Aftermath Spotlight #1: Armada modes
The Armada modes were the very first game mode created for Star Trek Legacy that showcased the game in a whole new light and showed off what the game engine is capable. The original premise of the Armada mode was to offer the basic ingredients of war: two opposing enemies at either ends of the map. Over the following year, the Armada mode proved to be very popular amongst people who were playing mods that had the mode but it wasnt until Aftermath Stage I was released till the Armada mode took the next step in its evolution.
For Aftermath, the original premise of Armada had been changed. Gone were the predictable scenarios of the enemy being at the other end of the map. Gone were two opposing fleets. In fact, everything that the Armada mode stood for prior to Aftermath Stage I had been completely overhauled. In came multiple fleets, squadrans were introduced, the battlefield was spread out to encompass an entire system, the enemy not only could approach from the front but also the rear, sides and underneath. These changes saw a drastic improvement in the mode. The Armada modes had a sense of military precision and tactical depth that has never been attempted by any Legacy modder.
Squadrans were carefully selected to provide tactical and logical placements of allies and enemies. Squadrans were set up to provide many additional areas to the modes such as cruiser wings, flankers and the front lines. Battleships were delegated to the rear of battalions while destroyers and scouts lead the charge on the front lines and the flanking support groups. Never before has a modder provided this level of depth to any application considered for Legacy.
The maps for the Armada modes were recently split into two categories: Heavy Armada and Light Armada. Heavy Armada is defined as full system type battles with ship counts into triple figures territory whereas the Light Armada mode is for the smaller engagements to provide a more intimate fleet battle experience generally positioned in a much smaller environment.
With the inclusion of the two seperated sub modes (Heavy and Light Armada's), this opens up the Armada modes to many more players without degrading them of the full experience that is to be had from the mode.
The future of the Armada modes will continue to push Legacy as far as the game can go with many new maps in development including mulitiple system type environments to prototype maps that have four figure ship counts (thousands!!!).
