Allegiance (video game)

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Allegiance

Developer(s) Microsoft Research
Publisher(s) Microsoft
Distributor(s) Microsoft
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
Release date March 16, 2000
Genre(s) Space simulation/Real-time strategy/Action
Mode(s) Multiplayer only
Media Free Download
Input methods keyboard, mouse and joystick

Allegiance is an online game providing a mix of real-time strategy and player piloted space combat. Initially developed by Microsoft Research, the game was later released under a shared source license[1] and is now maintained/developed by volunteers. Gameplay relies heavily on good teamwork and forward thinking and players can fly a variety of craft, striving to destroy enemy team installations and protecting their own.

The game never achieved commercial success but it did manage to build a dedicated following, who have stayed with the game and continued its development to present day. Due to the lack of commercial success the official servers closed in 2002. As a consequence of this the original retail version of the game is unusable. However, the Allegiance community has successfully rebuilt the game and it is now free to both download and play.

Allegiance received GameSpot's Best Game No One Played[2] award in 2000.

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

The biggest draw card for Allegiance is its capacity to field up to 200 players per game. Players can choose between piloting individual fighters, bombers, stealth and scout craft (some factions have ships exclusive to themselves, such as the Phoenix's Vanguard Escort Ship). Players can also fly massive capital ships from carriers to dreadnoughts and missile frigates, all sporting multiple turrets. Several players can man each capital ship, including turret positions.

Games are normally two team matches, though it is common for Deathmatch games to be multi-team affairs. Play starts when a team commander has been chosen or has stepped up, and a team has signed-up. The commander must then lead his team in an RTS style while his pilots fly in a FPS environment. An effort is sometimes made to keep the teams even in skill; when a team is vastly more skilled than the opposing side the overskilled team is said to be 'stacked'.

Gameplay consists of regular RTS strategies with the major difference that each individual unit is a player. Each team gathers resources using NPC miners and builds bases in different sectors. Reconnaissance is followed by expansion for more resources to fuel the war machine and then either a decisive showdown or a long, drawn out stalemate.

Strategies are as numerous as any other online game, most based around the technology offered by the four standard technology bases (Expansion Complex, Supremecy Centre, Shipyard, and Tactical Laboratory) and the main Garrison.

There are, however, some additional technology bases available to some factions (such as Ga'Tarran's Research Station) which supplies extra technology.

[edit] Factions

The following nine factions are featured in the Dark Nebulae (DN) core (a core is a mod), version 4.60. DN is currently the most widely-used Allegiance core, and will be the main focus of this article.

[edit] Iron Coalition

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 Iron Coalition was one of the three original factions created by Microsoft, and is the faction of brute force.

[edit] GigaCorp

Founded by the enigmatic Emmet Longstreet, this massive corporate entity has managed to survive the destruction of Earth. Led by Mercedes Kelleher - a cunning and ruthless businesswoman - GigaCorp has one goal: total domination of humanity's remnants.

Gigacorp was one of the three original factions created by Microsoft, and it is the faction of supposedly endless wealth.

[edit] BIOS

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 "stalegene" humanity, with the goal of dragging the human race into an evolutionary watershed.

BIOS was one of the three original factions created by Microsoft, and is the faction of stealth.

[edit] Belters

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."

Belters were one of the bonus factions created by Microsoft, and is the faction compatible with most technologies.

[edit] Rixian Unity

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. They are 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.

Rixian Unity were one of the bonus factions created by Microsoft, and is unique from all other factions.

[edit] Dreghklar Empire

The Dreghklar Empire - the beast of the Apocalypse. This race may be 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.

Dreghklar Empire is a player created faction, and is the faction of speed.

[edit] Technoflux

Technoflux fighter
Technoflux fighter

Technoflux - AI at its best. Originally created by the Iron Coalition to strike at no cost of men, the Technoflux project was abandoned when risks were judged too high and the public opinion was opposed. Unfortunately, the project managed to survive in remote research areas and eventually attacked any and all factions it encountered, including the Iron Coalition. They pursue no goal. They seek no vengeance. They simply obey their programming. Whether a third party managed to take control of them is not known.

Technoflux is a player created faction, and is similar to the Rixian in some aspects.

[edit] Ga'Taraan Federation

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.

Ga'Taraan Federation is a player created faction, and contains a variety of exclusive technology.

[edit] Phoenix Order

Phoenix Order fighter
Phoenix Order fighter

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. While they still use Earth as a primary base of operations, the Moon has become one of their first lines of defense.

Phoenix Order is a player created faction. It is at its best in small games but is hard to win with in large games. Also, it is notable that new players are attracted to this faction because of its sleek-looking ship models.

[edit] Upcoming factions

There are several factions in development, including the Effix, Omicron Hive and the Shipping Guild factions, as shown in the Allegiance forums.

[edit] Free Allegiance Zone (FAZ)

The Free Allegiance Zone is the name of the community code project. After Microsoft released the source code it was discovered that the released source was not the source for the client and server software in use on modern machines. The FAZ project's initial aim is to create working client and server software from the source code. From this base it will be possible to enact gameplay changes and upgrade the netcode that Allegiance uses to DirectPlay 8 and remove major bugs.

FAZ will also allow many more players to play Allegiance, particularly those restricted by the ports they can have open on their routers (this port access is blocked in many universities and colleges). Increasing the player base is a major aim of the FAZ team.

The first release (FAZ R1) of FAZ was completed on March 1, 2006, however the first release was deigned to simply be as similar to the last release from Microsoft rather than fixing bugs. The FAZ releases are faster than the original because of the more advanced development environments used to produce them.

The second release (FAZ R2) of FAZ was released on August 1, 2006. It added ranks back into the game, like during the old Microsoft Allegiance Zone and some other game relevant changes.

The third release (FAZ R3) of FAZ went gold on December 14, 2006. It ports the code to Visual C++ 2005 (VC8), adds DirectPlay8 calls to allow players to connect through NAT boundaries (that is, manually configuring routers to allow gameplay is no longer required), upgrades the sound engine to DirectSound8, and adds an automatic balancing feature based on the ranking system. Besides considerable bugfixes, the release also adds support for hi-resolution textures and a new help system.

The fourth release (FAZ R4) of FAZ was released on November 1, 2007 and is the current release[3]. There are a number of bug fixes included in this release, such as the reintroduction of the ability to run a local LAN game, as well as some new features. There are now more options on the game settings screen allowing players to turn off any of the tech paths and preview the map that the game will be played on. There is also an 'Experimental Game Mode' with enhanced drone AI that allows non-player ships to dock faster and avoid enemy held sectors.

[edit] Zone Games

Zone Games are exceptionally large games in Allegiance where more than 100 players come together to play. They are held once every month and require more responsiveness and alertness, unlike regular games which usually have 2-50 players.

[edit] Upcoming improvement: Graphics engine

The development team of Allegiance are currently developing a new graphics engine for Allegiance, which will utilise DirectX9, allowing for smoother movement and sharper graphics. The Graphics engine is currently in its Alpha stage of development.

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://research.microsoft.com/allegiance/ MSR Allegiance source code
  2. ^ http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/pc/bestof_2000/p2_16.html Best Game No One Played 2000
  3. ^ http://www.german-borg.de/?p=12 German-Borg.de: FAZ R4 goes gold!

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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