Remember back in mid 2007 when Relic announced Company of Heroes Online, with the promise of persistency, levelling up and of course: player verses player. Then remember how much those dreams were crushed when you found out it was only for China? Well that wasn’t the end of the global online persistent version of Company of Heroes, for there is Europe in Ruins to fill that void.
EiR (Europe In Ruins) is all about persistency, tasking you with the complete control of your company from the composition of your company to the unlockable doctrinal upgrades that you can gain from playing games. That isn’t where it ends though, there is quite a lot of depth in this mod for players who love to tinkering, and for those who don't, it can be completely the opposite: a quick game to hop on and play.
Started over a year ago, before Relic proposed a MMORTS, EiR has flourished and grown each day. Currently EiR is at its peak community size and it beats that peak each passing week with more and more new players. Tens of thousands of page views on the site each day and hundreds of player based games each day; this mod is growing, and growing fast. EiR is even reaching their limit on ventrillo; again! The community is exceptionally respectful and kind. Their willingness to help new players and to play the game for fun is second to none. This author believes it is one of the main reasons for the success of EiR. From the respectful persistance-loving vets who constantly do anything they can for the mod to the highly competitive players who don't mind losing a game showing a new player the ropes, this community is one of the best you'll be apart of.
EiR combines the fast paced strategy of vCoH with a persistant and ongoing war. The game is intense and action packed.
You start off with nothing but a pile of resources and Command Points (used to unlock powerful doctrine abilities). You are then asked to generate a company from that, and it can be any type of company you wish. Want a Flamethrower Pioneer company or do you want a mechanised company based on halftracks? You can do both; in fact there is just about no limit to the amount of different company combinations you can create and their possible effectiveness. Companies based on artillery, companies based on tanks, companies based on infantry, companies based on suppor teams, or balanced mixes, the choice is only limited by your creativity.
But that’s not where the persistency ends; it’s actually just the start. As you battle other players you’re bound to kill enough enemy units to gain some veterancy, and when those units gain veterancy they will keep it from battle to battle, earning more and more until you lose them to enemy fire. Some squads will have been with you for many battles. Most of the others will die and be replaced along the way. It's usually the most intense battles that draw some serious blood and cost the lives of most of your men - the few that survive are significantly stronger than the new ones that replace them. Players are restricted on how many squads they can field at a time to make sure the game stays intense.
The veterancy system goes hand in hand with the Command Point system, which Europe in Ruins rewards you with after completing a battle, win or lose. These are used to make your company stronger or unlock units or even unlock off map abilities ala Company of Heroes style. These abilities range from the basic like allowing riflemen to build barbwire, sandbags and tanktraps to more complex and powerful abilities like Raid Assault which increase Airborne’s combat effectivenss for 90 seconds after dropping turning them into the perfect weapon for a raid. It is completely possible to create some truly great companies with the right combinations of abilities; companies that other players will fear.
Once you’re done creating your company (for the time being) you can finally think about fighting other players. The most popular method of getting games setup is via the Europe in Ruins Ventrilo server and there are always helpful people online who would be glad to help you out. Currently Europe in Ruins is all about teamwork; with almost every player playing team games rather than 1v1’s. This means communication is paramount to success. To cater to EiR specifically there are unique and highly professional Europe In Ruins maps ready to be played on; as well as more and more every week. Thus, the battlefields are always changing.
That brings me to my next point; gone are the days of hoisting that flag up strange flag poles that magically litter the battlefield, gone are those resources as well. Now it’s all about controlling sectors, the more you control the more you’ll hurt your opponents because when the battle timer ticks past a certain point, whoever owns most of the map will gain the ability to field more troops. Holding territory is key in EiR. It doesn’t end there, as you can be tasked with either attacking or defending which changes tactics again, as defenders have a bonus of 3 minutes without an enemy on the field to setup their frontline with mines, barbwire, tankstraps, and emplacements.
That’s not to say the attacks don’t have a few tricks up there sleeves as there are a few doctrine abilities that allow attackers to strike early and hopefully catching defenders off guard, especially with airborne. However, those who attack early should be aware that while they may find a force of engineers and pioneers quite easy to dispatch, they are still alone in this objective and can become overwhelmed quite easily.
Winning the battle has great significance as a war is constantly raging. The allies and axis fighting over territory each battle. The larger the battle (2v2 compared to 4v4) the more territory at risk. After one side manages to take all the territory and sack their oppositions capital they win the war. The victors are awarded with a series of medals and badges to their greatest commanders signifying their war efforts. The defeated side is left with little, save the chance to prove their worth again during a new war starting immediately after the old.
Here is an ingame video of an epic 4v4 in Europe in Ruins.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zP11Vyr04HAYou are able to watch any replays from all the players and they are a great learning resource for tactics and strategy. Replays are constantly posted and newer players are always encouraged to watch them.
If you're interested in playing, the best way to join up is to goto the website:
www.europeinruins.com and click on the ventrillo link. There are players playing 24/7 and you will likely always find someone willing to help.
Best of luck, and see you in the war!
- Article by: Akranadas and Ucross
