Matrix picks up Noble Armada

Matrix Games has announced that it will publish Noble Armada, the next game in the Fading Suns sci-fi series. The game, which is in development at Holistic Design and scheduled for release this fall, is based on the Noble Armada tabletop starship miniatures game. It will include interstellar exploration, space combat, and trade. Development had been suspended since shortly after Holistic released a playable demo for the game in March 2000.

"I can't begin to say how excited we are to have Noble Armada back in development," said Andrew Greenberg, director of Holistic Design. "The game had just gotten to an exciting stage when we had to put it aside. We had just released a fun demo that we really enjoyed playing. Now we get to see how much more fun we can make the full game."

Players will assume control of one of four main factions in the Fading Suns universe. They will begin the game with a single spaceship, and they will use it to become traders, pirates, warriors, or mercenaries. As they progress through the game, they will amass wealth, encounter mythical creatures, gain power, and eventually lead an entire armada of starships.

"We designed the game to be as player-driven as possible," Greenberg said. "In the full game, players have the chance to determine their course as much as they like. While we introduce several story lines during the game, players can ignore these in order to focus on the aspects they like, be they trading, exploring the stars, or attacking other ships. Even the story lines change based on what the players do."

Noble Armada will feature a realistic physics engine that will let players control every aspect of their ship. Combat will include a variety of options, and players can line up broadsides, blast through enemy shields, and board and then take control of enemy ships. The game will also include a quest editor that will let players create custom adventures. For more information, visit the official Noble Armada Web site.