Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
Encyclopedia
Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance is a standalone real-time strategy
computer game expansion
to Supreme Commander
, and was released in November 2007, developed by Gas Powered Games
and published by THQ
, and the second title in the franchise. Because it is a standalone expansion, it is possible to play without owning Supreme Commander, although without a valid CD Key for Supreme Commander online play is limited to the new faction, the Seraphim. Forged Alliance adds new gameplay features to the game, several new units for the three preexisting factions, and is further optimized for increased performance, in response to issues with the original.
and aircraft flight dynamics.
The original Supreme Commander allowed the player to employ all four traditional battlespaces — air
, information
, land and sea
. Forged Alliance adds the ability to construct orbital weaponry which the player can control. These satellites are impossible to harm directly, forcing opponents to find and destroy the control centers maintaining them.
in which humanity is able to travel through the galaxy quickly using a quantum
tunnel, a portal opened in the fabric of space leading to a designated location potentially light-years away. Tunneling let humankind establish many colonies, which were governed by a centralized Earth Empire. As the number of human worlds grew, however, its control eventually weakened, and the Empire collapsed. The Empire's remnants formed the United Earth Federation; an opposition group formed the Cybran Nation; and a group of religious fanatics formed the Aeon Illuminate. The three factions came into conflict, starting the Infinite War. One thousand years later, the events of Supreme Commander take place, ending the war.
endings after the credits as a reference to the (then unannounced) upcoming expansion. The Cybran ending shows QAI calling in unidentified enemies, and then to Dr. Brackman's horror, saying "They are coming". The Aeon ending simply depicts Princess Rhianne, the leader of the faction, opening her eyes in shock and exclaiming "No!". The UEF ending shows many unidentified radar signatures
appearing near the location of Black Sun on Earth.
Before battle commences in the first mission, the player must choose a faction to swear loyalty to. This can either be the UEF, Cybran Nation or Aeon Illuminate loyal to Princess Rhiane. The overall plot and outcome of the campaign remains the same, although certain commanders respond differently or reveals different information to the player during several places in the campaign.
The game begins with the protagonist defending the Coalition base on Griffin IV, the last major UEF base and last line of defense against the seemingly inexorable onslaught of the Seraphim. Illuminate forces are attacking the base and the player is being gated in to hold the line. After choosing his/her side and helping Fletcher hold back the attacking Seraphim and Illuminate, it is discovered that Princess Rhianne of the Aeon Illuminate, thought to have been killed by the Order, is alive, hiding in her palace. She is rescued by Coalition forces, and is able to organize many disenfranchised Aeon who are troubled by the actions of the Seraphim and the Order. It is also discovered that there is a traitor within the Coalition, who is leaking information to the Seraphim and the Order of the Illuminate. Both the UEF and Aeon focuses on reorganizing their forces while the Cybrans focus on uncovering the identity of the traitor. Cybran forces loyal to QAI are also encountered during several key battles.
During the fourth mission, the traitor is eventually revealed to be Hex5, formerly loyal to Dr. Brackman and Dostya, now serving QAI. Ambushing and destroying Dostya, the player is only given a narrow window from which to defend himself/herself against all odds before being recalled. Immediately afterward, the Coalition discovers that the rift from the Quantum Realm is unstable, and that the massive onslaught that has devastated their worlds and from which they are only beginning to push back is merely the first wave. The Seraphim are building a Quantum Arch on Earth to stabilize the rift; once its construction is completed, no one will be able to survive the armada of Seraphim that will flow through it. Thus, the Coalition plans to launch an all-out assault on Earth.
Dr. Brackman personally vows to destroy QAI, and therefore accompanies the Player after Hex-5 is destroyed in an experimental Megalith assault bot to destroy them both. Afterwards, they use a Seraphim portal to gate directly to Earth, where the final assault is being prepared. Aeon loyalists led by Rhiza and UEF forces led by Fletcher are quickly organising. However, as the player progresses to destroying the Arch, Fletcher suddenly succumbs to the UEF's former xenophobia, quickly regarding all Cybran and Aeon as enemies. Despite General Hall's attempt to defuse the situation, Fletcher rebels against Rhiza and the player, regardless of whether he or she is UEF, while announcing his plans to reactivate Black Sun. He is eventually stopped before the player proceeds to the Arch and successfully destroys it. Immediately afterward, Princess Rhianne enters the rift to the Quantum Realm and seals it from within, destroying the Seraphim’s only way of accessing our universe and saving humanity. By doing so, she sacrifices her life, but brings an end to the Seraphim War.
At the end of the campaign, QAI seems to reboot itself and begins the process of executing a primary directive. This directive, as well as QAI's condition and loyalty is unknown.
's Q&A with lead designer Bradley Rebh. On July 7, 2007, its first trailer was released, along with 8 screenshots from the trailer. On July 11, 2007, Gamespot had another preview, revealing that there are 110 new units, including a new experimental unit for each existing faction. On July 12, 2007, Gamershell released an HD version of the trailer;
an additional 5 screenshots were released on Gamespot,
IGN
released 12 old & new screenshots. On July 14, 2007, Gamespy
's preview tells of the backstory & campaign. On July 16, 2007, info on some of the 'old' factions' new units, including space warfare
/orbital weaponry, were posted on GPGnet
. On August 18, 2007, Gamespot had a 'profile preview' in which characters & a timeline were revealed.
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
computer game expansion
Expansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
to Supreme Commander
Supreme Commander (video game)
Supreme Commander is a real-time strategy computer game designed by Chris Taylor and developed by his company, Gas Powered Games. The game is considered to be a spiritual successor to Taylor's 1997 game Total Annihilation,, alongside the Spring remake...
, and was released in November 2007, developed by Gas Powered Games
Gas Powered Games
Gas Powered Games is a video game developer located in Redmond, Washington. The development studio was started in May 1998 by Chris Taylor, creator of Total Annihilation, and several other ex-Cavedog Entertainment employees....
and published by THQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
, and the second title in the franchise. Because it is a standalone expansion, it is possible to play without owning Supreme Commander, although without a valid CD Key for Supreme Commander online play is limited to the new faction, the Seraphim. Forged Alliance adds new gameplay features to the game, several new units for the three preexisting factions, and is further optimized for increased performance, in response to issues with the original.
Gameplay
Gameplay in Forged Alliance is largely the same as in the original Supreme Commander. The player uses a giant bipedal mech called an Armored Command Unit (or ACU) to build an army with which they can conquer their opponents. Forged Alliance expands on the original gameplay mechanics, adding new units, modifying old ones, and introducing other improvements to the user interface. The most notable addition to this expansion is the addition of a new faction, the Seraphim. In addition, the three original factions — the United Earth Federation, Cybran Nation, and Aeon Illuminate — also receive a number of new units. Other new content includes new maps. Several improvements to the controls and behind the scenes mechanics have been made as well. The interface has been revamped, as well as improved pathfindingPathfinding
Pathfinding generally refers to the plotting, by a computer application, of the shortest route between two points. It is a more practical variant on solving mazes...
and aircraft flight dynamics.
The original Supreme Commander allowed the player to employ all four traditional battlespaces — air
Aerial warfare
Aerial warfare is the use of military aircraft and other flying machines in warfare, including military airlift of cargo to further the national interests as was demonstrated in the Berlin Airlift...
, information
Information warfare
The term Information Warfare is primarily an American concept involving the use and management of information technology in pursuit of a competitive advantage over an opponent...
, land and sea
Naval warfare
Naval warfare is combat in and on seas, oceans, or any other major bodies of water such as large lakes and wide rivers.-History:Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Land warfare would seem, initially, to be irrelevant and entirely removed from warfare on the open ocean,...
. Forged Alliance adds the ability to construct orbital weaponry which the player can control. These satellites are impossible to harm directly, forcing opponents to find and destroy the control centers maintaining them.
Setting
The setting of Supreme Commander is a futureFuture
The future is the indefinite time period after the present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the nature of the reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently exists and will exist is temporary and will come...
in which humanity is able to travel through the galaxy quickly using a quantum
Quantum
In physics, a quantum is the minimum amount of any physical entity involved in an interaction. Behind this, one finds the fundamental notion that a physical property may be "quantized," referred to as "the hypothesis of quantization". This means that the magnitude can take on only certain discrete...
tunnel, a portal opened in the fabric of space leading to a designated location potentially light-years away. Tunneling let humankind establish many colonies, which were governed by a centralized Earth Empire. As the number of human worlds grew, however, its control eventually weakened, and the Empire collapsed. The Empire's remnants formed the United Earth Federation; an opposition group formed the Cybran Nation; and a group of religious fanatics formed the Aeon Illuminate. The three factions came into conflict, starting the Infinite War. One thousand years later, the events of Supreme Commander take place, ending the war.
Supreme Commander ending
All three endings for the Supreme Commander campaigns feature teaserTeaser trailer
A teaser campaign is an advertising campaign which typically consists of a series of small, cryptic, challenging advertisements that anticipate a larger, full-blown campaign for a product launch or otherwise important event. These advertisements are called "teasers" or "teaser ads"...
endings after the credits as a reference to the (then unannounced) upcoming expansion. The Cybran ending shows QAI calling in unidentified enemies, and then to Dr. Brackman's horror, saying "They are coming". The Aeon ending simply depicts Princess Rhianne, the leader of the faction, opening her eyes in shock and exclaiming "No!". The UEF ending shows many unidentified radar signatures
Radar cross section
Radar cross section is a measure of how detectable an object is with a radar. A larger RCS indicates that an object is more easily detected.An object reflects a limited amount of radar energy...
appearing near the location of Black Sun on Earth.
Plot
The game takes place shortly after the first game, which ended with the firing of the Black Sun, a powerful weapon capable of firing a beam through the Quantum Gates to destroy enemy planets. The Seraphim, a race long thought to have gone extinct, have exploited the firing of Black Sun to create a rift from the Quantum Realm they inhabit to our universe, on Earth. Once through the rift, they wreak a path of destruction through the civilized galaxy, leaving Earth and most of the core worlds of the UEF in ruins. With most of the UEF's key political and military leaders lost, including General Samantha Clarke, General Halsey and Brigadier General Fletcher lead the last of the UEF Military. QAI, the once-loyal Cybran supercomputer built by Dr. Brackman, has been compromised and is waging war on behalf of the Seraphim. It cripples the Cybran Nation's military, forcing Dr. Brackman and Dostya to retreat to the further reaches of space. The Aeon Illuminate are divided over the arrival of the murderous Seraphim from whom they once learned what seemed the peaceful Way; many take sides with the Seraphim as the Order of the Illuminate, and brand Princess Rhaine a traitor and heretic. Crusader Rhiza leads a handful of forces loyal to the Princess in a guerrilla-style campaign. Shortly afterward, the UEF and Cybran factions ally and form the Coalition against the Seraphim, with the Aeon Loyalists joining afterward despite Dr. Brackman's reservations.Before battle commences in the first mission, the player must choose a faction to swear loyalty to. This can either be the UEF, Cybran Nation or Aeon Illuminate loyal to Princess Rhiane. The overall plot and outcome of the campaign remains the same, although certain commanders respond differently or reveals different information to the player during several places in the campaign.
The game begins with the protagonist defending the Coalition base on Griffin IV, the last major UEF base and last line of defense against the seemingly inexorable onslaught of the Seraphim. Illuminate forces are attacking the base and the player is being gated in to hold the line. After choosing his/her side and helping Fletcher hold back the attacking Seraphim and Illuminate, it is discovered that Princess Rhianne of the Aeon Illuminate, thought to have been killed by the Order, is alive, hiding in her palace. She is rescued by Coalition forces, and is able to organize many disenfranchised Aeon who are troubled by the actions of the Seraphim and the Order. It is also discovered that there is a traitor within the Coalition, who is leaking information to the Seraphim and the Order of the Illuminate. Both the UEF and Aeon focuses on reorganizing their forces while the Cybrans focus on uncovering the identity of the traitor. Cybran forces loyal to QAI are also encountered during several key battles.
During the fourth mission, the traitor is eventually revealed to be Hex5, formerly loyal to Dr. Brackman and Dostya, now serving QAI. Ambushing and destroying Dostya, the player is only given a narrow window from which to defend himself/herself against all odds before being recalled. Immediately afterward, the Coalition discovers that the rift from the Quantum Realm is unstable, and that the massive onslaught that has devastated their worlds and from which they are only beginning to push back is merely the first wave. The Seraphim are building a Quantum Arch on Earth to stabilize the rift; once its construction is completed, no one will be able to survive the armada of Seraphim that will flow through it. Thus, the Coalition plans to launch an all-out assault on Earth.
Dr. Brackman personally vows to destroy QAI, and therefore accompanies the Player after Hex-5 is destroyed in an experimental Megalith assault bot to destroy them both. Afterwards, they use a Seraphim portal to gate directly to Earth, where the final assault is being prepared. Aeon loyalists led by Rhiza and UEF forces led by Fletcher are quickly organising. However, as the player progresses to destroying the Arch, Fletcher suddenly succumbs to the UEF's former xenophobia, quickly regarding all Cybran and Aeon as enemies. Despite General Hall's attempt to defuse the situation, Fletcher rebels against Rhiza and the player, regardless of whether he or she is UEF, while announcing his plans to reactivate Black Sun. He is eventually stopped before the player proceeds to the Arch and successfully destroys it. Immediately afterward, Princess Rhianne enters the rift to the Quantum Realm and seals it from within, destroying the Seraphim’s only way of accessing our universe and saving humanity. By doing so, she sacrifices her life, but brings an end to the Seraphim War.
At the end of the campaign, QAI seems to reboot itself and begins the process of executing a primary directive. This directive, as well as QAI's condition and loyalty is unknown.
Development
On June 28, 2007, the first 5 screenshots were released on GamespotGameSpot
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...
's Q&A with lead designer Bradley Rebh. On July 7, 2007, its first trailer was released, along with 8 screenshots from the trailer. On July 11, 2007, Gamespot had another preview, revealing that there are 110 new units, including a new experimental unit for each existing faction. On July 12, 2007, Gamershell released an HD version of the trailer;
an additional 5 screenshots were released on Gamespot,
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...
released 12 old & new screenshots. On July 14, 2007, 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...
's preview tells of the backstory & campaign. On July 16, 2007, info on some of the 'old' factions' new units, including space warfare
Space warfare
Space warfare is combat that takes place in outer space, i.e. outside the atmosphere. Space warfare therefore includes ground-to-space warfare, such as attacking satellites from the Earth, as well as space-to-space warfare, such as satellites attacking satellites.It does not include the use of...
/orbital weaponry, were posted on GPGnet
GPGnet
GPGnet is an online gaming service provided by Gas Powered Games.The program is designed to link people up together, much like the Battle.net system, but requires a CD-Key linked to a private account for online gameplay.-Games using GPG.net:...
. On August 18, 2007, Gamespot had a 'profile preview' in which characters & a timeline were revealed.
Reception
The reception to Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance has been generally positive, on the same level as that for the original game. On November 7, 2007, Gamespot's review gave it a score of 8.5 out of 10.0.External links
- Supreme Commander Official Site
- Official Forged Alliance forums
- The Supreme Commander wiki in WikiaWikiaWikia is a free web hosting service for wikis . It is normally free of charge for readers and editors, deriving most of its income from advertising, and publishes all user-provided text under copyleft licenses. Wikia hosts several hundred thousand wikis using the open-source wiki software MediaWiki...