Submarine Titans Review

As expected, each fraction has its own design of submarines. They all have different field of deployment: building, reconnaissance, mine laying, repair, generating various energy shields, etc. They all have subs that perform similar tasks, like the White Shark Psychotron that disables subs or turns them against their allies, or the Silicon Paralysis Probe that disables the submarines temporarily, and the Usurper captures subs.

There are 38 units among the three fractions in the game, and each have their own "specialists". Some of the Black Octopi interesting units are: Cyborg Dolphin-actually they are in league with the Black Octopi, because many of them have been destroyed by the White Sharks, and consider them a threat to their goals. The Cyborg Dolphins carry very powerful explosive on their backs and are willing to go kamikaze style on enemy objects; Raider-designed to explore enemy territory and capture unguarded enemy objects, and its armed with medium laser; Phantom-it has small laser in its armament, and would be an easy target if it wasn't for a stealth shield that makes him practically invisible; Destroyer-armed with a splinter torpedoes, this sub has the best ratio of weapons and armour. The White Sharks are on the lowest technological lever of the three fractions, but they have a few tricks up their sleeve too: Liberator-an reinforced version of the basic Sentinel sub and has special anti-stealth technology which makes it easy to fight advanced Octopi subs. Mine Layer-designed for laying and disarming of mines, and its perfect for base defence. It has thick armour, in case it gets attacked by several enemy subs; Cyberworm-biological weapon specially developed for stealing enemy resources, but it cant attack enemy subs.

As much as the human fractions are similar in design, and sometimes hard to distinguish, the aliens are that much different, and I have to point out, very well designed and graphically depicted. The Silicons have following, and for the game important submersibles: Vermin-a special sub that generates a shield that neutralizes the effect of the Psychotron in a certain radius, and protects friendly subs in the given area. This shield is automatically activated when the direction of assault becomes obvious, and is later shut down for battery preservation. It can discover enemy subs with stealth generators; Devastator- Slow units armed with Energy Shells; Usurper-they are able to capture enemy submarines, which are later transported and transformed into pure energy. While capturing an object, it is able to deplete it of all defence energy; Bio Acid Assaulter-heavy sub armed with Acid Shells. It is even more dangerous when destroyed, since it explodes and damages the submarines in the vicinity with acid. Apart from its very strong basic armament, they have mines which can be set to react (explode and send the enemy sub to hell) to a certain type of submarine.

AI can be set through several difficulty levels while playing the game (C'mon admit it, you played on No-brainer level - Ed) Regardless of which level you use during the campaign the enemy is tough as a nail --- it starts rushing and doesn't stop until it has destroyed all objects, especially vital ones --- air or energy collectors. This will disappoint the newbies, but not to worry, after a little practice, you will swim with the sharks with no problem. There are scripted commands that make managing the base and resources easier (base defence, transport and similar...).

The construction of the objects is different for each fraction. While White Sharks and Black Octopi use the construction unit for building basic units, The Silicons use the construction unit (capsule) for building by incorporating the unit into the new structure. This way, the new unit becomes an inseparable part of the new building. The construction is done by special submarines/ships. Basically, in Submarine Titans, each sub is specialized for a narrow field of deployment- only the transporters collect the resources and cash them in, fighters protect the base and other ships and the construction units build new objects. The construction of new objects is a little awkward-the commands are displayed in several menus so you have to click away several times to reach the desired unit or building. Some sort of self-disappearing toolbar would be more appropriate.

Players can set the level of damage tolerance for each sub, meaning you can set the amount of damage a sub will take in battle before returning to base for repair. There is a similar method for buildings, except they don't have to use the help of various robotized mechanics. All they do is shut down the power and "self-heal". For repair of the objects and subs, Metal is being used, which saves resources (for building new objects and subs, other materials are required) and a good strategy for winning. The depth indicator is, in the same time a command post for acquisition of depth of enemy submarine. That can be used for manoeuvring between enemy torpedoes by increasing or decreasing of the depth. By using this helpful option the subs can hide behind a reef or coral and take the enemy by total surprise. The view in the game is third person, and there are five levels of depth which create a pseudo-3D surround. Far be it from today's 3D standards, but Submarine Titans posses a certain charm. The resolution can be set up to 1280x1024 and the picture is clear with smooth transitions. The terrain is quite simple with many repetitions, but the underwater fauna, that serves as decoration, resembles an virtual fish tank with many inhabitants of the sea (sharks, crabs, jelly fish, manta rays, eels, blowfish...). There is no need for a 3D card, because the game does not support any of the popular effects. Submarine Titans supports full 3D sound including EAX. There are 3 settings: Emulation, DirectSound and hardware acceleration.

Except many flaws and a dated gameplay concepts, Submarine Titans have some good sides- it is as catchy as Starcraft, the possibilities of gameplay through three races are ample, it has an inventive scenario, and a great animation of background and special effects. The first thing on the flaw list is the speed (slow) of the game. Units sometimes refuse orders (to move from one location to the other) at first, so its necessary to click several times and show the direction. In a crucial moment this flaw can be fatal for the player and his game.