Welcome, fellow megalomaniacs intent on domination. You don’t care about ruling the Earth, or even presiding over the solar system.
It’s all or nothing; give us the title Ruler of the Galaxy or give us death. Here are two new computer games that cater to our affliction, and should have a place on holiday wish lists.
From Austin’s The Logic Factory comes the best rule-the-galaxy simulation in a long while: “Ascendancy” (PC CD-ROM, The Logic Factory/Broderbund, $49.95) lets players choose from 21 races–six-legged lizards, sentient trees or giant eyeballs; none of them human–on the verge of space travel.
This takes the basic concepts familiar to most rule-the-galaxy simulations, or sims (develop technology, build better ships, capture more planets, develop better technology) and jolts the intensity hundredfold. Everything here is bigger: more tech, more planets, more competitors. Each race has a specific storyline that gives it a real sense of personality and motives for wanting to control the galaxy. Each race also has a unique ability. One develops technology faster, another can live on inhospitable planets, a third is better at diplomacy, and so on.
Ship-to-ship (and often planet-to-ship) battles are conducted in a 3D grid, with missiles and great wads of plasma bursting against enemies’ hulls or orbiting guns in explosions of light and sound.
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There are a couple of pitfalls–the same ones that most ruler-sims from “Civilization” to “Master of Orion” have fallen into. For example, new technology eventually stops becoming available, creating a glass ceiling for advancement. Also, the same technology is there for all 21 races; some race-specific advances would make the game more fun to replay with different aliens.
The graphics–especially the 3D space battles–really put “Ascendancy” over the top, as does the haunting music. “Ascendancy” is addictive, very replayable and well worth the wait.
“Millennia: Altered Destinies” (PC CD-ROM, Take 2, $59.95) is the long-awaited time travel/galactic travel sim where the player must use an ANGUS XTM (trans-time machine) to help four civilizations ward off a future attack by the evil Microids.
This game will spawn a new interest in time travel and fourth-dimensional thinking, the same way Microprose’s “Civilization” gave new life to the strategy/sim market years ago. “Millennia” is fun, challenging and, best of all, explores new ground in gaming.
It seems a mysterious hooded figure is rather fond of the Echelon Galaxy, but for some reason he needs a pawn to use ANGUS and stop the Microids. So he plucks MacDonald (the player) from the beginning of a 187-day trek from Jupiter to Earth, with the promise that he’ll return MacDonald to his ship just before reaching Earth.
This is the most unusual concept of the year, mostly because it involves thinking in the fourth dimension: time. To win the game, MacDonald not only must develop all four races to the point of fighting the Microids, but he also has to nurse each race into developing a certain technological advance that will allow escape from Echelon.
Along the way, MacDonald’s agents in each of the four civilizations must be used to defuse such crises as nuclear meltdowns, temperature changes and leadership problems. Crises are random, making the game different each time.
Time travel isn’t as easy as it sounds. For one thing, only one race can reach its maximum potential (the escape technology) at a time; the others have to be ignored until it’s their turn. Another obstacle is MacDonald. Another MacDonald, really: There’s an evil time traveler bouncing around working for the Microids, often cutting off a race’s potential early on.