Veteran players turn-based strategy certainly remember Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. The successful colonization of alien planets from the year 1999 where the small indie development team Proxy Studios as a model for their strategy game Pandora: First Contact. In November 2013 it was initially released as a download only version, from 24 January will now be available as a boxed version.
Pandora: First Contact - Alpha Centauri meets Civilization, and does a not bad.
Pandora: First Contact - Alpha Centauri meets Civilization, and does a not bad. [Source: See picture gallery]
As a self-confessed fans of the strategy classic Alpha Centauri, the indie developer team Proxy Studios called from the Frankish Erlangen. This becomes immediately noticeable when a game Pandora: First Contact begins. According to the model of Sid Meier it comes to control the fate of mankind on a newly colonized planet and thereby to compete with offset litigants.
Classic gameplay
After an intro neat-looking at first imagines a desired game options. Thus one defines, for example, how many groups you want to have to do it, and determines their level of difficulty. Six playable races are available, each of which has advantages and disadvantages for certain parameters. So the Solar Dynasty has a high bonus in terms of production, must ensure an immensely increased pollution in buying take. The Religious Order of Light, however, goes with a morale bonus at the start, but falters when it comes to research.
Clearly tooltips give the corresponding information rate, so you can quickly choose the appropriate fraction for personal playing style. In addition, the size of the game world, climates, game speed, victory conditions and aggressive behavior of living on Pandora aliens can be set - setting the game to measure, fine.
Good plagiarized
Whether it is hoping to military, scientific or economic victory, the gameplay designed initially equal. We build the help of colonizer units consisting of the cities of the hexes, colorful game world. Each field has different economic values, as raw materials thereby serve food and ore deposits. These can be use gold veins in order to earn extra credits. Arctic hill only contain ore reserves on land grass can only grow food, hill areas provide both resources. With increasing size of the city and the respective sphere of influence of a settlement grows. Nice thing is that you can specify in advance which field you want to take possession with the next expansion of the city. Of course, in such a scenario, the obligatory terraforming unit should not be missed. Thus, the tiles can be optimized, provided convert and roads. The settlement saves in the game is beautifully implemented and motivated.
Ravenous aliens
Even if the planet name has nothing to do with the eponymous film by James Cameron, the indigenous to Pandora Aliens remember but a little to the cinema strip. Ravenous plants and animals as well as long-legged dinosaur-like air and water creatures ensure that the inclined settler in the way. Depending on the selected difficulty level the aliens act more or less as an annoying nuisance. Communication is not possible with them. So it goes next to the progressive colonization on Pandora first time about gradually wegzuputzen alien breeding sites and their units. But the players are also appropriate military units, weapons and special abilities available.
Research, fight, trade
In the extensive research tree we work our progress little by little, newly available equipment can be installed easily in the unit workshop. This one falls back on basic modules such as infantry, armor, air and marine unit. Each unit can be equipped with one weapon, armor, and equipment type. The effectiveness of a unit depends mainly on whether the equipment is better suited to biological or mechanical units.
battles are turn-based instead on the hexes, units can be arbitrarily stacked in a field. This ultimately results in the skirmishes also a weak point of Pandora. Because the tactical possibilities are very limited. Thus one usually wins simply by mass. On top of that can be displayed before a fight by tooltip, how high is the chance of a victory. Too bad, here we miss something tactical depth.
strategic for dealing with the other parties in the game is very classic diplomacy function ready. This turns out, however, as little innovative. So are the always identical text menus are available for all fractions.
Regular edition with weaknesses
Pandora: First Contact makes plenty of fun for a while, which is mainly due to the successful implementation of classic strategy virtues. It often feels like a Civ / Alpha Centauri "light". Also the LAN mode contained should make for an entertaining multiplayer games with friends. Nevertheless, there is something missing on the Langzeitmotiviation. The individual nations total differ too little, you miss special units or buildings such as Wonders of the World. Here Sid Meier has just still in the lead. Pandora: First Contact but works well as a successful alternative to the genre kings.
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