Warmachine Website Launched, Preview

Remember when Warmachine was announced during last year’s Gen Con? In case you don’t, it’s an action/strategy/RPG hybrid based on the popular Privateer Press miniature universe of the same name. Even if that doesn’t mean much to you, it might hit home a bit more when you recall that it’s being developed by the company co-founded by original Fallout team member Scott Campbell. Anyway, an official website is now live for the game, and the folks at Xugo Gaming have put together a hands-on preview to help us get caught up on the direction the game is headed:

The game will put you on the role of a Warcaster, elite soldier-sorcerer of great power who are part of one of four Factions: the Tech-savy Cygnar, the Russian-inspired Empire of Khador, the Zealous Protectorate of Menoth, or the Necromantic Forces of Cryx. Warcasters can take direct command of giant Steampowered robots called Warjacks and give orders to troop of soldiers.

The game will play from a third person camera orientation with first person aiming. The control engine looks similar to Bioshock 2’s, and like that game you will have to make choices that have effects later in the game’s story. Currently the spells use a Wheel Selection system, not dissimilar to that of Dragon Age Origins, but they are working on stream-lining it to avoid game slowdown by the pausing for the Wheel. Spells will include generic stat buffs by all warcasters like increasing speed, defense, offense, ect. You’ll be able to buy ‘upgrades’ so your Warcaster can focus on your prefered play style (i.e. increasing Stryker’s shooting abilities). The Terrain will be destructible, “anything that can explode, will explode” but not to the level of games like Red Faction. You can pick up and hurl objects with your warjacks.