ParaWorld Preview

E3 2006 First Look Preview

Paraworld has come a long way since I saw it two years ago at E3. There has been a lot of work done to the interface, the graphics have been improved immensely, and each tribe has been fully fleshed out.

Paraworld is an RTS for the PC that takes place in an alternate universe. The three main characters somehow become lost in a world where dinosaur and man live and work together. In this world, however, tribes are at war, and the main characters must defend themselves by fighting to find a way back home. The game will be story driven, following the players as they meet all the tribes inhabiting this world.

As players progress through the story, they’ll get a chance to play as three different tribes, each with their own buildings, units, special abilities, and home terrain. I saw a few different terrain types, including snowy areas and thick jungle. The environment even affected battles, with rows of trees blocking bigger units from passing through. That problem was solved swiftly with a couple stomps from Brontosaurus units, allowing the more mechanical units through.

There’s a wide variety of units in Paraworld. Over 40 different dinosaurs will be available, as well as various human warriors and more mechanical weapons like tanks (not traditional modern tanks, but tank-like vehicles). Even with other units, dinosaurs steal the show. Their units are animated extremely well, their equipment can actually be swapped and altered, and every once in awhile you’ll catch them doing a finishing move to their victim during battle. One example was the T-rex, which once zoomed in I was able to see him chomping on human units and tossing them in the air.

Dinosaur units can range anywhere from quick Raptor riders to giant catapults mounted on the backs of bigger dinos. There are also units called Titan units, which are rare units that pack a nasty punch. The T-rex I mentioned earlier is one of them, and another was an oversized Triceratops with armor and weapons all over its body.

The graphics in Paraworld are very detailed; each layer and piece of armor shows up on the dinosaurs’ bodies. Units are animated realistically, with varying animations intermixed to keep them believable. The environments are lush and full of color, making it very easy to immerse yourself in the world.

I was able to see the interface this time around, and it looks extremely deep and easy to use. On the left side of the screen you can view all of your units through profile pictures. Through these profile pictures you can center the camera on the units or select them to give them orders. You can also level units up using experience points gained from kills. These points are collected in the form of skulls, and every kill gives you skulls. Spending skulls can increase the power and defense of units.

Paraworld will also feature 15 multiplayer maps across three different modes. Up to eight players can face off in Team Deathmatch, Defender, or Domination. Defender forces one player to defend a base against all other players, while Domination is a traditional capture the flag gametype.

Paraworld is looking great. The gameplay is accessible, the idea is cool, and the graphics are beautiful. It’s set for a late summer to early fall release this year.