Posted July 13, 2009
I got this game way back, now, though not when it first came out but instead when it was re-released on a Sierra Best Sellers budget title that contained both the game and it's expansion pack.
First off, forget the base building and resource accumulating as this is all gone. Forget the unit training too, so no tank rushes. This is an RTS with a difference.
Before each level you get a loadout. The available tanks, infanty, artillery units and air units must be allocated between three dropships. You can also modify the units you take, choosing between different types of vehicles or infantry types. Do you go for heavy damaging or more defensive units? Air attack or for scouting? Then there is when to bring down each dropship. As you progress through the map of a level you will find alternative drop points to bring units onto the battlefield, which could be strategically valuable, so not always is it worth bringing all your units onto the field at the start.
Another difference now shows itself. The units are not singular. A tank unit will consist of a small number of tanks which you control as one unit. The unit is only dead when all the tanks in it are destroyed. The same applies for infantry and planes. Only the big, heavy hitters like the artillery get a single vehicle for the unit.
Because you can't rebuild your army you need to take care of what you have available to you. You have your own vehicle, too, for the protagonist of the campaign you are playing. This vehicle will heal a nearby unit, so if your attack fails, retreat and regroup, recover and plan your next attack, hopefully before the enemy strikes whilst you are down.
The graphics of the game were very good for the time of release but are now dated. However, graphics don't make a game. That said, though, you can zoom right up to the units to experience a sight akin to that of a first person shooter. Then having the camera follow the unit around means you can experience what they are doing. The camera control is nicely done.
So, instead of long and dragged out resource hoarding to be able to build up a base of operations you can instead focus on the mission objectives which is a nice change and very different from any other RTS I've played.
I don't know whether my old copy will work with Vista 64, so I might just get it from here. Especially as I never got to finish it.
It has been said that the game is now available for free, but I believe that this is only for the main game and not it's expansion pack.
First off, forget the base building and resource accumulating as this is all gone. Forget the unit training too, so no tank rushes. This is an RTS with a difference.
Before each level you get a loadout. The available tanks, infanty, artillery units and air units must be allocated between three dropships. You can also modify the units you take, choosing between different types of vehicles or infantry types. Do you go for heavy damaging or more defensive units? Air attack or for scouting? Then there is when to bring down each dropship. As you progress through the map of a level you will find alternative drop points to bring units onto the battlefield, which could be strategically valuable, so not always is it worth bringing all your units onto the field at the start.
Another difference now shows itself. The units are not singular. A tank unit will consist of a small number of tanks which you control as one unit. The unit is only dead when all the tanks in it are destroyed. The same applies for infantry and planes. Only the big, heavy hitters like the artillery get a single vehicle for the unit.
Because you can't rebuild your army you need to take care of what you have available to you. You have your own vehicle, too, for the protagonist of the campaign you are playing. This vehicle will heal a nearby unit, so if your attack fails, retreat and regroup, recover and plan your next attack, hopefully before the enemy strikes whilst you are down.
The graphics of the game were very good for the time of release but are now dated. However, graphics don't make a game. That said, though, you can zoom right up to the units to experience a sight akin to that of a first person shooter. Then having the camera follow the unit around means you can experience what they are doing. The camera control is nicely done.
So, instead of long and dragged out resource hoarding to be able to build up a base of operations you can instead focus on the mission objectives which is a nice change and very different from any other RTS I've played.
I don't know whether my old copy will work with Vista 64, so I might just get it from here. Especially as I never got to finish it.
It has been said that the game is now available for free, but I believe that this is only for the main game and not it's expansion pack.