The two mechanics create very different strategies

Mar 25, 2015 23:10 GMT  ·  By

There were no fighters in Star Trek - The Next Generation, the intellectual property that in mind is linked to the new Sid Meier's Starships, but during the first few missions of the Firaxis title, gamers will get to see one of the vessels they are facing launching a group of three smaller ships that have the power of changing the result of a battle.

The fighters are relatively weak in terms of hitpoints, but they do have remarkable speed and can maneuver well enough to get behind capital ships and attack them from the angles where their shields offer the least protection.

A fleet of five ships that all launch one set of smaller craft can add about 50 percent to its offensive power and the computer factions also have a tendency to target fighters first, which means that gamers need to spend less energy on repairs and can shift those resources to upgrades.

Torpedoes are another tool for the tactical layer of Sid Meier's Starships, allowing the player to launch a powerful unguided missile that can be detonated each turn after the first or can be allowed to move further.

Except for very lucky shots, I’ve found that they are best used as a territory denial tool, making sure that the enemy ships do not move in certain areas of the map, keeping them in sectors where friendly forces can hit them at will.

Sid Meier's Starships also features stealth and scanners

I found stealth to be uninteresting in combat, mostly because the scale of the battlegrounds means that surprise is very hard to achieve, but the computer seems fond of using it when it can.

My own strategy has focused on well-armored ships that favor lasers for long range engagements, and each can launch a pod of fighters in order to harass the enemy and make sure it does not get the chance to implement a solid tactical plan.

The most challenging battles in Sid Meier's Starships were against opponents who mixed powerful but slow ships that delivered torpedoes at a constant pace while faster companions with short range kinectic weapons tried to come close and do massive damage.

Most combat scenarios delivered by the Firaxis game are engaging, but unfortunately, the AI seems to be limited in terms of its understanding of the system and it would be great for the studio to add a multiplayer component to the title.

Sid Meier's Starships Diary Images (4 Images)

Sid Meier's Starships battle time
Tactical space in Sid Meier's StarshipsAsteroids matter in Sid Meier's Starships
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