Maelstrom

How does the discerning gamer tell the difference between RTS Game A and RTS Game B? If the core gameplay is the same (for real-time strategy games) then how can one game be different from the other RTS games already out? Well with Maelstrom, Codemasters is trying to offer gamers a complete and engaging package of compelling gameplay, high-quality production values and a story composed by James Swallow (Star Trek: Voyager and Dr. Who).  Thankfully Codemasters has been gracious enough to offer GameZone the opportunity to try out an early build of the game.

The first item that grabbed my attention wasn’t necessarily the game but instead the storyline/plot. Earth has been changed from a growing, thriving world into a depleted wasteland in the span of 50 years. The world has been ravaged by ecological disaster, war and the meltdown of human civilization. The few that have survived this horrific time have given it a name, Maelstrom. As a result of the Maelstrom two factions have arisen seeking to control the world: The Remnants and The Ascension.

The Remnants are controlled by an ex-US Military General, James Buchanan, and uses standard military tactics during combat. The Remnants can use stealth and guerrilla tactics to use traps such as mines and bombs. Another feature of the Remnants is the ability to hack into the Ascension troops and take control. The Ascension is lead by Arlan Khan, a former corporate business guru who turned his corporate strength into a military power.   

The Ascension is composed of Mechmorphs, which are robotic troops that have the ability to morph into a variety of different units. The most advanced weapons and equipment are part of The Ascension. But another faction has been causing problems for both The Remnants and The Ascension; the faction called The Hai-Genti. The Hai-Genti is an invading, alien race that is out to take out the other factions and take over the rest of the world. The game will include a full history and back story of each faction and the principal characters involved with the factions.

The game is divided up into three different modes: Campaign, Battle and Multiplayer. The Campaign mode offers gamers the opportunity to play the games tutorial and experience the unraveling of the Maelstrom story. The Battle Mode will offer you the ability to jump right into gameplay against the computer. You set up the games based upon a variety of options such as fractions, winning conditions, maps, etc. The Multiplayer mode will offer (of course) the multiplayer gameplay via online or LAN.

The gameplay itself is mixture of tried and true RTS workings with some unique ideas. All of the controls in the game can be initiated with a point and click of the mouse. You can move single units or entire squads at anytime in the game by just pointing and clicking. The game does incorporate the “fog of war” that limits the view of the gaming map. There are resources (displayed at the top of the screen) you will need to manage in the game in order to succeed. Each resource is different depending on the faction you’ve selected. The rest of the screen is composed of a mini-map in the lower right corner, a list of troops in the bottom center and an action panel in the bottom right corner. The right panel shows the various special commands you can issue during the game, which varies depending the faction you control. The game really forces you to change your tactics in the game depending on which faction you have selected. There is a big difference between all three factions which should keep you from sticking with one particular faction for too long.

In this preview I did enjoy The Ascension faction the most primarily because of the mechs. A special feature of certain mechs was the ability to transform the mech. This transformation feature allowed me to adjust my tactics depending on the situation around me. I could easily make a transport vehicle into a research facility that could then produce more mechs to put onto the battlefield. Troops would usually go where I pointed them and would usually respond to changes I made to the actions I wanted them to take. I did notice a few issues where the troops would run into a blocked-off portion of the map and would just run into the same portion over and over again.

Graphically the game is solid with some nice details for the world map and your troops. The game lets you zoom in as close as possible to the action (actually almost to dirt level) at anytime. The mouse wheel lets you pan and zoom the action at anytime. I never noticed any slow down in the combat while moving the camera angle. The game included some decent particle effects during weapon fire and explosions but nothing that had me saying “wow!” Since this is an early copy of the game there could be some additional fine tuning performed to the graphics before the release.

If you’re a fan of RTS games then you should be on the look out for Maelstrom. The game will offer the rock-solid RTS gameplay experience you are expecting along with an interesting science-fiction storyline and quality presentation in the graphics and voice acting. The three gameplay modes might be a limitation once gamers start getting into the game, but hopefully the three different factions will keep players coming back for more. Maybe Maelstrom is a sign of a major storm coming to the RTS genre when the game is released in February 2007.