Incubation: Battle Isle Phase Four
| Incubation: Battle Isle Phase Four | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Studio | Blue byte | ||
| Publisher | Ubisoft | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
September 30, 1997 | ||
| platform | PC ( Windows ) | ||
| genre | Turn-based strategy game | ||
| Game mode | Single player , multiplayer | ||
| control | Keyboard , mouse | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
90 MHz CPU, 16 MB RAM, 2 MB graphics card (DirectX compatible), 70 MB free hard disk space | ||
| medium | CD , download ( GOG.com ) | ||
| language | English , German | ||
| Current version | 1.03 Mission Pack: 1.52 |
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| Age rating |
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Incubation: Battle Isle Phase Four is a 1997 published turn-based strategy - computer game which by Blue Byte was developed. The game was released outside the German-speaking area under the name Incubation: Time is Running Out . The game is part of the Battle Isle series due to the backstory .
Backstory
The fictional story set in the Battle Isle universe begins in the chromos colony Scay'Hallwa on the planet Scayra. The native and peaceful Scay'Ger mutate through a virus introduced by humans and become aggressive beasts. After the colony's energy shield collapses due to a power plant accident, the aliens attack the Chromians. Now it is up to the player in the role of Corporal Bratt to lead a space marine team and defeat the attackers.
Gameplay
Incubation has been described by the press as an X-COM- style game with turn-based tactical gameplay. The game campaign is divided into 35 missions, some of which can be played in a different order. The player leads a Space Marine team that increases in units as the game progresses. A briefing, usually in the form of a short video sequence, and a briefing explain the content of the mission to the player. In addition, the player can change and adapt the equipment of his characters. Before starting each mission, the player must place his units on the field. Now he can control his units in rounds and have them perform various actions, such as running, shooting, using objects on the playing field or using their own objects. The opposing Scay'ger are controlled by the computer. The game play reminds a little of the game of chess . The objectives of the mission differ depending on the mission, for example destroying the opponent or reaching a place on the field leads to victory. The tension throughout the game is maintained by unexpected events. E.g. enemies emerge from ventilation shafts, weapons malfunction or units are unable to act due to panic attacks. With the talent points that each game unit receives in combat and the equipment points that can be found in boxes, new items such as weapons, armor or other items can be bought.
Graphics and technology
The game graphics use the DirectX 5.0 API from Microsoft and are shown completely in 3D . On newer Windows operating systems such as Microsoft XP 32bit or Vista 32bit, the setup file on the data carrier must be started for installation in Microsoft Windows 95/98 compatibility mode. After the installation, the latest patch (v1.03) is required and the game is started like the installation in Windows 95/98 compatibility mode, otherwise the mouse pointer will jerk. Under Windows 7 (32-bit), installation and playing is even possible without a patch or compatibility mode. Windows 7 (64 bit) refuses the installation even in compatibility mode. In this case a virtual environment such as VirtualBox or VMWare helps. Windows XP with the instructions described above is recommended as a virtual environment. With Windows 98 as the virtual environment, the game starts the same way. Alternatively, Incubation can be installed on Linux. For this, WINE must be installed in the Linux distribution used (e.g. Ubuntu, Fedora). The game can then be run with Windows 95 compatibility and started in full screen mode using the entire screen. At least this is not possible in the VM-Ware Player, since 3D is supported, but can only be displayed in the window with compressed resolution. For the optional hardware acceleration , only 3dfx cards were provided, which today have to be emulated via Glide Wrapper if no such card is available in the computer.
Multiplayer
The game has three different multiplayer modes. On the one hand, there is a hot seat mode in which up to four players can play on one computer. There is also a play-by-e-mail mode in which the actions of the players and the results of a game move are sent to the other player by e-mail. In addition, the game has a network mode , as is common in other video games, where you can compete against each other via the Internet or LAN .
extension
On May 5, 1998, the Incubation: Mission Pack appeared , which was published in the United States under the name Incubation: The Wilderness Missions . The expansion contains many new opponents, weapons and areas of application as well as a map editor with which you can create your own missions. The new campaign includes 40 missions and there are 10 new multiplayer maps. Due to the high level of difficulty, the expansion is aimed at advanced players.
reception
| PC Games | PC action | GameStar | PC player | GameSpot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incubation: Battle Isle Phase Four | 92% | 92% | 87% | 79% | 6.6 |
| Incubation: Mission Pack | 92% | 92% | 87% | 82% | 8.0 |
Other releases of the game
The game magazine GameStar published the full version on one of their magazine DVDs. Originally, the original was sold on CD, on which the background music and the sound of the cutscenes were in CD audio format. For technical reasons it was not possible to put these audio tracks on the DVD, which meant that there was no background music in the game and no sound in the cutscenes. It was impossible to understand the story. This caused displeasure among the players, who complained numerous to the editorial team. The editor Petra Schmitz subsequently apologized to the buyers.
The software distributor GOG offers the game in a package with other Battle Isle games as a download version. For this purpose, the original English soundtracks were converted into MP3 format.
Web links
- Official website. (No longer available online.) Blue Byte Software, archived from the original on January 8, 2011 ; Retrieved January 11, 2013 .
- Fansite (english)
- Incubation at MobyGames (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Incubation Reviews. (No longer available online.) Blue Byte software, archived from the original on January 9, 2011 ; Retrieved January 11, 2013 .
- ↑ Maik Wöhler: Incubation: Time is running out . In: PowerPlay 11/97 . kultboy.com. Pp. 73-78. November 1, 1997. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
- ↑ Manfred Duy: Strategy game for advanced players - Incubation - Battle Isle Phase Four . In: PC Player 11/97 . www.kultboy.com. Pp. 104-105. November 1, 1997. Retrieved January 28, 2012.