Pros: Amazing graphics, exciting strategic combat, lots of customization for ships
Cons: Only two game modes, customization options limited until much later levels, no pure 360 movement for smaller ship classes
Recently we checked out Dreadnought during its closed beta, the free to play spaceship shooter from Yager Development where players captain their own huge, star destroyer scale, space battleships. We last saw the game at GamesCom last year and so were eager to get back in the commander chair and see how the game had changed.
From casting a glance things didn’t appear to be all that different, but more of the interface and out of combat mechanics had been more thoroughly padded out and we now have a more detailed overview just how character progression works. Checking over the conveniently named “Progression” tab we can see that there are a staggering 50 character levels to advance through where each level you unlock access to different Modules (weapons, shields, etc.), Ships, Officer Briefings and Appearance options. As ever you gain currency (FP) and Captain XP from playing matches, where the better you do the more you earn, this is used to get purchase new ships and module loadouts that you have unlocked.
There are currently three base models for the five available customizable class ships (Destroyer, Dreadnought, Corvette, Artillery and Tactical), these are unlocked at level 0, level 15 and level 25; they are the main ships that players can access and purchase modules for to customize the individual loadout. Away from that there are Trader Ships which are playable but can’t be customized, so that players at least have access to all five classes, and Hero ships which are purchased premium-esq ships that are heroic ships from the war (part of the lore) that are configured in a specific way and also can’t be customized, however once unlocked you can use their appearance options for your normal ships.
The progression and customization is very linear; you only unlock certain ships and more powerful modules at later levels, which isn’t the worst thing as it means new players don’t have to worry too much about the more powerful attacks and strategic modules whilst they are learning to play. However, whilst there are plenty of points on your ships to customize (around 10 in total) it does feel like you are definitely short on initial options to really customize, with some modules such as your secondary weapon on the Fulgora Corvette requiring a Captain level of 11 before you can upgrade, so for 11 levels on that ship you only have one secondary weapon option (and no options for different primary weapons at all). For a long time your ship will play fairly similarly to everyone else who is flying the same ship; at later levels when you’ve unlocked more module options then we can definitely see team play and communication becoming more viable and players changing their loadouts based on who else is on their team.
Team work is absolutely vital in the game, which is its shortfall at early levels (as with most games) as there’s very little communication between players, going into any foray without your team is pretty much a death sentence as you’re either out of position and too slow to get away, or fast and quick to get in but way ahead of your group and so become the only target for the group to obliterate. The team work was actually what we noticed was the biggest change from our GamesCom experience; at GamesCom we were talking over headset comms with other players and able to orchestrate some sort of strategy or focus on a specific target (as well as having the developers there pointing out what we should be doing). Without that we’re left with the F key that has 4 automatic default catchphrases (which is pretty limited) or the team text chat to try and make plans… which isn’t really viable mid battle unless they added some sort of auto-pilot to move you between targets, but stopping and typing in the battle is a bit of a pain.
In fairness the combat is a lot less hectic than other shooters and so battles are more strategic engagements than going in all guns blazing; you do have a bit of extra time to talk to each other if needs be, but once the battle starts it’s very hard to change tactics and get the team on board without voice comms. Unfortunately that’s something the game doesn’t have built into it and the developers seem fine with relying on external voice comm software (Skype, TeamSpeak, Ventrillo, etc.), but for the mixed random group it does feel like this game in particular is going to suffer from no built in system (we understand the cost and development isn’t the priority, but it feels like it is a big feature that is needed).
One of the big positives about the game is the graphics, designed on the Unreal Engine 4 it looks simply stunning, from the ship design, explosions and particle effects and the fantastically detailed map design ranging from space station battles and low orbit fights around arctic tundra locations. The gameplay is also pretty exciting and whether you’re a slow and steady Destroyer or the more mobile Corvette teleporting around the battlefield and outmanoeuvring opponents, there’s something for everyone and when everyone knows how to play their role and what is expected of them in battle then the matches can be really fun.
One of the things we are a little unsure about is the 360 movement system that is in place; you fly forward with W, backwards with S and steer left and right with A and D, to ascend you hit Spacebar and to descend you hit Shift. What this essentially creates is multiple flat levels that you can ascend/descend between and move around with WASD and your mouse is used for aiming your cursor. What you can’t do is point your ship down and fly directly down (nose down) which for space combat feels a little off, particularly in the smaller ships that feel more like fighters (but definitely aren’t fighters) but still don’t have this type of mobility, which is even more of a pain when flying a ship with guns mounted on the front in a forward firing arc so you can’t attack from directly above or below and have to come at the enemy side on for the most part (albeit there are rockets and the like that can mitigate this). The lack of pure 360 movement like in other air/space sim games feels unnatural in some ships; the Dreadnought and Destroyer ships it actually doesn’t feel too bad as they’re pretty slow, but the faster ships definitely don’t play as comfortably.
Right now the game, as it stands, is in a good place and has a lot to offer new players, with the inclusion of new ships and new game modes (currently only two: Team Deathmatch and Team Elimination) then it will definitely mark a big improvement. Definitely one to keep an eye on we enjoyed our time in the closed beta and think we’ll see good things from the developers and this title in the future.
Deja tu comentario
You must be logged in to post a comment.