I dream of the day we hear about Starcraft 3, or a new Command and Conquer game. But while two of the genre's fundamental linchpins remain quiet, we've seen a real RTS revival with the likes of newcomer Tempest Rising, a fresh Age of Empires 2 update, and the returning Commandos Origins. Stormgate could one day be at the front of that charge, but the free Steam game's initial launch was met with a rather lukewarm reception. As it nears one year in early access, however, developer Frost Giant Studios has made various improvements, and now launches the "biggest leap forward for Stormgate yet."
There's a lot to dig through in RTS game's initial set of missions have been given "new storylines, cutscenes, art, audio, mission design, and more," game director Tim Campbell explains. There's a campaign hub that will let you chat with your companions, a tech tree that can unlock unit upgrades and perks as you progress, and customizable abilities for your hero characters.
Outside of the campaign, you can look forward to a lot of visual upgrades to spice up the free Steam game – in many cases completely redeg certain units to make them more distinctive on the battlefield. Two hero characters, Ryker and Maloc, have been given a fresh coat of paint alongside new models for various other NPCs.
The Infernals' infest mechanic has been replaced with curse, which spawns phantom fiends with a limited lifespan. Shroud (their spreading terrain similar to Zerg Creep in Starcraft) will now corrupt trees and grow up ramps as well as down, and is shown on the minimap so you can more easily tell how much coverage you've attained. Your structures build faster when placed on it, and can also increase its range.
Stormgate's main versus mode has been rebalanced to make matches feel snappier and more responsive. Move speeds have been increased "across the board, averaging between 15 to 25 percent faster depending on the unit type," and the health of tier-one forces has been universally lowered, with the goal of creating "more carnage in the early game." To compensate for this, training times are faster.
Starting combat units have been removed to encourage a greater range of openings. Workers across all factions now train instantly using a charge-based system, letting you deploy them more responsively where you need them and reducing the punishment if you aren't perfect at maintaining your construction queue. Computer-controlled enemy opponents have also been bolstered, with three difficulty settings, a more focused approach to their army compositions, and the ability to choose relevant upgrades for their chosen strategy.
Stormgate update 0.4.0 is out now. You can and play it for free on Steam. Just head here if you're curious to discover how far it's come. Campbell notes that more campaign missions are on the way soon, with chapters two and three of the Vanguard story also "on track for a release towards the end of summer."
There are lots more of the best strategy games you should be playing right now as well.
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