Posted January 25, 2013
It's nice to see this forgotten gem on GOG. I lost hours to this game as a kid. It was one of the few PC games I owned in those days.
This game takes place on a single 2D plane from a (roughly) overhead perspective. In many ways it is a standard RTS but it does have some cool features I had never seen before and haven't seen much since.
1. The Admiral/Fleet system. Highlighting and clicking around an RTS can be a pain. This game solved that problem by implementing a system of Admirals who can be assigned to a group of ships to form a fleet. Each race has several admirals to choose from and each offer a different set of bonuses to consider when making their assignments. Some are better against certain races or provide bonuses to different ships in the fleet as opposed to others. Once the fleet is formed, the Admiral/fleet can be selected with the F1-12 keys and moved/ordered around with ease.
2. The jumpgate/hole system adds a lot of strategic and tactical depth to the game. You don't just have one map to consider - you have many maps all connected to each other. Figuring out how the various star systems are connected and creating defensive choke points is tons of fun.
3. Special abilities. Virtually every ship has a special ability that (in the right situation) is worth using. Fortunately, the special abilities all ship types a fleet may contain can be easily accessed when the Admiral himself is selected. This greatly reduces fumbling around while trying to activate that key special ability at just the right moment to turn the tide.
4. Supply. Some may find it annoying but I personally like the concept of supply and repair in this game. Managing supply and repair depots (not to mention defending them) adds strategic and tactical depth to the game. The supply and repair systems of the enemy may also make good targets for your raids and attacks.
5. Balance. The races are fairly well balanced against each other - key to greatness in the RTS genre. Of course it's not perfect, but what game is?
This game is well worth your time and money!
This game takes place on a single 2D plane from a (roughly) overhead perspective. In many ways it is a standard RTS but it does have some cool features I had never seen before and haven't seen much since.
1. The Admiral/Fleet system. Highlighting and clicking around an RTS can be a pain. This game solved that problem by implementing a system of Admirals who can be assigned to a group of ships to form a fleet. Each race has several admirals to choose from and each offer a different set of bonuses to consider when making their assignments. Some are better against certain races or provide bonuses to different ships in the fleet as opposed to others. Once the fleet is formed, the Admiral/fleet can be selected with the F1-12 keys and moved/ordered around with ease.
2. The jumpgate/hole system adds a lot of strategic and tactical depth to the game. You don't just have one map to consider - you have many maps all connected to each other. Figuring out how the various star systems are connected and creating defensive choke points is tons of fun.
3. Special abilities. Virtually every ship has a special ability that (in the right situation) is worth using. Fortunately, the special abilities all ship types a fleet may contain can be easily accessed when the Admiral himself is selected. This greatly reduces fumbling around while trying to activate that key special ability at just the right moment to turn the tide.
4. Supply. Some may find it annoying but I personally like the concept of supply and repair in this game. Managing supply and repair depots (not to mention defending them) adds strategic and tactical depth to the game. The supply and repair systems of the enemy may also make good targets for your raids and attacks.
5. Balance. The races are fairly well balanced against each other - key to greatness in the RTS genre. Of course it's not perfect, but what game is?
This game is well worth your time and money!
