Still Playing Carrier Command Gaia Mission

[scrapser 11]

I'm probably the only person still playing this game or at least one of very few.  I just lost a Manta due to the crazy AI system built into the functionality.  I get very angry when this happens in the last moments of taking an island.  All that work down the drain!  But each time it happens it also makes me want to come here and post.  So here I am.

 

I play the game regularly enough that I don't lose my control skills.  I know all the islands like the back of my hand and how to dismantle their defenses (or simply ignore them when possible).  If the islands are Very Strong or Deadly and you do not have max armor and weapons it can be very tedious and hair pulling to defeat the defenses.

 

I keep playing this game because I am a veteran gamer who has lived through the whole gaming experience since the early 70's,  I first played Carrier Command on my Amiga 500 back in 1988.  I found it at a small Mom and Pop computer store in Salem, NH.  I was stunned at what it offered.  It clearly was way ahead of its time.  I want Gaia Mission to be the same experience in terms of immersion and complexity.  It is a "not quite there" sort of game at this point.

 

This version is visually stunning.  The weather system could use some tweaking.  It's weird to land a Manta in a storm, then launch a new one and it be sunny and clear.  My main problem though is the AI and the damage effects.  The AI is supposed to enable you to set up clever approaches to attacking an island and/or defending your units as they proceed in their attack.  But currently the AI would have a hard time winning at a game of "Find your foot" or "Peek-A-Boo".  So you need to play each unit manually unless the coast is clear and you're simply heading back to refuel/re-arm or maybe take a neutral island.  The auto-resume feature also should be something you can switch off.  It's so infuriating to switch units and have the attended unit head right into certain destruction.

 

I think it was admirable for the developers to try and accomplish an AI oriented game seeing for example, what they did with Operation Flash Point.  But they left the game in a half-baked state.  I wish they had enough integrity or I don't know, "embarrassment perhaps?" to finish what they started...if for no other reason than to fulfill the wishes of a lot of people who blindly trusted they would deliver a product that was a credit to the original.

 

The other problem is the damage model.  I can take multiple hits from a flak cannon against the shields and armor of the Manta.  But just touch a tree branch and the shield is gone instantly most times.  What's up with that?

 

I know there are a lot of other issues that could be dealt with if it were to happen.  But I can only hope to be surprised at this point.

[Looseyuhtway 0]

I've just started playing it again after buying it a year and a half ago.

Having quite some fun! But your comments are valid. With a bit more fixing and polish I think this game can have some more years of life in it.

The control dial confuses me - I suppose it works well with a game controller, but I'm playing with mouse and keyboard. In the heat of a situation I sometimes accidentally launch all eight vehicles and they get themselves shot, haha. Reload from latest save is my escape.

Calmly driving around, picking of objectives one by one is what I like. I have to be careful to prevent accidentally having a walrus run of on its own. So far, a good game! With potential to be even better!

[species1571 64]

You mention the auto-resume of units. Have you tried playing with the Deadly Islands mod? It has an option to disable that, and many other things I am sure would enhance the game for you.

[Looseyuhtway 0]

38 minutes ago, species1571 said:

You mention the auto-resume of units. Have you tried playing with the Deadly Islands mod? It has an option to disable that, and many other things I am sure would enhance the game for you.

Sounds good! I wasn't aware of mods yet. When I've finished the campaign, I want to look into that one.

[scrapser 11]

I know about the mod but have tried to stay with the official game so far.  Don't get me wrong...I really like the game and only want to see it given the attention I feel it deserves.  I guess that's why I get so frustrated.  The auto resume can make for some really ridiculous outcomes.  A good example is hauling a Walrus to the Command Center to take it over.  I have had so many experiences where I drop the Walrus then switch to it to begin the hacking cycle and meantime the Manta goes off chasing a droid that fired what amounts to an annoyance of small arms fire.  So the Manta then comes into the sights of a fixed flak cannon or Walrus similarly equipped (maybe even missiles) and that's the end of the Manta.  And I could go on.

 

I just wish the game could be given a good work over to clear these sorts of issues up.

[QuiveringT 11]

I haven't personally played either of the Carrier Command games, but the new one certainly looked great when it came out. I hear your frustrations with the AI. What I can tell you is that unfortunately, it is not a "game" problem per-se because even in Arma 3, the AI performs questionable actions at length. Bohemia is slowly-but-surely improving their skills in AI programming.