Download Carrier Command

Carrier Command is easily one of my childhood favorites. Its steep learning curve will throw off most casual gamers, but taking the time to master it will pay off handsomely. So what makes this game worth your time? Well, let’s take it from the top.

Gameplay

Even though Carrier Command has a story, it is as uninteresting as it is irrelevant to the actual game. In short, you are in command of a futuristic carrier and your task is to capture islands, expand your supply network and ultimately beat the opponent carrier which is aiming to do the same. A simple premise then, but that’s just the top of the iceberg.

There are two play modes – action and strategy. If you’re starting the game for the first time, choose the strategy mode as it will allow you to explore the interface. The action mode will throw you straight into the belly of the beast so you need to be familiar with the controls if you are to survive the initial encounter with the enemy island ahead of you.

A word of advice, once you feel comfortable with controls and the interface, restart the game before attempting to beat the enemy. This is due to the fact that the enemy carrier will start capturing islands and expanding its network from the second that the game starts, and if you’re not quick enough (or you think the Pause button is not your friend), you will fall behind to the point where you’ll be completely cut off.

There are couple things you need to be aware of. Firstly, your carrier has onboard defenses that you will have to get familiar with if you wish to survive. The top mounted laser will be your friend against enemy mantas (aircrafts) and long range missiles. Once you feel comfortable you can also start using the flare which will defend you from incoming manta missiles. There are also drones and long range missiles but I’ll let you discover that.

The real fun begins once you start using your on-board vehicles. You have mantas (aircrafts) and walruses (amphibious) at your disposal when invading enemy islands or the enemy carrier. Both can be equipped with a plethora of missiles, bombs, long range scanners etc. Once you equip a vehicle you can dispatch it and then take control. Controlling them is easy and you’ll love it, especially flying the manta. Remember to refuel them every time you land back or get one from stock. Getting vehicles into the carrier is a bit tricky. You will have to initiate it from the ship itself once the vehicle is in range (and preferably in autopilot mode). It’s a bit tricky but you’ll get a hang of it quickly.

Once you have mastered the control of your carrier and onboard vehicles, you’re ready to go out and start expanding your network of islands. One of the more cryptic parts of the game is restocking the ship with fuel and supplies. To do this, you first have to be aware of the fact that there are three types of islands - defense, resource and factory. The important part is that you can only resupply from an island that is connected to your stockpile island through the network. You can see the overview of resource network on your map view. This will play a key part in your strategy. You have to get it right or you will run out of fuel and the game is essentially over at that point. Also, when attacking islands, be aware they have unlimited amounts of aircraft and missiles, so you will need to get out of range and then launch your attack. You can try to coordinate your attack and defense all at once, but I only recommend this to experienced players.

Once you feel your stocks are big enough to challenge the enemy carrier, you can try and defeat it. If you look at the message log, you can approximate its position depending on the island it attacked last. Set the heading toward it and if all goes well, you will win the game!

Graphics

Although very simple at first glance, I think the graphics work exceptionally well with the game. Keep in mind that it is a combination of a real time strategy, first person shooter and simulation. Coming up with a usable interface for such a diverse feature set was not easy, and I think they got it just right.
Navigation through the menus is straightforward and once you get a feel for them, you can move around various sections exceptionally fast. In my best days I was able to defend the carrier and coordinate both air and land attacks all at once – solid proof that it works well! :-)

An important thing to note is that the entire environment is in full 3D. Flying your mantas around and performing dogfights is lots of fun as the flight is smooth and quick to learn. The island buildings are also easy to recognize and differentiate. Simple and functional is the best description, and that works for me!

Sound

Sound is something you won’t be hearing lots of while you play Carrier Command. There will be a few buzzes and blips when you fire lasers, etc, but don’t expect anything fancy. There is also no music. Supposedly a very specific Atari version had music, but I’ve never witnessed it myself.

Conclusion

This review is very biased, and I’m well aware of it. A realistic score would be in range of 3.5-4.5 due to the lack of sounds and somewhat steep learning curve, but I’ll give it a 5 regardless. I love this game, and so should you, and as a reviewer I have the freedom to do that ;-) Give it a spin and if you still think it sucks after that, tell us why in the forum!