters of "Operation Market Garden" are Major General Voss, who is known from the Tigerass campaign from Tales of Valor and now leads the Panzer Lehr Division, Captain Berger and his brother Aldrich and Lieutenant Deinhard, who are respectively in level 8 and 7 fall of the campaign. The game received the age rating Approved from 16 years by the entertainment software self-regulation (USK), as well as the rating 18+ from the PEGI .
units
Multiplayer
In the multiplayer mode of the game little has changed in contrast to the main game, apart from new maps. Players who only own the main game can also compete against players who have both parts or only opposing fronts.
From version 2.301 on, arranged teams can compete against each other in multiplayer.
Tales of Valor
| Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio | Relic entertainment | ||
| Publisher | THQ | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
April 7, 2009 April 9, 2009 April 9, 2009 |
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| platform | Windows (from Windows XP ) | ||
| genre | Real time strategy game | ||
| Game mode | Single player , multiplayer | ||
| control | Mouse , keyboard | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
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| medium | 1 DVD , download | ||
| language | English , French , German , Italian , Spanish | ||
| Current version | 2.700.2.43 (from June 1, 2017) | ||
| Age rating |
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| information | Playable with DirectX 10 | ||
Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor is the second expansion for Company of Heroes . The stand-alone add-on expands the main game by three single-player campaigns, three multiplayer modes, as well as units and maps for multiplayer and single-player modes. In addition, the new “Direct Fire” feature enables more direct tactical control of the units, which is only available in the single player mode and in the multiplayer mode “Operation Tank War”.
units
Two new units have been added to each army:
 United States
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 Wehrmacht
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|---|---|
| vehicles | |
| T17 armored car | Swimming car type 166 |
| M18 Hellcat | Gun car H-39 ( Marder I ) |
 Commonwealth
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 Panzer elite
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| vehicles | |
| Kangaroo troop transport | Swimming car type 12 |
| T17E1 Staghound I | Hotchkiss H-35 |
However, these new units are not added to the arsenal of the respective army in a game, but replace a corresponding, already existing unit. Before the start, the player determines whether the unit should be exchanged for the next battle in the lobby by adjusting his army in a selection screen.
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United States
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Wehrmacht
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|---|---|
| T17 armored car replaces M8 "Greyhound" reconnaissance tank | Swimming car type 166 replaces BMW R75 motorcycle |
| M18 Hellcat replaces M10 "Wolverine" Tank Destroyer | Gun car H-39 replaces Sturmgeschütz IV (StuG IV) |
| Commonwealth |
Panzer elite
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| Kangaroo troop carrier replaces Cromwell | Floating car type 12 replaces Kettenkrad (Sd.Kfz. 2) |
| T17E1 Staghound I replaces Cromwell command tank | Hotchkiss H-35 replaces Panzer IV infantry support tanks |
Direct Fire
Direct Fire is a new feature that allows you to control the units' field of fire with the mouse. However, this feature is only available in the campaign and during tank warfare.
campaign
Tiger ace
This campaign is based on the real story of the SS tank commander Michael Wittmann , who fought against the British Desert Rats in the Battle of Villers-Bocage in June 1944 , earning him the nickname Tigerass.
In the game, as the commander of a Tiger tank, you have to secure the French town of Villers-Bocage between Saint-Lô and Caen so that NPC units can take the town. The tank crew consists, among others, of Major General Voss and Captain Schultz, who are known from Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts. However, this campaign takes place before the events of Company of Heroes and Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts.
After the successful completion of this campaign, the armored car “Tiger 205” will be activated, with which the existing armored car “Tiger” can be replaced. However, only the appearance of the unit changes and not its combat strength.
dam
As a member of the 82nd Airborne Division , the pawn jumps over Normandy the day before D-Day. The task is to collect scattered, allied units in order to secure the La Fière dam west of Sainte-Mère-Église . In addition, the enemy artillery and the enemy headquarters must be destroyed in order for allied units to advance.
Falaise cauldron
In the last of the three campaigns, as the commander of encircled German troops, you have to hold the city of Trun and withstand the attacks of the Allied units in order to secure a breakthrough to Chambois, thereby enabling your troops to escape from Trun.
Multiplayer
Operation Tank War
Each player's units are made up of tanks with different skills. But you are also able to request support infantry. However, you cannot command them yourself and they only guard the previously assigned position. As in the previous version, you receive command points for eliminating enemy units, which can be converted into skills. The aim of the game is to take special points on the map, which reduces the opponent's victory markers. The winner is the one who first reduces the opponent's victory markers to zero.
Each player of the two parties can choose between three tanks each. The Axis powers can choose between Hotchkiss H35, Panzer IV and Panzer V "Panther" and the Allies between M18 Hellcat, Sherman and Churchill.
Operation Stone Wall
Four players defend a city against a computer-controlled opponent who attacks in 16 waves of increasing strength. The raw materials for building new units are secured by four buildings (church, bank, country house, workshop). Holding one of these buildings gives all players special skills. The level of difficulty is not variable, but is adjusted by the computer depending on the number and strength of the players.
Operation Storm
The bases on the map are divided equally between both teams; Each team has several lines of defense which are secured by machine gun positions, barbed wire, etc. The aim of the game is to destroy the enemy base. In each of these lines, computer-controlled units are automatically produced, which attack the enemy independently. With every kill you get experience, which is expressed in command points. The command points can be converted into various skills. If a line is destroyed, no more units are produced from this line.
Company of Heroes Online
The online game was discontinued on March 31, 2011, while the open beta phase was still in progress. It combined the elements of a real-time strategy game with elements of a massively multiplayer online game . At the beginning a commander was created who could decide on a skill tree . He received experience points through battles, rose in level, and received skill points for his talent tree. The game was available for free download and should remain free. The free-to-play game should be financed through an item shop.
Modifications
The Eastern Front modification expands the main game to include units and vehicles of the Red Army as well as additional maps from the Eastern Front . The MOD is also mentioned by Relic in the news within the game.
The aim of the Blitzkrieg MOD is to make the Company of Heroes gameplay more realistic. For example, the strengths and weaknesses of the various units (especially the vehicles) are adapted to the historically correct technical details and new special skills are added. This mod also contains special cards and its own artificial intelligence for the computer-controlled players in a game. In addition, the BK-MOD also expands the unit arsenal and changes the doctrine and resource extraction.
In March 2012 the MOD Modern Combat appeared . The scenario is based on a future war between China and the United States. Corresponding units of the United States Army (such as HMMWV , Stryker Radpanzer, M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank, AH-64 Apache combat helicopter) and the People's Liberation Army were integrated into the game and expanded to include "modern" combat components (such as reactive anti-tank rifles , house combat equipment).
The Mod The Great War: 1918 is a total conversion of the game in the First World War . You have the choice between the German Army or the British Expeditionary Force . According to the developer, the fractions France and Austria-Hungary will follow (as of 2013).
Continuation: Company of Heroes 2
After the first scans from a game magazine appeared on the Reddit website , which revealed the existence of Company of Heroes 2 , publisher THQ confirmed the development of a sequel on May 7, 2012. The game was developed again by Relic Entertainment , who were also responsible for the first part. It was released on June 25, 2013 exclusively for the Windows operating system .
Company of Heroes 2 is also set during World War II, but this time on the Eastern Front. The player takes command of Red Army units.
CoH 2 The Western Front Armies (expansion)
Company of Heroes 2: The Western Front Armies is the first standalone multiplayer expansion for Company of Heroes 2, available on June 24, 2014. With the introduction of the US Forces and the West High Command, two completely different factions join the game.
Each army has its own tactical game options, as well as new infantry, squad weapons, vehicles, skills and improvements on a total of eight seasonal multiplayer maps of the Western Front. The Western Front Armies also includes a new progression system that adds more content to the game and allows the player to relive the tactical and strategic aspects of the game (CoH 2).
The Western Front Armies is available as a standalone package. In ranked games, players have access to 23 existing Company of Heroes 2 cards and can compete against all other factions.
motion pictures
In a direct-to-DVD production, a feature film with the same title was created for the computer game under the direction of Don Michael Paul . The DVD or Blu-Ray was released on February 26, 2013 in Great Britain and on April 11, 2013 in Germany. Well-known actors play the leading roles, such as B. Tom Sizemore ( Saving Private Ryan ), Neal McDonough ( Band of Brothers ) and Jürgen Prochnow . The content of the film is the Battle of the Bulge and a behind-the-line operation.
Reviews
“I demand that a picture of the Company of Heroes be printed after the term“ spectacle ”in the dictionary. Because Relic's World War II hit has earned this title: The battles are so intense, so fast, so captivating that they are always motivating. This is not only due to the presentation, but also to the good AI. It also has quirks, but often cleverly exploits the weaknesses in my defense. "
“With the obligation to create contiguous areas, a motivating strategic note has been added: Especially in multiplayer, this makes for wonderfully mean conquests. Nevertheless, I am missing the finishing touches for the platinum euphoria: When maneuvers out of cover, it can get hectic and the AI sometimes remains in a strange lethargy. It is also a shame that the campaign remains narrative weak, that there is no change of perspective to the Germans. "
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Stefan Wunner: Mac version is here. In: Mac Gadget. March 1, 2012, accessed September 25, 2015 .
- ↑ Note: King Tiger is only available in Opposing Fronts and Tales of Valor (or after the latest update). There it replaces the tiger ace and is only available once per fight.
- ^ Company of Heroes . In: onlinegamesdatenbank.de .
- ↑ http://coh.esgnserver.de/?w=news&action=detail&id=120&t=1 ( Memento from August 6, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Lars Craemer: Relic stops free-2-play project on March 31st. In: PC Games Hardware . February 7, 2011, accessed February 21, 2014 .
- ↑ easternfront.org
- ↑ black-sand-studio.com
- ↑ Company of Heroes appears in 2013. (No longer available online.) In: IGN Entertainment . May 7, 2012, archived from the original on February 28, 2014 ; accessed on February 21, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Daniel Feith: Relic names the planned release date. In: GameStar . March 6, 2013, accessed February 21, 2014 .
- ↑ Jeremy Peel: Company of Heroes: The Great War 1918 mod released . In: PC Games News . December 2015. (English)
- ↑ Company of Heroes in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- ^ Michael Graf: Model strategy game in World War II. In: GameStar . October 6, 2006, accessed July 25, 2017 .
- ^ Jörg Luibl: Test: Company of Heroes. In: 4Players . September 29, 2006. Retrieved July 25, 2017 .
