Brother’s in Arms: Hell’s Highway Limited Edition

Since 1985, when it dropped into the WWII division of the well loved tactical/approach shooter genre with Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30, the Brothers in Arms series has consistently met with critical acclaim and gamer praise. This was a tough mission to accomplish, but it did so by focusing compelling squad-based tactical gameplay against the backstory of a fictional squad within the US Army’s 101st Airborne Division as they battle owing to a historically right re-creation of the events of the Linked invasion of Europe during WWII. This type of realism is more or less unheard of in the video game world and can only be provided by someone who really knows their stuff. Penetrate Colonel John Antal, US Army (Ret.).

Vice President of Knowledge Operations and Military and Historical Director at Gearbox Software, developers of the Brothers in Arms series, Colonel Antal is an Airborne-Ranger officer, and a published author of scores of magazine articles, as well as several fiction and nonfiction books on military topics. Most importantly for the subject at hand though, he is also a major force behind the development of the Brothers in Arms series. Recently I was able to catch up with him and question some questions regarding the newest title in that line, Brothers in Arms Hell’s Highway.

Colonel John Antal, US Army (Ret.) in Kandahar, Afghanistan in September, 2008 during a visit with the paratroopers of the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) Division

Amazon.com/sports meeting: The modern military is full of cutting edge technology, but I’m sure that some readers will be surprised to hear that a career military man, such as yourself, plays such a pivotal role in the development and marketing of a video game. How did this come about? And did you have any video game experience prior to the Brothers in Arms franchise?

Colonel Antal: I just returned from a ten day visit with US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, and I can report to you that when Soldiers are not fighting, they are training for the next fight. The more time Soldiers spend training in realistic simulated battles, the less blood spilled in battle. During my thirty years in the US Army, I trained thousands of Soldiers using constructive, virtual and live military simulations. Once I retired, it was an simple leap for me to switch my experience with military simulations into regard-added make pleased for video sports meeting.

Amazon.com/sports meeting: I know you’ve probably been questioned this question a thousand times, but let’s make it a thousand and one. Operation Market Garden, the WWII linked offensive that Hell’s Highway is based on culminated in a German victory. Why make a video game based on a defeat?

Colonel Antal: Market Garden was not a complete success, but war is fought at many levels. At the squad level, war is about fighting for the next hill, hamlet or road junction. Victory and defeat is very clear in a squad – when the battle is over you either have won and lived, or have lost and most of your comrades are dead or wounded. In Brothers in Arms, Hell’s Highway, we made a historical fiction that is right to the real history of the battle in ways no other game has approached. The right tale of the battle for Hells Highway is dramatic and a worthy tale. If we told only tales of victories, we wouldn’t be telling right historical fiction. War is about victory AND defeat, gain and loss. Telling both is part of being right to the actual history.

Amazon.com/sports meeting: As a follow-up to this, because this game is based on a very real and in many senses, tragic event for the forces involved and the civilian population, was there more pressure to stick to the facts in this game in order to get things right? And if so how did your team ensure this?

Colonel Antal: Yes. We have done our best to make the game the most authentic WWII experience ever. Our goal is to place you in the boots of a right-to-life squad leader in the 101st Airborne during the fight for Hell’s Highway. This game addresses the right history of the Battle for Hell’s Highway, uses realistic tactics and requires you to lead a rifle squad in ways that no other game has ever done.

Amazon.com/sports meeting: The game’s tale is centered around the events of an American squad, but since Operation Market Garden was an linked offensive, will players get to control, or even better, play as other linked forces? And will there be any playable German characters?

Colonel Antal: The player will play as an American, Staff Sergeant Matt Baker. If you want to learn more about the British, the Dutch Resistance and the Germans, read my companion novel to the game, “Brothers in Arms, Hell’s Highway”, published by Ballantine Books, Random House. There will also be a history book out in January 2009 that clarifies the battle for Hell’s Highway in day-to-day detail with maps, historical photos, screenshots from the game and much more. Shop for the Colonel’s companion novel, “Brothers in Arms, Hell’s Highway.”

Amazon.com/sports meeting: I’ve read that Hell’s Highway will contain a whole new multiplayer experience. Can you shed some light on how this experience is different from what previous sports meeting in the series offered?

Colonel Antal: Multiplayer is really exciting. Our multiplayer design is different from other sports meeting because it brings squad game play on-line. We made a team based game, where the team-based aspect is about squad organization. The game will brilliant (or players will vote on) a commander on each team. There can be up to 20 people in the game, 10 per team. The teams will go after objectives in each map that will be resolved in rounds.

Amazon.com/sports meeting: A common criticism in squad-based sports meeting is that AI enemies engaged in singleplayer modes are too easily outwitted, which is obviously something that should not happen on a real battlefield. Was dealing with this a consideration in the development of Hell’s Highway?

Colonel Antal: Yes, the team did a excellent job at making a robust enemy AI that is visibly a tough opponent. Players will be excited about this feature.

Amazon.com/sports meeting: Hell’s Highway will feature a wide variety of weapons, not only used by US forces, but also those of linked troops and the Germans. Are all of these usable by any character and if so does each have specific ammo?

Colonel Antal: All the small arms — pistols and rifles — will be useable, as well as most of the crew served weapons (like machine guns). Players can choose from semi-automatic rifles such as the M1-Carbine and M1-Garand, to machine guns such as the M1A1, bazookas such as the M9A1 and pistols. To check out all the weapons you can use and see them in action, check out the website (www.brothersinarmsgame.com in ‘the game’ section).

Amazon.com/sports meeting: Hell’s Highway is the first Brother in Arms title to come to Next-Gen platforms. How much has the visual clarity made possible on these platforms helped in the series’ ongoing quest for authenticity?

Colonel Antal: The visual clarity is stunning in this game. It makes use of the Unreal 3 Engine technology to deliver incredibly realistic, authentic and cutting-edge 3D environments. The game also has unprecedented character design – with lifelike characters who look, talk, go and reflect with incredible realism.

Amazon.com/sports meeting: Hell’s Highway is the third game in the series featuring Sgt. Matt Baker, and now Sgt. Joe Hartsock. These two have differing views on the acceptable costs of war and have traded off command duties in the last two sports meeting. In Hell’s Highway both lead separate squads, but Sgt. Baker appears to be front and center. Will the game feature the ability to play as either sergeant? And regardless, is this dichotomy of outlook regarding command as much an attempt at realism in the field as anything else in the game?

Colonel Antal: The player will play the role of Baker. The tale of Baker and Hartsock, and their different approaches to leadership is a vital part of the tale that I many of our fans will find intriguing.

Amazon.com/sports meeting: I don’t recall tanks playing too much of a role in earlier Brothers in Arms sports meeting, but one of the nicer videos I’ve seen indicated that they might be prominent in Hell’s Highway. This seems a nice touch considering that Operation Market Garden’s objective was to secure a path for armored units crossing into Germany. What exactly will players be able to do with tanks and what other new units and/or changes to the control scheme can players expect to see?

Colonel Antal: The player will be able to fight as part of a Sherman Firefly crew and will be able to battle German Panzers head to head.

Amazon.com/sports meeting: When last I saw Hell’s Highway demoed, one of the things that stood out in my mind was the destructibility of environments and cover. Considering that the game in filled with weapons of varying destructive potential, I thought this was a fantastic and natural addition. Can you give a few details on this for our readers?

Colonel Antal: Destructible cover allows the player greater tactical flexibility. Now you can make a flank by blowing away flimsy cover that would normally block your maneuver. The destructible cover system was modeled using real physical properties and behaviors, so weapons will in fact hurt, dent, scorch and ruin the world around you. It’s a splendid addition to the game that gives players a truly authentic experience.

Amazon.com/sports meeting: Having grown up myself watching movies like A Bridge Too Far, The Guns of Navarone/Force 10 From Navarone, Where Eagles Dare, The Dirty Dozen, Kelly’s Heroes, The Longest Day, etc. I’ve often wondered why the events of WWII have not been more heavily mined for game subject matter. With the nonstop success of the Brothers in Arms franchise and others, as well as the potential of Next-Gen technology, do you see this changing?

Colonel Antal: I strongly believe that powerful, dramatic human tales grant an exciting medium for video sports meeting. WWII was a vast WORLD WAR with countless powerful, dramatic, human tales. Anyone who is bored with WWII hasn’t studied the war in depth. The tales from WWII have importance relevance to us today and are archetypical examples of the moral dilemma of war. No sane person wants war, but if you regard life and liberty, sometimes you are mandatory to fight. I expect that we will be telling these tales and incorporating them into our sports meeting for many years to come.

Amazon.com/sports meeting: Since the framework of the Brothers in Arms series is the linked invasion of German-occupied Europe and the battles that would eventually make up the march towards Berlin/the race to beat the Red Army there, can players expect to see more from Sgt. Baker and his squad in the future, perhaps at the Battle of the Bulge and beyond?

Colonel Antal: As long as I have anything to do with it, the answer is YES.

Amazon.com/sports meeting: Finally, because it’s fascinating to pick the brains of people behind the sports meeting, do you mind telling our readers what sports meeting you are playing and/or what you are reading these days? Also, I know that you have authored several fiction and nonfiction books as well as articles. Are you effective on anything new that you might want to tell us about?

Colonel Antal: I’m an Airborne-Ranger and have been a combat officer all my adult life. I pretty much like to play anything with WAR in the title!

–Tom Milnes, Freelance Contributor