As you move across the map you start to realise how huge the battlefields really are, especially when zooming in. Leroux-Hughon told SPOnG that to create a relatively small map that we were being demoed on would require in excess of one billion polygons. To handle all of that the game makes use of multi-threaded technology so that various parts of the map are cached and recalled on the fly.
The Iriszoom engine is used to depict all the action in real time. Girard explained that this was more than just a process of creating a new engine; as the sheer size of the maps meant that the studio had to think of new approaches in AI, map design and other things.
Some more changes to the RTS genre comes in the form of the Fog of War, which is said to be based on the ideals of Poker. In Ruse. Don't expect real fog, of course, as the title here refers (I'd expect) to the use by Carl von Clausewitz (and reuse by Robert McNamara) to describe the uncertainties regarding data that applies to tactical, materiel and strategic situations in wartime.
In this situation in the game, you simply don't get a clear idea of exactly what units your opposition has, or what it's doing with those units. So, a bit like Poker, all players have access to a certain amount of knowledge, but the gamble is in the specifics. Do you send some soldiers out to a lone unit, only to find out it’s a tank? The token-shape icons that litter the map when you’re fully zoomed out, shows the obvious gambling influence here.
Leroux-Hughon expressed that he doesn’t really play RTS games because they rely too much on quick reflexes and sleight of hand. He, alongside Girard have produced
Ruse to not be a ‘click-fest’, and this is reflected in details as minor as the damage system, which works more like a first-person shooter. When a unit comes under fire, smoke appears as it becomes more worn down – moving it out of danger will allow it to recover its health and avoid a nasty mess.
So, an impressive new graphical engine, three layers of zoom, an emphasis on deception, and a philosophy from the Poker enthusiast sounds like a recipe for an RTS for the more cerebral. Time will tell if the gamble turns out to be worth it, or whether it will be lost in a sea of countless strategy games. But from what I've seen so far, I hope that’s not the case.
Ruse arrives on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 later in 2009.
