By:
Zombie

When Zombie Studios released SpecOps: Rangers Lead the Way back in March, they had managed to pioneer headlong into a brand new genre. To the anticipation and delight of gamers, the 3D corps leader genre was born and paved the way for existing and upcoming titles like Redstorm's Rainbow Six (see screenshots here), NovaLogic's Delta Force and Yosemite Entertainment's Navy Seals. Games under this genre resemble the classic first person shooter, however add a much more realistic air by, among other things, slowing down the tempo of the game and including real world objectives. SpecOps did just that. Through the help of former Green Beret Ron Haskins, Zombie Studios developed a US Army Ranger simulation that attempted to capture the feel of what it's truly like to be at war. SpecOps featured existing standard issue weaponry, missions based on modern day political hotspots and a supposedly sound AI system. Couple these features with a decent graphics engine and the end result should be a great game, right? Almost. While SpecOps did indeed have a very strong following, the game lacked one key aspect: multiplayer capabilities. Enter SpecOps: Ranger Team Bravo.

As stated earlier, the key addition of Ranger Team Bravo is the incorporation of multiplayer capabilities. Players now have a myriad of options to choose from and aren't just limited to single player action. To secure solid internet playability, Zombie Studios licensed the RTIME Interactive Networking Engine which uses two proprietary data transfer technologies designed specifically to enhance the gaming experience. These technologies, Intelligent Filtering and Dynamic Motion Modeling, use speed and acceleration to predict the location and path of any given object within a 3D environment. This process makes for less jerkiness during net play and is scalable to allow for thousands of simultaneous players.