I think it’s safe to say that we’re all still noobs at Halo Wars. The game has only been out a couple of weeks, so strategies are still being drawn up. All of us are still learning the strengths and weaknesses of each unit. I’m sure some of you have been playing none stop, and have a great handle on things.

Luckily, the rank and skill levels are set so I don’t have to meet you until I’m ready. The Halo Wars dev blog has released different aspects of the ranking system, and what they mean. Here are brief summaries of each system:

Player Trueskill™ - The Player Trueskill system is what is used when matchmaking for players. Every different hooper is assigned a skill number. Depending on how often, and how successful you are on a different game type, you’re Trueskill number will increase/decrease. If you want to know more details of the system, you can click here.

Skill Level - Skill level is more of a representation of your overall skills at Halo Wars. Instead of basing it off each game type, this encompasses everything. The system is based on 1-50, with 50 being the best. Your win/losses are taken into account. Also, if you leave a game for any reason, like your 360 shuts off it’s counted as a loss.

Score - Your score is more of a barometer of how experienced you are with the game. Not necessarily if you’ve won or lost. Just how much time you’ve put in, but of course winning never hurts. Here’s a graph showing the point totals, and the ranks that are associated with them.

Rank

Halo plus real-time strategy plus gamepad controls may sound like a recipe for a franchise misfire, but Ensemble Studios has polished Halo Wars to the point of an immediately playable console title. While some may argue that, like first person shooters, RTS games should only be played on a mouse and keyboard, Ensemble has done an admirable job of nailing the controls.

You’ll move around the map with the left analog stick, zooming in and out with the right stick. Unit selection is done with the A button — hold A to select groups via a circle — but you can select all units on screen or every unit in your army with the right or left bumpers, respectively.

Your units will fire on enemy units with X, with an alternate firing mode tied to the Y button.

Unit special abilities and building options can be chosen from a pop up radial menu, giving you quick access to things like air strikes or expansion building choices. The control experience is relatively easy to wrap one’s head around, thanks to a clean, quickly loading interface.

Building management is similarly straightforward stuff. We started out with a pre-built base, one with a series of “slots” that additions like barracks and vehicle factories can be built upon. You’ll also have access to defense towers, but Halo Wars won’t devolve into a turret defense mishmash. Base support feels like less of a focus than team-to-team field combat.

On combat, you’ll have more than just Warthogs, Scorpions and Vultures to inflict damage on the UNSC side, a Spirit of Fire colony ship orbited overhead, allowing for called-in airstrikes via MAC cannons. Things get hairy? Call in some giant laser fire.

Halo Wars has some impressive visual pop to it, more colorful than when we last saw it. The game’s visual effects, in motion, look spectacular. It may not have the immediate visual appeal of something like Halo 3, with it’s micro-sized units and overhead perspective, but it looks good.

Keep your eye on Halo Wars, even if you’re not a fan of the franchise or traditionally an RTS fan. It looks and feels like a console strategy game should. When we get our hands on the Covenant next time, we’ll have a better understanding of how well it stacks up.