Frontlines: Fuel of War
A 2008 shooter with a frontline mechanic and drone warfare.
Frontlines: Fuel of War is a first-person shooter from Kaos Studios that hit Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in February 2008. A PlayStation 3 version was in the works, but THQ scrapped it in January 2008, likely due to development issues with that console. The game earned generally favorable reviews.
Its core mechanic is the frontline, which keeps combat concentrated by clustering objectives close together. Pushing the frontline forward or backward can grant or strip away weapons and equipment. This system appears in every game mode, forcing players to decide which objectives to attack or defend, adding a strategic layer. The UCAV drone provides real-time battlefield intel, spotting enemies through walls and displaying them on the HUD and map. Some drones can be used as kamikaze bombs by driving them into enemy troops. Other drones include an Assault Drone (a small tracked vehicle with a Gatling gun), a Mortar Drone (with four mortars), an RC drone that can be packed with C4 for destroying armored targets, and a UAV variant armed with anti-infantry rockets. Kaos said the final game would include over 60 vehicles and weapons. Airstrikes are also key, allowing players to wipe out distant foes. Developer Joe Halper mentioned that the console version would support 32-player multiplayer, but near release that cap was raised to 50. The PC version supports 64 players online. Cross-platform play was not supported, but the developers considered eventually making the franchise a Live Anywhere title.
The game shipped with eight multiplayer maps, ranging from a small city block to a solar array over 4 square miles. Kaos planned extra maps as downloadable content. The first, "Boneyard," was a free download on Xbox Live Marketplace, adding an automatic shotgun, a Carrier Helicopter for the Red Star Alliance, and a "Rocket Jeep." It was the first of five maps; the others were "Sunder," "Wide Awake," "Hind Sight," and "Infiltration." These four were released on Xbox Live on September 19 and later as a free PC patch.
The game uses dedicated servers similar to *Battlefield 2: Modern Combat*, plus client-side hosting common on Xbox 360. This supported the then-unprecedented 50-player limit on console. Dedicated servers were shut down on August 31, 2011, though client-side hosting remains, limited to 16 players.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Frontlines: Fuel of War
- Developer
- Kaos Studios / N-Fusion Interactive
- Publisher
- THQ
- Composer
- Matthew Harwood
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 3
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows · Xbox 360
- Released
- NA · February 25, 2008EU · February 29, 2008AUS · March 6, 2008
- Genre
- First-person shooter
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game's story is set in a future global energy crisis known as 'The Long Emergency,' beginning in 2005 with peak oil, followed by an avian influenza outbreak in 2009, a global recession in 2012, and climate change. A three-way nuclear war between Israel, Iran, and Saudi Arabia in 2014 renders the Middle East largely uninhabitable. Two new superpowers emerge: the Red Star Alliance (an evolution of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) in 2015, and the Western Coalition (an evolution of an expanded EU and NATO, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India) in 2016. In 2024, Red Star forces launch a surprise attack on the Western Coalition, and the player controls members of a Western Coalition strike force called the 'Stray Dogs.' The single-player campaign limits players to the Western Coalition, while multiplayer lets players choose either the Western Coalition or Red Star Alliance. The game ends after the mission 'History Repeats,' with the Russian military collapsed and a satellite uplink destroyed, leaving the story open for a sequel.
Reader's Guide
Frontlines: Fuel of War is notable for its central 'frontline' mechanic, which focuses objectives close together and offers bonuses as the line moves back and forth, adding a strategic layer to all game types. The game features a variety of drones, including the UCAV Drone for reconnaissance and kamikaze attacks, as well as Assault, Mortar, RC, and rocket-equipped UAV drones. Airstrikes are also a key gameplay element. The game shipped with eight multiplayer maps, with additional maps released as downloadable content, including 'Boneyard,' 'Sunder,' 'Wide Awake,' 'Hind Sight,' and 'Infiltration.' The Xbox 360 version supported up to 50 players via dedicated servers, which were shut down on August 31, 2011; after that, client-side hosting supports only 16 players. The PC version supports 64 players. The game did not support cross-platform play, but developers considered moving the franchise toward Live Anywhere. A Collector's Edition was released in the UK, Australia, Denmark, and New Zealand, with different contents per region. An alternate reality game was launched to promote the game, challenging visitors to find passwords online for a prize including fighter pilot training.
Did You Know?
- The PlayStation 3 version was canceled in January 2008, seemingly due to development problems with the console.
- The game's dedicated servers were shut down on August 31, 2011, after which client-side hosting supports only 16 players.
- A downloadable game mode called 'Conquer' allows all spawn points to be captured by both teams, similar to Battlefield 2: Modern Combat.
- The Collector's Edition for PC in Denmark was sold as a 'Special Edition' and included a Stray Dogs T-shirt, art book, soundtrack CD, and poster.
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