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To stay true to the Star Trek canon, The Collective is using some creative gameplay tricks throughout The Fallen. The tricorder, for example, is a staple item for all three characters in the game. It's used to lock onto enemies to gain their vital statistics, like remaining hit points. The tricorder is also used as The Fallen's map feature, displaying your current level in an overheard 2D mode or a 3D cross section. It can also be used to detect transporter clouds, making it possible for you to communicate with the orbiting Defiant to gain some advice or to have health and ammunition beamed down to you. This use of a household Star Trek item is a clever way to implement item placement throughout the levels. After all, running across Federation general-issue health packs on a deserted Cardassian ship or on the surface of a dying moon wouldn't be quite as believable.
The tricorder also has the ability to scan force fields for their phase-modulation frequency. You can then set your phaser to that frequency and splice right though the shields, a technique that is used quite liberally throughout all the Star Trek TV shows and movies. Of course, when that fails, you can always resort to The Fallen's other weapons. In all, the game's arsenal is composed of a Starfleet Type-3a phaser rifle, a Cardassian disruptor rifle, Starfleet photon mines, a Starfleet grenade launcher, a Dominion shock blade, a Dominion Polaron pulse rifle, a Grigari plasma thrower, and a Grigari electromagnetic cannon. Each of these weapons has a primary and a secondary function, which should be used as different situations warrant their necessity. In addition, Sisko, Kira, and Worf each has his or her own unique weapon: Sisko has the Starfleet Type-2 phaser; Kira has the Bajoran phaser; and Worf has the Bat'leth, of course.
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Technologically, The Fallen is a marvel. While it's not the first Star Trek game to use the Unreal engine, it is the first to make use of several technologies designed to enhance your suspension of disbelief. One such feature is the way The Collective has implemented the movement of each character's limbs. When a character handles a weapon, for example, the position of the character's hands and arms are automatically calculated while that weapon is moving. These calculations start at the hand, then move up to the forearms, arms, and finally the shoulders, giving the character animations a physically accurate look. Because of this method, feet can align perfectly with different floor heights and hands can move away from the body in any direction. Even the voice acting is accomplished through a significant technological feat. The Collective has acquired the services of the three characters' respective actors to provide spoken dialogue throughout The Fallen. As each line of spoken dialogue is fed through the game's engine, an algorithm automatically animates certain features of the character's face, including lips, cheeks, and eyes - the visual effect is very convincing. Think of it as lip synching gone high-tech.
Next: How it fits into Star Trek
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