he North American Strategic Defense Agency seemed like a good idea, but its implementation nearly proved fatal to humanity. In the year 2085 the system malfunctioned and launched a "preemptive" nuclear strike against every major city on the planet. Nuclear winter followed and billions died, but from the ashes rose a phoenix. Deep in the Rocky Mountains, a small group of North Americans discovered an abandoned underground military base. They rebuilt the base and then fanned out across the continent--well-armed, of course--to reclaim humanity's pre-war technologies and rekindle civilization.
Warzone 2100 is their story, a real-time strategy game depicting the struggle of those remaining North Americans against the disorganized evil into which post-apocalypse Earth has fallen. Players control groups of tanks, vertical take off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, artillery batteries, and infantry in a single-player campaign to restore Earth to her former glory.
Of course, there is a wee bit more than combat involved here. As pro forma for the genre, gamers must harvest energy (in this case oil), build buildings and units, and explore the land. Missions are a mixed bag of build-up-and-conquer scenarios, timed raids and other semi-scripted battles.
The interface is the standard point-and-click stuff. The clicking, however, is done from a fully rotate-able 3-D perspective. Even better, the third dimension is not just for looks. Buildings block incoming fire, and the reverse slope of hills can hide enemy units. Likewise, inclines slow units moving up and speed those coming down.
Warzone 2100 also includes numerous multiplayer options, ranging from Internet play to direct modem connections.
Great design, great fun
Warzone 2100 was designed thoughtfully and executed almost flawlessly. Although it offers nothing radically innovative compared to other games, it does almost everything so well that it brings a new fold to the wrinkled old genre of real-time strategy titles. Pumpkin Studios (Warzone's development house) has spared nary a thought--nor a line of code--in making this the most user-friendly, battle-enhancing, real-time game on the market.
For example, factories can not only be set to crank out limitless quantities of units (resources permitting), they can also be set to spew out various groups--such as two tanks, a VTOL and a truck. Furthermore, these groups can be automatically sent anywhere on the map. Individual units can be "programmed" to fight at specific ranges, retreat at a given level of damage, and return to the nearest repair site for refurbishment.
To top it off, groups of units may be assigned to a commander. Gamers can then assign orders to the groups simply by clicking on the commanders that control them. Both the commanders and their charges gain experience over time and may be carried over from mission to mission. At last there is real-time strategy that takes the minutiae off the gamer's shoulders and lets players manage rather than micromanage!
A friendly artificial intelligence and a well-conceived interface are just two of Warzone's strong points. There are also hundreds of weapons and units to choose from. In fact, gamers can actually build--by combining different turrets, bodies and propulsion units--whatever unit they feel necessary to complete the task at hand.
The units, and the terrain they traverse, are grittily handsome. A tan dust/fog covers the unexplored map areas, while tanks bob over rough ground and machine guns kick up sand spouts. As mentioned before, this beauty is more than skin deep. Hills block the enemy's line of sight, making ambushes and indirect fire weapons important tools of war.
The game's only significant flaw lies in the enemy AI. The computer has a tough time managing its own resources, and it will stockpile units behind factories even when they are desperately needed at the front. The AI's attacks are not decisive, and frequently the computer dribbles units into the fray rather than assaulting its opponent en masse.
Nevertheless, Warzone 2100 is a superior game. Its intelligently constructed interface, superbly friendly AI and 3-D terrain dwarf any flaws. This game will make an excellent addition to any player's collection, whether they are novices or seasoned warlords.
