Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts (abbreviated CoH:OF) is the stand alone expansion pack to Company of Heroes, a RTS game for computers running the Windows operating system. It was announced on April 5, 2007. Opposing Fronts was developed by Canadian-based RTS developer Relic Entertainment, and published by THQ. The game was released on September 25, 2007 in the US and September 28 in Europe.
Gameplay
Dynamic Environmental Effects System
Opposing Fronts implements a Dynamic Weather Effects system consisting of real time weather effects and day-to-night time transitions. In addition to these enhancements, particular birds sing at various times of the day and during specific weather patterns. Although Relic had initially indicated otherwise, the Dynamic Weather Effects system has no tactical impact on the battlefield.
New Single-Player Campaigns
Opposing Fronts introduces two new single player campaigns. The campaigns feature gameplay from the British perspective and the German perspective. The British campaign is based on the Liberation of Caen. It features nine missions focusing on the attack by British and Canadian forces from Sword, Gold, and Juno Beaches to the city of Caen. The German panzer Elite's campaign is based on driving back Allied forces during Operation Market Garden. It features eight playable missions following a Panzer Elite Kampfgruppe in occupied Netherlands that is bracing itself for one of the largest airborne invasions in history.
Compatibility
Company of Heroes players are able to play against Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts users. Those who own both games can either play as the Americans or the British against the Wehrmacht or the Panzer Elite. Those who own only Opposing Fronts can play only as the British and Panzer Elite armies.
D-Day +1
The campaign starts off with the 3rd Battalion (aka Boudica's Boys), as they advance along a road towards the town of Authie. They are ambushed by the German II SS Panzer Korps forcing the battalion commanders, Major Blackmore and Captain Cutting, to pull the battalion back. After taking out the attacking force, the battalion bombards the town, taking it after dealing with the remaining German forces.
Operation Epsom
In Operation Epsom, British forces remobilize to take Caen, after the failed D-Day attack. The 3rd Battalion and the Royal Scottish Engineers Regiment are tasked with taking the bridges over the Odon and taking Hill 112. Under the cover of a creeping barrage, they take the hill, and the Royal Scots stay behind to fortify.
Operation Windsor
In Operation Windsor, the airfield at Carpiquet was the next objective of 3rd Battalion. Under the cover of night, a Royal Commandos regiment lands outside the airfield while Royal Canadian Rifles assault with light tanks and infantry, as it is bombarded by the Royal Scots Engineers. The commandos destroy German H.Q.s in the area, and move to secure the German defenses surrounding the airfield. However, it is discovered that the airfield is still operational.
The next morning, the Germans launch an attack on the Canadians, but fail. The Canadians push to the airfield, and secure it after clearing the hangars. As Cutting radios the Royal Scots, he and Major Blackmore find that Hill 112 is under attack.
Operation Jupiter
In Operation Jupiter, German forces attempt to take Hill 112 from the Royal Scots. At night, they attack with heavy Panzers and Stormtroopers, trying to overwhelm the Regiment. With armour support from 3rd Battalion, the Scots retain control of the hill.
Operation Charnwood
In Operation Charnwood, 3rd Battalion, along with C company, enter the city of Caen after it had been carpet bombed the night before. Instead of destroying the German forces, it causes them to dig in deeper. Boudica's Boys push inwards and secure part of Caen, believing that the Germans have retreated.
However, a recon force shows that the Germans have left behind a rear guard, and have placed mines, snipers and machine guns everywhere. The Battalion, along with the Royal Scots, move in and seize Caen, mopping up all remaining defenders.
That night, the Battalion digs in, and defends against an aggressive German counter-attack by heavy Panzers and elite infantry.
As in the previous mission, if a certain squad dies a soldier yells that Corporal Degnan is dead. Degnan is an unseen character that various lieutenants mention throughout the campaign (esp. in Mission 2).
Operation Goodwood
In Operation Goodwood, with Caen in Allied hands, 3rd Battalion mobilizes south of Caen. It arrives at Bourgebus with B Company, and after destroying Flak 88s looking over their line of advance, destroys the remnants of the I SS Panzer Korps. 3rd Battalion, having done the British Army a great favour, are allowed to rest as 2nd Battalion continues the advance.
The campaign ends with the caption that after the war, Major Blackmore retired, dying in 1983.
Panzer Elite Campaign: Operation Market Garden
Wolfheze
The campaign begins with Kampfgruppe Lehr training in Wolfheze, only to be interrupted as Allied paratroopers descend from the skies. The kampfgruppe use whatever men and forces they have to repel the invasion. After the attack, the kampfgruppe commanders Major General Voss, and Berger brothers Aldrich and Wolfgang, find plans for the entire operation in a British glider.
Oosterbeek
As part of the 'Market' phase, the British 1st Airborne Division attempts to capture bridges across the Rhine in Oosterbeek and Arnhem. Kampfgruppe Lehr is tasked with intercepting the British paratroopers before they reach Arnhem by destroying the bridge at Oosterbeek and defending against an Allied attack.
Hell's Highway
Critical to Operation Market Garden, the British XXX Corps advance along Highway 69, known as 'Hell's Highway', to relieve the paratroopers. Kampfgruppe Lehr is mobilized near Valkenswaard and their objective is to occupy the town and delay XXX Corps.
Cleaning up
After successfully thwarting the British 30th Corps at Valkenswaard and at Best, Kampfgruppe Lehr needs to remove all enemy forces inside the Netherlands. First, they move to secure Arnhem and recapture the bridge, the last bridge that the Allies need in order to start pouring into Germany.
Having routed the 6th Airborne in Arnhem, the kampfgruppe recaptures Valkenswaard from the British 30th Corps, and finally remove the last paratroopers from Oosterbeek in the campaign's final mission. Of the two brothers, Aldrich dies in the battle, determined by how the mission is played. Aldrich is placed with a random infantry squad or vehicle and if that unit dies, a soldier will tell the player that Aldrich has been killed, or revealed dead in the ending cutscene with his older brother acquiring his belief that the war is over and his doubts about what's he's really fighting for.
The epilogue reveals that Wolfgang survived the war and lived on in the repaired Berger family estate until his death in 1989 and is buried in the family graveyard. Extra Content revealed in the guidebook stated that that he had a couple of sons, one named Aldrich for his fallen brother.
Interplayability
Opposing Fronts is not a classic expansion in that it does not require the original game. By itself, it allows partial access to the original game's assets in multiplayer mode. This allows players of the original game to play with those who have Opposing Fronts, even if only one of the players owns the expansion. In the same way, players who own both games can play as and against any faction. However, Opposing Fronts players also have the option to play with only those who own the expansion. This stand-alone setup is similar to Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, another Relic title, and its subsequent expansions.
Opposing Fronts requires customers to create an online account for multiplayer. In an effort by Relic to counter piracy, the game requests account authentication if Internet access is detected. Otherwise, a standard DVD check is used.
References
External links
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