By Paul Robert Scott
Space based real-time strategy games tend to be a very niche market. Generally they are followed by ardent gamers that play them for years after the general public has forgotten about them, but still fans for the likes of Homeworld 2 or Sins of a Solar Empire stick loyally to them; with additional mods or total conversions keeping the gameplay experience fresh.
Space based real-time strategy games tend to be a very niche market. Generally they are followed by ardent gamers that play them for years after the general public has forgotten about them, but still fans for the likes of Homeworld 2 or Sins of a Solar Empire stick loyally to them; with additional mods or total conversions keeping the gameplay experience fresh.
Part of the reason for this supreme devotion is that these types of games are relatively rare. In a world jam packed with first-person shooters, open-world adventures and role-playing games it can often be tough to scratch the itch that the control freaks and armchair admirals feel when they turn to their favourite RTS. It’s perhaps no surprise then that this is one neglected genre that has turned to Kickstarter to bring us something new.
A couple of hours playing with the demo for the Kickstarter campaign Contact Vector certainly gives a sense that the guys developing it are coming up with something that all RTS fans will love. The demo isn’t a complete representation of the final product by a long way, but the visual spectacle of the vastness of space along with a series of well modelled ship designs offers a good idea of the level of quality they are shooting for. Like most Kickstarter projects, much of the work is still to be done and many of the gameplay mechanics are missing, however despite this you can get a good idea of what controlling the final game will be like. Combat is conducted first through the use of missile batteries that bombard the enemy with massive broadsides at long range, and then secondly through the use of powerful laser weaponry at closer distances. For defence, all ships have to rely on are point defence guns to shoot down missiles, offering a look that’s very reminiscent of Battlestar Galactica.
A couple of hours playing with the demo for the Kickstarter campaign Contact Vector certainly gives a sense that the guys developing it are coming up with something that all RTS fans will love. The demo isn’t a complete representation of the final product by a long way, but the visual spectacle of the vastness of space along with a series of well modelled ship designs offers a good idea of the level of quality they are shooting for. Like most Kickstarter projects, much of the work is still to be done and many of the gameplay mechanics are missing, however despite this you can get a good idea of what controlling the final game will be like. Combat is conducted first through the use of missile batteries that bombard the enemy with massive broadsides at long range, and then secondly through the use of powerful laser weaponry at closer distances. For defence, all ships have to rely on are point defence guns to shoot down missiles, offering a look that’s very reminiscent of Battlestar Galactica.
In the demo I was able to experiment with these weapon types and quickly discovered that battles could potentially be won in a variety of different ways in the final product. With no AI to battle against I tried to play the demo like a solo match of chess. Making moves with my ships and trying to think how an opponent would think in response. Having exhausted my imagination however I quickly took to taking advantage of the potential for ship to ship collisions and started making kamikaze runs at the fleets. Despite this though the overwhelming impression I got was that this will not just a simple case of taking two armadas against each other and having the best equipped ship win. Even the smaller destroyer class can take out a battleship if it’s positioned correctly; unlike other RTS games where it is more a case of the biggest ship will always win the battle. All the ships have blind spots to take advantage of and I can foresee more than a few missions in the finished game that will see the player relying purely on their wits and not their cannons.
There are plenty of additional features that are promised for the final game. Stealth is purported to be a huge driving force, with ships being able to hide and go dark in the vastness of space and sneak up on the enemy by drifting and using momentum to carry them into range. Drones will also be able to fool sensors into chasing down ghosts while you bring your true fleet into position. This then presents the prospect of gameplay that relies just as much on how to keep your assets out of danger as it does on inflicting the maximum amount of damage on your opponent.
There are plenty of additional features that are promised for the final game. Stealth is purported to be a huge driving force, with ships being able to hide and go dark in the vastness of space and sneak up on the enemy by drifting and using momentum to carry them into range. Drones will also be able to fool sensors into chasing down ghosts while you bring your true fleet into position. This then presents the prospect of gameplay that relies just as much on how to keep your assets out of danger as it does on inflicting the maximum amount of damage on your opponent.
For the time being Contact Vector’s website only mentions a single-player campaign, the story of which will sound familiar to any who are fans of the genre. War is looming and you as the commander of a fleet are tasked with taking the fight to the enemy with the resources you are given. Gameplay is not reliant on building up an economy or maintaining a civilization but purely focused on the battles you fight. Personally that’s music to my ears, but that does make me hope that eventually there may be the prospect of a multiplayer mode if the game gets the funding it needs. As all chess players know, there is no substitute for playing against another human being and it is exactly the same in strategic games such as this.
The demo for Contact Vector is open for anyone to download so I’d urge those who feel this might be their cup of tea to take a look. The campaign is still well shy of its $85,000 target and is short on time, so they need all the support they can get. Personally I will be eager to try out the finished product.
The demo for Contact Vector is open for anyone to download so I’d urge those who feel this might be their cup of tea to take a look. The campaign is still well shy of its $85,000 target and is short on time, so they need all the support they can get. Personally I will be eager to try out the finished product.
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