Tribes 2 Multiplayer Showcase: Day One

Day One: Capture the Flag

All this week, we'll be showcasing the different multiplayer modes of Sierra's anticipated first-person shooter, Tribes 2. We've been playing a beta build of the game for some time now, and we'll be bringing you detailed information on each of the different multiplayer types, including impressions and screenshots, with each update. We're kicking off this daily feature with a look at the game's capture-the-flag mode. Capture the flag is perhaps the most well-known game type from the original Starsiege: Tribes. However, the new features in Tribes 2 make capture the flag much more involving and require teammates to work well together even more than before. A team that does not cooperate will not be able to survive an onslaught by a well-organized opposing force.

Capture-the-flag maps tend to be very large, and this helps promote the team aspect of the game. The large maps also require teamwork on the defense because not only are the bases large, but enemy offenses may be at full strength when they attack - the two teams' offenses may never actually meet on the battlefield to give each other damage. Traveling to the enemy base can take quite a while due to the size of the maps, especially for juggernauts (heavy armor). In the original Starsiege: Tribes, it's possible for a player in heavy armor to arrive at the enemy base at the same time as a player in light armor, even though they left the same location at the same time. This is due to a technique called skiing, in which you rapidly jump down a slope to gain a substantial increase in speed. This led to a ridiculous upset in the balance of armors in the first Tribes, as heavy armors are supposed to be very slow and to take a long time to get into position. While skiing is still possible in Tribes 2, it is less effective for the heavier armors.

Fortunately, the Tribes 2 features many new vehicles so players don't have to spend too much time traveling between bases. The Wildcat grav cycle hovers close to the ground and is not very strong, but with its turbo boosters it can overtake a scout (light armor) player in a very short time. This is very useful for an early flag rush, for recovering a flag, or even for taking a player to assault a hidden sniper. The Beowulf is an assault tank that requires two players to operate effectively. One player drives it, while the other controls the turret. The turret can fire plasma like a normal plasma turret, or it can fire mortars to bombard an enemy position. This vehicle can be very important in assaulting fortified positions as teams get their defenses into place. Tribes 2 also features several air vehicles - stay tuned for descriptions of these.

The design of the capture-the-flag maps in Tribes 2 seems very good. Most maps have a few structures, such as towers, which house a position where a defensive sniper can have a great field of view while remaining protected. It's hard to place a mortar or other projectile into such a space without breaking cover. This also promotes teamwork because a laser spotter could make it easier for a mortar to be accurate, but of course that would give the sniper another target. Some maps do not have vehicle pads, but they are much smaller and encourage teammates to travel in groups for mutual defenses.

The actual gameplay of capture the flag has not changed very much in Tribes 2. There is a horizontal line in the middle of the screen showing important locations such as waypoints and the enemy flag, and players are still able to return their team's flag if it's dropped. A convenient feature is the heads-up display in the upper-left corner of the screen that shows the team names, team score, and who currently holds that team's flag (or if it's at the base). The player's score not only includes frags but also captures and other important team activities. This includes defending and repairing generators, returning the flag, and destroying enemy generators. There are also new deployable packs that allow for greater customization of base defenses such as clamp turrets that can cling onto any building surface including walls and rocks, but they cannot be placed on terrain. When all the new features and weapons get balanced by the time the game is released, expect Tribes 2's capture-the-flag mode to meet and exceed the precedent set by Starsiege: Tribes. Be sure to check back tomorrow as we look at the siege mode.