Lock and load, troops

Before firing up the game proper, I launched the external configuration application. Here, graphics settings can be adjusted and basic system options can be set. These are the same options that are accessible from the in-game settings menu, but its nice to have choices, right? The standalone configuration utility came in handy when I first booted ToW and encountered an immediate crash-to-desktop. After hitting the game's support site, I learned that the game has issues with dual-core systems, particularly of the AMD variety. By checking the "Use only one CPU" option in the configuration utility, I was able to load the game. While I don't expect every game to be a multithreaded masterpiece, it's not too much to ask for a game to at least run on a dual-core system – even if only one core is being used. Points to 1C Company for including proper widescreen support, a feature that even some big-budget titles are lacking.

Graphics settings will have to be tweaked for a playable experience on most hardware.

The camera controls are a nice addition.

With most titles, this is where the review would transition to a discussion of the game. ToW, however, was at first unplayable on three tests systems with varying hardware configurations. I'm sometimes inclined to give a small developer a pass when discussing quality control issues, but no more: a game is a game, no matter who wrote the code and pieced together the art assets. A price of $45 U.S. Dollars means that ToW isn't a budget title, and gamers should expect – nay, demand – that a game has passed at least cursory quality-control and compatibility testing. ToW borders on being a niche title, and too often hardcore fans of particular genres are subjected to beta-quality software.

This is no time to be thinking about a swim, fellas.

To their credit, Battlefront have documented solutions and workarounds to the issues that I had. Other titles, though, require no such tweaks and have playable frame rates out of the box. Specifically, the game doesn't play well on dual-core systems – both Intel and AMD - nor does it run well on a stock single-core Athlon64 system. After installing the latest AMD CPU drivers and explicitly disabling dual-core support, I achieved moderate playability. Even on a top-of-the-line Get it! Intel Core 2 Duo system with a Get it! GeForce 8800 GTX card, the game creeped along until I altered some game-specific NVIDIA drivers settings.

Enthusiasts may be familiar with these settings, but the average gamer will simply give up in frustration, $45 poorer and out a few hours of time. It's impossible to stress enough that games should be geared toward the lowest common denominator with regards to technology. Having advanced options available to advanced users is commendable, but above all ensure that the game is playable on common hardware from the first install.

With the compatibility issues out of the way, I spent some time poking around the options. The menus are straightforward and configuring keyboard controls is a simple task - there are only a handful of keybindings to set. The small number of controls is inviting after wading through the pages of control settings available in other RTS games. If you're inclined to whip out keyboard combos in quick succession, you'll likely feel out of place when playing ToW, as much of the in-game control is done with the mouse. An encyclopaedia is accessible from the main menu, and the amount of information is staggering.

A comprehensive catalog of the machines of war is sure to excite military buffs.

Military buffs can spend hours poring over the details, and the catalog is a dead giveaway that ToW aims to be an authentic simulation. Again, graphics settings are available from the main menu, but a few options are listed in-game which aren't available in the external configuration utility, for those who wish to squeeze every last bit of performance from the game.

The usual volume controls are present, and positional audio is supported via Creative's EAX API. Finally, the camera options are a welcome addition. Camera pan and rotate speeds as well as zoom limits are customizable. I bemoan the relatively low maximum zoom-out level in some RTSs (ahem – Company of Heroes), so kudos to 1C Company for letting me zoom out until I'm in the clouds.