/ Previews / Strategy / WarTorn / Page 3
	Designing your own formations on the fly and having your units stay in that formation should create some interesting looking battles.

To add another new element of strategy, Eyst has included fuel and ammo on each unit, so for those long-range battles you might want to add a large fuel tank onto your vehicles, and don't forget that they may want a trip back as well. You might be a bit skeptical about how the units will navigate in this 3D terrain, especially if you have tried to send a tank across the screen in Battlezone. This fact could be a large reason that many of the new RTS games have shied away from going full 3D. "I am quite confident that the AI in WarTorn will deal with this issue without problems like lost units," says Ben in our interview, "It is certainly most of the way there now." The controls will have all the features that make today's strategy games so nice, like complex waypoints, unlimited number of units in a group, and some time saving tricks will also be included.

One of these tricks which really caught my eye was the ability to drag a box over some of your units, and then drag a box around some enemy units, resulting in your guys attacking all of the baddies you selected until they are dead. "The drag selection was a great little innovation and in my view necessary," commented Ben on the game's control features. "Another one I can tell you about now is the formation editor available while your playing WarTorn. I think the general idea of placing tools in the players hands while the game is in progress like this is quite a good feature." Because of this, Formations should play a big role in WarTorn. You create your own formations on the fly, and your units will stay in that formation even when they are moving. So instead of watching a bunch of little soldiers run sloppily at each other, expect to see carefully planned formations fill the screen.

WarTorn will be fought in full 3D, giving you complete freedom on where to place your point of view. "By putting you into the environment, the true 3D world changes the whole feel of RTS. You have more to think about and a far more natural feel. The belief factor is increased beyond any mere isometric RTS." Expect to see some extra little goodies too, like colored lighting, dynamic land, big shockwaves, and visual unit damage. "Your units will smoke then burn then explode providing you with a quick visual indication of their status," says Ben. The big rolling hills will be nice to look at, but they also add to the strategy element of the game due to the gravity elevation advantage. 3D acceleration will be included, and it will work with every Direct3D compatible card. WarTorn looks excellent, and I'm sure many designers will want their game to look this good. We asked Ben about licensing out their engine to other developers, and he said this: "Eyst's ETTE engine was created for WarTorn and will continue to develop and be used for other products. I am not actively looking to license ETTE to others but if someone was interested I would listen."