Gameplay

Red Orchestra strikes an uncomfortable balance between realism and gameplay at times. Take tanks for example – they have three crew. No more, no less. Regardless of whether a tank had two or six crew in real life, in Red Orchestra there are always three – driver, hull machine gunner and commander/gunner. In most tanks, the commander and gunner should be separate positions, but for whatever reason they are not in RO. This is essentially a nit pick, but for people who expect full realism, it can be a major issue. Other such nits one may pick include the standardized rather than realistic rate of fire for tank-mounted machine guns.

On the other hand, RO gives realism in ways that the standard grognard’s game at the moment – World War II Online – doesn’t. The terrain is far better obviously, with much more cover for infantry and armor. The maps may be smaller, which is a shame, but they’re large enough to offer some room for maneuver. There are spots that certainly favor armored vehicles and they tend to camp out there – but again, given the nature of World War II tank warfare, this is perfectly realistic.

An interesting touch is that while one person can run a tank by himself, he cannot run all positions by himself at the same time. This means that if you jump in, you’re driver by default and you can move the tank. You can switch instantly to the gunner position, but the tank hits the brakes and comes to a dead stop – you cannot control the vehicle any further, nor even merely roll forward. A similar situation goes for the gunner – you can fire a shot, but if you switch away to another position, there’s no one in the gunner spot to reload for your next shot. You must actively sit there and wait as the gunner, not moving the tank, until the gun reloads. It provides some interesting tactical options – do you run for cover, or do you hope you can load a round before your enemy does? Or, - God forbid - do you take one of the simians on the public server into your tank as a crew member?

As a consequence of these gameplay decisions, Red Orchestra does play out fairly realistically. Unlike the Battlefield games, there are fairly clear lines of battle and no enemies spawning behind you just because they captured a flag thirty seconds ago. Objectives tend to be captured in some fashion resembling order – perhaps you may rush up a bridge and capture both sides of a river before securing your own side all along the river, perhaps not, but there’s little incentive to rush behind enemy lines since spawn points are fixed.


Yet, that seems to be the problem. Maps and plays tend to be fairly repetitive, yet they’re not fast enough to compare to Call of Duty or Counter-Strike. In CS or CoD, you get the feeling of trying to cut into someone’s OODA (observe, orient, decide, act) loop. The maps are small enough and fast enough, with fewer options so it’s a matter of understanding your opponent and thinking ahead. In Red Orchestra, the maps are large and expansive, and while the objectives may be clear and limited, there is too much openness for that kind of mind game. It’s like the difference between playing basketball and football – both are team sports, but football is clearly more so. There’s less room to stand out in Red Orchestra, and that’s not necessarily good gameplay.

The game fits ideally into this intermediate role, where it provides more realism than most games, and more teamwork, but also less intimacy. That may be the problem though; while I can happily find a niche in PlanetSide or in previous versions of World War II Online, and while I love the intimate battles of Call of Duty, RO is stuck firmly in the middle. I’m neither likely to be a potential hero with a stunning last-second wipe-out of the other team, nor am I allowed to simply pick my favorite toy and while away time – the pressure to contribute is too great. In short, RO reaches far to achieve realistic gameplay and tactics – as far as any small-server based game could – but this strained, median dynamic is too ponderous for quick action and too fast for finding a niche.