GMX Media has announced that its voice-controlled military RTS - Will of Steel, is to be packaged with a headset and microphone for in-game use. Simply purchase the box set of Will of Steel on release and the hardware will come packaged inside!
According to GMX Media COO, Eugene Perry, The voice control is such an integral part of gameplay, we felt that such a move would encourage players to experience the game as it was meant to be played. The inclusion of the hardware will not affect the RRP of the product , which is likely to give the game even more appeal on the shop floor.
Will of Steel is a modern warfare tactical 3D Real Time Strategy game. As a young Marine officer, William Steel is the son of the highly decorated USMC General Thomas Steel. Players must assume command and responsibility of the battalion at his control and defeat your opposing in forces in hostile locations around the globe.
At the players disposal will be infantry, battle tanks, armoured personnel carriers, recon units and many other types of military hardware. The player must make wise military choices and decide how to adjust his/her actions to counteract the strategy employed by the enemy forces in Afghanistan 2001 and Iraq 2003. Through the use of dynamic lighting, missions unfold from dawn to dusk with a number of climate conditions, such as rain and fog, that may help or hinder your battle progress.
Throughout the game, the player also strives to improve his/her career. By winning medals and being promoted, various special options are revealed that he/she can use in battle. Special options include:
- Air transport
- Artillery support
- Air strike
- Satellite reconnaissance
- Long range missile attack
- Reinforcement
- Special operations team
Voice Control
In Will of Steel, the player has full control of all assigned units, camera, and special options such as: Air Attack, Transport, Special Teams etc, through the use of vocal commands. The player can order unit movements, choose tactics, groups units, and can even choose the types of weapons and stances that the units take. These possibilities will allow the more skilled players to play the game and lead their troops exactly the way they desire while the less skilled players will also be able to manage units while using simpler commands and options.
It is also possible to play the game almost entirely by voice commands alone. The mouse pad can be used to select units and groups of units, to point to the places where commands should be executed, and to select options from one of the menus. Keyboard allows for a quick and convenient way (shortcut) for various commands to be executed.
Special focus is given to voice control because it has never been used in RTS games before. Voice control should help the player to control his/her units much more easily and effectively than by just using the keyboard and mouse pad. Besides that, voice control has the purpose of simulating natural verbal communication between officers and their units. This will add to the realism and will make the player feel as if he was a real-life military commander.
Will of Steel is set for release in February 2005.
