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Tribes. Imagine at one point you were able to pioneer the multiplayer first person shooter and now you have to build a successor product. You based it on a franchise that involved a Mechwarrior type action game and a turn based strategy game. Now years later, the supporting cast is gone. The original publisher (Sierra) that had all the rights to the franchise has since been acquired by media conglomerates. Your idea has proliferated to nearly every first person shooter out there. So much so that when people talk about the genre you helped make, instead of you, they think the titans are Unreal Tournament and Battlefield 1942. And there's one more little thing: you're creating the next product using the same Unreal engine that powers the competitor and the developers that are working on this near legendary multiplayer franchise cut their teeth working on predominantly single player products (System Shock 2, Freedom Force). Formidable obstacles indeed. But they won't slow down the next title to be released for the Tribes franchise, Tribes: Vengeance. One of the big sellers for the Vengeance is the inclusion of a single player campaign. Those familiar with Tribes will probably offer a chuckle by this point. Single player? Tribes? Can that be true? You mean you're including the tutorial as the single player campaign. No, actually, there is a very credible single player campaign here. It will feature distinct characters with a storyline linking missions together. Some of the missions still revolve around arena style combat. After all, Vengeance continues the story of groups of warriors organized in tribes. Some missions, however, will be more cinematic so you won't feel like you're going through a lengthy campaign of randomized capture the flag games.
The multiplayer game still emphasizes a good deal of teamwork. There are three distinct classes that you can choose. In each class, you can equip different weapons. The lighter classes can obviously be used for running flags or scouting. However, like its predecessor, Vengeance will offer class specific weapons. Assuming the heavy weapons role will allow you to choose support weapons such as mortars that can be used to knock out turrets or pave the way for lighter classes to assault bases. On some of the larger maps, this will be necessary. Certain bases will have so many defensive structures that, if they are properly manned, can almost be impregnable. Teamwork is at the core of things including the vehicles in Vengeance. Unlike other titles, where often one person can operate a vehicle effectively, and anyone else inside the vehicle just ends up in the way, here you will see a distinct advantage to a fully manned craft. The jet pack promotes the concept of aerial battles, and more than other games, Vengeance will have you looking up and down as well as left and right. There's no doubt it will be tough for a novice to be proficient at everything in their first couple of matches. It's one of those things that will drive purists to perfect their art.
Speaking of teamwork, success in a match will often mean duties will have to be separated too. Every base in Tribes comes with sensors and power generators. Although not required to complete the overall objective, disabling these can have a crippling effect on your opponent. They won't be able to resupply. Or they won't have an up to date view of what's going on around them. Both can potentially the turn the tide of a battle. Only an organized defense, with people to do repairs and hold critical junctions, will mitigate this from happening to your side in battle. The visuals in Vengeance are strong. Using the Unreal engine, Irrational has turned the game's look and feel distinctly into Tribes – which is surprising, since you might guess they’d have to give something up. Many of the classic weapons from Tribes, like the grappling hook and spinfusor look great in the new engine. Compared to other Unreal engine games (I'm not an expert but there appears to be differences between them), these developers have maintained the high elevation, extremely long draw distances that were part and parcel of original Tribes maps. Fans that may have had fears that perhaps Vengeance may succumb to being more like Battlefield or Unreal Tournament will be happy.
Coming in mid October, the multiplayer is looking so good that it will almost guarantee that Vengeance will appease and attract its traditional fan base. The single player campaign, if it turns out successful, will be where Vengeance breaks out of its genre and audience and into the mainstream. Look for it on October 12th.
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