When Sega and Petroglyph initially announced Universe at War earlier this year and provided the usual mishmash of preview videos and screenshots, it generated a large amount of interest among fans of the RTS genre. When I got to see a live ten minute presentation of the title earlier this year, I declared to the developers that were showing off their Sci-Fi opus that it would be an “instant sell” for me, and demanded to know some kind of release date, which they happily said was later this year. Now, many months later, I’ve played the the final release build and can’t help but wonder what the hell happened to this promising title. In short, the game has balancing issues that effectively break it on a fundamental level, and nothing short of a serious overhaul of the balancing mechanics in a post-release patch will save it. Let’s cover the problems of the game in an easy way, by analyzing each race individually.
We’ll start with the Hierarchy, probably the game’s most unique race. The Hierarchy war machine is centered around massive, lumbering Walkers, which not only serve as mobile unit factories but also lead the charge into battle as ultra-heavy assault platforms. There are three types of walkers: Habitat, Assembly, and Science. The Habitat walker produces infantry, the Assembly walker produces vehicles, and the Science walker specializes in unlocking advanced abilities. Each of these walkers has a number of hardpoints spaced across the chassis that allow for the individual customization of each machine. The walkers are slow, powerful, and expensive, giving Hierarchy players an early advantage in the first few moments of a game. The units the Walkers produce range from moderately useful yet expensive infantry, overly expensive vehicles with slightly powerful attacks but relatively weak armor, and a single expensive air unit. Are you noticing a pattern here? I keep bringing up how expensive Hierarchy units are for one very good reason: In every game I’ve played thus far as the Hierarchy, my resources have completely exhausted themselves within the first forty-five minutes of the game, if not sooner. I suppose I’ve been spoiled by Supreme Commander’s excellent resource system, but when I’m playing a multiplayer match, I don’t want to be forced into a loss simply because the map has run out of resources for me to harvest. When this occurs all that’s left to do is notify the other player that I’m ready to surrender. While the Hierarchy has the most interesting gameplay mechanics in theory, the absurd rate at which they flush away resources makes the race practically unplayable.
Next we’ll deal with the Novus, UaW’s most balanced race (in relation to other RTS games). The Novus are sentient machines, their bases constructed from high-tech materials and connected over the entire map via an energy web called the Flow. It’s the Flow that makes the Novus a force to be reckoned with, even when dealing with a Masari or Hierarchy force. The Flow allows Novus infantry and ground vehicles to transport anywhere on the map almost instantaneously, as long as the Flow can reach that point and there is an exit terminus constructed nearby. The Novus also suffer from dwindling resource problems, however their units and structures are significantly less expensive than the Hierarchy’s, and they can easily outlast in a prolonged fight. Novus units are generally quick and moderately damaging, but their Redirection Turrets, which send hostile energy blasts back toward enemy units, can prove to be an almost impossible barrier to cross. Add to this the incredibly powerful and visually impressive Black Hole Generator super weapon that can literally wipe clean an entire screen of enemy units in one go, and any player that wishes to play the turtle can do so for as long as they like! Or, rather, until they run out of resources.
Finally we come to the game’s most completely overpowered race, the Masari. These guys are an ancient race of relatively benevolent aliens that came to Earth thousands of years ago, fleeing the Hierarchy. Despite this backstory, and considering how ridiculously powerful they are, I really don’t know why they bothered. Where the Hierarchy and Novus have to worry about resource expenditure, even risking the loss of a game because a map might simply run out of harvestable resources, the Masari have no such problem, as they are blessed with infinite resources. To accumulate resources the Masari build a structure called a Matter Generator. Similar to Supreme Commander’s resource production structures, these buildings generate resources automatically and forever, and you can build around 22 of them at a single time. Additionally the Masari have harnessed the power of Light and Dark energy, a state which can be swapped back and forth at will, each providing different powers and abilities. The majority of Masari units fire what basically amount to directed artillery shells in multiple, rapid fire bursts, which look like glowing energy balls that impact in massive explosions, laying waste to enemy units and structures. Now, combine the advantages of unlimited resources, alternating powers, and incredibly powerful units, and what do you get? If you aren’t playing as the Masari, you invariably get your ass kicked.
Despite these fundamental problems, I still have hope for Universe at War, as future patches might just resolve these balancing issues and make it a game worth playing.
