OT - Allegiance

[Alneyan]

The topic on FPS prompted me to write something about Allegiance, one of the few (if not the only one) multiplayer flight sim not being a MMORPG. The game was shipped a few years ago, as a game played exclusively on Microsoft's Zone, and with a monthly fee. But the source code has been released , and the game is now free to play on private servers.

So, a typical game involves two teams, each led by a commander. The commander handles the strategy of the team, while the other players are all flying a ship or another. You may be flying a scout for recon, or manning the turret of that bomber, or repairing allied vessels, and so on. You may switch to another ship/ship configuration once you reach a base, where you will be virtually safe (well, until the base is destroyed by enemy bombers that is).

I do not know so much about the specifics of the commander's work, but I believe she handles the deployment of miners (for more resources), the research of the team, the construction of other bases, and so on. The commander may also give specific orders to your ship, such as "Well, Poor Pilot, please take down that capital ship with your fighter, will you?".

Death is handled a bit better than in most other games I can think of. Once your vessel is destroyed, you will be ejected in an escape pod, with your experience intact. But since a pod isn't exactly the best ship available, you will have to go back to your base to get back into an actual ship (or wait for a teammate to pick you up). If the enemy team wishes to do so, they can also destroy your pod, sending you back to your base. They will get some money, and you will lose your experience, but it will allow you to get back into the fray faster.

Lastly, there are more than one faction available, and "mods" are being made for the game. I would be hard put to give in-depth information on these two areas however; I am just beginning Allegiance myself.

So, out of idle curiosity, are there other players of Allegiance here? If you would like to check it out, the main site is available here, along with the game download (slightly less than 60 mo; low speed Users, beware!).

[pathfinder]

Beta tested it back in the day. Nice game, especially if the commander has half an idea as to what to do.

It playes pretty much as Alneyan says.

[Col. Mustard]

Umm, you got any screens maybe? I am always up for another new game.

[Will]

Sounds interesting... downloading now, I'll install next week. If I survive (two finals, two robot projects, a lab, a term paper, a formal ball to organize, miscellaneous errands...).

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Look, if you see anybody in glass slippers, make sure they get in their pumpkin before twelve, ok?

[Will]

My duties lie more along getting the word out/advertising, but ok

Although I think the main organizer is trying to push the decoration duties a bit more on me too, since I apparently have more "experience". This, said of the person who skipped out on all the high school dance stuff (including "prom")... I think I've managed to push it all back onto the original person in charge of all that. So all I have to do is invitations, flyers, and talk to a lot of people, constantly. But still, that's going to take about 8 hours out of my week, between design and distribution... I don't even want to think about how much time everything else is going to eat.

--edit: and, ahem... sorry for hijacking. Allegiance really looks good, if it seems like a steep learning curve (just a quick look at their "newbie" guide had a bunch of terms being thrown about that I have no idea what they mean).

[Suicide Junkie]

Col. Mustard said:
Umm, you got any screens maybe? I am always up for another new game.

A quick google puts it 5th in the list, with screenies two clicks away.
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=...e+Search&meta=

[Atrocities]

I miss the game play that Freespace had. Freespace was a an awsome game, but no multiplayer.

[Alneyan]

Freespace had multiplayer, both Freespace 1 and Freespace 2 if memory serves (I never played FS1 in multiplayer, but seem to recall there was an option). The main problem is finding players for FS2 at the moment, as the Paradox servers are virtually devoid of life.

I would probably prefer Allegiance, assuming there is a good commander for the team, as otherwise... Well, let's just say you would spend a lot of time being dead, as flying solo is unlikely to be that successful.

No worries with hijacking Will, so long as you register yourself as an approved hijacker. Feel free to ask me where to send the monthly fee for the "Hijacker Accreditation, Level Alpha". (In other words, I can hardly blame hijackers when I am doing just the same in other threads)

[PvK]

Ya, Allegiance is nice in many ways. Too bad though it is an RTS (i.e., the time scales are whacked to support the RTS (stands for Really-whacked-Time-Silly)). I saw it before it came out, etc, but then I only started actually learning to play it just as M$ was abandoning supporting it, so I gave up.

PvK