D.O.R.F. may be a long way off release but its latest chunk of in-game footage is pretty promising.
D.O.R.F., or D.O.R.F. Real-Time Strategy Conflict, is the work of two developers, Henske & Tovl and it’s got definitely got big Command & Conquer energy. This PC RTS takes its cues from Westwood Studios’ original, and aims to “emulate the feel of classic 90’s and early-2000’s 2D RTS games.”
From what we’ve seen it nails the subdued colour palette of Command & Conquer, complete with 2D sprites. And, as you might expect, there’s base-building and resource-gathering aplenty.
However, as cool as those features are, that’s not all that’s got our attention. What’s encouraging about D.O.R.F. is the little tweaks the developers have made. In other words, they’re keeping the 90s and early 2000s aesthetic but bringing the mechanics up to date.
Here's a video demonstrating the pathing behavior of vehicle units in D.O.R.F, showing how they react to rough terrain, follow roads and will have reduced speed if heavily damaged.#screenshotsunday #gamedev #indiegame #IndieGameDev pic.twitter.com/e7TLu8fT0y
— D.O.R.F. Real-Time Strategic Conflict (@DorfRTS) January 1, 2023
Take, for example, their recent video about pathing and vehicle movement. Damaged vehicles move more slowly, which should definitely give you pause for thought. But terrain is also a factor as is the method of locomotion each vehicle uses. For example, vehicles with tracks can handle certain types of terrain better than others.
This, in turn, could have a knock-on effect on your tactics, more so than just basic vehicle speed. Send a wave of vehicles towards your opponent and, if you don’t consider the ground you’re going to cross, half of them could end up dragging behind. It’s a cool feature that could, potentially, add even more depth to the game.
So when is D.O.R.F. coming out? There’s no release date as yet since, as exciting as the project is, it’s still very much in development. It’s partly funded through Patreon and we’ve got our fingers crossed that this sees the light of day before The Elder Scrolls VI comes out.
You can contribute to the project’s Patreon here, and also follow its development on Twitter.
