Amiga
Mac
PCOverview
It's 2166 and the world is in the midst of an energy crisis. Two advanced Aircraft Carries are sent to colonize sixty-four newly-discovered islands in the Pacific. This mineral rich archipelago is seen as way of alleviating said energy crisis. However, terrorists remotely hack into the system and take control of the newer, fully automated carrier, the ACC Omega. The first carrier built, the ACC Epsilon, is controlled by a single human commander and this lack of automation prevented its takeover. With the Fifteen billion dollar ransom payment out of the question your country (never stated) has no choice but to make the project an aggressive one; you are made captain of the ACC Epsilon and must destroy the ACC Omega. Colonize more islands, get more resources, and ultimately lead the carrier's built-in drone fighters to a full-on assault on the enemy carrier, or cut off its supplies, leaving it stranded.
An Extremely Subjective Strategy Guide
You are in command of a futuristic carrier and your task is to capture islands, expand your supply network and ultimately beat the opponent carrier which is aiming to do the same. A simple premise then, but that’s just the top of the iceberg. There are two play modes – action and strategy. If you’re starting the game for the first time, choose the strategy mode as it will allow you to explore the interface. The action mode will throw you straight into the belly of the beast so you need to be familiar with the controls if you are to survive the initial encounter with the enemy island ahead of you.
A word of advice, once you feel comfortable with controls and the interface, restart the game before attempting to beat the enemy. This is due to the fact that the enemy carrier will start capturing islands and expanding its network from the second that the game starts, and if you’re not quick enough (or you think the Pause button is not your friend), you will fall behind to the point where you’ll be completely cut off. There are couple things you need to be aware of.
Firstly, your carrier has onboard defenses that you will have to get familiar with if you wish to survive. The top mounted laser will be your friend against enemy mantas (aircrafts) and long range missiles. Once you feel comfortable you can also start using the flare which will defend you from incoming manta missiles. Finally, there are also drones and long range missiles at your disposal.
The real fun begins once you start using your on-board vehicles. You have Mantas (aircraft) and Walruses (amphibious craft) at your disposal when invading enemy islands or attacking the enemy carrier. Both can be equipped with a plethora of missiles, bombs, long range scanners etc. Once you equip a vehicle you can dispatch it and then take control. Controlling them is easy and you’ll love it, especially flying the manta. Remember to refuel them every time you land back or get one from stock. Getting vehicles into the carrier is a bit tricky. You will have to initiate it from the ship itself once the vehicle is in range (and preferably in autopilot mode). It’s a bit tricky but you’ll get a hang of it quickly. Once you have mastered the control of your carrier and onboard vehicles, you’re ready to go out and start expanding your network of islands.
One of the more cryptic parts of the game is restocking the ship with fuel and supplies. To do this, you first have to be aware of the fact that there are three types of islands - defense, resource and factory. The important part is that you can only resupply from an island that is connected to your stockpile island through the network. You can see the overview of resource network on your map view. This will play a key part in your strategy. You have to get it right or you will run out of fuel and the game is essentially over at that point. Also, when attacking islands, be aware they have unlimited amounts of aircraft and missiles, so you will need to get out of range and then launch your attack. You can try to coordinate your attack and defense all at once, but I only recommend this to experienced players. Once you feel your stocks are big enough to challenge the enemy carrier, you can try and defeat it. If you look at the message log, you can approximate its position depending on the island it attacked last. Set the heading toward it and if all goes well, you will win the game!
