WARHAMMER 40K : BATTLESECTOR PREVIEW
FROM
SLITHERINE
This preview offers you an initial glimpse of the beta model of this latest Warhammer offering from Slitherine. At the moment what's offered is two Missions and a tutorial. Though I found the latter clear and useful, I've been asked to focus my picture purely on the two Missions.
For someone like myself who hugely enjoy the Warhammer 40K games for the PC, this turn based exercise is what I've always been waiting and hoping for. Whether with consoles or joysticks, keyboard or mouse, my lack of coordination and ability to function at speed has always meant a limited foray into real-time games. Now I have the opportunity that perhaps I may make it through to the final encounter.
Selecting a Mission brings up a basic planet image with the title of the Mission and its location. Clicking on the Mission title [e.g. Rearm & Supply as seen below] takes you into the situation, with the familiar message and voice over introducing you to the narrative arc.]
Whereupon you see your various units.
Graphics remain fairly standard and show no great advance when compared with the existing Warhammer 40K games I have for the PC.
You activate unit by unit, with each having a number of action points. A feature I like is that you can return to a selected unit provided you have APs left and resume using it. This allows for a good level of interaction and combos of fire and movement and , of course, there is always Overwatch!
The iconography for the various actions that each type of unit can perform are not always clear or immediately obvious, but hovering over them brings up an explanation. Consequently, I soon picked up an understanding. However, what was confusing was the visuals for the combat effects for the different types of weapons. Some seemed so similar that I was unsure whether I'd made a mistake in selection or whether there was an actual lack of variation in the graphics.
What I also noticed was that the various mouse functions and keyboard controls seemed much more responsive when I was working with the Tutorial than when I was playing the Mission. In particular movement seemed woefully slow and though there was an icon for what appeared to indicate faster mode, it had no effect.
The current two Missions you can try out in beta form
So a familiar picture in its early stages which I assume will develop to give a highly satisfying experience for those, like me, who prefer to inhabit the turn-based world of gaming whether with a physical board game or a PC one!
Thanks to Slitherine for providing a temporary key to allow me brief glimpse into this ongoing production.
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