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Intergalactic Pests: Starship Troopers
by Jim CobbGame Title: Starship Troopers
Category: Strategy
Developer: Blue Tongue
Publisher: Hasbro Interactive
Release Date: Released
System Spec:Windows 95/98, Pentium II 233, 64 MB RAM,300 MB of free hard drive space, 8X speed CD-ROM drive,3-D Video Card (Voodoo 2), Windows 95/98 compatible sound card, DirectX 7.0a included, 28.8 modem
Files: | Demo | Patch |
Article Type: Review
Article Date: December 22nd, 2000
Robert Heinleins classic novel, Starship Troopers, was exceptional for its insight into the psychology of infantrymen if not for its story line or civic lessons. The recent movie was just mindless fun, rather like the old Saturday matinees with skin exposed instead of just suggested. The game is an odd combination of both. Enjoyable for the determined, the system will cause many gamers to despair of ever really enjoying the product. This despair is sad because somewhere, under the drudge, the confusion and the frustration is a fun game.
The Premise
The story is predictable. Humanity has made contact with Arachanids, a.k.a bugs. Said bugs toss meteors at us so we decide to kill them all. The player begins as a lieutenant in charge of two six-person squads. He gets tossed into scripted tactical missions that become more difficult as the game progresses. Survivors gaining experience and getting better equipment offset this progression. This concept is far from innovative but is serviceable; we want fun, not to be constantly overwhelmed by new systems.
Before each mission, the player as lieutenant selects his personnel, troopers as well as specialists assigned or picked up, based on their accuracy, strength, health, sight, speed and psychic powers. He then equips them. Weapons have exotic names like Prism rifle but function quite like modern firearms, overlooking the nuclear grenade launcher. Each trooper comes with a sidearm. If equipped with a web harness, troopers can be issued a secondary weapon. Otherwise, primary weapons can be switched. Leaders can be fitted with heavy armor that not only must be destroyed before hit points are lost but add communications capabilities.
Troopers' equipment can easily be customized...if you ignore the manual
Bugs, Bugs, and more Bugs!
The enemy is simply different kinds of bugs: big bugs that bite limbs off, flying bugs, huge anti-spaceship bugs that fire plamsa out of their rear and mind-control bugs. They are all susceptible to fire and use the bums rush as a tactic. The bugs most intelligent tactic is picking off stragglers. A well-supplied and cohesive trooper formation can either sneak around bugs or blow through attackers. However, the game system itself puts up a much better fight and is the players true opponent.
We Learn by Doing
Gameplay would be relatively simple if the manual and the FAQ at www.stta.com were clear and complete. Unfortunately, these items are not only incomplete and vague but are simply wrong in places. A prime and vital example of this is the manuals guide in equipping soldiers. The instructions say that arrows direct you when a piece of equipment is selected. Wrong! A slot changes color. Also absent from the manual is a complete list of hot keys---only the FAQ has the double-column, two-page list. Given the horrible documentation, the rest of this piece will have some play tips.
The platoon forms up for a night mission. Note how cluttered the screen is.
Player Interface
After troop selection and arming and mission briefing, action begins on the main screen. The 3D landscape is very effective and soldier and bugs are well portrayed. Right-clicking and pushing the mouse zooms, tilts and pivots the point of view. Sometimes jerky, these views give fascinating views of terrain, enemy positions and friendly formations. The break-down with this system comes with the interface. Superimposed over this screen are three permanent interface displays. On the lower right are three tiers of pictures of troopers faces or icons, each with doubled bars indicating health and ammunition togglable to show the weapon in hand. The bars are mirrored over the soldiers figure on the screen.
Clicking on a picture switches the HUD in the upper left to that soldier. The HUD shows the troopers health, allows setting one of the four stances (ranging from sneaky cautious to come-and-get-me berserk), and the carried equipment selection. Along the right side is the orders bar with icons for movement, waypoints and action. Helpful to play, these displays obscure terrain and make clicking for movement harder than it should be; the player may activate something when simply trying to change views or designate movement or targets. As if things werent cluttered enough, two additional displays can be shown or hidden, the tactical map and the formation display. So important are these panels that hiding them isnt really an option. Thus, a very nice playing area is made inaccessible by crucial controls. Players can work around this but the operable word is work.
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