Conflict: Vietnam
Written by Charles Husemann on 9/29/2004 for
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Conflict: Vietnam
Here's some new information about the command system in Conflict: Vietnam. In case you missed it you can check out the weapons and skill point system in our previous preview
CONTEXT SENSITIVE COMMANDS OVERVIEW
Being able to quickly issue commands to the other troops in your squad has been a gameplay cornerstone of the Conflict series since its inception. However, up until this point the commands that players were able to give were of the most basic kind – advance, hold position, fire at will, etc.
With Conflict: Vietnam, Pivotal Games has answered fans’ demands to improve and expand on the command system, more than doubling the number of orders that can be given on the battlefield. A large majority of these new options are what is known as context sensitive commands.
Context sensitive commands are activated much like other commands, but their function depends on what the player points his cursor toward. For example, with the command button pressed, if the player points the cursor to another squad member, the Shield order will be issued; but if the cursor is pointed at a booby trap, the soldier will be ordered to disarm it.
Though everyone will need to use them at least a little to complete the game, how much players use context sensitive commands will ultimately boil down to their personal gameplay preference. Those that like to have a very active role in everything their troops do can quickly switch between soldiers and play out their every move. Conversely, someone skilled in context sensitive commands could use a single soldier to command all the rest, rarely having to switch to another character.
Below are descriptions of six of the context sensitive commands that are new to Conflict: Vietnam.
Heal
When a man is downed in battle, another soldier can be ordered to administer a Medical Pack to put him back into action. Alternately, players can select the fallen character and order a squad mate to find and heal him. This saves players from the panicked search for injured characters that occurred all too often in previous
Shield
Usable on squad members, other friendly troops, and civilians, the Shield command orders a soldier to protect the targeted character even if it puts themselves in severe risk. A soldier ordered to Shield someone will stay close to their charge, attacking anyone who assaults the person they are protecting.Mount Vehicle/Emplacement
Given this command, soldiers will run to take over unmanned vehicles and emplacement weapons, such as heavy machineguns and anti-aircraft guns. Caution should be taken in using this command, since the character given it will charge to complete the order, ignoring whatever danger lies ahead. However, when combined effectively with the Shield command, a full squad making a bold charge can be formed.
Destroy Vehicle/Emplacement
When a vehicle or emplacement is too heavily guarded to be taken over, the only option left is to destroy it rather than have it fall into enemy hands. Like the Mount Vehicle/Emplacement command, some care must be given when issuing this order. Soldiers will use their heaviest armaments when given this order, even if there’s a risk that allies will be caught in the blast radius.
Pick Up Item
Not the most exciting of commands, but useful nonetheless. Especially when an important item is in a place crawling with Viet Cong soldiers, ordering another squad member to Pick Up Item while everyone else provides covering fire can be a wise move. It’s also worth noting that this command can be used to pull levers and open doors.
Disarm Trap
Even those that prefer not to use context sensitive commands will likely still use Disarm Trap, since Conflict: Vietnam becomes a much more difficult game when your troops are constantly having Bouncing Betty mines explode at their chests. When a trap is spotted (which requires players to always keep a sharp eye), a soldier can be ordered to deactivate it. Success depends on their Booby Trap skill rating. Certain traps, such as pits, cannot be disarmed and must simply be avoided.
CONTEXT SENSITIVE COMMANDS OVERVIEW
Being able to quickly issue commands to the other troops in your squad has been a gameplay cornerstone of the Conflict series since its inception. However, up until this point the commands that players were able to give were of the most basic kind – advance, hold position, fire at will, etc.
With Conflict: Vietnam, Pivotal Games has answered fans’ demands to improve and expand on the command system, more than doubling the number of orders that can be given on the battlefield. A large majority of these new options are what is known as context sensitive commands.
Context sensitive commands are activated much like other commands, but their function depends on what the player points his cursor toward. For example, with the command button pressed, if the player points the cursor to another squad member, the Shield order will be issued; but if the cursor is pointed at a booby trap, the soldier will be ordered to disarm it.
Though everyone will need to use them at least a little to complete the game, how much players use context sensitive commands will ultimately boil down to their personal gameplay preference. Those that like to have a very active role in everything their troops do can quickly switch between soldiers and play out their every move. Conversely, someone skilled in context sensitive commands could use a single soldier to command all the rest, rarely having to switch to another character.
Below are descriptions of six of the context sensitive commands that are new to Conflict: Vietnam.
Heal
When a man is downed in battle, another soldier can be ordered to administer a Medical Pack to put him back into action. Alternately, players can select the fallen character and order a squad mate to find and heal him. This saves players from the panicked search for injured characters that occurred all too often in previous
Shield
Usable on squad members, other friendly troops, and civilians, the Shield command orders a soldier to protect the targeted character even if it puts themselves in severe risk. A soldier ordered to Shield someone will stay close to their charge, attacking anyone who assaults the person they are protecting.Mount Vehicle/Emplacement
Given this command, soldiers will run to take over unmanned vehicles and emplacement weapons, such as heavy machineguns and anti-aircraft guns. Caution should be taken in using this command, since the character given it will charge to complete the order, ignoring whatever danger lies ahead. However, when combined effectively with the Shield command, a full squad making a bold charge can be formed.
Destroy Vehicle/Emplacement
When a vehicle or emplacement is too heavily guarded to be taken over, the only option left is to destroy it rather than have it fall into enemy hands. Like the Mount Vehicle/Emplacement command, some care must be given when issuing this order. Soldiers will use their heaviest armaments when given this order, even if there’s a risk that allies will be caught in the blast radius.
Pick Up Item
Not the most exciting of commands, but useful nonetheless. Especially when an important item is in a place crawling with Viet Cong soldiers, ordering another squad member to Pick Up Item while everyone else provides covering fire can be a wise move. It’s also worth noting that this command can be used to pull levers and open doors.
Disarm Trap
Even those that prefer not to use context sensitive commands will likely still use Disarm Trap, since Conflict: Vietnam becomes a much more difficult game when your troops are constantly having Bouncing Betty mines explode at their chests. When a trap is spotted (which requires players to always keep a sharp eye), a soldier can be ordered to deactivate it. Success depends on their Booby Trap skill rating. Certain traps, such as pits, cannot be disarmed and must simply be avoided.
* The product in this article was sent to us by the developer/company.
About Author
Hi, my name is Charles Husemann and I've been gaming for longer than I care to admit. For me it's always been about competing and a burning off stress. It started off simply enough with Choplifter and Lode Runner on the Apple //e, then it was the curse of Tank and Yars Revenge on the 2600. The addiction subsided somewhat until I went to college where dramatic decreases in my GPA could be traced to the release of X:Com and Doom. I was a Microsoft Xbox MVP from 2009 to 2014. I currently own stock in Microsoft, AMD, and nVidia.
