UPDATE:  Sega has announced that the game is officially delayed until January 2008 which is a big win for fans of the title as this should give them more time for polish.  I guess Sega was listening to our preview after all! 


When Sega and Petroglyph initially announced Universe at War: Earth Assault earlier this year and released the usual PR payload of preview videos and screenshots, it generated a large amount of interest among fans of the RTS genre. When I finally got to see a live ten minute presentation of the title, I instantly declared to the developers, on-hand to demotheir 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 would be later this year.

Now, many months later, I’ve played the public beta test, extensively, and am left to wonder, “What the hell happened?”  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 will save it. Fortunately, it’s a beta, so all is not lost – though – this close to launch I question how much can be resolved. Since the flaws in the game are almost entirely gameplay and balance related, let’s cover the problems of the current build of the game in an easy way, by analyzing each race individually.

I Would Walk 5,000,000,000,000 Miles…

We’ll start with the Hierarchy, probably the game’s most unique race. The Hierarchy war machine is centered around the use of 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 customization.

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 in an RTS game, 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 lose. 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.

Nanotechnology is Overrated

Next we’ll cover the Novus, Universe at War’s most balanced race (in relation to other RTS games). The Novus are sentient machines, their bases constructed from nanotechnology 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 opponent.

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. The Novus also have access to an incredibly powerful super-weapon, the Black Hole Generator, which can literally wipe clean an entire screen of enemy units in one go. Playing as the Novus is probably the most fun you’ll have in this game, at least until its balancing problems are addressed.

Talk About Overkill

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. 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, You see, The Masari are blessed with infinite resources, which are produced by building a structure called a Matter Generator. Similar to Supreme Commander, these structures generate resources automatically and forever, and you can build as many of them as you like.

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 cheap, incredibly powerful units, and what do you get? If you aren’t playing as the Masari, you invariably get your ass kicked. Again...

Patience, My Child…

Despite these fundamental problems, I’m still looking forward to Universe at War: Earth Assault. No Seriously! If Petroglyph and Sega do the right thing and postpone the release of the game for about four to six months, and really listen to what the beta testers are telling them, it could very well be one of the best RTS titles of the year. Unfortunately, the game is due to launch the end of this month, with Petroglyph promising a patch that will fix all of the game’s many bugs and address the balancing issues. That doesn’t sound very reassuring to me, and I foresee nothing but mediocre reviews and poor sales for the title unless they follow their beta tester’s advice.

Ask yourself this question: Would you rather have a buggy, broken game now or a refined, balanced, and solid title in the near future? The answer is pretty obvious to me. Let’s hope Sega and Petroglyph get the hint.