Galactic Assault: Prisoner of Power
Preview
Based on the book this one promises to be rich in story and detail
by Spotted
previewed on PC
Combat system
Realism obviously has received high priority is the combat engine as well. Field guns die instantly when they are hit by rockets and infantry units die instantly when shelled. How this much realism will affect the game remains to be seen. It may be a bit more balanced and fair if units can take a couple of hits before they die. There is a 'return fire' setting that allows you to place a unit somewhere and have it return fire when it gets shot at.
Like many games in the genre, the game has a fog of war which basically means that where your units' sight stops, your sight stops. Some units however, don't need fog of war to hide in. A camouflage system is in place but how it exactly works is not known at this time.
Another feature of the combat engine is mine-laying which can be done with a ship that does it almost instantaneous. Fortifications can be set up as well, giving you the ability to truly dig yourself in for that big assault that you -know- must be coming any time now.
Watch it
There is a realistic 3D day-night change and this really helps to bring the game to life. This is an improvement over games where it is always day. To me, it makes the game unnatural and artificial. Fortunately Inhabited Islands: Battlefield does this well.
The game's graphics are detailed and seamless. The ground your vehicles have driven over will show tank tracks as well as scorched areas where explosions have occurred. A nice touch is how heavy vehicles that have fired their weapon will have smoke hanging around them for a while. One thing I got very excited about is the cinematic camera mode. It really shows the most dramatic moments without you even having to touch the mouse.
All in all, the interface is pretty well done. It enables you to quickly command your armies while showing all the different statistics (armor, sight, power, etc) with a click of a button.
That the interface is easy to use is a good thing too. The game is fast paced and full of action. Land and air units can be found in nearly every real-time strategy game but rarely are they as fast and maneuverable as the ones seen in this game. All in all, I'm looking forward to see more of the game but for that, we'll have to wait for the 1st of February when the game comes out.
