Universe At War Patch 2 Review
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Patch 2 Review
Well after almost 3 months, Universe at War (UaW) Patch 2 has finally been released. I was one of those few brave individuals who decided to reinstall UaW, maybe because I had a spare cd key. Getting to play UaW patch 2 early was one of the most rewarding experiences, I've had in a long time. I also got the first multiplayer game for Patch 2 on 3/2/08 with Petroglyph Forum member Deltasniper. The first thing I noticed was a new bug, the team button disappeared on the multiplayer match and we had to restart in order to get teams going. Secondly the walker hardpoints have a glitch where assembly core and coolant display the wrong icon when exposed, slightly making it difficult to quickly target. However for the price of two bugs, I think the patch was well worth it.
Graphics
Petroglyph gave some nice attention and lovin to UaW. The graphic department has been rewarded with newer update textures, updated particle effects(supposedly, I haven't seen the new beam cannon yet), and a nice extra 22% zoom. The new zoom really makes a difference, when first playing, I felt shocked by the sheer difference in the gameplay because the zoom adds a whole new feeling. The figments and disciples are now tiny ants marching across the field, and a 4 walker battle can be watched with childish glee as the mass drivers rip through armor, and gigantic wave of radiation sweep through walker legs obliterating all anti air defenses. The new Grand Canyon map has to be one of the prettiest and most strategical maps I've seen. Seeing all the updated textures, seeing every rock and crack in the canyon walls, it steals one breath away. The grass prop still looks ugly, but at least the texture maps look golden.
Game play
Well, strategies have been completely turned around 980 degrees and displaced by 3 units to the left. One of the biggest changes is the Masari faction as a whole. They lost their super power light mode oracles, well they didn't lose it, oracle range got nerfed. The beginning game Masari really got changed by disciples getting a big boost against vehicles, figments don't require knowledge vaults, knowledge vault build time was decreased, and figments need to be really massed to get take down buildings due to the damage reduced against heavy armor. The novus hasn't changed too much, the dervish's death blossom has been reduced to a pathetic squirt gun which is easy to avoid with saucers and inquisitors by moving out of range. Novus blade troopers are now the most frightening infantry. 7 blade troopers will pretty much own any number of infantry when used correctly. The hierarchy got a big AA boost with both lost ones and arc turrets getting nice 20% damage bonus. The new zoom also plays a role in game play changes, with a larger field of view it is easier to sneak around enemy lines and plan surgical strikes without memorizing the layout of the map.
Modding:
Well of course I have to mention this, modding is now enabled! For those who have UaW patch 2, modding is now enabled and working. Even though the tools aren't public yet, you still can tweak around with balance, unlock human units and all the leftover items that had been replaced throughout UaW development.
Good:
Bad:
Well after almost 3 months, Universe at War (UaW) Patch 2 has finally been released. I was one of those few brave individuals who decided to reinstall UaW, maybe because I had a spare cd key. Getting to play UaW patch 2 early was one of the most rewarding experiences, I've had in a long time. I also got the first multiplayer game for Patch 2 on 3/2/08 with Petroglyph Forum member Deltasniper. The first thing I noticed was a new bug, the team button disappeared on the multiplayer match and we had to restart in order to get teams going. Secondly the walker hardpoints have a glitch where assembly core and coolant display the wrong icon when exposed, slightly making it difficult to quickly target. However for the price of two bugs, I think the patch was well worth it.
Graphics
Petroglyph gave some nice attention and lovin to UaW. The graphic department has been rewarded with newer update textures, updated particle effects(supposedly, I haven't seen the new beam cannon yet), and a nice extra 22% zoom. The new zoom really makes a difference, when first playing, I felt shocked by the sheer difference in the gameplay because the zoom adds a whole new feeling. The figments and disciples are now tiny ants marching across the field, and a 4 walker battle can be watched with childish glee as the mass drivers rip through armor, and gigantic wave of radiation sweep through walker legs obliterating all anti air defenses. The new Grand Canyon map has to be one of the prettiest and most strategical maps I've seen. Seeing all the updated textures, seeing every rock and crack in the canyon walls, it steals one breath away. The grass prop still looks ugly, but at least the texture maps look golden.
Game play
Well, strategies have been completely turned around 980 degrees and displaced by 3 units to the left. One of the biggest changes is the Masari faction as a whole. They lost their super power light mode oracles, well they didn't lose it, oracle range got nerfed. The beginning game Masari really got changed by disciples getting a big boost against vehicles, figments don't require knowledge vaults, knowledge vault build time was decreased, and figments need to be really massed to get take down buildings due to the damage reduced against heavy armor. The novus hasn't changed too much, the dervish's death blossom has been reduced to a pathetic squirt gun which is easy to avoid with saucers and inquisitors by moving out of range. Novus blade troopers are now the most frightening infantry. 7 blade troopers will pretty much own any number of infantry when used correctly. The hierarchy got a big AA boost with both lost ones and arc turrets getting nice 20% damage bonus. The new zoom also plays a role in game play changes, with a larger field of view it is easier to sneak around enemy lines and plan surgical strikes without memorizing the layout of the map.
Modding:
Well of course I have to mention this, modding is now enabled! For those who have UaW patch 2, modding is now enabled and working. Even though the tools aren't public yet, you still can tweak around with balance, unlock human units and all the leftover items that had been replaced throughout UaW development.
Good:
- Great new strategies
- OP balance fixes
- Abnormal Exit fix
- Modding
Bad:
- Introduced new bugs
- Incomplete distribution system making it seem like there are no games because you can't see patch 1 games, and only a few people dare reinstall their UaW.
