Relic Entertainment, the developers behind the Company of Heroes 3, wants to get the game into the hands of as many interested players as possible prior to the game's full release, and for a good reason. The third entry in the World War 2 RTS franchise looks to build upon everything that came before it, with Relic saying it will be the biggest title in the history of the series.
A new theater of war, the Mediterranean coast, will take players to shores of Italy and the deserts of North Africa for the first time, and will include a long list of new units, vehicles, and gameplay mechanics for players to sink their teeth into. Full Tactical Pause will let players take more direct control of the battlefield, while Company of Heroes 3's dynamic campaign map will allow for players to make big decisions regarding the war.
All of that and more is precisely why Relic Entertainment is willing to let any and all interested players play Company of Heroes 3 before it's finished, just by g up on the game's website. With so many new elements, Relic wants to work directly with fans to make the best Company of Heroes game possible based on their , and it's a strategy that already seems to be paying off. While the current pre-alpha preview has ended, Relic says that more are already in the works.
Why Company Of Heroes 3 Wants Player
By g up on the Company of Heroes 3 website and linking a Steam , players can get access to not only playable builds of the game, but also first playable pre-Alpha test recently concluded, and Relic says it has been eagerly listening to what fans have been saying. The team is looking to get a new playable build of the game out to insiders soon.
It's an approach that just a few years ago would have been unheard of. Letting players not only play a pre-Alpha versions of a game, but also comment on design documents, is not a process most video games go through during development, though player is becoming increasingly important now with the advent of numerous live service titles that are constantly evolving. That being said, it's still rare for a game like Company of Heroes 3, which features a major single player component, to seek out player at such an early development stage.
Relic has already compiled a list of top 10 development topics that have been created based on from the community, and that list will continue to evolve as development continues. Each topic, which includes subjects like mod , unit balance, and more features Relic's current plans for each area of concern, and serves as a key way for the developer to show it's listening to what players have to say. It's a great way for the developer to keep track of key subjects as they relate to the community, and getting valuable to inform those topics is only possible thanks to Relic allowing players to go hands-on with early versions of the game.
By working with the game's community at an early stage, Relic is ensuring a smooth launch for Company of Heroes 3 when it does eventually release. By doing so, it's avoiding a pitfall many other games suffer from, which is to release and then spend months, or even years, addressing player and concerns. Relic's approach may well be far smarter. By ironing out as many of those kind of potential issues as possible before Company of Heroes 3 even releases, it ensures the game's post-launch trajectory can be more focused on delivering new content, rather than scrambling to fix what's already there.
