And you thought 8 players was a lot?

Westwood's first online game has hit the shelves.


Sure, we've all played head to head over modem or perhaps on Westwood Chat, some of us have been fortunate enough to try out a real Duke 3D deathmatch game over a LAN, 8 players, a real killing feast. Well, how does 50 players in one game sound?
First a quick introduction to the way Sole Survivor plays;
Each player selects one -1- unit and during the battle this is the only unit the player will control. That's right, no bases, no vast armies, you're on your own this time. Throughout the game the player will pick up crates (powerups) to increase the units abilities. Because of this, a puny minigunner may be able to take out i.e. a mammoth tank, depending on the number of powerups they have picked up. Although there is some variations depending on which game mode you play these are the main elements of the game the balance between picking up crates and fighting enemy units.
ole Survivor is an online game. Although there is an offline practice mode, you will spend most of your time in SS at 'Westwood online'.

2t CTF
There are seceral different game modes;
    'Free For All' is the basic type where you are on your own against everyone else.
    'Capture the Flag' is a team game with 2-4 teams. Each team has a base, and it is your team's objective to bring the other team's flag to your own base.
    'Football' is what it sounds like, one flag & two goals. Bring the flag from one goal to the other.
    'Human vs Hunter' is when the human players are tipped against the computer controlled hunters.

There are also several options that make variations to each of the game modes, like time limit, score limit, ion cannon damage, hunters and base size. Game channels are frequently changed by Westwood to help keep the game fresh and new.

2t FFA
Sole Survivor is a very simple game. Some find it too simple, but I can't help but feel that those people just haven't played the game enough. Have they ever tried out a 4 team CTF game, with a team that really works? Because that is the key to having fun in SS - a team that can cooperate. That's where the strategy element comes in. It doesn't help if every team member is running about by himself when the other team is attacking in an organized manner with a good variety of units. Many people say that SS is a very easy game, that you need only play it for a mere hour or so to be a good player. But it is only after playing the game for several weeks or months you can really call yourself a great SS player.
Westwood has organized its own ladder system, with rankings for solo and teamplay games. This way you can easily compare youself to other players without bothering to report games etc. For those who think ladder games become a little too winning oriented, and not so much about having fun, there are also non-ladder games.
Wacky FFA
The newest addition to the game is the introduction of squads. People organize themselves into squads, or clans, and compete against eachother. This is maintained by the players themselves, but WS have made several squad channels on the servers to ease squad play.
Sole Survivor is a very exciting game. Very simple, but still addicting. I find it very hard to let go when I have started playing a game, I just have to waste that guy who mercilessly blew up my hummer!. The drawbacks are that the engine is getting quite old now, so graphics and sound may seem a little outdated. Bad latency is also a major problem that can be very frustrating, especially for players outside the US. Nevertheless, Sole Survivor is a great game that I would encourage everyone to at least give a try.
See ya all on the battlefield!

- CarnbY