Data Beker Announces Highland Warriors
 

Highland Warriors, a new 3D real-time strategy game scheduled for release in the fall, brings players to the center of the great feuds between the Scottish clans and England from the beginning of Scotland in 843 A.D. to the battlefields of William Wallace in the 14th century. Data Beker’s game will allow players to relive fierce clan wars in over 100 epic battles.
Players control one of four nations including the Highlanders, the English, the Mystique and the Merchants clans, in over 30 single-player missions. Players also can create an infinite number of multiplayer missions using the game’s map editor and battle units. The units all have their own specialties and earn experience points for being battle tested. All of the characters, such as archers, peasants and woodcutters, can be upgraded to different experience levels based on their activities.

Each clan has different characters with knowledge, abilities and strengths according to their corresponding power base, which is determined by commerce, diplomacy and war. Highland Warriors also has a complex economic system with master craftsman and five different types of resources, with free trading taking place behind the scenes.

Highland Warriors’ new 3D engine, ATLAS, was developed specifically for the game. ATLAS can show up to 200,000 polygons simultaneously, Data Beker said in a press release. This translates into 8,000 polygons per unit, 6,000 polygons per building and trees and objects made up of 600 polygons each. The game has tree leaves ruffling in the wind and buildings drawn with a high amount of detail including pegs and nails.

The animation also promises to be realistic. For example, as the game’s windmill turns, players see a 360-degree millstone turn as well as the shadow of the building changing in the sun. Other technical features include fires that create illumination and shadow; true shadows that move with a character or object; a free-turning zoomable camera; and a landscape engine that provides texture depth of up to 15 pixels per meter.

Highland Warriors’ customizable interface allows users to redesign the game presentation to suit an individual player's ability. Drag and drop buttons, screens, a mini map, and direct access to characters can be customized according to a player’s preferences.

Highland Warriors also will allow up to eight clans to wage war on a LAN or the Internet. The game’s official website, www.HighlandWarriors.com, will launch in April.