Prior to World War One, many soldier uniforms were brightly colored or contained easily identifiable markings, but trench warfare proved a need to blend in with one's surroundings. However, this came with a sacrifice in recognizing allies from afar, as many uniform colors can look similar in the fog of war. Beyond the Wire is adding something to help distinguish ally soldiers in its upcoming Canada's 100 Days DLC: modular customization with an appropriate twist.
In the PC-exclusive Beyond the Wire, players are put into the shoes of one of the soldiers on the battlefields of World War One. Whether Ally or Central powers, they wore darker cloth so artillery and recon wouldn't be able to spot them as easily from afar. Currently, all soldiers in the same role in Beyond the Wire will look exactly the same, although the various role uniforms do noticeably differ. Game Rant talked with Redstone Interactive's CEO Bruno De Araujo and its Lead Game Designer, who prefers to go by Baron. They discussed the new customization system coming to Beyond the Wire.
Beyond the Wire's Customization Options
Seeing as Beyond the Wire's King and Country update only released last month, many of the details in the Canada's 100 Days DLC are still being worked out. However, the developers have a good idea of what kind of customization options that they'd like to include. Baron discusses how it will be a modular character customization system that relies on dividing the uniform into smaller parts. He also goes on to say Redstone is looking at how far Beyond the Wire's systems will allow for them to take customization.
"Essentially, it’ll be a modular character customization. So headwear, equipment, uniform. We’re gonna break that down into as many different modular components as we can."
While Baron didn't let on about any specifics, he did say all pieces would be historically accurate as possible to their time periods and factions. This means players won't be able to find any hot pink camo or other abstract design choices for their characters. It's more likely the different customization options will be subtle but noticeable changes that make each player's uniform uniquely identifiable.
Keeping the Customization Period Appropriate
It's apparent that keeping Beyond the Wire as close to historically accurate as it can be is important to Redstone Interactive. Baron discusses a kind of preset system that will limit what customization options will be available on each map. For instance, the Pickelhaube helmet was discontinued by 1916, so it wouldn't make sense to see that on a German soldier on the front lines in 1918. Each role will have its own customization and at least two forms of uniform for early and late-war battles.
"So basically, you’d have your 1914 or your early-war version customization uniform for a particular role, and then you’d have your 1916, 1918, late-war version; whatever that ends up looking like."
Beyond the Wire is an meant to be an immersive World War One shooter that puts players in the trenches. With the addition of content and upcoming DLC, it only stands to improve in the near future. One of these improvements will come in the form of character customization. While the system sounds a little complicated at conception, it should go a long way to pleasing those who value the game for its dedication to World War One authenticity.
Beyond the Wire is available now on PC.