Monster Media 1996 #14/Monster Media No. 14 (April 1996) (Monster Media, Inc.).ISO/magazine/cgw1.zip/ART2.DAT

Text File | 1996-01-10 | 11KB | 171 lines

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│ P R E V I E W S │
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║ BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT'S "PAX IMPERIA II" ║
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        Note: screen shots of this game are available in this magazine; file-
name is PAX2.EXE.  To view, simply type PAX2 at the DOS prompt.  You will need
a VESA-compatible Super VGA monitor.  These screen shots are from the prelimin-
ary Macintosh version.  They are all at 640x480 resolution.

        VGA Planets and Spaceward Ho!, two strategy and conquest games set in
the far reaches of space, both have a massive following.  But what came before
them?  What inspired these two games to the great pieces of software they are?
Well, it may have been Pax Imperia, which was, unfortunately for PC users, a
Macintosh-only game.  It was very popular in the Macintosh community, but word
never really spread into the PC area (possibly the only good game ever to re-
ceive this dubious distinction).

        Blizzard is looking to change that with Pax Imperia II.  Basically, it's
a huge game of building an empire in space.  This is common ground, explored in
many games such as Master of Orion, VGA Planets, Stars!, even Wing Commander Ar-
mada, but Pax Imperia II puts a whole lot of twists and complications into it.
At its most basic, you'll have to explore new worlds, build colonies, develop an
infrastructure, hold meetings with other races, and, if necessary (or if you
want), blow other races off the face of their planets.

        Pax Imperia II will feature some things that should set it apart from
other games like it.  Blizzard claims that diplomacy will actually work in this
game as a tool for conquest, unlike the halfhearted peace treaties that many a
player signed in _Civilization_, only to realize to his or her dismay that the
game gives huge amounts of points for conquering the entire world by force.  Up
until now, no game has offered diplomacy as a viable alternative to guns.

        Similarly, trading will play a major part in a player's success.  Many a
player in need of supplies can simply barter for more.  Players with plentiful
resources will be able to trade solely for profit.  Each different race will
live on different types of planets, which will have different types of minerals
and natural resources.  Therefore, there are many lucrative trade routes that a
player can devise.

        Diplomacy will also be important inside your own empire.  Again, Pax Im-
peria II is innovative.  Rather than the player representing a single supreme
ruler, s/he represents a governing body, made up of many politicians who make
all the decisions.  If you offend too many people, there may be rebellions and
other unfortunate events.  All this diplomacy really adds a whole new dimension
to the galactic space conquest game.

        Research and ship building, imperative as always in games such as these,
are incredibly detailed.  There are over _one thousand_ different items to re-
search, and the game's database features a full paragraph of information for
each one!  In addition to the very interesting and informative paragraph, each
item features a nifty diagram illustrating what it should look like, plus a
graph or two of important information.  There are ten categories of items to
research: materials, environmental, power generation, physical, weaponry, ins-
tallations, shields, bio-sciences, sensors, and industry.  There is a lot of
replayability built into the research, too, because not all races can get all
the gadgets, and there are simply so many items that there's no way you'll get
to all of them in your first game.

        To illustrate the depth of this incredible research system, here is the
paragraph describing Molecular Composite Alloy, a type of starship hull metal.
"A high density interlocking molecular alloy with an ability to withstand both
heat and physical stress.  Molecular Composite Alloys are extremely useful as
hull materials for combat ships in the 25,000+ tons category.  Reports indicate
a critical flaw in the molecular stability of the alloy beyond critical mass
densities, suggesting an upper limit to attainable hull size."

        Ship design is even more detailed, and could be a game in itself.  The
main design screen is very streamlined, hiding a design engine that is orders of
magnitude more detailed and interesting than ship design in, say, VGA Planets,
Master of Orion, or Rules of Engagement 2.  Each ship is rated in many different
areas, including defence, attack, sensors, cost, power, hull usage, dispersal,
range, star speed, tac speed, displacement, crew, colonist and cargo capacity,
class, purpose . . . you get the idea.  In addition, you can select the indivi-
dual components of the starship (after you've researched them, of course), in-
cluding fuel, repair bays, drives, powerplants, hull type, armor, shields, wea-
pons, and sensors.  You can designate a ship's purpose, and name it yourself.
For players who just want to get to the meat of the game, the detail is all lay-
ered intelligently so an impatient player can just outline the basics and let
the computer decide on the details.

        The overload of data is present everywhere in Pax Imperia II.  Hardcore
gamers will delight in the information screen for colonies, which shows a nice
picture of the landscape, plus vital info such as population, efficiency, value,
shipbuilding capabilities, combat capabilities, and more.  There are graphs a-
vailable on things like mining, food, research, commerce, industry (light and
heavy), bases, and shipyards.  You can set a colony's priorities and economic
policies, tinker with its import/export ratios, decide what minerals to mine and
sell, etc.  SimCity and SimEarth fanatics will delight in this incredible amount
of detail.

        Finally, no space combat game is complete without combat.  There is lit-
tle information available on the combat engine.  All we know is that it's on the
fleet level, with the player as admiral, ordering the general formations and
attack plans.  Depending on the admiral's skill, you may or may not be able to
issue additional orders.  The combat is _not_ on a tactical scale, but rather on
an operational/strategic level consistent with the rest of the game.  It is un-
certain whether there will be ground combat or not.

        If the gameplay comes off well, Pax Imperia II will be a hardcore gam-
er's dream come true.  With all the detail, all the options, and all the replay-
ability, this game will offer hundreds of hours of enjoyment to such players.
But for the more casual gamer, the detail is spread out so intelligently that
they should be able to ignore all the little stuff and get on with the game.
Hopefully, Blizzard will be able to pull this off.  If they can, they will al-
most certainly have a huge hit on their hands.  Stay in touch!

                     ╔═══════════╡ Summary ╞═══════════╗
                     ║ P A X   I M P E R I A   I I     ║
                     ║ BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT          ║
                     ║ Projected release date: Unknown ║
                     ║ Suggested retail price: Unknown ║
                     ║ Platforms: MS-DOS               ║
                     ╚═════════════════════════════════╝


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║ TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE'S "BATTLECRUISER: 3000 A.D." ║
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        The mere thought of Battlecruiser: 3000 A.D. conjures up the vision of
the word "vaporware" in one's mind.  The game has gone through five years of
development, with nothing to show for it but a few screen shots.  But recently,
those screen shots have become part of a game that is very real, and is sched-
uled to come out surprisingly soon (within the year, hopefully).

        Battlecruiser: 3000 A.D., which has been picked up by Take 2 Interact-
ive and is being designed by Derek Smart, is a gargantuan strategy/simulation/
roleplaying game.  Basically, the player is the captain of a huge battlecruiser,
hence the title, and gets to control pretty much every single detail about this
dreadnought.  You order around, clone, fire, hire, pay, etc. etc. your crew, who
will in turn help you manage the ship.  You can fly around in shuttles, inter-
ceptors, etc., and control ATVs, marines, probes, etc.  There is also rumor of a
foot soldier combat module for boarding actions, a la _Rules of Engagement_ and
_Breach 2_.

        Nothing is free in this game; money is always a concern.  You will need
to repair or replace damaged parts or vehicles; hire crew; replace ammunition
and fuel; etc.  The cruiser has many accomodations that need to be kept in good
repair, including guest rooms for visitors, the brig for less dignified visitors
(you better keep this in good condition, because jail breaks are a possiblity in
the game!), crew quarters for the men, etc. etc.  The game is so extensive that
it might actually justify two or three years of development, if not five.

        This is yet another game that makes use of a world that is truly alive.
For instance, if two worlds declare war on each other and you ignore it, that
war will still rage on and affect other worlds, even if you never witness one
battle of it!  In other words, the world keeps going, regardless of whether or
not you're there to witness, instigate, or participate in it.

        Battlecruiser: 3000 A.D. is a game without much glitz or multimedia.  To
be sure, it has great graphics, but no full-motion video, no big-name actors,
nothing like that.  This is a game for the serious gamer.  Currently in its al-
pha stage, it already looks as if its open-endedness and realism will provide
hours of enjoyment.  Look for this one.  If you're a hard-core gamer, you're
gonna love this one if it turns out right.

               ╔══════════════════╡ Summary ╞══════════════════╗
               ║ B A T T L E C R U I S E R :   3 0 0 0   A. D. ║
               ║ TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE                            ║
               ║ Projected release date: January 1996          ║
               ║ Suggested retail price: Unknown               ║
               ║ Platforms: MS-DOS CD-ROM                      ║
               ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════╝

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