Wing Commander: Armada

Wing Commander: Armada
Developer(s)	Origin Systems
Publisher(s)	Electronic Arts
Designer(s)	Chris Roberts
Platform(s)	PC (MS-DOS)
Release date(s)	1994
Genre(s)	Space combat simulation, Strategy
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer
Distribution	CD (1)

Wing Commander: Armada is a computer game set in the universe of Chris Roberts Wing Commander franchise. Created by Origin Systems and distributed by Electronic Arts in 1994, Armada was the first, official game of the Wing Commander series to feature multiplayer mode. This game was released shortly before Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger and features a new graphics engine, capable of rendering fully three dimensional ship models, which is more powerful than that used in Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi. This is a result of Origin using Armada as a "test-bed" for the Wing Commander III engine; Armada however lacks the hi-res SVGA rendering that was introduced by the third chapter of the series.

While Armada's background is provided by the Human — Kilrathi war, the game does not expand the main story, but is rather intended as a stand-alone product.

Gameplay

Armada can be thoroughly enjoyed in single player mode with the player fighting the computer controlled opponents in a number of different game types. However the most anticipated feature of Armada lies in its support for multiplayer games. Up to two players can play the various game modes head-to-head or cooperatively, by connecting with two computers either by modem or network, or eventually with a single computer using the "split screen" feature of Armada. The game modes featured are as follows:

Battle

Available only in multiplayer mode, this game type consists of a head-to-head dogfight between two players. Each player chooses one of the fighters available between those of the Confed and Kilrathi inventory, then the fights begin. The player who is able to destroy his opponent is the winner.

Gauntlet

This game type is very much like the "Gauntlet" feature from Wing Commander: Academy and is available both in singleplayer as well as in multiplayer, where it enables two players to cooperatively fight the computer controlled ships. The player chooses to side either with the Terran Confederation or the Kilrathi Empire, then he will have to face off 15 levels each consisting of three separate waves of enemy fighters; as the "Gauntlet" progresses the enemy ships' strength, number and skill increase. The game ends when the player is able to beat the last wave or his ship is destroyed (in multiplayer whenever one of the player is destroyed the game ends). Unlike Academy, where the player could choose which fighter to fly in the "Gauntlet", in Armada the player starts flying either the Arrow or the Dralthi light fighter, then moves to medium and heavy fighters as the game progresses.

A feature which was not present in the retail version of Armada could be enabled by installing a patch released by Origin on their website: the new feature provided each level with a code, enabling the player to restart the "Gauntlet" from the level corresponding to the code, without the requirement to play through all the previous waves.

Armada

This is the main game type featured in Armada, available both in singleplayer (player vs. computer) and multiplayer (player vs. player). Armada is a strategy driven game type taking place in a randomly generated sector of space which is depicted in the game's main screen: dots indicate star systems connected through one or more line representing the available space lanes for starships. The players choose a side (Confederation or Kilrathi) to play with and start playing with their forces placed on the opposite sides of the sector. Since both sides start with a carrier and a complement of two light fighters, players can build mines on the planets they visit to gather resources with which to build shipyards for more fighters or fortresses to defend specific planets. Action takes place in turns: during a turn one player can move his ships or build mines/shipyards/fortresses, while the other has to wait for his own turn. The game ends when one player is able to locate the opponent's carrier and attack it with heavy fighters: if the assault is successful a cinematic of the carrier blowing up is displayed and the game ends.

Campaign

The "Campaign" mode is very much like the "Armada" game type and basically consists of 11 scenarios which are played following the same rules of the "Armada" game type. To progress to the next level one of the two sides must be defeated (its carrier destroyed). At the end of the last level, depending on the points gathered during all the matches, one side results the overall winner and a cinematic of either Earth or Kilrah blowing up is shown. The "Campaign" can be played both in singleplayer and multiplayer.

The algorithm for resolving fighter to fighter combat heavily favors the heavier fighter, while the computer will build a mix of fighter types. By making only superheavy fighters the human player can always beat the computer.

A good human player who plays out all of the dogfights can generally beat any computer pilot flying medium-light fighters (e.g. Phantoms). With patience and skill a better quality human player can win the game with only minimal numbers of fighters and without maximizing production.

Weapons systems

Confederation ships

• Arrow light fighter: the Arrow's first appearance in the Wing Commander universe. In Armada the Arrow is a fast, maneuverable and lightly armored ship best suited for recon work. While its appearance is much like that later seen in Wing Commander III, in Armada the Arrow has a lighter loadout based on two laser cannons and "Dumb fire" missiles only.
• Phantom medium fighter: roughly two times more armored than an Arrow, the Phantom is still very fast and agile and has a heavier loadout. It mounts dual lasers and mass drivers providing a large volume of fire, albeit the actual damage caused is quite small.
• Wraith medium fighter: first seen in Academy the Wraith appears in Armada with very few modifications both in aesthetics and loadout. It is equipped with dual Reaper and Particle cannons and also comes with two Leech missiles, making this fighter a threat to every Kilrathi vessel.
• Gladius heavy fighter: the lightest of the Confederation heavy fighters in Armada, the Gladius previously appeared as a light fighter in Wing Commander: Privateer. This fighter has an impressive array of beam weapons and missiles as well as one torpedo, allowing it to destroy carriers. Speed and manouvrability are still good, making the Gladius a decent dogfighter.
• Banshee heavy fighter: not to be confused with the similarly named Border Worlds light fighter, this ship is the heaviest Confederation fighter in Armada. It comes with three dual weapon mounts, multiple missiles, two torpedoes and thick armor, the latter being essential for survival in a dogfight, owing to the Banshee's poor speed and agility. It can be employed to destroy carriers.
• Terran Carrier: a large capital ship with 10 flak guns for defence. Owing to its phase shielding only a torpedo strike can destroy it. Referred to by the game manual as TCS Lexington.

Kilrathi ships

• Dralthi light fighter: boasting the same design of the Dralthi IV from Wing Commander III, this light fighter is similar in configuration to the Arrow with dual laser cannons and Dumb fire missiles as weapons. The asymmetrical gun positioning made the ship harder to use than its counterpart, but cost slightly less.
• Shok'lar medium fighter: arguably the game's best fighter the Shok'lar is fast and agile, lightly armored and sports dual gun mounts with a very fast rate of fire, but light damage. However what makes the Shok'lar so effective is its cloaking device, which enables the pilot to sneak behind unsuspecting enemy fighter to unleash point blank attacks.
• Jrathek medium fighter: another ship previously seen in Academy, the Jrathek is a medium fighter comparable to the Confed Wraith. Its loadout consists of multiple missiles and dual Photon and Flux cannons.
• Kor-larh heavy fighter: an oddly shaped asymmetric craft with heavy armor and weapons, the Kor-larh both performs as an excellent dogfighter and an average torpedo bomber, capable of destroying enemy carriers.
• Goran heavy fighter: similar in configuration to the Confed Banshee, the Goran is a difficult opponent to face, thanks to its massive weapons loadout (6 energy weapons, 10 missiles, 2 torpedoes) and heavy shielding and armor. It can be employed to attack and destroy enemy carriers.
• Kilrathi Carrier: this capital ship is equivalent to the "Terran Carrier" with only two small differences, as the Kilrathi Carrier has 12 flak guns and a lighter armor. It can be destroyed only by means of a torpedo hit. It is referred to by the game manual as the KIS Shiraak.

Voices of War manual

True to its tradition of placing emphasis on the background story of a game, Origin included in Armada the "Voices of War" manual which supplies both background information on the game and useful tactical data. The first part of the manual includes a timeline of the Confederation-Kilrathi war, with a recounting of the events that led to the conflict from both the Terran and Kilrathi point of view. The Terran timeline was later included in the "Victory Streak" manual from Wing Commander III. Logs, diaries and chat transcriptions from pilots on both sides of the war are also presented, as well as contemporary ads for holomovies, computers or Kilrathi fangs. The last part of "Voices of War" presents an inventory of both Confederation and Kilrathi fighters and weapons, with their specifics. It is also the only Wing Commander manual to contain a Kilrathi perspective on the story so far.

Proving Grounds

Origin later released an add-on for Armada which was freely available at their BBS. The "Proving Grounds" add-on added a number of extra features to the multiplayer modes of Armada, the first being support for IPX network for up to six players. Also, the possibility for players to get flight upgrades (e.g. new weapons, such as a gun that disables cloaking devices) was added.

References

• Paul Pettengale "Wing Commander: Armada", PC Format magazine, September 1994
• Paul Galancey "Wing Commander: Armada", PC Review magazine, November 1994
• Wing Commander: Armada Play Guide
• Wing Commander: Armada "Voices of War" manual