Chris Taylor On War

Move over, Clausewitz. Supreme Commander (SupCom) redefines the seamless blending of strategic and tactical control of the virtual battlefield.

Supreme Commander
At a Glance

Graphics = 4.0
Relatively simple models and effects due to the sheer numbers of them on the battlefield.
Sounds = 5.0
Bass-pumping SFX and Jeremy Soule’s classic score makes this one pleasing to the ears.
Difficulty = Moderate
The enemies are a bit more aggressive in the campaign modes, but the skirmish bots are pretty turtlish and AI pathfinding is still a problem.
Controls = 5.0
A concise tutorial and sensible interface makes controlling 1,000 units very easy.
Multiplayer = 5.0
From quick skirmishes to day-long epic battles, multiplayer SupCom is the way to play.
Replayability = 4.0
Only 18 singleplayer missions and lame AI skirmishes, but multiplayer play provides hours of frantic mouse clicking.


Chris Taylor Returns to the RTS Arena


Total Annihilation (TA) fans remember Chris Taylor as the man who brought the real-time strategy (RTS) genre into 3-D. The original TA, released in 1997, was not only revolutionary in its 3-D engine, but also in its tremendous unit cap, huge battlefields, and flexibility in user-made modifications. Even to this day, TA is still played by hundreds of fans who believe that there is no RTS franchise quite like this one.

A sequel had always been in the works for TA, but a true sequel never materialized. Also, the dissolution of Cavedog Entertainment, Taylor’s original publishing company, made the possibility of a sequel bleak. However, Taylor never gave up finding a suitor to his franchise, and after signing onto THQ, a spiritual successor to TA has finally been released.


What’s new in SupCom?


SupCom basically takes the best features of TA and makes them even better. Here’s a breakdown of SupCom’s improvements and new features:

Three new factions: SupCom now features three similar factions: the United Earth Federation, the Cybran Nation, and the Aeon Illuminate. Like TA, each faction has equivalent units. Also, each faction has inherent strengths and weaknesses. UEF units tend to be slow and powerful. Cybran units are faster and more flexible, but are weaker and less powerful. Aeon units are more specialized. Unlike TA, the differences between units can be drastic. Cybran battleships can traverse on land. Aeon siege artillery can fire while moving. UEF Commanders can have support drones built on them.

Experimental Units: Look out, Krogoth! Each faction also has three all-powerful experimental units that can turn the tide of a battle. Like the Krogoth, each experimental unit takes massive time and resources to build, but their contribution is worth it.

Tactical/Strategic Zoom: This is the most important addition to the game. By rolling your mouse wheel, you can be like a Joint Chief and see an iconographic view the entire battlefield and your intelligence assets. Next instant, you can switch on the shoes of a field Lieutenant and have an up-close tactical view of the local action.

Advanced Commands and Queuing: Like TA, holding the shift button while issuing commands lets you see the command queue of your units. Unlike TA, you can modify the location of the command queue. You have a scout patrol waypoint set up that puts it in the line of fire of an enemy defense? Simply hold shift and move the disputed waypoint into a safer location.

Also, every TA veteran knows what a pain in the butt it is to transport a large amount of units. With the advanced Ferry command, you can have a group of transports constantly ferry units to-and-fro until there are no more left; all with a few mouse clicks.

What about large-formation tank rushes and coordinated group attacks? Those activities can be simply executed too. By assigning a move waypoint and left-clicking, you can set different movement formations. When you’re done, the AI will position those units first, then carry out the movement. If other groups are set to attack a unit, the AI will position all groups until all groups are ready to attack simultaneously.

All in all, the additions in SupCom give the player greater control and flexibility in both a strategic and tactical environment.

Adjacency Bonuses: Turtlers rejoice! SupCom now rewards players for building tight, effective use of resource gatherers and managers. By placing generators next to your factories, those factories will consume less resources while constructing units. Place storage units next to your generators and gatherers, and those buildings will mine more resources than normal. Rebuild over a destroyed structure, and it will cost less to restore the structure.

Graphics and Sound

Compared to contemporary RTS’s such as Lord of the Rings or Company of Heroes, SupCom doesn’t look quite as good. However, if LOTR or CoH tries to render as many units in as many different viewpoints that SupCom has, those games would grind to a halt.

SupCom’s visuals are good enough to keep gameplay smooth while presenting much more objects in the scene than almost any other RTS. All units take advantage of normal mapping; so all objects may have simple model shapes, but look multi-faceted. As the battle rages on, players will find their once pristine units showing battle damage and progressive smoke. As you survey the field after a fight, hulking, burnt-out wrecks lay dormant, waiting to be reclaimed.

TA veterans will recognize the music of Jeremy Soule. His booming, rousing score from TA make a comeback in SupCom. Also, because SupCom doesn’t use redbook audio (meaning you can’t play the CD on your CD player) the transitions between musical genres are smoother.


The Factions


SupCom factions breathe life into the symmetrical units. All three factions are thrust into a millennium-long struggle called the Infinite War. A thousand years after that war, all three sides have no rested their hopes on their all-powerful Commander.

The UEF is composed of remnants of the old Earth Empire. After that Empire fell and fragmented, the survivors gathered and formed the UEF hoping to re-unite all humanity under one umbrella. UEF units are reminiscent of the Arm units in TA. Industrial and mechanical, UEF units are as rough and tumble as the military. Their campaign involves the building of the Black Sun; a weapon of mass destruction that could destroy planets using the quantum gateways. The President of the UEF hopes to use this weapon to end the infinite war and secure hegemony.

The Cybran Nation are independent beings created by the genius Dr. Brackman. After escaping captive control by the Earth Empire, Dr. Brackman and his followers relocated to another planet and thrived without the Empire’s control. Unfortunately, the UEF seeks to re-incorporate them into their rule while the Aeon wishes to “cleanse” them. Cybran units are reminiscent to the Core faction in TA and are cybernetic and freakish by appearance. They hope to use the Black Sun to shut down the quantum gateways and gain freedom from pestering invaders.

The Aeon are Earth voyagers who formed a relationship with an alien civilization known as the Seraphims. The humans learned much from their hosts, but the Empire deemed their knowledge a threat and the aliens were eradicated. Aeon units are sleek, elegant, and fire strange projectiles that cause damage to enemies over time. While their military conquests have given them great territory, their spiritual Princess desires the path of peace and hopes to halt the militant factions among her people and prevent the UEF and Cybran from using the Black Sun.

All campaigns are a separate storyline. They are not a continuation from one to the other. Even though there are only six missions per campaign, you will probably get 20 hours of tough gameplay. Each map has a progressive mission structure that increases the size and difficulty of the mission as you complete objectives. In the end, you are treated to fine pre-rendered sequences that tell the conclusion of the Infinite War for each faction.


Final Thoughts


Personally, there hasn’t been a more revolutionary RTS since Rome: Total War. In the intervening years, there have been several rehashes of the same formula and closer inspections of either the tactical aspect (CoH or WarHammer) or the strategic aspect (Total War series or Civilization series). SupCom seamlessly blends both aspects and offers a level of control that is smooth and intuitive.

And this is only the beginning. Chris Taylor has always stressed community involvement in his games, and it shows. TA has enjoyed strong support from the modding community. Wait till the modding community starts releasing their mods for SupCom. Then the battlefield will open up even more.