The Company Of Heroes: Interview Session with Relic’s principle programmer Ian Thomson

The real-time strategy game “Company of Heroes,” developed by Relic Entertainment landed on home console platforms PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on May 30. Just recently, we had the privilege of interviewing Ian Thomson, the principle programmer at Relic Studio, about “Company of Heroes.” Here is a summary of the interview:

1. “The Company of Heroes series has been developed for the PC platform up until now. What was the reason behind the decision to expand to the console platforms this time?”

Ian Thomson: We have long looked at the consoles and wanted to explore bringing our games there. We have released some console games in the past, but bringing one of our flagship strategy IPs there was something that we kept asking of ourselves. As we were in the early stages of development we were looking for ways to reduce the cognitive load that RTSes commonly demand, as so we started development of Full Tactical Pause. Once we had some experience with this, we saw how we could offer a play experience that allowed for personal pacing of gameplay. We also saw how the consoles were providing enough power for the processing load our games commonly demand. So we saw how some of the previous risks of creating a good experience were diminishing and decided that we wanted to pursue opening up our games to more players. We are very excited to finally bring a Company of Heroes game to the console audience with the arrival of CoH3 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S

2. What was the main reason for the console edition being released three months later than the PC version?

Ian Thomson: Company of Heroes 3 is a large game, with many modes of play, and a lot of mechanics to account for. We wanted to give the PC version a chance to tighten up before launch so we could bring the best version to console. With the launch on PC in February, we were also able to include several important patches to the console version to ensure the best possible experience for the console audience.

3. “What was the biggest challenge encountered during the process of making the console edition? Specifically, what are the significant differences between the PC edition and console edition of the game, or what unique features would make players want to choose the console edition over PC?”

Ian Thomson: The clear difference is how you control your units. RTSes were born from what a mouse and keyboard could provide: fast selection of units and issuing of targeted actions. We knew we needed to provide a similar level of control with a gamepad. And this is where we had to take inspiration from other games as well as experiment ourselves. The newly added Command Wheel is there to help speed things up on the battlefield, with easy to learn commands and button prompts.

4. Is there a plan to launch major updates or DLCs for the game in conjunction with the release of the console edition?

Ian Thomson: We’ll be bringing a mix of free and paid DLC updates to Company of Heroes 3 Console Edition. Since PC has a head start we’ll be working on bringing a number of updates to console over the coming months, with several PC patches already included in the console sku at launch.

5. “Since the PC edition was released in February, has the development team received any feedback from players? Has there been any specific adjustments based on the feedback?”

Ian Thomson: At launch console is getting a patch that incorporates many fixes the PC version got in the first few weeks of release. We’ll continue making regular updates and adding content over time.

6. Will the game support cross-platform multiplayer online battles?

Ian Thomson: We do not have plans to support cross-platform play for multi-player modes. Players will be matched with opponents from the same platform only.

7. “As a real-time strategy game, this game may have a high level of difficulty and be tough to get into for the current generation. For players who have not played real-time strategy games before, is there any content in this game specifically for beginners to practice?”

Ian Thomson: Company of Heroes 3 puts the player into a tutorial mission immediately. It’s something we don’t want new players to skip, but they can choose to bypass it. This mission teaches the fundamentals, but we continue that teaching throughout our campaigns. We also worked with YouTube content creators to develop video tutorials, which you can find online.

8. For the development team, what is the most important thing to pay attention to when incorporating historical battles into the game?

Ian Thomson: Company of Heroes missions take what is often a sprawling weeks-long battle and compress it into an experience players can enjoy in 20-60 minutes. We research the most noteworthy and memorable elements of historical battles and fit them into a microcosm of that event. We may focus on a key structure, like the abbey at Monte Cassino, or a key weapon like a railway artillery gun. What’s most important is that the mission evokes the history and significance of the battle without trying to re-create it exactly.

9. In terms of UI design, Company of Heroes 3 Console Edition has utilized many wheel menus. Will this rendition of the game feature customizable wheel buttons, for team setup or other repetitive controls?

Ian Thomson: There are some options players can toggle in settings to adjust the controller experience but a fully customizable command wheel isn’t one of them.

10. It is commonly heard among RTS players that controllers isn’t really that suitable for the genre, with that being said, will there be any changes or tweaks in terms of process design? For example, will the enemy AIs feature different strategies or layouts?

Ian Thomson: Company of Heroes 3 on console is the same experience players face in the PC edition. We’ve carefully adapted the controls and UI to provide a smooth gameplay experience on consoles, but aside from that it’s CoH3. Players can expect to find the same variety of challenges as in the PC version. You’ll face the same type of AI opponents throughout the game, who will adjust their builds and try to change things up to create a dynamic experince to play against.