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?”
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:
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?”
6. Will the game support cross-platform multiplayer online battles?
Ian Thomson:
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:
8. For the development team, what is the most important thing to pay attention to when incorporating historical battles into the game?
Ian Thomson:
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:
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: