Savage: The Battle for Newerth E3 2003 Preshow Report

iGames and S2 Games will be showing off their upcoming team-based multiplayer game, Savage: The Battle for Newerth, at E3 2003. While team-based multiplayer games have become increasingly popular in recent years, Savage stands apart from the rest with its mix of real-time strategy and action shooter genres. The idea isn't a new one. A few years ago, Microsoft attempted something similar with a space action strategy game called Allegiance, which failed to catch on. iGames hopes to avoid the same fate with Savage, which features settings and troop types that are more accessible than the ones in Allegiance.

In Savage, one player on each side takes the role of the commander, building up structures and commanding workers to harvest gold and stone. The game's troops are directly controlled by other players--the commander can issue orders to these players to attack enemies, guard certain areas, or rally at specific points. Since the commander controls the allocation of gold to troops (which is needed to buy upgrades and better weapons), it's in your interest to do the bidding of the commander. You can always get your own gold and experience points by attacking some of the neutral fauna in the game, but in general it's much easier to get large quantities of money by requesting it from the commander.

The troop types in Savage start out fantasy-based, using medieval weapons such as swords and bows. As your team progresses along a technology tree, more-powerful weapons can be purchased. These include crossbows, longbows, and modern weapons like shotguns, rocket launchers, and flamethrowers. Siege weapons like ballistae and catapults are available from the siege factory, and you can use these to quickly knock down enemy defensive structures like towers.

The developer, S2 Games, has been beta-testing Savage for several weeks, and for now, the game is slated for release at the end of June for the PC. A second playable race, the beast horde, will be announced at E3. We'll have details about the new race and more from the show floor.