Return to Castle Wolfenstein

Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Developer(s)	Gray Matter Interactive id Software Nerve Software (Multiplayer) & (Xbox) Raster Productions (Playstation 2)
Publisher(s)	Activision (PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox) Aspyr Media, Inc. (Mac OS X) Activision/Valve Corporation (Steam)
Series	Wolfenstein
Engine	id Tech 3
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, PlayStation 2, Xbox
Release	March 16, 2002 April, 2002 May 6, 2003 May 27, 2003 2007 (Steam)
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, Multiplayer

Return to Castle Wolfenstein is a first person shooter video game published by Activision and originally released on November 19, 2001 for Windows. The single player game was developed by Gray Matter Interactive and Nerve Software developed its multiplayer mode. Id Software, the creators of the original game entitled Wolfenstein 3D, oversaw the development of the game and were credited as executive producers. The multiplayer side, developed by Nerve Software eventually became the most popular part of the game, and it was the grandfather of many features that online multiplayer FPSs have today. Splash Damage, an independently-owned game developer in London, created some of the maps for the Game of the Year edition. A sequel, titled Wolfenstein, was released on August 18, 2009.

Overview

Return to Castle Wolfenstein (RTCW) is a reboot to the early, seminal first-person shooter Wolfenstein 3D, incorporating many advances in graphics technology and gameplay design since the original game.

File:Loper concept art.jpg

Concept art of a Loper. The strongest are encountered in X-Labs.

It features a story-based single player campaign (taking up certain themes from the original game), as well as a team-based networked multiplayer version which features different character classes that must work together in order to win. There are four classes — lieutenant, medic, engineer, and soldier — the soldier can be one of several subclasses depending upon the special/heavy weapon that he selects. Some unique weapons not found in other World War II-themed first-person shooters include the airstrike beacon, Venom, and Flame Thrower. The multiplayer demo included a beachhead assault map similar to Omaha Beach.

Unlike in the original Wolfenstein 3D, only a handful of the single player missions in Return to Castle Wolfenstein take place in the infamous castle/prison. The single player game takes place in Nazi-occupied Europe during 1943 and revolves around U.S. Army Ranger William "B.J." Blazkowicz, who, along with another agent (Agent One — referred to in passing in the PC versions, and seen in the Xbox, PS2, and Mac OS X versions), is sent to investigate rumors surrounding one of Heinrich Himmler's personal projects, the SS Paranormal Division. The agents are, however, captured before completing their mission and are imprisoned in Castle Wolfenstein. Taking the role of Blazkowicz, the player must escape the castle and continue investigating the activities of the SS Paranormal Division, which include research on resurrecting corpses, biotechnology, and secret weapons. During the game the player will face numerous foes, including Waffen SS soldiers, elite Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers), legions of undead creatures, and horrific Übersoldaten (supersoldiers) formed from a hideous blend of surgery and chemical engineering conducted by Wilhelm "Deathshead" Strasse. The end boss is an undead Saxon warrior-prince named Heinrich I.

To make the game eligible for sale in Germany, the developers removed the Nazi swastika in Return to Castle Wolfenstein. In its stead, the German forces' use a Wolfenstein logo which is a combination of a stylized double-headed eagle prominent in most Nazi symbolism, and a "W" (standing for Wolfenstein), it can be seen on the cover art for the American version (above). Every direct reference to the "Third Reich" was removed; thus, in that edition, the player is not battling Nazis, but a secret sect called the "Wolves" led by Heinrich Höller, whose name is a pun of the original character Himmler (Himmler roughly translates as "Heavener", Höller as "Heller").

Technical implementation

The game is powered by a heavily-modified version of the Quake III: Team Arena engine. The Return to Castle Wolfenstein engine was subsequently used as the foundation for Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory (Splash Damage/Activision), "Trinity" (Gray Matter Interactive/Activision) (shown at E3 in 2004, but canceled shortly after) and Call of Duty (Infinity Ward/Activision).

Story

In 943 AD a German Prince known as Heinrich dominated Western Europe with his army of undead people and Dark Knights created by black magic. There was no one who could stand in his way until a monk stopped Heinrich by sealing him in a deep underground tomb. In 1943 AD Heinrich Himmler's SS Paranormal Division locates the burial site of Heinrich.

• Prologue: Rash-El-Hadzid (console version only): This series of missions shows what B.J. and Agent One did prior to their capture. While fighting Erwin Rommel's forces in North Africa, B.J. suddenly finds himself assigned to a secret mission in the town of Rash El-Hadzid in Egypt. Accompanied by Agent One, he makes his way through the town and infiltrates a secret archaeological dig site where Helga Von Bulow and her SS Paranormal Division are attempting to acquire a pair of ancient magical tablets from a cursed tomb. After fighting his way through both Nazis and Undead, B.J. makes it through the tomb but ultimately fails to capture Helga. He and Agent One pursue her in a stolen Ju-52 transport, only to be shot down near Castle Wolfenstein, where they are captured.
• Mission 1: Ominous Rumors: While investigating the activities of the SS Paranormal Division in Germany, B.J. Blazkowicz and Agent One are captured by the Nazis. Agent One dies while being interrogated by a Nazi torturer, but B.J. manages to escape Castle Wolfenstein's dungeon. He then finds a way out of the castle, fighting through platoons of guards, and ultimately using a tram car to leave the area and meet up with a member of the German resistance in a nearby village.
• Mission 2: Dark Secret: The SS Paranormal Division under Oberführer Helga von Bulow has been excavating the catacombs and crypts of an ancient church within the village. Their sloppy precautions have led to the awakening of hordes of undead creatures, including Saxon knights, and the entrance had to be sealed off with many soldiers trapped inside. B.J. descends regardless and fights both Nazis and Undead until he arrives at the ancient "Defiled Church" where Nazi scientist Professor Zemph is conducting an experiment on the corpse of a Dark Knight. Shortly before B.J.'s arrival, Zemph tries to talk Helga von Bulow out of retrieving an ancient dagger, but she shoots him impatiently and proceeds. This awakens a monster which kills her too. Blazkowicz fights the monster and is airlifted out, with Zemph's notes.
• Mission 3: Weapons of Vengeance: One of Germany's leading scientific researchers and Head of the SS "Special Projects Division", Wilhelm Strasse, (known as "Deathshead"), has prepared to launch an attack on London using a V-2 rocket fitted with an experimental germ warhead from his base near Katamarunde in the Baltics. Blazkowicz is parachuted some distance from the missile base and smuggles himself into the base in a supply truck. Inside the base, Blazkowicz destroys the V-2 rocket on its launchpad and fights his way out of the facility towards an airbase filled with experimental jet aircraft. After fighting his way through the airbase, he commandeers a "Kobra" rocket-plane and flies to safety in Malta.
• Mission 4: Deadly Designs: Eager to know more about Deathshead and his secret projects, the OSA sends Blazkowicz to the bombed city of Kugelstadt (which, translated from German, literally means 'Bullet City'), where he is assisted by members of the German resistance in breaking into a ruined factory. There he discovers the blueprints for the Reich's latest weapon, an electrical machine-gun called "Venom Gun". Blazkowicz eventually breaks into Deathshead's underground research complex, the Secret Weapons Facility (SWF). There he encounters horrific creatures (pictured above), malformed and twisted through surgery and mechanical implants. The creatures have just escaped and gone on a rampage. Blazkowicz sees Deathshead escape the SWF by U-Boat, and learns of its destination by interrogating a captured German officer.
• Mission 5: Deathshead's Playground: Blazkowicz is parachuted into Norway, close to Deathshead's mysterious "X-Labs". After breaking in, he sees several of the twisted creatures (deemed "Lopers") he encountered in Kugelstadt released from their cages and immediately turn on the laboratory's staff. Fighting his way through the facility, Blazkowicz retrieves Deathshead's journal and confronts several prototype Übersoldaten, towering monstrosities coated in armor, powered by hydraulic legs, and carrying powerful fixed weapons. Finally, he confronts and destroys one of Deathshead's ultimate Übersoldaten and kills the researchers who have developed it. Deathshead himself escapes in a rocket-plane and does not appear in the game again.
• Mission 6: Return Engagement: After studying the documents captured by Blazkowicz, the OSA has become aware of a scheme codenamed "Operation: Resurrection", a plan to resurrect Heinrich I. Despite the skepticism of senior Allied commanders, the OSA parachutes Blazkowicz into the Harz mountains of Germany, close to Castle Wolfenstein itself. He arrives at the village of Paderborn and, after assassinating several senior officers of the SS Paranormal Division including Major Hochstedder, General Von Struasse, Colonel (Oberst) Strache, General Burkhalter and General Haupman, fights his way into Chateau Schufstaffel, where he encounters members of the Elite Guard including the main leader General Von Shurber. Blazkowicz then fights his way through the grounds of the chateau, facing opposition from members of the Elite Guard and two of Deathshead's Übersoldaten. Having destroyed the mechanical soldiers, Blazkowicz enters an excavation site near Castle Wolfenstein.
• Mission 7: Operation Resurrection: Inside the excavation site, Blazkowicz fights Nazi guards and prototype Übersoldaten, and makes his way to a boarded-up entrance to Castle Wolfenstein's crypts. There, he finds that the ruined part of the castle has become infested by undead creatures, which are attacking the castle's desperate garrison. After fighting his way through the castle, Blazkowicz arrives at the site of a dark ceremony to resurrect Heinrich I. At the ceremony, SS Psychic Marianna Blavatsky conjures up dark spirits, which transform three Übersoldaten into Dark Knights, Heinrich's lieutenants. She ultimately raises Heinrich I, who "thanks" her by turning her into his undead slave. In a climactic battle, Blazkowicz destroys the three Dark Knights and Heinrich I as SS chief Heinrich Himmler watches in horror from afar.

Major antagonists

Wilhelm Strasse

File:Oberst Wilhelm Strasse.png

Oberführer Wilhelm Strasse in X-Labs

Oberführer (Senior Colonel) Wilhelm Strasse or Deathshead is a gifted researcher who heads the SS Special Projects Division.

Strasse's brainchild is the Übersoldaten project, an attempt to produce the ultimate soldier using cybernetics and bioengineering. His first attempts were the Lopers but they became self-aware and killed any human they saw. Not discouraged, Deathshead created the Super Soldiers, towering cyborg soldiers that were heavily armed and armored. He posted the prototypes in certain areas of the X-Labs and at the dig site near Castle Wolfenstein. Deathshead's non-prototypes were made Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler's Death Knights by the SS sorceress Marianna Blavatsky.

Unlike the other SS antagonists, Deathshead does not believe in the occult and prefers to arm the Nazi war machine using advanced technology. Strasse also shows a grudging respect to B.J. Blazkowicz after he successfully defeats an Übersoldat: this is shown in a letter to Heinrich Himmler that warns him not to underestimate the agent. Himmler asks him to join the resurrection ceremony for Heinrich I but Strasse declines to attend due to his disbelief in the occult. After the protagonist destroys one of his Übersoldat warriors, he escapes in a rocket plane and goes into hiding, not to be seen again for the rest of the game.

Strasse earned his nickname from his skull-like visage, which has a scar running across it. (The nickname also may be a reference to the 3rd SS Division Totenkopf symbol used by Himmler.)

Deathshead also makes an appearance in the 2009 Wolfenstein game, but his last name, "Strasse", has been changed into "Strauss", and he has been promoted to Obergruppenführer (General (SS)). He is also the primary antagonist of this installment and manages to escape once again after the final battle against Hans Grosse.

Übersoldat

The Übersoldat is Wilhelm "Deathshead" Strasse's greatest creation. It is a brutish cyborg with technological and cybernetic enhancements. The most powerful version is encountered in the X-Labs facility, where Strasse's research takes place. This Übersoldat is equipped with a Tesla gun/Panzerfaust combination, making it exceptionally deadly. Two more Übersoldaten are encountered near Heinrich I's resurrection ceremony. One has a Venom and a Panzerfaust and the other, a Tesla and a Panzerfaust.

The Übersoldaten are heavily armored and can take a massive amount of damage, functioning as game bosses. Combined with their heavy armaments, this makes them very dangerous. Strasse even taunts Blazkowicz during his duel in the lab with an Übersoldat, commenting "Thus we will see the superiority of the machine over flesh and blood."

Helga Von Bulow

Standartenführer (Colonel (SS)) Helga Von Bulow is a high ranking officer within the SS Paranormal Division and also founder of the order of the Elite Guards, the SS Paranormal Division's all-female security force. She is Marianna Blavatsky's pupil and is a firm believer in the occult. Although a capable leader, Helga tries too hard and makes rash decisions that jeopardize the safety of her troops. While the Elite Guards are loyal to her, the male soldiers under her command are skeptical of her choices. Helga and her colleague, Professor Zemph, locate the Dagger of Warding in a mausoleum next to the Wulfburg Church. Helga eagerly desires it while Zemph warns her that taking it will unleash a dangerous evil on the world. Her mind made up, Helga shoots Zemph, takes the dagger, and is immediately dismembered by the fearsome Olaric, which then B.J. Blazkowicz has to fight.

Marianna Blavatsky

SS High Priestess Oberführer Marianna Blavatsky is in charge of Operation Resurrection. She tutored Oberst Von Bulow in the ways of the occult. Little is mentioned of her until the OSA learns of the ceremony.

She is first seen in the game conducting a ceremony near a chateau involving two Super Soldiers. At the finale, she transforms three Super Soldiers into Death Knights and uses them to revive Heinrich I. Blavatsky pledged her loyalty and servitude to Heinrich only for him to reward her by transforming her into a zombie slave. Blavatsky and the Death Knights end up being destroyed by Blazkowicz as he arrives to face Heinrich.

Olaric

Olaric, the boss for the first set of missions, is the founder of the Dark Forge and involved in Thulian lore. Standartenführer Von Bulow finds Olaric's tomb and, despite Prof. Zemph's warnings about breaking the inner seal, she accidentally brings him back to life by taking his dagger. Olaric kills her shortly before Blazkowicz arrives on the scene.

Heinrich I

Heinrich I was an evil warlord - allegedly Heinrich I of Germany - who launched a campaign of conquest in Medieval Europe. He had studied the black arts and used them to his advantage by raising the dead. In the intro movie, a wizard confronts Heinrich and magically seals the tyrant in limbo. The player's final task in the game is to stop the sorceress Blavatsky from reviving him, but this cannot be achieved. Instead, Heinrich must be defeated in the final boss battle.

Heinrich Himmler

The only non-fictional character of this game, Himmler was claimed by various sources within the game's story to have been interested in the occult. In the game, he appears in a short cameo in the last cutscene, watching B.J. defeat and kill Heinrich I from a good distance. He expresses bitterness at the Agent's victory, saying: "This American...he has ruined everything!" then walks away to give a report to Adolf Hitler.

Multiplayer

Wolf MP is an objective game mode, in which both the Axis and Allies have a series of objectives to complete to win the round, with one team's objectives normally preventing the other team from completing their objectives. There are primary and secondary objectives. Primary objectives have to be achieved to win the round, where secondary objectives don't necessarily need to be achieved, but can aid in certain ways in completing primary objectives. Primary objectives include blowing something up, or escaping with the documents, and secondary objectives include capturing flag/spawn points.

As far as the classes are concerned, medics can leave medic packs to heal comrades, but can run out of ammunition quickly. Lieutenants can provide packs of ammo, as well as calling for air strikes, but need a medic to stay alive. Engineers are able to blow up walls using dynamite.

Wolf MP

Stock or "Vanilla" Wolf calls for one round of offense and defense per team, per map. Each team gets a certain amount of time to complete the map's objectives. A few maps are dual-objective, and instead of time being the variable, whoever completed the given task first, wins.

Wolf SW

Wolf SW (Stopwatch) was the main competitive game type for RtCW, each team would attack twice and defend twice on a map — where team A would attack and set a time or not set a time, known as a "Full Hold", then team B would attack and have to beat that time to score a point. If they did not beat the time then team A were awarded the point, the only other outcome was if neither team set a time, known as a "Double Full Hold", neither team scored a point. Games were played over two maps and each map would be played ABBA, so each team got to go first at setting a time on each map.

Wolf CP

Wolf CP is a checkpoint mode, the objective is to take control of the flags that are in various locations around the map, the first team to control all these flags simultaneously will win the round.

Versions and modifications

There are many different versions of "Wolf". The original release, version 1.0, came in a game box featuring a book-like flap. The Game of the Year Edition (2002 - v.1.3) came with the original Wolfenstein 3D, game demos, and several new multiplayer maps (including "Ice", "Tram", "Keep" and "Trenchtoast"). The Collector's Edition (2003 - v.1.33) came in a metal case and was packaged with promotional materials, including a poster and fabric patch. The Platinum Edition (2004 - v.1.41) included Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, a stand-alone expansion, and Wolfenstein 3D.

Throughout the evolution of the multiplayer game, various modifications and custom scripts were written for it, allowing for true, console in-game changes. "Degeneration", "shrubmod" and "banimod" were popular modifications, and custom maps were still being released 5 years after its inception. Initially, the multiplayer was criticized for heavy defensive weaponry, and one-sided maps. However, it was quickly determined by clans that the proper usage of the various classes of character dictated victory. Medics could revive a fallen comrade (before he was "gibbed", or made un-revivable), and engineers could set dynamite to blow up objectives. Still, the game was essentially a submachine gun war, with 90% of the players possessing either an MP-40 or a Thompson; almost equal in ability.

The most competitive mod for RtCW though was OSP which was used in all the major LAN (Local Area Network) events around the world. From Quakecon to the more recent and most likely the last RtCW LAN, CPC2, all used OSP as the competition's mod, mainly due to the control given to teams and admins during the games play — it also removed less competitive variants that other mods included like the poison needle, damaging someone when landing on them and custom modifications that were normally found on most servers with a different mod. OSP is considered a more realistic and at the same time simple mod that lets players get straight into the game and improve their aim and tactical approach which in turn leads to higher competition between teams.

Ports

The game was released for the Linux and Macintosh platforms in 2002. In 2003, the game was ported to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox video game consoles and subtitled as Operation Resurrection and Tides of War, respectively. Both console versions include a series of prequel single player missions where the main character, BJ Blazkowicz and his partner Agent One operate in Nazi-occupied Egypt / North Africa. The PS2 version has a New Bonus Feature where you can purchase items by finding secrets at the end of each level. In the Xbox version a Secret Bonus is awarded after every level when all the secret areas for that level have been found. It also has a New Shotgun weapon found in Single player as well as the Soldier and Engineer for Multiplayer games. New Special equipment — Holy Cross, EMP Device, and X-Shield. New Enemies - Occult Priest and X-Shepard. And the original Wolf 3D. The two player co-op mode is exclusive to Xbox and allows the second player to play as Agent One. The Xbox version has the addition of online play via Xbox Live and link play. It also has downloadable content. Xbox has also released a Platinum Hits edition of the game. The Playstation 2 version lacks any online play whatsoever.

Sequels

Enemy Territory spinoff

Main article: Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory

A multiplayer-only spinoff of the series, Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, was originally planned as a full-fledged expansion pack for Return to Castle Wolfenstein developed by Splash Damage. The single player component of the game was never completed and thus was removed entirely. The developers at that point decided the multiplayer part would be released as a free, downloadable standalone game. Enemy Territory is a team-based networked multiplayer game which involves completing objectives through team-work and by using different character classes.

Wolfenstein

Main article: Wolfenstein (2009 video game)

A sequel called Wolfenstein was developed by Raven Software and id Software and published by Activision, and released on August 18, 2009.

Film

A Return to Castle Wolfenstein film was announced in 2002 with Rob Cohen of xXx attached to direct. Little information has been available since, however, with the exception of a July 20, 2005 IGN interview. The interview discussed the Return to Castle Wolfenstein film with id employees. In the interview, Todd Hollenshead indicated that the movie was in the works, though still in the early stages.

On August 3, 2007, GameSpot reported that Variety confirmed Return to Castle Wolfenstein and that the writer/producer team that was involved with Silent Hill will be involved with the Wolfenstein project. The movie will be written and directed by Roger Avary and Samuel Hadida is the producer.

Roger Avary was arrested in January 2008 for DUI and manslaughter after a friend of his died in a car accident while Avary was at the wheel. No news has yet emerged about Avary's involvement with this project.

Controversy

In March 2008, the United States Department of State published a report to Congress, "Contemporary Global Anti-Semitism", that described Return to Castle Wolfenstein as an "anti-Semitic video game" with no qualifications. The report picked up on an article originally written in 2002 by Jonathan Kay of the New York Times regarding the recent introduction of "Nazi protagonists" in the online gaming market (referring specifically to Day of Defeat and Wolfenstein). The article was published just 19 days before Medal of Honor: Allied Assault was released which shares many similar features, and the Nazi protagonists in multiplayer.

Todd Hollenshead, chief executive of id Software at the time of the original article stated "The trend you're seeing with new games is, to some extent, a reflection of what's going in the culture ... For instance, you've now got games with terrorists and counterterrorists. And World War II games such as Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Day of Defeat reflect what you see in popular movies."

"I don't doubt there are going to be people that go out and distort what the multiplayer gaming experience is and say, 'Oh, I can't believe you guys did this.' There are a lot of critics of the game industry, and they look for things to criticize."

Awards

• 2002 Game Developers Choice Awards — Nomination
  • "Excellence in Programming" category. 'Sherman Archibald, John Carmack, and Ryan Feltrin for graphics in "Return to Castle Wolfenstein"'

See also

• Nazi mysticism
• Wolf3D

References

• Interview with Todd Hollenshead from GameSpy
• "id's Next, On RTCW2" from Shacknews

External links

• Game Informer August Issue with Wolfenstein
• ePrison.de RTCW2 Screenshots and information
• Official Activision website
• Official id Software website
• Planet Wolfenstein
• RTCW at IMDb
• Wolfstuff - Wolfenstein series Community and Resource Site
• RTCW2-Prison.net - All about Wolfenstein
• Unofficial Wolfenstein Community Forum
• Return to Castle Wolfenstein at MobyGames
• Operation Resurrection at MobyGames
• Tides of War at MobyGames
• Pappa's Tram Server
• Excerpts from the music score for Return to Castle Wolfenstein on composer Bill Brown's website
• Wolfenstein Blog - Community News

العودة إلى قلعة وولفشتاين من أجمل الألعاب و أقلها استهلاكاً لموارد الجهاز وهي مقياس حقيقي لكل الألعاب التي أتت من بعدها من حيث استهلاك موارد الجهاز و قوة التحكم و المؤثرات الصوتية و البصرية و احترام عقل المستخدم.