October 16th, 2007

Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance is gold

In preparation of the November 6 launch, Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance just hit gold and it’s heading to the presses as we speak. Supreme Commander was released this spring, a real time strategy title developed by Chris Taylor and Gas Powered games for PC. The game is set in a future where humanity can quickly travel through the galaxy using the quantum tunnel, a portal torn from the fabric of space leading to designated locations light-years away. The standalone expansion features the introduction of the Seraphim as a fourth playable race. The UEF, Cybran and Aeon human skirmishers of the first installment are now forced in an alliance of convenience against the threat of alien invasion. A new single player campaign has been tailored to this end, providing the in-depth lore and history connections that were missing in the first title in a post Infinite War universe.

Unlike traditional RTS, Supreme Commander gained notoriety for its grand scale combat simulations. “Air, land and sea” became a trademark for the title, as you can control bomber squads, infantry robots and ships at the same time. They all have a role to play in the outcome of the battle as you can see in the gameplay trailer. The user interface overhaul has a direct impact on gameplay as the rough edges have been cast away. It’s more natural to have the resource bars bundled together, opposed to having them on the far end of the screen. New and more detailed textures make the Seraphim look flashier than the old races, but engine functionality has been improved, providing the combat field view while zooming out. Supreme Commander was never a micro fest so micromanagement of three armies and building reinforcements is the key to victory.

The Seraphim resemble the other races in terms of gameplay, at least until you reach Tech level 3. Out of the 80 new units that server under your banner, experimental T3 sniper bots stand out as an effective tool, being able to shoot down air units with high accuracy and great range. Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance serves up 10 new units to reinforce the ranks of former races, along with one new experimental unit each. Confirmed new units include the Cybran Brick, and Megalith - a new spider bot that is twice the size of the monkey lord. It is a mobile amphibious factory, sporting 12 torpedo launchers and large lasers. The UEF are blessed with the Sub-orb ital Defense System, a building that spits out satellites capable of relentlessly bombarding the enemy from orbit. The Aeon are confirmed to receive the sprite striker and Torrent, a new missile ship. They use new technology to increase production lines thanks to the Quantum Resource Generator. Insane amounts of mass and power are at their disposal with a subtle drawback: if it's taken down, the ensuing explosion will destroy everything around as well.