Moonbase Commander
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| Moonbase Commander | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Humongous Entertainment, a division of Infogrames |
| Publisher(s) | Infogrames, Inc. |
| Engine | SPUTM |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release date | August 13, 2002 |
| Genre(s) | turn-based strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Everyone (E) - Mild Violence, Ages 9+ |
| Media | PC: CD (1) |
| System requirements | Operating System: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP; Processor: Pentium II 233 MHz or higher; Memory: 32 MB RAM (64 for XP); Hard Disk Space: 600 MB Free; CD-ROM Drive: 8x Speed or faster; Video: SVGA video card capable of 640x480 and 16-bit color, device should be compatible with DirectX version 8.1 or higher; Sound: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP-compatible sound card; DirectX version 8.1 (included) or higher; Multiplayer: Ethernet card and LAN with TCP/IP protocols, Internet access for GameSpy play |
Moonbase Commander is a strategy computer game released in 2002 by Humongous Entertainment. In it, the player controlled a main hub, which could send out other hubs, collect energy which was used for further expansion, attack enemy hubs, and create defensive buildings; this was accomplished through launching buildings and/or weapons from a hub. Each building was connected to its parent hub by a cord, which could not overlap other cords. The game featured both single-player and multi-player formats. It won the "Best of 2002: The Game No One Played" award from IGN.
Contents |
[edit] CD back cover
Take charge of your own lunar territory.
Plan strategies to find and exploit valuable energy pools, and wreak havoc on your enemies.
Easy-to-learn turn-based gameplay, intense graphics and a specialized terrain editor make MoonBase Commander the space conquest game you'll want to play again and again.
[edit] Story
It is the future. Mankind has colonized the entire planet and nearly depleted its natural resources. As resource wars erupt, nations form an alliance to find an answer. A group of the world's brightest minds create the MoonBase probe.
Controlled remotely by a single pilot, the probe lands on the surface of any planet, replicates its Hub and expands across the planet in search of energy. These secondary units transmit energy back to the central Hub via flexible cords.
Still, the alliance is fragile, and its leaders recognize the amazing potential of the probe. Greed soon fractures the alliance, and four distinct factions arise - each with its own objectives. These factions now use the probe not only to seek out new energy resources, but also to wage war.
You are a pilot for one of these factions. Operating your Hub remotely, you control its campaign across each planet, searching out energy-rich pools and destroying everything that gets in the way.
[edit] Gameplay
The game is turn-based, allowing the player to spend a limited amount of "energy points" per turn. The player can spend these energy points by attacking their opponents and/or creating secondary hubs. Most units are ground-based and are attached by a cord to the unit that created them. Cords cannot overlap or land in water. Regardless of whether a unit is ground-based, all units need to be "launched" from their originating unit by means of a launch power meter. The longer it is depressed, the farther the unit launches. Wind also effects the accuracy of your skill in launching secondary hubs successfully.
Game maps are "wrap-arounds" - Going all the way in one direction of the map meant emerging at the opposing direction of the map. This further added to the strategy of unit placement and defense.
[edit] Factions
NiceCo - NiceCo invites you to experience the extravagance of outer colony living. You've worked hard, now don't you owe it to yourself and your loved ones to enjoy the decadent lifestyle that only a NiceCo luxury terraformed community can provide? Whether you enjoy exotic ammonium-sulfur lakeside views, or the dusky red vista of an iron-rich desert, we have just the planet for you. NiceCo - Building a better tomorrow, today!
DeWulf - At DeWulf Industrial, we turn uncolonized planets into energy. Chances are, you may never have heard of DeWulf, but you use our product every day. Whether you're taking the family around town in your jet or checking out the latest corporate police skirmish, you're depending on energy provided by us. At DeWulf, we turn planets into energy so you can watch football.
System7 - Greetings, human viewers. No doubt, by now you have heard of us. It is no secret that we view you as an unacceptable burden on our Universe, and that it is our intent to eliminate your kind entirely. We understand that you may have trouble accepting this fate, but we ask that you view the situation logically. You will be destroyed. Please cooperate so that your termination will be as comfortable and expedient as possible. Good day.
Team Alpha - We build the MoonBase technology and don't want anyone else running it. MoonBase is for everyone, not just for some corporate yahoo. Our resources many be limited, but if you join us, you'll get a big fish in our small pond.
[edit] Units
All factions have the same functionality, but vary in appearance. Adding secondary hubs below costs the same number of energy as their unit level.
Level 1 Units Anti-Air Missile Launcher, Bomb, Bridge, Cluster Bomb, and Repair.
Level 3 Units Spy Balloon, EMP, Missile, Mines, Reclaimer, and Power Spike.
Level 7 Units Crawler, Energy Collector, Hub, Offensive Unit, Shield Generator, and Virus.
[edit] Defunct Promotion Contest
When this game was initially released on August 13, 2002, it featured a contest that awarded the winner a trip to NASA's Space Camp.
[edit] Legacy
Despite receiving several accolades for its gameplay (including "Best Game Not Played on PC for 2002" by GameSpot), sales of the game did not match up with the accolades given to it. Speculation as to why the sales figures were not better than what they were included, either fairly or unfairly, several elements (including but not limited to) :
- A perception that the game was meant "for kids only" (perhaps reinforced by the ESRB rating of "E")
- Inadequate marketing of the game
- "Outdated" graphics for the game (as the game consisted of rendered sprite-based graphics, not 3D-based graphics which are now the standard for these types of games)
- An inability to modify existing units or adding fan-created units
[edit] External links
- MoonBase Command Center - A Moonbase Commander fan site
