Company of Heroes 3 announced, adds new tactical pause feature

RTS fans rejoice: Today SEGA and Relic Entertainment announced Company of Heroes 3, a new sequel set in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II with a bunch of new enhancements.

With Company of Heroes 3, Relic promises to deliver the "ultimate package of action, tactics and strategy." The chaotic RTS is due out in the second half of 2022 on PC and features a dynamic campaign map that reacts to your decisions in and outside of battle, with a shifting narrative that will change based on your actions. Relic says this new campaign map also features a new layer of verticality with mountainous regions and stacked environments set across Italy to allow for height advantages in battle.

One of the biggest new features is the Tactical Pause system, which allows players to freeze frame the action and plan their next moves. Relic has also updated its AI features to make battles more challenging and the game is specifically optimized for DirectX 12 as well as multi-core CPUs.

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"We're also working on a new feature called Tactical Pause. This is an optional singleplayer-only feature where players are able to stop everything on the battlefield, take a deep breath, think about what their units are doing, give them their actions, and then hit go and see how everything plays out," said Relic's Mac Morain

"We have players queueing up where their infantry are going to go, where their tanks are going to go, call-ins, building bases, also actions that the infantry can do like throwing grenades--so everything you can do in real-time you can do while paused and then you simply unpause the game again," said relic's David Littman.

Company of Heroes 3 details

• Garrisons have been nerfed
• Lots of verticality to the gameplay
• More bottlenecks, chokepoints and height advantages
• True Sight "really shines" with new vertical-based maps with new tactical advantages
• New Tactical Pause feature in singleplayer allows gamers to recollect themselves during battles
• Enemies have U-boats
• Fully Navy support
• Key to campaign is capturing airports for air superiority
• Full 3D environment
• Best campaign experience ever in Company of Heroes
• PVP modes will have more depth and new features
• 10 different kinds of skirmishes coming to campaign and PVP
• Keybinding confirmed
• British forces and American forces confirmed (four forces total)
• Factions will help you if you don't destroy their towns/villages
• The more you work with forces the more they will do for you
• Actions on the map and in battle will affect total campaign narrative
• Coming late 2022
• Strategic turn-based campaign map is dynamic and changes

"We decided on the Mediterranean theater because that's what our players asked for. A while back we sent out surveys and we got back 60,000 responses and by far the Mediterranean was the one players wanted to see the most," Morain said.

Morain says the team is putting a lot of effort into authenticity this time around.

"Authenticity and realism is critical. We're taking our stories and our concept narratives and working with external consultants. We want to treat the material with all of the care and respect that it deserves."

"The one thing we wanted to do with Company of Heroes 3 is build a game for the core firsts, so that our fans that've played the franchise--the ones that are most passionate--are the ones we started with," Littman said.

"We've definitely focused on what our core fans love, which is flanking, cover, and destruction. On top of that, we're bringing in breaching, which can help get them stuck troops out of buildings. This adds to the authenticity and to the realism."

The pre-alpha test includes a portion of Italian campaign and many of the features in the pre-alpha preview are in the final game. You can sign up for to try the alpha here.

Check below for more info on Company of Heroes 3:

The legendary strategy franchise is back! Company of Heroes 3 is the ultimate package of action, tactics and strategy. Take charge in the heat of real-time battle, then command as a General guiding the overall campaign where every decision matters. ​

Overwhelm your opponents with new and familiar factions, units, and international Battlegroups. Command ground, air and naval forces and build supply lines to crush enemy advances on the new Dynamic Campaign Map - no two playthroughs are ever alike! Play at your own pace across campaign and skirmish modes before diving into blistering multiplayer action. Discover the untold stories of a stunning Mediterranean theatre, featuring next generation destructible environments, all powered by Relic's proprietary Essence Engine. ​

Award-winning Tactical Gameplay

Company of Heroes 3 delivers the next generation of acclaimed tactical gameplay. Beloved combat mechanics collide with authentic new gameplay features, making for the deepest tactical experience to date. ​

Make use of daring flanking moves to expose enemy side armor, experience all new infantry breaching mechanics allowing you to flush enemy units from their garrisons, and master elevation to enhance your line of sight and gain the upper hand.

A Stunning New Theatre

Welcome to the Mediterranean - a breathtaking new theatre filled with untold stories of war. Engage ferocious enemy forces across Italian mountain passes, breathtaking coastal vistas and the sweeping deserts of N Africa. Stunning visuals deliver authentic and highly diverse environments designed to keep you on your toes. ​

Mountainous maps will require uniquely different strategies from coastal towns, with verticality now greatly affecting units' line of sight (True Sight). Desert plains will call for careful reconnaissance and daring armored maneuvers. On this new frontline, intelligence trumps speed and clever use of local terrain will let you bewilder your opponents and rout them from the field.

New Layers Of Strategy

Experience the biggest single player campaign in franchise history. The new Dynamic Campaign Map delivers full 'sandbox-style' gameplay, allowing players to command the overall war effort and experience an unprecedented level of strategic choice. ​

Establish vital supply lines before deploying rear guard defenses to secure your advance. Launch air and naval strikes to weaken and scatter enemy forces or liberate a nearby town to develop a Partisan spy network. Choose your forces and upgrade your veteran companies to match your playstyle. Meanwhile, the optional Full Tactical Pause feature allows players total control over the pacing of single-player action. Plan your attacks, then effortlessly queue up lethal precision plays that will give you the edge in battle.

Diverse Factions & Units

Company of Heroes 3 promises to delight even the most ardent WW2 enthusiasts thanks to the largest number of launch factions in the series to date. ​

New army customization mechanics will allow you to call in the help of a varied cast of specialist units. Take up the fight with new elite squads including the American-Canadian Special Service Forces, the revered Gurkhas from the Commonwealth and many more. ​

From devastating tank destroyers to clandestine recon vehicles, Company of Heroes 3 features the largest roster in the series to date. The super light Weasel, the armor sniping Nashorn, and the Chaffee Light Tank are just a few of the units making their debut. Also, let's not forget revamped classics like the M3 Recovery Vehicle Halftrack, which can now be used to repair and steal abandoned enemy vehicles!

Cinematic Action

Feel the blistering impact of every mortar shell and naval bombardment with Relic's state-of-the-art Essence Engine. In Company of Heroes 3, every location becomes a fully destructible sandbox, opening up limitless tactical gameplay options for you or your enemy to exploit. ​

Bring fortified buildings crashing down onto enemy squads, then witness enhanced destruction mechanics at play as soldiers exploit fresh ruins as dynamic cover. Stunning new rendering and particle FX technology depicts fire, sand and smoke like never before. Brilliant new soldier animations combine with enhanced A.I, delivering realistic squad reactions to the battlefield. Optimized for DirectX 12 and multi-core CPUs, Relic's new engine technology will deliver cinematic action to rival any Hollywood blockbuster.