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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
