If you are a fan of real-time strategy games like StarCraft or Commander & Conquer, then you may have looked at TA back in 1997 and scratched your head.
While you could conceivably employ the typical Zerg rush type of tactic, many of its hardcore fans would rather spend hours on end erecting elaborate defenses before first blood was spilled. And that is exactly what my friends and I would do on weekends (that and smuggle WMDs from Mexico).
TA was unleashed onto the gaming world in 1997 as one of the first 3D games in its genre and ten years later, its “spiritual successor” carries the torch even farther, into the fourth dimension. And it cures cancer.
Actually, Supreme Commander was developed by the same guy as the original TA and he put together yet another gem.
I had the chance to play the demo that was released last week and based on my first impressions, it survives all the hype surrounding its upcoming release. Note: the demo only lets you play one of three factions, the Cybran Nation.
Lamentations:
- there is no air engineer capable of building structures on top of hills
- the extra ACU’s you build are impossible to locate after you build them
- the artillery experimental unit is absolutely worthless (never fired a single shot, no matter how close/far it was from an enemy)
- some clipping issues with each of the experimental units (they could fly through my own walls/structures as if they didn’t exist)
- would have liked to have a dual-purpose defensive missile launcher capable of shooting both ground and air (perhaps other factions have this)
- the quantum gate is utterly worthless, it takes forever to beam the commander anywhere and when you do, his HP limits his frontline effectiveness
- its dual monitor support was very taxing on my system (Athlon64 3800+, 2 GB RAM, 7600 GT) so I simply played with one — which was fine because there is a mini map you can pull up as part of your HUD.
And speaking of the HUD, it takes up a huge amount of the screen. Hopefully the tools included in the full version will allow this area to get an overhaul.
Adorations:
- fantastic graphics, although, you aren’t always zoomed close enough to really watch the fireworks take place — the water refraction is also cool
- the ability to upgrade the tech trees is streamlined (one factory can produce all three levels, instead of having to build a factory at each level)
- the commander is one total bad ass if you get a chance to actually upgrade his weapons (the laser beam can put your eye out…)
- shield generators add a new strategic element to the game — plus they look so damn pretty, very similar to what the Gungan warriors deployed in the Battle of Naboo
- small power generators are a nice change from the space-consuming solar panels, so is the ability to bundle them next to other structures for bonuses
- the tech engineers can move around on the water alleviating the superfluous need for water-only engineers (it would be cool to submerse them though)
- you can finally zoom out far enough to grab your erratic-minded air units (whom all suck against shield generators and SAM sites)
Judgement
4.5 out of 5: my only real beef with it was the lack of units compared to the initial amount that were included with TA — although this will change with the release of modding tools and perhaps even official units (the developers for TA released a new unit each Friday back in the day, perhaps they will do this again)
Gameplay note: even with the current unit build limit (currently hardcoded at 250 in the demo) you can have fun decimating any offensive the computer sends at you by building 200+ laser turrets which are protected with medium artillery and a couple dozen shield generators. It is pretty neat to see the ginormous experimental units get lit up faster than Evel Knievel, from a barrage coming from an actual Maginot Line.
Here is a not-so-complimentary view of the game and one that is glowing. Video of gameplay: 1 2