Unfortunately, the Federation’s tree is the only one with any interesting choices. The tree also offers some alternate “non-canonical” paths: wanna take the Federation down to the dark side and conquer the other powers? You can, and the Mission Tree will reward you for doing so. For example, gather enough alloy as the Federation and you can build the Enterprise if you’re playing the Romulans and on good terms with the Federation, they might help you when your sun starts dying, which opens a different path on the tree. One of the best additions to the genre, however, is the Mission Tree – a series of branching events you can complete to take your civilization down different paths. Abrams reboot trilogy might try to tell you, Star Trek isn’t really about ships shooting at each other with phasers and photon torpedoes – but it is kind of a bummer that there’s not more variety to break up all the menu management. Usually, the only thing you have to do to win a battle is build a larger force than your opponent and throw it at them until they surrender. The combat in Infinite doesn’t have the same depth to make it as engaging. With so much to keep track of, it’s easy to get overwhelmed, but thankfully you can pause and take your time to think out each move, and all of these systems combine for a compelling, unique take on the 4X formula. As in most grand strategy games, however, the appeal is in the larger choices you make to guide your faction, not necessarily the moment-to-moment unit management. You’ll colonize planets, construct fleets, mine and manage resources, build your relationships with other powers, recruit leaders, research technology, and boldly go where no one has gone before, but you do all of it by clicking through menus. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of strategy in this grand strategy game. Once you get going, though, things are like any other grand strategy game – in other words, you’ll manage a lot of spreadsheets. The downside is that it takes a bit for each new playthrough to actually feel “new,” which puts a little bit of a damper on the initial replayability. This setup does a great job of capturing the Star Trek universe, and on replays, you have the added benefit of having a good idea of where some of the Minor Powers are (though that does change somewhat from run to run). Encounters with certain strange space cubes, for example, or an exploding Romulan sun. The incident that kicks everything off is the Khitomer Massacre, a Romulan attack on a Klingon colony, and fans of the shows will enjoy seeing other canon events occur as time goes on. It’s a deliberate and smart choice, as all of the Major Powers are neighbors at more or less the same strength, and a lot of the most important events in Star Trek are right around the corner. You always start each new campaign in the same place at the same time: the year 2346, or about twenty years before the beginning of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It walks you through the basics, but you’ll probably need to watch several hours of YouTube tutorials before you actually understand what you’re doing if you’re not already familiar with 4X games – but once you’re in, Infinite has some nice touches that really nail the Trek feel. The tutorial starts you off as the Federation, which is probably a good decision because they’re the most interesting faction, though the actual guidance you get is pretty barebones. Unfortunately, there’s just no option to. It would be cool to take control of a Minor Power like the Bejorans and break away from Cardassian rule or try your luck as the Trill Assembly. They exist only to give the Major Powers something to do, which is a shame because it makes them feel more like resources to utilize rather than actual factions. Infinite has a ton of Minor Powers like the Betazoid Houses or the Ktarian Enclave, but they’re only there for you to assimilate, conquer, enslave, trade with, and so on. It’s good stuff every faction feels distinct while still making it clear they’re playing the same game.Īnd… that’s about it as far as your options go. And the versatile Romulans, while great at stealth and guile, can either assimilate like the Federation or conquer like the Klingons or Cardassians. The Klingons’ penchant for tradition and honorable combat make them the ones you’ll want to use if you’re looking to conquer the rest of known space through coups. The Cardassians excel at spycraft, warfare, and conquering and enslaving other species. The Federation is best at exploring, diplomacy, and researching new technology.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |