Sunday, April 26, 2009

Star Trek: D-A-C Hands-On

IGN has posted a write-up with four videos of game play for the upcoming tie-in video game that will be released on XBox Live, Playstation Network and the PC in late May. The result seems to be a fast pace but simple shooter game with tiny little Starships vying to control points in space. As for what D-A-C might stand for IGN thinks, rather logically, that it stands for the three play modes of Deathmatch, Assualt and Conquest. Below is sections of the article that can be found here. Also all four videos of game play can be found here.
In Team Deathmatch, the first group to 50 kills wins. There is a 10 minute time limit and if it runs out whichever side is closest to 50 is the victor. Players will not have the ability to change the time limit or kill target.

Conquest is your typical point-capture game where you gain control of specific areas of the map by hanging out inside a circle. Two neutral points are found in the middle of the map, and once they are controlled the enemy's base will be unlocked for your capturing pleasure.

The third game mode, Assault, plays out over two rounds as each team takes turns attacking and defending a star base.

You pilot your ship on a flat 2D plane but there are layers of activity going on that provide depth of field. Swiss cheese asteroids can be flown through, or a planet may be slowly exploding in the background. Ships are rendered in 3D and will tilt while turning. There are also some nice lighting effects, noticeable when you fly close to space debris. Don't worry about getting too close -- your ship doesn't take damage from collisions.

When you begin a battle or respawn your ship will be pretty weak, but white orbs can be found floating around a map. These guys power-up your guns, with five power levels available. They also replenish your ship's energy, which is depleted by both firing and boosting. If you take too much enemy fire you'll get a chance to eject in an escape pod, after which if you survive for five seconds you'll immediately respawn with most of your power-ups. Fail to eject, though, and you'll lose everything and have to wait a few moments to rejoin the fight. There are also orange orbs floating about, which provide a one-use special ability like temporary invincibility or a cloaking device.

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