The game begins by suddenly plunging the player from a video into a brief introductory mission. Unlike most RTS games in which some units are massed and are used almost exclusively over other units for an easy victory, Act of War required the player to use a variety of units which allowed for diverse strategies.Īct of War is set in what is only referred to as 'a near future' where a crippling energy economy has forced gas prices in the U.S. The recorded video is then post-processed and provided with sound effects and dialog.Īct of War features many new gameplay elements, including heavily wounded soldiers being immobilized and unable to engage in combat until they can be reached by medical help, the ability to take prisoners of war, buildings that are realistically destructible, and the ability to create barricades.Īct of War did not add many innovative concepts to the RTS genre, and its most prominent gameplay feature was balance. Pre-rendered cut-scenes were done using machinima technique, wherein one person plays while being recorded from different angles (with all interface elements hidden). Live action was shot in Montreal, Canada during the summer of 2004. The game includes a combination of pre-rendered cut-scenes and over an hour of live action film.

An expansion pack called Act of War: High Treason was released on March 2006. The game was released in March 2005, and features a detailed story written by Dale Brown, a retired captain of the US Air Force and a bestselling author. Act of War: Direct Action ( abbreviated as AOW:DA) is a real-time strategy game developed by Eugen Systems and published by Atari, Inc (Infogrames).

Act of war direct action