Supreme Commander

The biggest RTS game you ever did see. Loads of new information inside on the most hyped RTS game of 2007

Since the genre's inception, real-time strategy has moved towards perfecting tactical combat in a quite unrealistic way. Until recently the greater strategic view has been avoided and everything looked to continue on that way until Chris Taylor, the man behind Total Annihilation, announced the development of a spiritual successor--Supreme Commander. The hype surrounding this game is monumental, and from everything we've seen, it more than lives up to its promise.

STORY

Supreme Commander takes place eight-hundred years in the future, following a quick expansion of humanity across the nearby galaxy by means of quantum tunneling. But as luck would have it, things went a little to quickly to ensure stable growth and control of the Earth Empire has splintered into three distinct factions vying for control of the galaxy - the United Earth Federation, the Cybran, and the Aeon Illuminate - all three of which are now involved in a thousand year Infinite War.

GAMEPLAY

SIZE: The first and most striking thing about Supreme Commander is its sheer scale. The smaller battlefields are several times larger than anything yet seen in an RTS, while the larger maps can offer several hundred square kilometers worth of ground to fight over. While the large scale may seem overwhelming, it proves to be anything but.

MANAGEMENT: Gas Powered Games has managed to reduce micromanagement to a level that almost makes it a non-issue. Managing patrol routes, build queues, and other nominally management-intensive tasks have been tailored to become instantly modifiable and quick to set up. This lets players focus on more important matters such as crafting a complex battle plan, rather than overloading the player with petty details. The scope of the game does allow commanders to put together their own highly detailed plans in a short amount of time. Precision movements that have been nearly impossible in the past, such as well timed pincer movements, are now readily usable even in the most hectic circumstances.

In a game that focuses so much on a large-scale picture, Supreme Commander has rightfully placed a large emphasis on logistical troop movement. The largest maps in the game can take units up to an hour to cross. Naturally this helps to constrain notions of an early rush strategy to a large degree, but it also allows for players to flesh out their strategies--does one move over land with a large army knowing it will take minutes to reach the target destination, or would constructing aerial transports make more sense? These kinds of strategic options make all the difference in the game, often forcing players to make realistic and important strategic decisions.

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