If there were a red book of endangered gaming genres, then in real time strategies would be in it in the first places. High -quality classic RTS levels Command & Conquer -That is, those where there is no built-in store, ubiquitous online and some sophisticated social network, offering to collect achievements and undergo tests-we have not seen for a long time. Independent developers are trying to do something, and recently they have become noticeably activated: remember Meridian: New World, Sunage And Mechs & Mercs: Black Talons. But still call them "high-quality classic RTS levels Command & Conquer»Language does not turn. And then, finally, a strategy appeared, which, albeit with some reservations, can be called. Fortunately created Grey Goo Just the authors C&C.
The game has a very convenient and thought out interface – it allows, for example, to instantly order any troops at whatever point in the card you are.
Petroglyph Games was founded in 2003 by former employees of the legendary Westwood Studios, responsible for such key for the RTS genre, such as the aforementioned Command & Conquer And Dune. For some time they continued to do what they could do most– Petroglyph Issued Star Wars: Empire at War And University at War: Earth Assault. And then times changed dramatically, and the studio went about the fashion. For seven years she made an online RPG MyTheon, Moba Battle for Graxia, Card strategy Guardians of Graxia. And unsuccessfully tried to combine her favorite genre with a newfangled online in End of Nations. The failure of this project, apparently, pushed Petroglyph To the idea to return to the roots – especially since now the degree of nostalgia for the good old games is running out.
Gray Apocalypse
So, Grey Goo – This is precisely that the classic RTS, without unnecessary bells and whistles and microtransactions. There is a campaign, "Skirmish" and multiplayer. All. You can compete in the usual modes against bots and other players: one against all or team for a team. Victory conditions are simple-destroy all enemy forces to the last unit, erase all buildings from the map or only headquarters. The gameplay is also the most classic: we build the base, copy resources, build workshops and factories for hiring different “units”, study “upgrades”, collect troops and carry “reasonable, kind, eternal” to the other end of the map.
The emphasis on a rich, spectacular campaign looks equally traditional. The authors took the popular theory of the end of the world, for the first time described Eric Drexler (Eric Drexler) in the book “Creation Machines”: they say that uncontrollable self -consolidating nanorobots eventually absorb all the substance available to them. This hypothetical scenario is called Grey Goo.
Each faction has one particularly powerful, legendary "Unit". And representatives of the "gray mucus" even feed him their uterus.
So, in the strategy of the same name from Petroglyph This very “gray mucus” has turned into … a playable fraction, one of the three sides of the conflict that erupted around the planet’s wealthy ecosystem 9. According to legend, these are the same nanorobots with the help of which humanity tried to carry out space expansion: they penetrated the “mole -holes” and made up maps of uninhabited planets. Then they turned the project, and the nanorobots, led by their gray “uterus”, disappeared somewhere. And now they showed up on the ecosystem 9 to absorb everything in their path.
At this moment, it was here that the representatives of the alien race beta built a huge ship and tested portals with which they could fly to other worlds or return home. Meanwhile, earthlings who once created all-devouring nanorobots receive a signal about their appearance on ecosystem 9 and send their ships there.
So a very interesting story begins, which abounds with unexpected turns and keeps in tension. During the missions, something is constantly happening, tasks often change on the go, some additional quests appear, the radio is full of messages. All this is accompanied by gorgeously set, movie quality with rollers, animated briefings and epic music from Frank Klepaki (Frank Klepacki), author of the soundtrack for Command & Conquer, and Budapest Symphony Orchestra.
Modular war
The gameplay scheme “Build https://gamblingdata.net/casinos/wizebets-casino/ the base, copy the troops and go to the other end of the card” – this is, of course, only a general, fairly simplified description. In fact in mechanics Grey Goo Many interesting nuances and details.
When erecting the base, the principle of modular construction is used: at the beginning there is some basic structure, and others are already attached to it. And if you, for example, want to produce tanks from this particular factory, then a tank shop should be attached to it. And if it is necessary to establish the production of siege technology of the beta faction, you will have to adjust the artillery workshop to the tank – unlike the lungs, many difficult units require compliance with several conditions for launching the conveyor.
However, to launch is only half the battle. Of great importance are “upgrades”, which are here for “units”, and for buildings, and for the economy in general. Thanks to them, for example, air heights get the opportunity to fade for ground targets, workshops, modules and factories strengthen the walls and begin to automatically be repaired, and resource collectors receive reinforced armor.
To each his own!
As it should be in games of this level, all “units” are correlated with each other according to the principle of “stone-bumar”, and three fractions have more or less important differences. So, “betes” are mobile than people: they can build modules, and, accordingly, and all sorts of other buildings anywhere in the map – you only need to scout it. But people have to lay power cables that feed workshops and factories. But they have more aviation, they build more defensive turrets and even know how to teleport their troops.
Nevertheless, in general, beta and people are quite similar to each other in terms of strategy and tactics. But "gray mucus" is really something unique. Their maternal base is … a lump of mucus. That is, it is a huge crawling slug. To begin the reproduction of his army, he must crawl to the source of resources and suck it like a leech. And as the uterus is saturated, it can instantly give birth to different other organisms and troops directly from her body. If the source of resources is almost sucked, the uterus will crawl to another. Or will produce a similar one, which will go to him.
Mucus has no aviation, but time does not spend time on the production of fighters of this fraction – jelly -like mass is instantly transformed into the desired form. In addition, some “slugs” after death turn into mobile modules, thus allowing to receive new troops.
However, for whom you play, great importance, especially at the start, is intelligence. Therefore, a separate place in the mechanics is given to Stlas and the technique that can act secretly or, conversely, discover enemy scouts. To this end, you can hide "units" in different vegetation. Well, in general, it is important to use the features of the landscape, in particular the hills, from which the surrounding lowlands are shot well.
Of course, to the level Command & Conquer New creation Petroglyph Games Still, it does not reach-there is not enough, in any case, the same depth and balance. In the "Skirmish" with bots and in the plot campaign, despite the differences between the factions, it often comes down to organize defense as quickly as possible, build walls and turrets. And then the work of technology is already. However, in network battles between players Grey Goo It is capable of captivating – it requires a much more thorough study of the pros and cons of each race and each type of "unit". One way or another, I want to say thanks to the authors and wish to continue in the same spirit – after all, the potential Grey Goo not yet disclosed to the end.
Pros: Fascinating story campaign;spectacular videos;chic soundtrack;classic gameplay;significant differences between fractions;variety of "units" and improvements for them.
Cons: Despite all efforts, the game sometimes still looks too uniform and the same for all fractions.
Grey Goo
The best comments
So, they were not so kind and these balls from World of Goo))
And I thought when the sequel would be ..!
The candidate for the purchase, only the price tag is slightly high (and I say this, who kills on PS4-games for 2800 rubles, I am ashamed).
The work of heavy long -range artillery in this game can be observed forever … as well as nuclear explosions.
Well C&C 3 and Red Alert 3 are no longer the games of the Westwood, but so based. It is more correct to compare with the games of this studio. As for the construction system, it seems to me it is very entertaining. Here units are not enough yes. And then if they accurately repeated the mechanics of the old games, many would have accelerated that there were no innovations. As for design, this concept is subjective, for example, I do not mind such a design.
Morphids had aviation. And she was a grunted imba, whatever you say … You can drive in a pack of 4 fighters who appear at that minute of the game, when the enemy also has no turrets, or go to the "laf"-to the post-terror dreadlocks. I get missiles, from the laser shield. And what to do with these creatures?:)
Eh … nostalzhi!
Earth 2160. Three decent distinguishing fractions with their own characteristics and technologies, ranging from the method of erecting the base and resource production, and ending with preferences in the types of damage and weapons. Modular technique with the ability to install a powerful laser gun on the same tank or an even more powerful chemical, with a different type of damage, ignore of energy schools, but small radius. Or even an X -ray gun, killing drivers of armored vehicles with the possibility of taking it.
BTV, the count is still Viabab. There is a tricky move with a register that takes a restriction on the permission of the picture. And yes, the number of the army depends on the number of storage facilities.
“As expected, there are restrictions on the maximum size of the army."
Like in c&C did not have a restriction on the army limit, as in some other RTS like Stronghold Crusader
The strategy in the absence of any worthy competitors is quite good. The videos in it are really beautiful and the plot at least fascinates a little.
But what is bad in it – design. This is the trouble of Petroglyph with Universe At War, where untreating white figures fought with large untreating brown raiding houses.
The situation in Grey Goo is much worse. When moving large crowds of troops, a mini-game is turned on “Find the necessary tanks among white merging figures”.
But it is much more interesting what is happening with AI in these crowds: I have not met such a terrible Path-Finding for a long time. The troops push, interfere with each other, do anything to stretch out as a longer column as possible, so that they are easy to shoot. And the reaction to the execution of you too, admit, will most likely surprise you. As an old fan of the genre, I somehow got used to that if your troops attack, they will scream about this on every corner, and they themselves will try to go and punish the offender. Here the soldiers will not take a step without your word until the enemy enters the zone of shelling at least one unit. Even if he himself is visible, but he is behind the shelling zone, no one will take a step without an order. I understand that this is done so that the tanks do not pull out in one, but I have not met such a microcontrol for every unit on the map, for nothing that a big lover of Starcraft 2.
The rest of the game represents a good suitable mishmash of many ideas that they appeared earlier in games. Gray mucus gameplay is very reminiscent of Earth 2160 morphids, like Earthlings of the Eurozian dynasty from the same game. This is not so bad, because the game is done well … but there are no your ideas in it. At all. Because of which somehow there is no emotion left after passing, although she will captivate you while you play the bout. Unfortunately, no one can remember Grey Goo a couple of months after the release. She does not have her own ideas, she is too typical.
… the game is definitely necessary to take – yes, it is far from perfect, but as the reviewer noted – the RTS genre, alas, disappears … – and rare developers need to pay – you look at their creation or release the best continuation ..
… in essence, the reviews – I will not get involved with many … – So –
1 – the company – no plot – it does not even call the writings a gifted schoolboy;There are beautiful videos (which is surprising), but there is absolutely no meaning, action and filling in them – none of them will be reviewed … – And you will really know anything about the characters even on the official website. ;Misses (5 for each side) for the most part do not represent anything interesting, and additional tasks are something from the series-kill 2 small enemy bases to the main one …-or standard for everyone-build "super unit". ;In general, there is a feeling that the company is banal training for beginners ..
2 – multiplayer – what to say about him? – Cards and 10 pieces still do not recover … – We play ..
3 – design is a specific thing, but cannot but raise questions – why people were made more likely to protoses? – Why do people with their advancedness and teleportation pull electricity through wires? -Yes, and it is not always possible to reach these wires to the next source of resources due to the features of the landscape …-Why are the units of the GU look like monsters? -In principle, why is the nano-toes to take any specific form? – Well, why beta second pair of small hands? – In the manner of front paws at the tyrannosaurus?=)))
… and yes – there are a lot of borrowings in the game … – But is it bad? – Yes, personally, I will be very happy with any quality clone of any legendary RTS … – And GG, in my opinion, is at least, and despite all the shortcomings, the game is of high quality.
What does it just have to do. Initially. 200. Without explanation. Without "farms". There is simply, probably, as it should be “high -quality classic RTS levels level & Conquer "