Thandor - The Invasion
| Thandor - The Invasion | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio |
 Planet4 |
||
| Publisher |
Innonics JoWooD Buka Entertainment 
|
||
| Senior Developer | Thomas Gereke | ||
| composer | Gerhard Ottmer, Christoph Isermann | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
Windows: January 13, 2000 | ||
| platform | Windows | ||
| genre | Real-time strategy | ||
| Subject | Military science fiction | ||
| Game mode | Single player , multiplayer | ||
| control | Mouse keyboard | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
Windows 95 / 98 , from Pentium 233 MHz (350 MHz), 64MB RAM, Direct 3D / Glide compatible graphics card | ||
| medium | CD-ROM | ||
| language | German English | ||
| Current version | 1.05 | ||
| Age rating |
|
||
| information | Only the patch 1.05 made it possible to play under Windows XP . | ||
Thandor - The invasion is a real-time strategy - computer game of the German Developer Planet4. It was published on January 13, 2000 by the German publisher Innonics. As one of the first games in its genre, Thandor used 3D animations to represent units and terrain.
The game received some praise in German-speaking countries, but internationally it received only moderate reviews, which was reflected in the sales figures.
action
The game is set in the distant galaxy Thandor. The aggressive people of the Golrathen begin by conquering the surrounding systems. Since the individual peoples are unable to cope with this threat on their own, they form the Alliance of Avares (Ares for short), with whose help the Golrathen can be pushed back, but not completely defeated. The common alliance then disintegrated through internal disputes and the former allies began to fight each other, while the Golrathen slowly regained strength. In this situation, the player takes command of the last loyal troops of Ares in order to first reunite the former allies - also by means of force - and then finally to conquer the Golrathen, which is also successful.
Game mechanics
The game adheres to the usual genre conventions in terms of mechanics and operation.
It has a rudimentary economic cycle in which the two raw materials tritium and xenite have to be conveyed by means of a pump or mine and are temporarily stored in tanks or silos . The bluish shimmering tritium is converted into energy in power plants, while the golden shimmering xenite is primarily used as ore for the construction of new buildings and vehicles. So-called pioneer vehicles can be used to set up bases outside the initial development radius.
Units are divided into jeeps, tanks, walkers, ships, gliders and planes and are manufactured in specific factories. Further technologies, building types, chassis and weapon systems can be further developed in the research tree. Unlike other genre representatives like Earth 2150 and Command & Conquer , the different factions always have the same vehicles.
The aim of every battle that always takes place on the planet's surface is to destroy the enemy units and buildings. Using diplomacy, the goal can be achieved more quickly, as the player can make peace with other factions or even unite with a faction under his color.
The game is played from a bird's eye view, but dispenses with a rigid isometric view and is one of the first strategy games to introduce camera work that can be freely pivoted and zoomed. The battlefield must first be explored due to the fog of war . The view is restricted by the terrain (line of sight). The different landscapes (grass, desert, ice and lava worlds) have no effect on the strategy.
In addition to a linear single-player campaign consisting of 21 missions, there is a multiplayer mode that can be played via LAN or the Internet.
Technology and development
The game was developed by the Planet4 studio from Hanover, whose employees knew each other from their studies. The game was initially published by Innonics GmbH, later by JoWood Entertainment. A dedicated 3D engine was developed for the game.
Marketing and Success
Innonics first appeared as publisher and JoWooD after its bankruptcy . In Russia the game was published by Buka Entertainment. At first, developers and publishers still believed in the success, so they worked on an extended version 1.5 and made plans for a successor. However, the game flopped financially and as a result of the failure, the game developer Planet4 had to close.
In 2009 the word / figurative mark Thandor expired and was subsequently deleted from the trademark registers.
reception
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The game received a lot of attention and good reviews, especially from German-language magazines. Outside, however, the criticism was more restrained.
While the graphics were highlighted as extremely successful and the ease of entry was praised, the hunger for resources and the associated slow game speed as well as the general lack of creativity were criticized.
Web links
- Thandor: The Invasion at MobyGames (accessed June 22, 2016)
- Thandor - The Invasion on ogdb.eu
Individual evidence
- ↑ Prairie Wolfe: Buka To Publish Thandor ( English ) neoseeker.com. June 7, 2000. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
- ↑ Register information (register number: 39963897) of the DPMA .
- ↑ Thandor: The Invasion ( English ) Metacritic . Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ↑ Thandor: The Invasion ( English ) GameRankings. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ↑ Jeremy Dunham: Thandor: The Invasion Review ( English ) IGN . March 7, 2001. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ↑ Bruce Gray: Thandor: The Invasion Review ( English ) Gamespot . January 22, 2001. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
- ↑ Michael Lafferty: Test Thandor - The Invasion on GameZone.com ( Memento from February 16, 2005 on WebCite )
- ↑ Test Thandor: The Invasion ( French ) JeuxVideo . November 7, 2001. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ↑ Test Thandor - The invasion , in: Computer Bild Spiele, 2/2000
- ↑ Petra Fröhlich : Game of Good Hope ( German ) PC Games . March 7, 2001. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ↑ GameStar : Test in issue 02/2000
- ↑ PC Action : Test in issue 02/2000
- ↑ Thomas Werner: Test Thandor, in: PC Player 2/2000, pp. 158–160 ( scan on kultboy.de )
- ↑ Fritz Effenberger: Test Thandor - The invasion, in: Power Play 2/2000, p 94f. ( Scan in the Internet Archive )