In adapting a Warhammer 40K tactical board game to real-time naval combat, Battlefleet Gothic: Armada pulls off some visually appealing inter-species starship battles. The actual tactics, though, are tough to appreciate because of problems with pacing and transparency.
The Warhammer 40K setting is the best part of Battlefleet, with four factions – the Human Imperium, the evil Chaos fleets, the reckless Orks, and the elven Eldar – all both playing and looking distinct from one another. The Orks’ ships like to ram, for instance, while the Eldar’s swoop around on solar sails, dashing from one vantage to the next.
The real-time two-dimensional battles are relatively slowly paced, especially next to something like a StarCraft-style RTS, but they’re always visually appealing. The background of every battle includes colorful planets and nebulae, while the fighters, torpedos, and projectiles from each ship makes combat feel busy and exciting. There’s clearly a lot going on under the hood as well, with each ship having different systems that can be individually targeted, special moves for captains to undertake, boarding parties to launch, and bombs to plant.
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The Warhammer 40K setting is the best part of Battlefleet, with four factions – the Human Imperium, the evil Chaos fleets, the reckless Orks, and the elven Eldar – all both playing and looking distinct from one another. The Orks’ ships like to ram, for instance, while the Eldar’s swoop around on solar sails, dashing from one vantage to the next.
The real-time two-dimensional battles are relatively slowly paced, especially next to something like a StarCraft-style RTS, but they’re always visually appealing. The background of every battle includes colorful planets and nebulae, while the fighters, torpedos, and projectiles from each ship makes combat feel busy and exciting. There’s clearly a lot going on under the hood as well, with each ship having different systems that can be individually targeted, special moves for captains to undertake, boarding parties to launch, and bombs to plant.
Continue reading…
Continue reading...