Far Gate
Encyclopedia
Far Gate is a 2001 video game released for personal computers. It was developed by Super X Studios (formerly Thrushwave Technology) and published by Microïds
. The gameplay consists of 3D space-based real time strategy, and allows players to play as any of three distinct factions employing different units and structures. It was one of the first video games to offer fully 3D space-based real time strategy.
Under the title of The Rift, an early version of Far Gate was the winner of the Audience Choice Award at the 2000 Independent Games Festival
. Despite this initial acclaim, however, its eventual retail release suffered from unfortunate timing issues and received mixed critical reviews.
. The player takes the role of Jacob Viscero, a "Han Solo-esque" black marketeer, who is blackmailed into assisting with the human colonization of the Proxima Centauri
star system. The colonization process is complicated by untrustworthy allies, and by attacks from the Nue-Guyen, a squid-like alien race native to the vacuum of space who are able to travel from system to system via means of wormholes.
Battles against the Nue-Guyen take place across a range of planetary systems, until it is revealed that the Nue-Guyen had mistaken the player's faction for the crystalline Entrodii race. The player now allies with the Nue-Guyen to fight the Entrodii, culminating in an attack on an Entrodii fortress at Cygnus X-1
. An epilogue reveals the Nue-Guyen assisting in the colonization of Proxima Centauri.
Gameplay is set in space and therefore makes use of three dimensions, although the majority of the game's action focuses on a two-dimensional plane. The three factions (Terrans, Nue-Guyen and Entrodii) each have their own units and structures, which in turn have unique strengths and weaknesses. In addition, each of the factions approaches combat differently, with the Nue-Guyen literally swimming through space, and the Entrodii splitting and fracturing into discrete battle units as they enter combat. In the single player campaign, the player may only utilize the Terran units, although in multiplayer matches players can select any of the three factions to control.
The computer-controlled enemies are driven in part by a rudimentary artificial intelligence, but mostly by a series of scripted commands and triggers. A player who is experienced in any given mission can exploit the predictable nature of the mission script to achieve a quick victory. New players, by contrast, may be frustrated by enemies who don't appear to play by rules similar to those imposed on the player.
The game's story is told by cutscenes rendered in the game engine, which are overlaid with anime-style character shots and voice overs. Some of these cutscenes run up to five minutes in length. The cutscenes cannot be skipped by the player and must be watched in full on each playthrough. The game can also be played in a competitive multiplayer mode over the internet, supporting 2-4 players, with matchmaking provided by the GameSpy
and Mplayer
services. The game shipped with six multiplayer maps included. A campaign editor was included in Far Gate, allowing players to create and script their own missions and campaigns.
The Rift won the Audience Choice Award at the 2000 Independent Games Festival. Subsequently it was renamed Far Gate and developed for full retail release with Microids attached as a publisher (Microids having been attracted to the project by its IGF success), and in September 2000 Thrushwave Technology changed its name to Super X Studios. By the time the game was finished, the development team had grown to a size of 10 people, still headed by James Thrush. Super X Studios developed an entirely new game engine for Far Gate. After Far Gate was released, this engine code was refined and rebranded as the Super X Engine, and used in other games by Super X Studios.
. However, the final release version of Far Gate received mixed reviews by critics. As of October 2009, it held a 66% score on review aggregator Metacritic
, based on nine reviews.
Brett Todd of Gamespot
felt that "extended gameplay uncovers a great many shortcomings in its [interface]" and that it exhibits a "lack of technical polish" - load times are "extremely long" and "the game regularly crashes". By contrast however, "the story is well told", and Todd was impressed by the "three distinct playable factions in the game that employ wholly disparate units and structures".
Dan Adams of IGN
also thought that "the controls are a little iffy" and the AI is "sketchy", but despite that felt that "the interface [...] is actually pretty easy to use". He described the game's music as like a "horrible 80s sci-fi flick" and thought it "didn't convey the right kind of atmosphere". He said that despite "some problems with the game", "it still holds a bit of interest".
Louis Bedigian of Gamezone
thought the gameplay was "both a joy and a royal pain", describing the unfettered camera control as "both the best (and worst) feature in the game". Although he enjoyed "the illusion that you have complete control over your surroundings", he said, "Dying has never been a fun part of gaming, and dying because of a poor camera system and not a lack of skill is even worse." He thought the on screen control panels were "very impressive" but was critical of the game's slow pace and felt the developers had "chosen realism over fun".
. During development there was some speculation that Far Gate (then The Rift) would beat Homeworld to retail and thereby be the first game of its kind. However Homeworld ended up being released a full two years ahead of Far Gate, on September 28, 1999. In the end many critics felt that Far Gate compared poorly to Homeworld and didn't live up to the standard that Homeworld had established for the new sub-genre of 3D space-based real time strategy. Gaming news site IGN described Far Gate as "a kind of wanna-be Homeworld" and "Homeworld Light".
Microïds
Microïds is a French software brand belonging to Anuman Interactive that publishes and develops video games. In recent years the company's collection of brands and game licenses has grown since being a part of MC2 France...
. The gameplay consists of 3D space-based real time strategy, and allows players to play as any of three distinct factions employing different units and structures. It was one of the first video games to offer fully 3D space-based real time strategy.
Under the title of The Rift, an early version of Far Gate was the winner of the Audience Choice Award at the 2000 Independent Games Festival
Independent Games Festival
The Independent Games Festival is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference, the largest annual gathering of the indie video game industry. It was founded in 1998 to assist and inspire innovation in video game development and to recognize the best independent video game developers...
. Despite this initial acclaim, however, its eventual retail release suffered from unfortunate timing issues and received mixed critical reviews.
Plot
The plot of Far Gate takes place in the year 2104 AD where Earth has been left an apocalyptic ruin following a devastating World War IIIWorld War III
World War III denotes a successor to World War II that would be on a global scale, with common speculation that it would be likely nuclear and devastating in nature....
. The player takes the role of Jacob Viscero, a "Han Solo-esque" black marketeer, who is blackmailed into assisting with the human colonization of the Proxima Centauri
Proxima Centauri
Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf star about 4.2 light-years distant in the constellation of Centaurus. It was discovered in 1915 by Robert Innes, the Director of the Union Observatory in South Africa, and is the nearest known star to the Sun, although it is too faint to be seen with the naked eye...
star system. The colonization process is complicated by untrustworthy allies, and by attacks from the Nue-Guyen, a squid-like alien race native to the vacuum of space who are able to travel from system to system via means of wormholes.
Battles against the Nue-Guyen take place across a range of planetary systems, until it is revealed that the Nue-Guyen had mistaken the player's faction for the crystalline Entrodii race. The player now allies with the Nue-Guyen to fight the Entrodii, culminating in an attack on an Entrodii fortress at Cygnus X-1
Cygnus X-1
Cygnus X-1 is a well-known galactic X-ray source in the constellation Cygnus. It was discovered in 1964 during a rocket flight and is one of the strongest X-ray sources seen from Earth, producing a peak X-ray flux density of 2.3 Wm−2Hz−1...
. An epilogue reveals the Nue-Guyen assisting in the colonization of Proxima Centauri.
Gameplay
The game's single-player campaign takes place over 17 missions and follows Jacob Viscero's struggles against the Nue-Guyen and the Entrodii. It uses a real time strategy format with the player producing units and structures, which are then used to defeat enemy forces. Unlike many other real time strategy games, Far Gate does not make use of a technology tree to determine which units a player may build, but instead makes new units available based on which mission of the storyline the player has reached.Gameplay is set in space and therefore makes use of three dimensions, although the majority of the game's action focuses on a two-dimensional plane. The three factions (Terrans, Nue-Guyen and Entrodii) each have their own units and structures, which in turn have unique strengths and weaknesses. In addition, each of the factions approaches combat differently, with the Nue-Guyen literally swimming through space, and the Entrodii splitting and fracturing into discrete battle units as they enter combat. In the single player campaign, the player may only utilize the Terran units, although in multiplayer matches players can select any of the three factions to control.
The computer-controlled enemies are driven in part by a rudimentary artificial intelligence, but mostly by a series of scripted commands and triggers. A player who is experienced in any given mission can exploit the predictable nature of the mission script to achieve a quick victory. New players, by contrast, may be frustrated by enemies who don't appear to play by rules similar to those imposed on the player.
The game's story is told by cutscenes rendered in the game engine, which are overlaid with anime-style character shots and voice overs. Some of these cutscenes run up to five minutes in length. The cutscenes cannot be skipped by the player and must be watched in full on each playthrough. The game can also be played in a competitive multiplayer mode over the internet, supporting 2-4 players, with matchmaking provided by the GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
and Mplayer
MPlayer
MPlayer is a free and open source media player. The program is available for all major operating systems, including Linux and other Unix-like systems, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. Versions for OS/2, Syllable, AmigaOS and MorphOS are also available. The Windows version works, with some minor...
services. The game shipped with six multiplayer maps included. A campaign editor was included in Far Gate, allowing players to create and script their own missions and campaigns.
Development
Far Gate began life in 1999 under the title The Rift, developed by a four-man team at Thrushwave Technology headed by James Thrush. The team included Dustin Wood (Test Lead, 3D Artist), Jeff House (3D Artist) and Chris Overstreet (Music and Sound Design). The Rift was notable for its large space-based battlefields, where solar systems remained in motion as battles progressed.The Rift won the Audience Choice Award at the 2000 Independent Games Festival. Subsequently it was renamed Far Gate and developed for full retail release with Microids attached as a publisher (Microids having been attracted to the project by its IGF success), and in September 2000 Thrushwave Technology changed its name to Super X Studios. By the time the game was finished, the development team had grown to a size of 10 people, still headed by James Thrush. Super X Studios developed an entirely new game engine for Far Gate. After Far Gate was released, this engine code was refined and rebranded as the Super X Engine, and used in other games by Super X Studios.
Release
The retail version of Far Gate was scheduled for release for PC on September 11, 2001. However it did not reach many stores until later that week. The developers acknowledged that it was unfortunate that the release date coincided with the September 11 attacks. In a September 11 press release Super X Studio stated that as developers they "have an opportunity to use our unique story-telling medium to promote ideals of education, humanity and global cooperation, just as the mediums of art, poetry, books, and movies have been used by wise and compassionate individuals in the past." In the United States Far Gates recommended retail price was set at $29.99 USD. A free playable demo was also made available for download from the site of developer Super X Studios, which featured two single player missions and a self-running demo mode.Reception
Early builds of Far Gate met with general excitement and anticipation. A pre-release version of Far Gate (then titled The Rift) won the Audience Choice Award at the 2000 Independent Games FestivalIndependent Games Festival
The Independent Games Festival is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference, the largest annual gathering of the indie video game industry. It was founded in 1998 to assist and inspire innovation in video game development and to recognize the best independent video game developers...
. However, the final release version of Far Gate received mixed reviews by critics. As of October 2009, it held a 66% score on review aggregator Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, based on nine reviews.
Brett Todd of Gamespot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
felt that "extended gameplay uncovers a great many shortcomings in its [interface]" and that it exhibits a "lack of technical polish" - load times are "extremely long" and "the game regularly crashes". By contrast however, "the story is well told", and Todd was impressed by the "three distinct playable factions in the game that employ wholly disparate units and structures".
Dan Adams of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
also thought that "the controls are a little iffy" and the AI is "sketchy", but despite that felt that "the interface [...] is actually pretty easy to use". He described the game's music as like a "horrible 80s sci-fi flick" and thought it "didn't convey the right kind of atmosphere". He said that despite "some problems with the game", "it still holds a bit of interest".
Louis Bedigian of Gamezone
GameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
thought the gameplay was "both a joy and a royal pain", describing the unfettered camera control as "both the best (and worst) feature in the game". Although he enjoyed "the illusion that you have complete control over your surroundings", he said, "Dying has never been a fun part of gaming, and dying because of a poor camera system and not a lack of skill is even worse." He thought the on screen control panels were "very impressive" but was critical of the game's slow pace and felt the developers had "chosen realism over fun".
Comparison to Homeworld
As one of the first fully three-dimensional real time strategy games, Far Gate was often compared to its contemporary, HomeworldHomeworld
Homeworld is a real-time strategy computer game released on September 28, 1999, developed by Relic Entertainment and published by Sierra Entertainment. It was the first fully three-dimensional RTS. In 2003, Relic released the source code for Homeworld...
. During development there was some speculation that Far Gate (then The Rift) would beat Homeworld to retail and thereby be the first game of its kind. However Homeworld ended up being released a full two years ahead of Far Gate, on September 28, 1999. In the end many critics felt that Far Gate compared poorly to Homeworld and didn't live up to the standard that Homeworld had established for the new sub-genre of 3D space-based real time strategy. Gaming news site IGN described Far Gate as "a kind of wanna-be Homeworld" and "Homeworld Light".
External links
- Super X Studios, the official site of Far Gates developer.
- Official Far Gate Downloads Page, hosted at Super X Studios and including a download link for the game's free demo.