Wing Commander: Armada

Moby ID: 494
DOS Specs

Description official descriptions

A strategy game base upon the popular Wing Commander Universe. This game sees you in command of either the Terran or Kilrathi empires in a bid to conquer a sector of space. This game provided 2 distinct modes of play with Armada being entirely tactically based and a far easier quick play method much like the mission creation facilities of Chuck Yeager's Air Combat of 5 years previous.

This game also featured multi-player support both in Quick play and Armada modes. The game could be played either in split-screen, network, serial or modem modes and was one of the first multi-player 3D space sims.

Spellings

  • ウイングコマンダー アルマダ - Japanese spelling

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Credits (DOS version)

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Reviews

Critics

Average score: 72% (based on 14 ratings)

Players

Average score: 2.9 out of 5 (based on 22 ratings with 5 reviews)

New Look on WC

The Good
The game is a unique twist on Wing Commander, putting you in command of a carrier. The ability to fly multiple fighters for either side, the strategy, the resource management, the ability to record taunts, and the unique fiction to come with the game makes it a definite buy. Plus, this game has the right sort of feel to it. You may get bored, but for some reason, you find yourself playing it again and again.

The Bad
The AI was only so-so, and the taunt maker was inadequate at certain points. The flight sometimes got a bit boring, and the strategy screen is difficult to work about due to the fact that, if you selelct a joystick as your primary input device, it only allows a joystick to maneuver the cursor around. I think a mouse would have been much easier.

The Bottom Line
I say get it. If you're a hardcore WC fan, seek this game out, since it contains a few ships seen in later games.

DOS · by Patrick McCarron (6) · 2000

Its good. Not the Worst, but not the best either.

The Good
The actual Idea of Flying around an uncharted quadrant, in charge of a whole carrier group.

The Graphics, good for their time (Scratch that, FANTASTIC FOR THEIR TIME)

The Ships, great ideas there

The Bad
The campaign mode is linear, meaning each campaign will be in the same setting

The AI in Fleet-movement mode is predictable

Its a pain to get running, even more so than usual.

The Manual is full of mistakes (for instance, No Banchee that I ever built had a Leech missle, only Wraiths.

The Bottom Line
How would you like to fly around a wing commander universe, in the role of Admiral Tolywn?

Yep? well, this is the game for you, in theory, anyway.

Starting with 30 resources, a carrier, and 2 Light fighers, your job is to, well, eliminate the Enemy Carrier. You can take on the role of either the confed, or the Cats themselves. You scout out new planets, build mines, shipyards, protect them with fortresses, or ships, and build up a huge force.

Thats Armada Mode, and its very good, if not a little predictable, because, at around turn 5-or-so, a large swarm of enemy ships will appear just outside you sphere of control, the Difficulty rating will vary this as to whether its comprised mostly of Light (Easy) Medium (Moderate) or Heavy (Hard) fighters.

You will find it almost impossible to loose in easy, as the AI will only very rarely build a ship that can destroy your carrier. Other than destroying the Carrier, the only way to win is to eliminate all of your enemy's holdings.

Dual mode is where you, in a ship, take on another. Wanna fight Dralthi-To-Dralthi, this is where you do it.

A Gauntlet mode, like in WCA is present, and presents itself much nicer than in WCA, using 3d Polygons.

Campaign Mode Sucks. Each campaign you play will use the same set of maps, one after the other. your performance in the last doesnt affect your starting in the new map, ie- you always start with a Carrier, and 2 fighters.

WC fans only.

Multiplayer is good. Either Network, or modem it, or SPLIT-SCREEN, something you see rarely on PCs, and it works okay.

In Short, Good, but needed a bit of work.

DOS · by Chad Henshaw (27) · 2002

The worst WC game made.

The Good
The multiplayer was fun, if you could get the modem routines to work. (which I never managed to at my own computer) The graphics were a revelation, considering we were coming off of the scaled & rotated bitmaps of all the other versions. And the music was good.

The Bad
Gameplay, gameplay, gameplay! The actual dogfighting is the worst I've seen in a flightsim since the NES Top Gun. Due to tweaked recharge rates and different gun powers, it's virtually impossible for a smaller ship to take out a bigger one. His shields will recharge faster than you can shoot him, while he wipes you out in a couple shots. Further, the comptuer only knows one move - the afterburner slide. He'll AB by you, turn, spin, and start shooting, then hit the 'burners, turn, etc. This is bad enough. What's worse is that, as WC fans well know, there's pretty much no countermove to keep him from doing this. Every fight simply becomes a slugging match between the two ships, with no way to stay on the computer's tail for long enough to kill him. The bigger guns win every time. The campaign mode was just as bad. It played like the original Star Control except that, again, it was impossible for a lighter craft to take out a bigger one. Luckily, the strategy AI was even more retarded than the dogfight, or the game would be difficult. Finally, while the graphics were nice at the time, it was painfully obvious the point of the game was more to tantalize you with what was to come - WC3 and it's high-res glory.

The Bottom Line
For the love of god, avoid it. These days, when the chances of getting a modern modem to work in DOS are virtually nil, there's no reason in the world to actually play it.

DOS · by WizardX (116) · 2000

[ View all 5 player reviews ]

Trivia

Milestone

Armada is the first Wing Commander> in a real 3D environment. Up to now you were fighting sprites, now you can fight 3D models.

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Edward Laverick.

FM Towns, PC-98 added by Terok Nor. Windows added by me3D31337.

Additional contributors: Henry Aloni, Alaka, Kayburt.

Game added November 29, 1999. Last modified August 23, 2023.