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[Game On]Allegiance -- Online Space Sim
Bamelin
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I feel like playing Allegiance sometime this week. Anyone else tried this? If you haven't and have any love for space sim type games you owe it to yourself to check out one of the most ambitious online space simulation titles ever made. The game is somewhat similar to Savage ... one person is the "commander" and plays the game like an RTS ... everyone else are the commanders "units" and play the game like a space simulator.
Anyone that feels like playing this week, I'm going to boot this up on Monday night.
Allegiance is free to play and still one of the best space sims/RTS hybrids out there. Games can support upwards of two hundred players divided onto different teams.
You can download the client at
http://www.freeallegiance.org
About Allegiance
Freeallegiance wrote:
Allegiance is a team-oriented online multiplayer space combat simulation with real-time strategy (RTS) elements. It could be described as a much-improved "X-Wing vs. Tie-Fighter." Whereas most multiplayer online games have a very simplistic concept of teamwork, if any, Allegiance distinguishes itself by having a strategy interface that demands teamwork in order to accomplish anything. Despite all these advancements, Allegiance still works great on a Pentium 2 computer with a 56k modem.
Allegiance can be played exclusively on LAN or internet servers. While it offers a multitude of gameplay modes with up to six teams, by far the most popular is the two-team conquest mode. In this mode, each team has a designated commander who oversees the asteroid mining operation, invests in the tech tree, buys and constructs new bases and commands the team in a semi-RTS like fashion from an overhead 3D map. The gameplay area is several sectors of space filled with asteroids on which the bases are built. There are roughly five tech-trees to pursue, resulting in a vast variety of different approaches to winning the game, including but not limited to: behind-enemy-lines teleport attacks, fighter raids, bombing, capturing enemy bases, stealth attacks and big capital ships. Typical games consist of 20 to 30 players per side, but big games can support up to 200 players simultaneously.
Allegiance was released in 2000 by Microsoft. Unfortunately, it was let down by some serious bugs that took too long to iron out, a pay-per-month scheme, and lack of developer support and marketing. The game used to be hosted as part of Microsoft's Zone gaming service, but was eventually abandoned. Not to be defeated, a group of independent Allegiance players spearheaded the effort to keep the game alive and running. What eventually became the Free Allegiance Organization (FAO) kept the game operating by hosting its own lobby and game servers and by writing their own bug fixes for the game.
In February 2004, Microsoft released the source code for Allegiance, and cited the devotion of its hard-core players for doing so. Now at last the game is truely free, the bugs that crippled the initial release have been fixed, and the game development is continued by the community. It still remains the best team-oriented
Quote:
"It's almost impossible to figure out where to start raving about the gameplay in Allegiance. That's how good it is. " -- Firing Squad
Quote:
"Not at all unlike its definition, Allegiance requires obligation, support, dedication, and loyalty to one's team to succeed." -- Gamespy
Quote:
"If I had to describe Allegiance in one word, ambitious would probably just about do the trick. Microsoft's Allegiance combines elements of strategy and real-time combat into a massive multiplayer online-only space-action game that seems to have all it's creative juices flowing." -- Game Over
Quote:
"What a game like this needs to succeed is a good physics model, and a good navigation and communication system. Allegiance has both." -- PC Gameworld
Quote:
"...first true online team play experience...Allegiance’s ability to keep team play diverse as well as place significant importance on territory and technology are certainly some of its best aspects." -- Gamer's Alliance
Quote:
"It combines the best points of your everyday RTS game with the white knuckled action of a space combat simulation. In addition, Allegiance is played exclusively online, thereby creating an incredible multiplayer experience" -- Game Raiders
Quote:
"Every game is eventually going to be judged by its gameplay, in terms of immediate satisfaction and, especially, lasting value. Allegiance shoots and scores! Not since Tribes have I played a team-game so addictive and fun to play. It's almost impossible to figure out where to start raving about the gameplay in Allegiance. That's how good it is. " -- Firing Squad
The Factions
Order. Strength. Unity - This is the creed of the Iron Coalition. Formed as a space borne United Nations peacekeeping force, the Earth`s destruction has transformed the Iron Coalition into one of the dominant powers in space. Led by Brigadier General Derek Fisk, the Iron Coalition Struggles to restore and maintain order to the remaining members of the human race - by any means necessary.
The Belters - a loose collection of independent traders, prospectors, pirates, and privateers - share a common belief: that freedom from tyranny is the right of all humanity. Belters are a rough-hewn, unruly bunch of borderline anarchists. Led by unlikely hero Orion Sholes, the Belters pilot an odd mix of captured and jury-rigged equipment: the "Junkyard Armada."
Originally spawned by GigaCorp genetic engineering projects, the BIOS are physically and mentally advanced, perfectly designed to withstand the rigors of life in space. After the death of their leader - GigaCorp founder Emmet Longstreet - the BIOS have launched a shadowy crusade against "stale gene" humanity, with the goal of dragging the human race into an evolutionary watershed.
The Ga'Taraan Federation - Founded twenty years ago by the uprising of two science colonies under the iron fist command of the Iron Coalition, the Ga'Taraan Federation remained isolated from the war that ensued after the destruction of Earth. Developing different technologies, they felt their involvement was necessary, and recently began assaults in the Solar System.
The Phoenix Order is made up of Apocalypse survivors from deep underground at Area 51 and various shadow governments. They blame Earth's destruction on the greed and selfishness of the other "Spacer" factions. For years, hidden under the deadly debris clouds that cover the planet, they have been collecting left over military hardware and modified it with previously captured alien technology. The conditions of the atmosphere have made superior shield and scanner technology a priority. Without warning, they first reclaimed the Moon in a massive attack on a scale which was not seen since the arrival of the Dregh'klar Empire. While they still use Earth as a primary base of operations, the Moon has become one of their first lines of defense.
First contact with life outside the solar system -- with the Rixian Unity. So far, the Rixian have proven themselves superior scientists, explorers, and, as has now been made clear to mankind, crusaders. Led by Issa Rix, a being so revered among his people that his very name stands for all Rixians, little is truly known about this species. Certainly not their true goals or intentions.
The Dreghklar Empire - the beast of the Apocalypse. This race may responsible for the destruction of Earth, after tampering with the already poor coordination of the Mass Conveyor System, believing that humanity was lost without its home. For hundreds of years, they have traveled and been a plague to intelligent life.
Anyone that feels like playing this week, I'm going to boot this up on Monday night.
Allegiance is free to play and still one of the best space sims/RTS hybrids out there. Games can support upwards of two hundred players divided onto different teams.
You can download the client at
http://www.freeallegiance.org
About Allegiance
Freeallegiance wrote:
Allegiance is a team-oriented online multiplayer space combat simulation with real-time strategy (RTS) elements. It could be described as a much-improved "X-Wing vs. Tie-Fighter." Whereas most multiplayer online games have a very simplistic concept of teamwork, if any, Allegiance distinguishes itself by having a strategy interface that demands teamwork in order to accomplish anything. Despite all these advancements, Allegiance still works great on a Pentium 2 computer with a 56k modem.
Allegiance can be played exclusively on LAN or internet servers. While it offers a multitude of gameplay modes with up to six teams, by far the most popular is the two-team conquest mode. In this mode, each team has a designated commander who oversees the asteroid mining operation, invests in the tech tree, buys and constructs new bases and commands the team in a semi-RTS like fashion from an overhead 3D map. The gameplay area is several sectors of space filled with asteroids on which the bases are built. There are roughly five tech-trees to pursue, resulting in a vast variety of different approaches to winning the game, including but not limited to: behind-enemy-lines teleport attacks, fighter raids, bombing, capturing enemy bases, stealth attacks and big capital ships. Typical games consist of 20 to 30 players per side, but big games can support up to 200 players simultaneously.
Allegiance was released in 2000 by Microsoft. Unfortunately, it was let down by some serious bugs that took too long to iron out, a pay-per-month scheme, and lack of developer support and marketing. The game used to be hosted as part of Microsoft's Zone gaming service, but was eventually abandoned. Not to be defeated, a group of independent Allegiance players spearheaded the effort to keep the game alive and running. What eventually became the Free Allegiance Organization (FAO) kept the game operating by hosting its own lobby and game servers and by writing their own bug fixes for the game.
In February 2004, Microsoft released the source code for Allegiance, and cited the devotion of its hard-core players for doing so. Now at last the game is truely free, the bugs that crippled the initial release have been fixed, and the game development is continued by the community. It still remains the best team-oriented
Quote:
"It's almost impossible to figure out where to start raving about the gameplay in Allegiance. That's how good it is. " -- Firing Squad
Quote:
"Not at all unlike its definition, Allegiance requires obligation, support, dedication, and loyalty to one's team to succeed." -- Gamespy
Quote:
"If I had to describe Allegiance in one word, ambitious would probably just about do the trick. Microsoft's Allegiance combines elements of strategy and real-time combat into a massive multiplayer online-only space-action game that seems to have all it's creative juices flowing." -- Game Over
Quote:
"What a game like this needs to succeed is a good physics model, and a good navigation and communication system. Allegiance has both." -- PC Gameworld
Quote:
"...first true online team play experience...Allegiance’s ability to keep team play diverse as well as place significant importance on territory and technology are certainly some of its best aspects." -- Gamer's Alliance
Quote:
"It combines the best points of your everyday RTS game with the white knuckled action of a space combat simulation. In addition, Allegiance is played exclusively online, thereby creating an incredible multiplayer experience" -- Game Raiders
Quote:
"Every game is eventually going to be judged by its gameplay, in terms of immediate satisfaction and, especially, lasting value. Allegiance shoots and scores! Not since Tribes have I played a team-game so addictive and fun to play. It's almost impossible to figure out where to start raving about the gameplay in Allegiance. That's how good it is. " -- Firing Squad
The Factions
Order. Strength. Unity - This is the creed of the Iron Coalition. Formed as a space borne United Nations peacekeeping force, the Earth`s destruction has transformed the Iron Coalition into one of the dominant powers in space. Led by Brigadier General Derek Fisk, the Iron Coalition Struggles to restore and maintain order to the remaining members of the human race - by any means necessary.
The Belters - a loose collection of independent traders, prospectors, pirates, and privateers - share a common belief: that freedom from tyranny is the right of all humanity. Belters are a rough-hewn, unruly bunch of borderline anarchists. Led by unlikely hero Orion Sholes, the Belters pilot an odd mix of captured and jury-rigged equipment: the "Junkyard Armada."
Originally spawned by GigaCorp genetic engineering projects, the BIOS are physically and mentally advanced, perfectly designed to withstand the rigors of life in space. After the death of their leader - GigaCorp founder Emmet Longstreet - the BIOS have launched a shadowy crusade against "stale gene" humanity, with the goal of dragging the human race into an evolutionary watershed.
The Ga'Taraan Federation - Founded twenty years ago by the uprising of two science colonies under the iron fist command of the Iron Coalition, the Ga'Taraan Federation remained isolated from the war that ensued after the destruction of Earth. Developing different technologies, they felt their involvement was necessary, and recently began assaults in the Solar System.
The Phoenix Order is made up of Apocalypse survivors from deep underground at Area 51 and various shadow governments. They blame Earth's destruction on the greed and selfishness of the other "Spacer" factions. For years, hidden under the deadly debris clouds that cover the planet, they have been collecting left over military hardware and modified it with previously captured alien technology. The conditions of the atmosphere have made superior shield and scanner technology a priority. Without warning, they first reclaimed the Moon in a massive attack on a scale which was not seen since the arrival of the Dregh'klar Empire. While they still use Earth as a primary base of operations, the Moon has become one of their first lines of defense.
First contact with life outside the solar system -- with the Rixian Unity. So far, the Rixian have proven themselves superior scientists, explorers, and, as has now been made clear to mankind, crusaders. Led by Issa Rix, a being so revered among his people that his very name stands for all Rixians, little is truly known about this species. Certainly not their true goals or intentions.
The Dreghklar Empire - the beast of the Apocalypse. This race may responsible for the destruction of Earth, after tampering with the already poor coordination of the Mass Conveyor System, believing that humanity was lost without its home. For hundreds of years, they have traveled and been a plague to intelligent life.
Bamelin on
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This was FUN though.
heeh. Well, you could always play some Allegiance during study breaks. I remember when I was in school my study breaks somehow ended up being longer than the total time I spent studying =P