Supreme Commander Demo is out!

135

Comments

  • DOOManiacDOOManiac Worst. Critic. Ever. Join Date: 2002-04-17 Member: 462Members, NS1 Playtester
    I decided to give SupCom a second try, this time w/ skirmish mode.

    Holy crap, it's like a completely different game. I still don't know WTH a lot of the time, but I can at least play it like any old RTS and survive till my long range artillery suddenly takes our the stupid AI's commander and I'm suddenly declared a winner. I was also able to bump up to lowish-medium settings and things still ran smoothly!


    I noticed on the web site that they've put up some new tutorials since the demo first came out:
    <a href="http://www.supremecommander.com/tutorials/" target="_blank">http://www.supremecommander.com/tutorials/</a>

    Most of it is the boring old "click to select a unit, right click to move" crap but there are a few gems of supcom uniqueness in there that definately make it worth watching them all. For example, I had no idea you could drag out multiple tier1 power stations & silos to build a lot of them at once. Very handy. I also didn't know that you could hold shift to queue 5 units at once. Nor did I know that, unlike C&C, power/mass silos are a MUST to construct, because they hold a gigantic amount of stuff compared to what you start out with.

    Click around the interface till you find the minimap. It's very handy, and you can also zoom in on it all the way just like your main window, which can be handy sometimes.

    I still can't figure out how to make newly created units automatically go into a group. I'm pretty sure I heard about that feature, but hell if I can figure it out.

    And yes I still feel the game has way too much micro. Building crap takes way too long, and having more than 1 engineer help out is economically unfeasible until endgame. It took me an hour to get to tech 3 and that was w/o putting any money into silly things like "units" and "defensive structures". :/


    In the end it is just another RTS, but it is a fun one. I'll probably pick it up because I'm getting tired of Generals after all these years.
  • SvenpaSvenpa Wait, what? Join Date: 2004-01-03 Member: 25012Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1604969:date=Feb 9 2007, 02:27 AM:name=Scythe)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Scythe @ Feb 9 2007, 02:27 AM) [snapback]1604969[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    Surround your shipyard with dozens of T3 engineers then right click on your ship yard with them selected. They'll all assist the building of the sub and increase your matter and energy consumption fifty-fold. If you've got the infrastructure you can build as fast as you want.

    --Scythe--
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    My mistake, I tried a tech1 or 2 engineer as they can assist any BUILDING regardless of tech, so I thought it was the same for units.

    Groups? Queue multiple units, as in having 5 engineers building the same stuff?
  • DiscoZombieDiscoZombie Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18951Members
    well, I'll throw in my review along with everyone else's.

    I'm really bad at RTS games so my review is destined to have a negative slant.

    First, the graphics. I have a fancy brand new computer and could play it on high settings with no slowdown, and I still wasn't very impressed. units still look pixelated when you zoom in and whatnot. I don't really care, I'm just amazed at the system requirements for a game with units that remain pixelated even at high settings.

    The game itself is pretty fun. Some of the things are convenient, like mass-queuing of things. As a non-pro RTS player though, I'm totally overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices for units. I never know what to make. Should I make a ton of air units? a ton of ground units? sea units? what kinds? whatever I eventually decide upon usually gets slaughtered =p

    the controls are cool in some ways but suck in others. I like that I could theoretically select every single unit I have with one giant rectangle select. but the movement controls kinda suck. I too was plagued by right-clicking and having my units trickle in 2 at a time to get slaughtered like they're on a conveyor belt at an abattoir. Someone said there's attack-move and formation-move keyboard shortcut. Well, that's cool and all, and I'll try them tonight, but shouldn't they be the default when you right click, instead of lemming-move? Other controls aren't intuitive either. I apparently set one of my factories' unit creation waypoint to the enemy base. I couldn't figure out how to undo it. whatever happened to the nice, simple, select factory and right click to set the creation waypoint controls I know and love?

    despite my complaints, it's still fun, even though I feel like I'm really bad at it <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
  • QuaunautQuaunaut The longest seven days in history... Join Date: 2003-03-21 Member: 14759Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    <!--quoteo(post=1605091:date=Feb 9 2007, 06:52 AM:name=DiscoZombie)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DiscoZombie @ Feb 9 2007, 06:52 AM) [snapback]1605091[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    well, I'll throw in my review along with everyone else's.

    I'm really bad at RTS games so my review is destined to have a negative slant.

    First, the graphics. I have a fancy brand new computer and could play it on high settings with no slowdown, and I still wasn't very impressed. units still look pixelated when you zoom in and whatnot. I don't really care, I'm just amazed at the system requirements for a game with units that remain pixelated even at high settings.

    The game itself is pretty fun. Some of the things are convenient, like mass-queuing of things. As a non-pro RTS player though, I'm totally overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices for units. I never know what to make. Should I make a ton of air units? a ton of ground units? sea units? what kinds? whatever I eventually decide upon usually gets slaughtered =p

    the controls are cool in some ways but suck in others. I like that I could theoretically select every single unit I have with one giant rectangle select. but the movement controls kinda suck. I too was plagued by right-clicking and having my units trickle in 2 at a time to get slaughtered like they're on a conveyor belt at an abattoir. Someone said there's attack-move and formation-move keyboard shortcut. Well, that's cool and all, and I'll try them tonight, but shouldn't they be the default when you right click, instead of lemming-move? Other controls aren't intuitive either. I apparently set one of my factories' unit creation waypoint to the enemy base. I couldn't figure out how to undo it. whatever happened to the nice, simple, select factory and right click to set the creation waypoint controls I know and love?

    despite my complaints, it's still fun, even though I feel like I'm really bad at it <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
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    How can the units be pixelated? Their in 3d. If their pixelated, you're running at a low resolution. Unless you're running with no anti-aliasing, and expecting it to ant-alias...but thats not the game's fault, thats your setting decisions.


    I keep giving it "1 more try"...over and over. I'm finding myself falling in love with the old TA gameplay. Also, perhaps the reason I didn't know the dragging tricks is that I don't want to run a Tutorial in my browser. That seemed murder-inducing.

    I like how the Commander is unbelievably strong- but can still be raped by a good rush. I put the game on hard and pumped out 20 Light and Heavy Assault guys(40 total) right off the bat with only two factories, rushed them in, and with only 10 left he went down in a huge explosion- nice payoff.

    I do hope however that the AI is worked on. A strat so simple as that shouldn't have worked, even if it was awesome.
  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu Anememone Join Date: 2002-03-23 Member: 345Members
    I believe Ctrl + click makes people move in formation. That or Alt + click.
  • XythXyth Avatar Join Date: 2003-11-04 Member: 22312Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1605100:date=Feb 9 2007, 10:36 AM:name=Quaunaut)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Quaunaut @ Feb 9 2007, 10:36 AM) [snapback]1605100[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    How can the units be pixelated? Their in 3d. If their pixelated, you're running at a low resolution. Unless you're running with no anti-aliasing, and expecting it to ant-alias...but thats not the game's fault, thats your setting decisions.
    I keep giving it "1 more try"...over and over. I'm finding myself falling in love with the old TA gameplay. Also, perhaps the reason I didn't know the dragging tricks is that I don't want to run a Tutorial in my browser. That seemed murder-inducing.

    I like how the Commander is unbelievably strong- but can still be raped by a good rush. I put the game on hard and pumped out 20 Light and Heavy Assault guys(40 total) right off the bat with only two factories, rushed them in, and with only 10 left he went down in a huge explosion- nice payoff.

    I do hope however that the AI is worked on. A strat so simple as that shouldn't have worked, even if it was awesome.
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    If it's a player he probably could have taken that many guys. You can use the "Overcharge" weapon (lol d-gun lol) to instantly rape units in an area.

    Also: you can always upgrade your commander. He can get better armor/ better weapons/ etc.
  • Dirty_Harry_PotterDirty_Harry_Potter Join Date: 2002-11-21 Member: 9500Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1605091:date=Feb 9 2007, 03:52 PM:name=DiscoZombie)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DiscoZombie @ Feb 9 2007, 03:52 PM) [snapback]1605091[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    [...]I apparently set one of my factories' unit creation waypoint to the enemy base. I couldn't figure out how to undo it. whatever happened to the nice, simple, select factory and right click to set the creation waypoint controls I know and love?
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->That IS how you do it.

    Though I had the same thing happen to one of my factories on the second map in the Campaign, no matter what waypoint I gave my factory, it just sent them into the Aeon base - it even started earlier than the Aeon base being accessable with one of the "map enlargements" - there they just went as far as they could. I expect this is a weirdass bug of some kind :X
  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    My most immediate guess is that they tried to go to the waypoint of one of the Aeon factories.
  • DiscoZombieDiscoZombie Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18951Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1605110:date=Feb 9 2007, 11:14 AM:name=Dirty_Harry_Potter)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Dirty_Harry_Potter @ Feb 9 2007, 11:14 AM) [snapback]1605110[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    That IS how you do it.

    Though I had the same thing happen to one of my factories on the second map in the Campaign, no matter what waypoint I gave my factory, it just sent them into the Aeon base - it even started earlier than the Aeon base being accessable with one of the "map enlargements" - there they just went as far as they could. I expect this is a weirdass bug of some kind :X
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    that's exactly what happened to me =p we must have gotten the same bug.

    and as for my dudes being pixelated. well, for all I know AA might be off, I didn't look TOO closely at the graphics settings, just saw that most of them were on high-ish and assumed the game picked appropriate settings for my PC.
  • XythXyth Avatar Join Date: 2003-11-04 Member: 22312Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1605113:date=Feb 9 2007, 11:36 AM:name=DiscoZombie)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DiscoZombie @ Feb 9 2007, 11:36 AM) [snapback]1605113[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    that's exactly what happened to me =p we must have gotten the same bug.

    and as for my dudes being pixelated. well, for all I know AA might be off, I didn't look TOO closely at the graphics settings, just saw that most of them were on high-ish and assumed the game picked appropriate settings for my PC.
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    Turn "textures" to high. It barely adds any slowdown as compared to the fidelity settings. The units become much more detailed, even when zoomed all the way in.
  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    As far as I know, higher texture resolutions simply demand more memory, not more processing power.
  • NeonSpyderNeonSpyder &quot;Das est NTLDR?&quot; Join Date: 2003-07-03 Member: 17913Members
    edited February 2007
    My game started with a default resolution of 1024 with no AA, so after playing the first mission and seeing the entire battlefield and units were pixilated, I went back to the graphics settings and bumped it up to 1280x and most of the pixiliation was gone. My advice is to just tweak the graphics settings until it doesn't give you any slowdown during a major battle. (my settings still do, so I have further tweaking to do)

    *edit*

    Oh yeah, the monkeylord is freaking awesome.
  • AbraAbra Would you kindly Join Date: 2003-08-17 Member: 19870Members
    Monkey Lord, lol. Laughed when I first saw the name.
    Laughed again when I tried sying it in my on language, Metalcat should try this too... AbeKongen <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
  • Dirty_Harry_PotterDirty_Harry_Potter Join Date: 2002-11-21 Member: 9500Members
    well.. "Abeherren" or something might be better :X well more accurate. Both are quite peculiar too XD

    Also, does anyone know why it is actually named the monkeylord?
  • SvenpaSvenpa Wait, what? Join Date: 2004-01-03 Member: 25012Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1605182:date=Feb 9 2007, 11:05 PM:name=Dirty_Harry_Potter)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Dirty_Harry_Potter @ Feb 9 2007, 11:05 PM) [snapback]1605182[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    well.. "Abeherren" or something might be better :X well more accurate. Both are quite peculiar too XD

    Also, does anyone know why it is actually named the monkeylord?
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    It's ampfibious (spelling), got 8 legs and a mounted laser...just like monkeys. Lord is just a titel for size.
  • XythXyth Avatar Join Date: 2003-11-04 Member: 22312Members
    edited February 2007
    Yeah, so I just figured out you can have your air-transports auto ferry units around. Just set a ferry marker with 1 transport, then set all your others to "assist" the icon that appears on the ground under the first waiting transport. Now whenever you tell a ground unit to move to that icon, the transports will automatically pick them up and move them. This is about 10x as awesome when you set 6 factories waypoints to that icon and have your men being instantly tranported into battle without you having to do anything.

    Also: Using the attack in formation thing with bombers is ridiculous.

    Also, if you click and hold when you are telling guys to move, you can change the direction their formation will face
  • AbraAbra Would you kindly Join Date: 2003-08-17 Member: 19870Members
    I was fulling around with the Ferry thing, never quite understood it. Thanks for the heads'up.

    Yeah, I was thinking King Abe something. AbeHerren er nok mere korrekt.
    Iam starting to like this game.

    JUST TRIED MY FIRST NUKE(s, can't get enough).
  • WarriorWarrior Join Date: 2003-02-16 Member: 13624Members
    Anybody figure out how to rally new units into a group? Similar to what you can do in Rise of Nation?
  • Dirty_Harry_PotterDirty_Harry_Potter Join Date: 2002-11-21 Member: 9500Members
    edited February 2007
    Aye Xyth the ferry feature is rad. effing rad.

    and yes Abra, BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! <3

    Warrior, if you mean add units to a select group, then just hold shift as you select new units afaik, this is pretty basic for all RTS s :X I imagine it's the same in SupCom.
  • RetalesRetales Panigg cultist Join Date: 2003-08-07 Member: 19180Members
    Is it possible to order your builders/other units to repair all buildings and units in an area? o_O .

    I have to try this demo again now that I learned that there IS an attackmove :F . Also I have to try the skirmish.
  • MetalcatMetalcat Join Date: 2004-08-11 Member: 30528Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1605194:date=Feb 9 2007, 07:04 PM:name=Abra)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Abra @ Feb 9 2007, 07:04 PM) [snapback]1605194[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    I was fulling around with the Ferry thing, never quite understood it. Thanks for the heads'up.

    Yeah, I was thinking King Abe something. AbeHerren er nok mere korrekt.
    Iam starting to like this game.

    JUST TRIED MY FIRST NUKE(s, can't get enough).
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Retræte ! Hvorfor? ABE HERREN. *GISP*
  • LuukasLuukas Join Date: 2004-01-03 Member: 25009Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1605297:date=Feb 10 2007, 04:11 PM:name=Retales)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Retales @ Feb 10 2007, 04:11 PM) [snapback]1605297[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    Is it possible to order your builders/other units to repair all buildings and units in an area? o_O .

    I have to try this demo again now that I learned that there IS an attackmove :F . Also I have to try the skirmish.
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Try issuing a patrol order and target some unit from the group which needs repairs, that seemed to work for me. There's propably a better way, however... like having it/them patrol a certain area, which contains defences and/or units that keep getting pounded.
  • AbraAbra Would you kindly Join Date: 2003-08-17 Member: 19870Members
    edited February 2007
    I like building up a massive army, getting nukes ready and be all like "here comes doom!" but somewhere along the road, the enemy decides to build that massive artillery gun, destroying half my base with it, so iam rushed into a mass attack, launching all my nukes at his half of the map in anger.

    <!--quoteo(post=1605302:date=Feb 10 2007, 04:10 PM:name=Metalcat)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Metalcat @ Feb 10 2007, 04:10 PM) [snapback]1605302[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    Retræte ! Hvorfor? ABE HERREN. *GISP*
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Hehe, lol. RUUUNNN.
  • douchebagatrondouchebagatron Custom member title Join Date: 2003-12-20 Member: 24581Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    so is there a better way to upgrade my command dude than getting a bunch of engineers to work on him and wait for an hour? is it worth it to get like +6000 energy to do it?
  • NeonSpyderNeonSpyder &quot;Das est NTLDR?&quot; Join Date: 2003-07-03 Member: 17913Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1605337:date=Feb 10 2007, 01:43 PM:name=6john)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(6john @ Feb 10 2007, 01:43 PM) [snapback]1605337[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    so is there a better way to upgrade my command dude than getting a bunch of engineers to work on him and wait for an hour? is it worth it to get like +6000 energy to do it?
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Yes.
  • JohnieJohnie Join Date: 2006-10-09 Member: 58062Members
    edited February 2007
    I sooooo want to play this game, but something tells me that my comp will not like it.
    *cough* 1GB ram, 2.0 ghz *cough*
  • SvenpaSvenpa Wait, what? Join Date: 2004-01-03 Member: 25012Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1605337:date=Feb 10 2007, 07:43 PM:name=6john)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(6john @ Feb 10 2007, 07:43 PM) [snapback]1605337[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    so is there a better way to upgrade my command dude than getting a bunch of engineers to work on him and wait for an hour? is it worth it to get like +6000 energy to do it?
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    I never understood how to upgrade the ACU, thanks for that.
  • AbraAbra Would you kindly Join Date: 2003-08-17 Member: 19870Members
    Well thats not how you do it, its actually how you speed the process up.
  • WarriorWarrior Join Date: 2003-02-16 Member: 13624Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1605420:date=Feb 10 2007, 05:19 PM:name=Svenpa)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Svenpa @ Feb 10 2007, 05:19 PM) [snapback]1605420[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    I never understood how to upgrade the ACU, thanks for that.
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Click the ACU, then find the upgrade icon. Its near where you select the tech lvl. Looks like a gear I think.
  • AnarkiThreeXSixAnarkiThreeXSix x_x Join Date: 2003-12-31 Member: 24894Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1605397:date=Feb 10 2007, 04:17 PM:name=Johnie)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Johnie @ Feb 10 2007, 04:17 PM) [snapback]1605397[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    I sooooo want to play this game, but something tells me that my comp will not like it.
    *cough* 1GB ram, 2.0 ghz *cough*
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Yeah, it's not worth playing the game if you can't run it at least on medium settings... doesn't do a game justice when you run it looking like a fugly blurry.. thing..
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