Startag This game was featured in several bundles recently so I got curious. Is it a cool game and it just needs some attention? Or is it a poor game and its devs just need some monies, no matter how few. Well, all I can say it's definitely not the former. The game looks like a poorly balanced tech-demo.
First of all there is no campaign, story or whatsoever. New game button gives you three somewhat significant options (difficulty, number of systems, number of resources) and one insignificant (choose your emblem, your opponent will get the other one. Yeah, there are just two of them). And so the games begin... you can see your Mothership and... well, nothing else actually. Yeah, I know it's in space and everything but... oh, no wait! There is an asteroid! Wait! Two of them actually! But the background is still very ugly. But yeah, it's not that important so let's continue.
You can win either by destroying your opponent's Mothership or by getting 100 influence which can be achieved by claiming sectors (each of them has different influence factor so try to get the best ones first). How do you claim a sector? Well, isn't it obvious? By building a claim structure! Seriously, a claim structure! Got it? Because it... well... it claims a sector!
Since I mentioned buildings... do you know that you can build only one thing at the time? Doesn't matter if it's a structure or a ship. Only one. No queue allowed. Just one.
Do you think it's bad UI? Well, not as bad as this: try to move your ship. They are always patrolling so first you have to click it to highlight it. Not that difficult, they are pretty big anyway. And then "move icon" is displayed. But... it's so tiny! And you have to click it while it's moving along with you ship! I mean, hello! It was easier to move your units in Dune 2 because not only the move button was bigger but it didn't try to run away from you as well!
Do you think bad UI is the worst part of the game? I have some bad news for you. Your Mothership can power-up only two structures at the same time, you need a generator to get things running. But you can't build generator just yet, you have to build a lab and research it first. For that you need special resources. But wait! You don't have any! Nor any means to produce them (it's available much later). So what should you do? Well, just wait patiently until your opponent moves his lazy butt and sends a few of his ships your way. Destroy them and you will surely scavenge some of those needed resources. I'm dead serious! You can't really start the game until you get attacked two-three times! And even after that your economy will be always dependent on enemy's attacks! How cool is that? But since your opponent apparently starts with those resources why can't he just claim enough sectors to win without attacking you even once? There would be no way to stop him! I mean... WTF?!
So yeah, a poorly balanced tech-demo it is. Avoid. Just avoid.
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