Harmless Announces Infantry

Over the Thanksgiving holiday Harmless Games, formed by several members of the original SubSpace team, unveiled portions of its first title, Infantry. SubSpace fans have reacted quickly to help turn up heat on making sure Infantry is as addictive as SubSpace.

Infantry will follow SubSpace in being among the next wave of online multiplayer titles to hit the web. After looking at the shots, one's first reaction could be that Infantry is a knockoff reactionary title of Multitude's FireTeam - since infantry units appear to be running around and taking each other out. While it sounds like the question any gamer might not ask, we asked Harmless' front man Rod Humble how his company's title is different. "As for the difference between us and FireTeam, I really like those guys but they are aiming for a different market. Our game has far more of a "Diablo" feel to it with a real action mechanic than anything else."

Harmless will also supply players with sourcebooks that will help detail the worlds and other scenarios players will explore. Rather than just make Infantry a game that exudes action, Humble and crew are hoping that players will enjoy the added depth planned for the title (and Humble will continue to add to the universe after the game's release). "We want players to fall into the Infantry universe. We do believe that in SubSpace we made a game that was exceptionally deep in its action tactics, but we failed to make a simple interface - an error we intend to correct ." Humble continues, "In this game, we add an evolving storyline on top of character advancement for the players to immerse themselves."

And it looks like the team has focused on making a title that merges several elements. Players have come out of space and are firmly planted on solid ground with tanks, mobile unit carriers, and the like. Single players can still log into the game, make some kills, and logoff, but for players seeking something more engaging, Infantry offers more RPG-like elements. As a character in the science fiction universe, you travel different maps encompassing different planets, large starships, and other areas. All the while players will gain experience points. Harmless also understands that players do die and rather than hold players back from taking heroic but dangerous steps, Infantry will place less weight on dying. Humble explains, "Dying is instant regeneration as in SubSpace with a quick penalty applied to your money and maybe stats but nothing severe."

From knowing that Harmless Games already has a die-hard community stemming from the SubSpace universe, we're sure that we'll be hearing a lot about the title as it develops. Already, a group of die-hard fans have launched a web site dedicated to Infantry. The site contains factoids about the game, messages from the title's development team, and seems destined to create a solid foundation for information regarding the title as it develops.