Conquest: Frontier Wars is a turkey. I remembered that I was excited about this game. Really excited. Why I don't know but I was. It turns out that its just another "click click click" RTS. You can't give commands during pause, the whole idea is to gather ore, set up base, build lots a units, and send the mass over to crush the other players. The graphics aren't very good either. I mean, I like the style, and they are better than what I could do, but they aren't better than other games in the genre, like Starcraft. Its been 3/4 years since star craft and if you can't clear that mark and your game play isn't all that interesting, maybe you shouldn't try. Atlest with Star Lancer, while the game play was old an a rehash, it had state of the art graphics.

Every time I saw Conquest I thought that the whole RTS in space thing was pretty lame after Homeworld. It's not that I like Homeworld so much, but that game set the mark for RTS space games. Going back to a 2D plane is a big step back.

The other thing I didn't like about Conquest, and which may have changed, is that the ships really moved like tanks in space. There was no feeling that they were ships. They also clustered together in ugly clumps and the game hinged around controlling the wormholes. It just struck me as a game that had a good concept behind it -- hey, let's do a Wing Commanderish strategy game with space fleets -- but along the way the concept didn't pan out. Even Homeworld is a weak game in some ways for me. Space is a rather boring battlefield.

Yeah everything still moves like tanks.Guess Microsoft has taste after all. :)

MMm..... turkey.

I haven't seen the Conquest demo, but...

"It's not that I like Homeworld so much, but that game set the mark for RTS space games. Going back to a 2D plane is a big step back."

I don't think 2D is really a problem for a space combat game. It worked fine in Star Trek Armada and Starfleet Command. In fact, when I play Homeworld, the larger game movements tend to play out on a flat plane. The 3D engine allows for the tactical panache of fighter formations and turret coverage, but otherwise, I think it's not entirely necessary.

Having said that, I have little desire to see how far along Conquest has come. I wasn't terribly impressed last time I saw it, particularly since it didn't seem to do anything Armada wasn't already doing.

-Tom

I wouldn't put SFC in the same category as Armada and Homeworld. Those are RTS games that emphasize building lots of ships while SFC has no building and emphasizes naval action.

I was particulary put off by Armada's use of imaginary space barriers to turn some missions into a corridor crawl.

Well, Tom said "space combat game." So, one would could also include, I dunno, Asteroids as a 2D example.

But Dominion Wars is SFC-like in a more RTS-like-mode.

-Andrew

Hmm...Thought I'd dig up this thread, as I just now (I know, I'm way behind!) got a review of the demo posted at Playnet. I think that a lot of you guys are being too hard on the game, but I agree with your overall assessment.

Anyway, click here to read my thoughts.

And, to those of you who might criticize: Remember, I'm just an amateur. Be kind!

I'm no reviewer but I would like to take up a few points with you. when I played this a couple weeks ago. I turned the graphics on 3d in the demo and I think the only affect it had was on the ships. Visually the game really does look like something that could have been made four years ago. When I first noticed you could just set up operations on a planet and mine away I thought cool for about ten seconds. Then I realized that would be even worse then mana rods in TA kingdoms. Every game with the computer other players resulted in us grabbing up a couple of systems setting up shop and sending in fleet after fleet into the jumpgate chokepoints untill one of us was lucky anough to breakthrough.

They should have a limited "space metal" or some such that could only be harvested in space. thus you couldnt just send in unlimited fleets off to the slaughter.

Ultimitly all rts games(exempting myth and a few others) come down primarly to economy but this just seems alot worse. So yeah turkey.