R.U.S.E is a new real-time strategy game set in World War II, developed by Eugen Systems and published by Ubisoft. RUSE takes a unique view on how you view your units. Instead of just having a birds eye view, when zoomed out the battlefield resembles a map table with units displayed like poker chips in stacks. However, as you zoom in the units break apart until you can see the individual units. The scale and performance of the game engine is amazing. There is no lag while zooming in and out and the transitions between single units and large stacks of chips are smooth. The battlefields are very large, and it can seem that the pace of the game is slow when zoomed out, but zoomed in you can see the units are moving quickly – they just have a lot of ground to cover.

RUSE gets it’s name from from the Ruse cards that you can play. The Ruses modify a sector of the map to make your units move faster, camoflague you building, or make the enemy flee when they take damage. You receive a new Ruse card about every 2 minutes and Ruses can be stacked. You can only have 2 active ruses in each sector though. The ruses are:

• Blitz: Causes friendly units to move 50% faster.
• Fanaticism: Causes friendly units to not get routed, they will kill everything or die trying.
• Terror: Causes enemy units to flee faster. This Ruse can be countered by a Fanaticism ruse.
• Decoy Buildings: Will construct a decoy building somewhere in the sector.
• Decoy Units: Decoy units are created and sent to the sector marked. Can choose from any units, only tanks, or only planes.
• Spy Plan: Reveals all enemy units. Some units cannot attack unless a unit is revealed. Can be countered with Radio Silence.
• Decryption: Reveals enemy orders, either for units in sector or units ordered into sector.
• Radio Silence: Hides all friendly units. An enemy scout will still be able to identify units, so be sure to kill any recon units.
• Camouflage Net: Hides all friendly buildings. Units will not be able to attack them without recon.
• Reverse Intel: Light units will be shown as heavy and heavy units as light as long as they have not been scouted.

The Buildings

There are 6 unit-producing buildings in the game, along with 3 economy buildings and several different “bunker” units. At the start of the game you have your HQ building and need to build Supply Depots to bring in money. Depots cost $40 each and can only be built on existing supply dumps throughout the map. Another way to boost your economy are the $100 Administrative Buildings. These will provide you with $1 every 4 seconds, but are very easy to destroy. You can also build a Secondary HQ building. These do not make money on their own, but can speed up the deployment of supply depots and other buildings.

You can also create “bunker” units from your HQ building. These are static defenses against infantry, armor, or air. Each faction has different bunkers, ranging from the USA’s simple Machine Gun Position useul only againt a few infantry, to Germany’s Siegfried Blockhaus with a good anti-tank gun and flamethrower, to the USSR’s Heavy Artillery Position with two long range artillery guns.

Barracks

Barracks are where your infantry units are created. Depending on what nation you are, you can also build recon or ultra-light tanks. Barracks costs range from $10 for the USSR, to $30 for Germany and the UK. You can also upgrade your light infantry to heavy infantry except for France, whose heavy infantry are available immediately, but for $10 instead of $5.

Artillery & Anti-Air

Artillery and AA buildings range between $20 for the USSR to $45 for Germany and Italy. This building allows you build both towed and mobile Artillery and AA units, as well as assault gun units that can attack buildings and are great for attacking tank destroyers.

Armor

Armor bases cost from $20 for Italy to $30 for most other nations. Armor bases can deploy tanks as well as armored recon units. Armor units range from light tanks that work well against infantry to advanced or super heavy tanks that can take on almost anything.

Anti-Tank

AT bases are between $30 for UK and France to $45 for Germany. Most nations have 2 versions of towed AT and 2 mobile tank destroyer units. Towed units are great for hiding in woods and city squares to ambush units while tank destroyers work well as part of a combined arms approach with tanks and mobile AA units.

Airfield

Airfields build, research and house your Air Recon, Fighters, Fighter-Bombers, and Bombers, as well as your Airborne troops. Airfields range from $40 for the UK to $65 for France. The UK also has Paratroopers available without any research, which will cost other faction $25. Each airfield can house 8 planes. Air Recon units have little to no weapons but can identify enemy units. Fighters can only attack light troops and other planes. Fighter-Bombers can attack any unit, but need recon with them as they cannot attack units that have not been identified. Bombers can attack infantry and buildings, but will do almost no damage to armored units.

Prototype

Prototype Bases are where you will build the most technologically advanced units. These bases are very expensive – $100 for Germany to $140 for the USSR. The units available are generlly very powerful, including jumbo tanks and very long range artillery.

The Factions

There are six different factions in the game – United States, United Kingdom, France, USSR, Italy, and Germany. Each faction has their own strengths and weakness and tactics that work well with one nation can be a disaster with another.

United States

The USA is a very balanced faction, one that can hold it’s own in many different areas. They feature a high production speed, allowing them to build solid combined arms stacks. The USA HQ can build MG nests, AT bunkers, and an AA bunker.

United Kingdom

The UK is a very strong Air faction, with very good planes as well as paratroopers available without any extra research. The trade off is the weak tank units that are available.

France

France has very good defensive and support capabilties, and minimal research. France is well rounded except for their below average air units. The French have a very good Prototype armored recon, as well as cheap heavy tanks right away.

USSR

The USSR is a very good offensive faction, their defensive units are not the greatest but can pump out infantry and tanks. They have a cheap barracks and produce infantry almost instantly.

Italy

Italy has very fast and cheap units, but they are also weak. If you like to rush, they are the faction to do it with. As the game progresses though Italy does not stack up to other nations.

Germany

Germany has some of the best units in the game, but it comes at a price, both in terms of cost and research. Late game when Germany has a booming economy they can control the battlefield with their superior units. Germany also feature the onlu jet aircraft in the game, giving them a huge speed bonus, especially when combined with a Blitz Ruse.

Rating

Overall: This is already one of my favorite RTS games. It is extremely well polished having gone through a lengthy beta process and the dev team made a lot of changes from feedback. The game runs very well, and the graphics look good from being zoomed all the way in on a single unit to zoomed out and seeing the entire map. I did take a half star off for some minor things:
The single player campaign wasn’t that great, but I don’t know anyone who buys an RTS for the SP. It is basically a long tutorial for the MP aspect.
I wish there was a setting for starting money. I like to sit back and defend while slowly pushing out and gaining territory while building up my economy to build several large armies. With the money like it is now it takes too long to build up. It is fine for regular MP, 1v1, etc, I would just have liked an option even just for battles/private games.

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