Starsiege: Tribes: Review (J. Reynolds) - Page 1/1


Created on 2005-02-04

Title: Starsiege: Tribes: Review (J. Reynolds)
By: John Reynolds
Date: 1999-03-29 1536
Flashback: Orig. Multipage Version
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Test System

  • PII 400 o/c to 448 MHz, 128 meg
  • Quantum Viking 2 4.5 SCSI2
  • ATI Rage 2 4 meg
  • Voodoo2 SLI
  • Plextor 32X SCSI CD
  • Diamond MX300
  • 19" Viewsonic

As a fan of Dynamix' Earthsiege series, I've been awaiting Starsiege for several years now, hoping it would take the Mech genre to the next level. The first two titles had been relatively good efforts, though neither broke significantly new ground.

I was somewhat annoyed, however, that Earthsiege II arrived on store shelves some three years ago sans documentation. While this didn't detract from the quality of the game residing on the CD, there is something about simulations that generates the desire to pour over reams of unit and weapon statistics, and the fact that Dynamix had shipped the game with no manual whatsoever didn't make for a good first impression.

I'm therefore very happy to report that Starsiege (aka Earthsiege III) comes with not one, but two large manuals: a Pilot's Guide that handles gameplay information, and a Compendium that provides an abundance of background material. As a sequel to Earthsiege I and II, you would assume that Starsiege's rich background is based upon these earlier installments.

But the fact is that the game's universe, its milieu, is largely fleshed out in the Compendium of this latest title. Unlike most game manuals, the Compendium is well written and carefully designed, chronicling past events- the rise of Prometheus and its creator, Emperor Petresun- while portending future war. This detailed storyline, coupled with the game's rousing intro, sets the stage for some truly immersive gaming.

The Interface

Above and beyond the manuals, Starsiege's menu-driven interface is extremely accessible, going so far as to include a tutorial for the menu itself- though I have to wonder at the usefulness of a tutorial designed to teach you how to use the interface when the interface itself is required to begin the tutorial. A few clicks and you can begin one of two campaigns, human or Cybrid, or be joining or even hosting a 'net game.

The menu also allows you to edit and save control configurations, and includes preset schemes for numerous analog and digital controllers on the market. In fact, I don't believe I've ever seen a game more customizable than Starsiege- even the HUD displays can be tweaked to a player's individual preferences.

www.starsiegeplayers.com

And for newcomers to the series, there's a lot to learn in terms of units and weapons, not to mention the skills needed to employ them wisely. Thankfully, the game comes with tutorial missions that do a fairly good job of acquainting unseasoned players with its various features.

BOX

Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back

One major change in gameplay from the earlier installments is that Starsiege's HERCs (Dynamix' slang for Mech) don't possess mounted torsos that swivel; instead the gamer is required to drive his chassis like a car while using a joystick or mouse controlled targeting reticle. The problem is that targetting is somewhat limited within your field of vision because a weapon's pivot mount, depending upon its location on the chassis, has a somewhat narrow scope.

In other words, piloting a Herc with two weapons that are placed above and below the main chassis leaves only the roof gun maximum surface-to-air field of fire, with the chassis itself blocking the bottom weapon from the higher angles. Overall, this struck me as an unnecessary simplification of the controls, particularly the rigid chassis. This simplication is most likely a designer's nod to the popularity of first person shooters' mouse control. If this is considered progress in game design, I can do without it.

Graphics options consist of a software renderer, OpenGL support for nVidia TnT owners, and 3dfx's proprietary Glide, with resolutions up to 1024x768.

Starsiege really requires a 3D card in order to shine, and while its graphics aren't as resplendent as those of Unreal or Heretic 2 they are definitely the best of any Mech game so far. There's a clean, vibrant quality to the visuals, created mostly by the sharp terrain that undulates into hills, valleys, ridges, and ravines. Prismatic gunfire spangles the air, weakening shields flare with defiance, and thick gouts of plasma score the landscape.

That's the good stuff. On the flip side, explosions are weak, with destroyed enemies often seeming to just crumble in on themselves rather than exploding into fiery clouds of ejecting debris.

Even the sounds that accompany these explosions come across as hollow, rather than taking advantage of my system's subwoofer to give me aural confirmation that yet another enemy will never again target my HERC. Worse yet, sprite-based trees scar certain mission areas (ugh, unfiltered pixels!), and buildings collapse in a heap of untextured polygons.

But these are minor grievances, and I can't stress enough how clean and enjoyable the visuals in this game are. Even the hazing is handled extremely well, allowing the horizons to fade off in the far distance and giving a sense of grand scale to the mission areas. On my P2 400, with a Voodoo2 SLI setup, Starsiege ran smoothly even during the most intense battles, maintaining great framerates throughout.

Gameplay

Enough with the eye-candy, how's the actual gameplay? Compared to the dreaded waypoint jog of Earthsiege II, where most of the missions consisted of following the dotted line of nav points and killing every enemy that appeared, the missions in Starsiege present the player with an enjoyable and challenging variety.

The campaigns start you out working alone, which can be a bit more relaxing since you don't have to worry about coordinating squadron tactics. In the early stages you're also limited in your HERC and weapon options; apparently neither side trust rookies very much with plasma cannons. The designers also recommend that gamers start off with the human campaign, since they consider the Cybrid missions to be the more difficult of the two, though I didn't see much of a difference.

Starsiege

The missions range from the standard patrols, defend, and search 'n destroy, to the more creative ones like Beheading the Snake, a human campaign mission in which you need to equip your HERC with a LTADS (Laser Target Designation Systems), which 'paints' an enemy target for friendly artillery to ground-pound moving targets, so long as you keep them in view.

This way you can destroy missile turrets protecting an enemy base that's harboring someone your rebel buddies want to put on trial. Once these defenses are removed, you can order your squadron forward and complete the other mission objectives, carefully avoiding enemy minefields that are cleverly placed.

HERC Intelligence

Speaking of squadrons, Starsiege's AI companions seem much more skilled at dealing out damage to the enemy than in earlier installments, though they certainly cross your lines of fire at inopportune times (a nice way of saying that a squadmate took two blasts of plasma in the backside ... oops.)

It's the usual AI path-finding stuff, which means that routines sophisticated enough for AI-controlled units to track the actions of both you and your squadron while fending off the enemy would probably choke even a P3 500. But they are certainly not heartless automatons who lack the ability to decide the outcome of a heated fray. Other reviewers may disagree with my assessment, but if anything Starsiege's squadmates definitely liven up the radio channels with some of the most humorous chatter in recent memory.

BOX

As the campaigns unfold, you'll inevitably rack up those Cybrid or human kills, paving the way to better, more powerful equipment and weapons. And it's at this point that you've stripped away the game's rind, revealing what I feel to be the heart of Starsiege: mission loadouts!

Mission Loadouts

This gaming goodness is organized in what's called, aptly enough, the Vehicle Depot. Think of it as a sort of futuristic garage. The Vehicle Depot is where you'll choose the HERCs that you and, eventually, your squadmates will pilot for each mission. Starsiege offers roughly 30 different armored behemoths to control, a pretty good number, though unfortunately a third of these are tanks, a new addition to the series I'm not all that thrilled about.

After all, HERCs are themselves bipedal tanks that offer both functional and aesthetical coolness over their treaded, or hover, cousins. Starsiege was originally going to ship with armored flyers, which would've presented far better gameplay possibilities than the included tanks. It's a shame that they didn't make it into the release. Regardless of this omission, the game still manages to provide a good selection of vehicles, from light scouts such as the Talon to heavyweight bruisers like the Gorgon and Apocalypse.

But what's a HERC without an ELF (Electron Flux Whip) or two? Starsiege categorizes its weaponry as energy, beam, ballistic, missiles, or mines, with numerous types for each category. There are also 'special' weapons, such as the ELF mentioned above. Or consider the Cybrids' radiation gun, a particularly nasty piece of equipment that's designed to completely bypass the shields and armor of a human-piloted HERC and kill the carbon-based lifeform doing the driving, leaving the chassis in pristine condition.

More Options

The only defense, other than quickly killing the offending Cybrid, is to equip your HERC with the Angel Life support system, one of many modular components used to tailor your vehicle for specific mission requirements. Need to do some quick hit 'n run reconnaissance? Equip your HERC with a turbo booster, allowing it to double its rate of movement for brief durations. Getting your head repeatedly chopped off by Cybrid Executioners? Mount a shield amplifier, which increases shield strength by 25%.

The myriad of possible loadout combinations makes for excellent replay value, but if replaying the campaign missions with different loadouts doesn't offer enough gameplay for you, there's always an open session being hosted somewhere out on the 'net.

HERCS Online and HERCS Future

Using the same core technology as Tribes, Starsiege plays extremely well online and, thanks to its excellent interface, is very user-friendly when it comes to joining or hosting a session. And once online, there's the standard DM (deathmatch) mode of play or the team-based CTF (capture the flag).

I commented at the beginning of this review that I'd been hoping Starsiege would take the Mech genre to the next level, whatever that may be. No doubt some of you are wondering if I am going to give a definite answer. Well, I will, and unfortunately the answer is no. While Starsiege is a solid game, with great graphics and fun gameplay and relatively few bugs, it simply fails to truly distinguish itself from the rest of the genre.

BOX

It has all the right bells and whistles to do so- 3D acceleration, A3D support, customizable controls and vehicles, good mission design, and, perhaps most important of all, stable 'net play. But in spite of this Starsiege is fundamentally an old-school game design with a technological facelift. It's fun to play and highly recommended, but not a classic.

Mech Wars

Cheer up, there is still hope! The spring Mech wars have only begun, and other players will soon join the battle, including Activision's Heavy Gear 2 and Microprose's Mechwarrior 3. And I've got a Timberwolf to place down for anyone willing to lay bets on which of the two will win.

Recommended System

  • PII 266, 64 meg
  • TNT or V2 based video
  • 16 bit sound


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