Precursors (video game)
Encyclopedia
The Precursors is a video game from Kiev
-based developer
Deep Shadows. The game was first demonstrated
in August 2005 at the Games Convention
in Leipzig
, Germany
and at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles
in May 2006. It is set in a futuristic sci-fi environment where many political factions are engaged in an intergalactic war. The player will be able to explore a multitude of planets, travel through outer space to complete missions, obtain information, and buy weapons and supplies in a free-roaming environment. "The game blends role-playing engagement and dynamic FPS-style action in a completely open world". It is described as a "mix of RPG, FPS
, and space simulation
". The Precursors has been in development for PC
and Xbox 360
and was released on the 4 December 2009 as retail for the PC in Russia. In May 2010, a spokeperson from Deep Shadows confirmed that the console version of the game has been put "on hold" indefinitely. The game runs on the Vital Engine 3, which also powers White Gold: War in Paradise
. In December 2010, an English version was made available via digital distribution
by GamersGate.
After some missions for Ridiger, the civilians and/or the bandits on Goldin the player can acquire the missing power cell and Captain Ridiger will present him his father's spaceship. Several space missions for the Amarn government follow before a catastrophe sends the player on a more critical quest away from Goldin. First he needs to go to the forest planet of Gli, where alien birds called the Clatz are fighting among themselves while being manipulated by the Democratic Union, and then to the rocky moon Reandore, where the Empire and the Free Traders are in the midst of a small war.
The Precursors themselves were an ancient and mythical race that disappeared a long time ago leaving strange high-tech pyramid artifacts behind on many astral bodies, such as Goldin and Reandore. While on the former a simple religious cult developed around the Precursors pyramid, on the latter an Imperial lab tries to unlock its secrets, which is the final target of the player in the game.
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
-based developer
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
Deep Shadows. The game was first demonstrated
Game demo
A game demo is a freely distributed demonstration or preview of an upcoming or recently released video game. Demos are typically released by the game's publisher to help consumers get a feel of the game before deciding whether to buy the full version....
in August 2005 at the Games Convention
Games Convention
The Games Convention, sometimes called the Leipzig Games Convention and abbreviated as GC, was an annual video game event held in Leipzig, Germany, first held in 2002. Besides video games, the event also covers Infotainment, Hardware, and Edutainment...
in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in May 2006. It is set in a futuristic sci-fi environment where many political factions are engaged in an intergalactic war. The player will be able to explore a multitude of planets, travel through outer space to complete missions, obtain information, and buy weapons and supplies in a free-roaming environment. "The game blends role-playing engagement and dynamic FPS-style action in a completely open world". It is described as a "mix of RPG, FPS
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
, and space simulation
Space simulation
A space simulator is a system that tries to replicate or simulate outer space and/or the experience of space flight in a spacecraft as closely and realistically as possible...
". The Precursors has been in development for PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and was released on the 4 December 2009 as retail for the PC in Russia. In May 2010, a spokeperson from Deep Shadows confirmed that the console version of the game has been put "on hold" indefinitely. The game runs on the Vital Engine 3, which also powers White Gold: War in Paradise
White Gold: War in Paradise
White Gold: War in Paradise is the sequel to the 2005 video game Boiling Point: Road to Hell. White Gold was developed by the Kiev-based game studio Deep Shadows. The Microsoft Windows version was released in CIS territories by Russobit-M on October 24, 2008, with the Xbox 360 and other Windows...
. In December 2010, an English version was made available via digital distribution
Digital distribution
Online distribution, digital distribution, or electronic software distribution is the practice of delivering content without the use of physical media, typically by downloading via the internet directly to a consumer's device. Online distribution bypasses conventional physical distribution media,...
by GamersGate.
Plot
The player takes the role of a young pilot of the humanoid Amarn race who is fresh from the academy, where he had a strange virtual reality exam experience, which made him being sent to the single Amarn colony planet Goldin to serve his people. On this outback desert planet he is taken under the command of Captain Ridiger, who was a friend of his late father and who also offers him the old spaceship that his father left him, provided he can find a power cell for it, that was stolen by bandits.After some missions for Ridiger, the civilians and/or the bandits on Goldin the player can acquire the missing power cell and Captain Ridiger will present him his father's spaceship. Several space missions for the Amarn government follow before a catastrophe sends the player on a more critical quest away from Goldin. First he needs to go to the forest planet of Gli, where alien birds called the Clatz are fighting among themselves while being manipulated by the Democratic Union, and then to the rocky moon Reandore, where the Empire and the Free Traders are in the midst of a small war.
The Precursors themselves were an ancient and mythical race that disappeared a long time ago leaving strange high-tech pyramid artifacts behind on many astral bodies, such as Goldin and Reandore. While on the former a simple religious cult developed around the Precursors pyramid, on the latter an Imperial lab tries to unlock its secrets, which is the final target of the player in the game.
Gameplay
The player will be able to talk and fight in FPS/RPG hybrid style while doing a multitude of missions on six different planets or moons and even the interior of spaceships and space stations. He will have many different vehicles to use in engagements on the ground ranging from simple buggies and flyers to hover tanks and mechanical robots. After getting a spaceship he will also be able to engage in space trade and combat with other factions in between the planetary missions. The players spaceship can be upgraded throughout the game and it can dock with space stations and with other spaceships so that the player can switch between them.Factions
There are over six factions in the game. Two being aliens and the rest representing various humanoid factions which are split into separate alliances that are usually fighting each other. Among these factions are the Empire, the Democratic Union, the Free Traders, the Clatz of the Nest, the revolutionary Clatz, the bandits and the civilians.External links
- Deep Shadows' official website (English language section)
- The Precursors' official website (English language section)
See also
- Parkan (videogame)Parkan (videogame)Parkan is a series of video games that combine space flight and trade simulation with first-person shooter style game play. Namely it allows players to board ships...
- White Gold: War in ParadiseWhite Gold: War in ParadiseWhite Gold: War in Paradise is the sequel to the 2005 video game Boiling Point: Road to Hell. White Gold was developed by the Kiev-based game studio Deep Shadows. The Microsoft Windows version was released in CIS territories by Russobit-M on October 24, 2008, with the Xbox 360 and other Windows...