Bet on Soldier Updated Impressions

Developer Interview

Kylotonn CEO Roman Vincent tells us about Bet on Soldier.

• Watch
• Download

With the Game Developers Conference going on this week, we've had another chance to check out Bet on Soldier, a promising first-person shooter headed our way courtesy of French developer Kylotonn. Bet on Soldier is set in a violent future, where the world wars have raged for more than 80 years and countries have outsourced war to corporations and mercenaries. As war has become the major form of entertainment, worldwide audiences now bet on the outcomes whenever two star mercenaries meet paths. In this grim world, you play a mercenary who enters the Bet on Soldier circuit to bring those responsible for your wife's murder to justice.

We saw the game last month, and since then it's made a marked amount of progress. Before, Kylotonn only showed the same level that it showed at E3 last year. Now, we got a first peek at some of the new levels in the game, though we should note that they were still in formative stages of development. The first level is set somewhere in Central Europe, and it depicts a nightmarish system of trenches and fortifications. So, basically, imagine World War I-style warfare on steroids. In many ways, it's also reminiscent of Kylotonn's earlier game, Iron Storm, which was based on a similar premise of the first World War continuing on for decades. We also got a glimpse of other levels, including an Alaska level that takes place around a grounded oil tanker and a Nevada level set in a giant canyon. All these levels are fairly large, offering plenty of open space (important if you have a sniper rifle), but also featuring plenty of buildings, trenches, and sewers to duck into.

In Bet on Soldier, you'll battle in grim and dark places in a grim and dark universe.

Since the premise of the game is that you're a mercenary, you must purchase your own weapons, armor, and ammunition; you can't pick up weapons or ammo from fallen enemies. You can also hire up to four computer-controlled mercenaries as backup. However, you'll also have to pay to outfit them with weapons and equipment. This will allow you some tactical flexibility, though, as you can arm and outfit them in a variety of ways. You can give one mercenary a heavy shield, which can deflect incoming rounds, while you give another a heavy two-handed weapon for support. One tactic in the game is called "turtling." Basically, one mercenary with a heavy shield will provide shelter for another mercenary, who will provide fire support. This is essentially an updated version of the old Roman Legion testudo formation (as seen in Rome: Total War), but on a much smaller scale. Of course, the enemy will be able to use shields against you, too. One way to defeat a shield is by tossing a grenade at it...at which point physics will take care of the rest. Bet on Soldier will actually make use of the Novodex physics engine, the same one that's being incorporated into the Unreal Engine 3.

You'll have a variety of weapons and equipment to choose from, including standard assault rifles, flamethrowers, sniper rifles, incendiary grenades, and more. Most weapons will be upgradable in numerous ways, so you can enhance their effectiveness or tack on new capabilities to them, provided you can afford the upgrades. When you run low on weapons or ammo, you can refill or repair at a weapons and armor station. Previously separated into two separate stations, the weapons and armor station will let you spend the cash that you earn during the mission--by killing enemies--to now buy new weapons and ammunition or to restore your armor. You get a small reward for waxing regular troopers, but the real payday is when you encounter a star mercenary. During the mission setup, you can wager on the chances that you can defeat each major opponent within a certain time frame. When you encounter that opponent, combat around you stops, and the global audience tunes in to watch the anticipated duel. You then have between two to four minutes to defeat the other guy. And the longer it takes, the less money you'll win.

The exoskeleton is like being in a walking tank. But be careful, it has a few notable weak spots.

Finally, we also had a chance to check out the exoskeletons in action. Exoskeletons are giant pieces of power armor, which look much like miniature mechs. You can either purchase an exoskeleton, which is considerably expensive, or you can climb into one that you find in a level. There are several varieties of exoskeletons, and the one we saw was armed with a chaingun and a cannon, thus making it a formidable weapon. However, exoskeletons do have weak points. So if you know where to aim, then even a lowly infantryman can take one down.

Bet on Soldier is a very fast-paced shooter, much like the Unreal Tournament games, but it does have a unique look and feel, courtesy of Kylotonn's proprietary "kt" engine. We still haven't had a chance to see the game's multiplayer component, which will support up to 32 players, but it definitely has us intrigued based on what we know of it so far. We're told the multiplayer mode will be a blend of team deathmatch, capture the flag, and Bet on Soldier, meaning players will be able to bet on duels that they wage with one another, even while other players are battling it out around them. The game certainly looks good and is nearing the finish line, though it still needs a few more months. Right now it's a safe wager that Bet on Soldier will ship sometime this summer.