For fans yearning for a fresh Command & Conquer experience, Fractured Alliance emerges alongside titles like Tempest Rising and 9-Bit Armies, capturing our attention. Developer Tense Games aims to rekindle the nostalgia of classic RTS games from the early 2000s, drawing heavily from the iconic Command & Conquer, Red Alert, and Supreme Commander. If high-speed multitasking in strategy games feels daunting, or you’re simply new to the genre, Fractured Alliance introduces ‘The Collective’—its third playable faction, specifically designed to ease you into the action.
Historically, the best real-time strategy games have always demanded exceptional multitasking skills. Tense Games directly addresses this challenge with Fractured Alliance’s new faction, The Collective. Described as their ‘least ‘classic-RTS faction,” it’s inspired by Warhammer 40k’s Tau, focusing on automation. A recent developer video (shown below) demonstrates its unique Swarm Drones in action.
Tense Games states, ‘The Collective is primarily a faction for RTS newcomers, or those who simply prefer less multitasking.’ Playing as The Collective, you can concentrate on strategic building placement and overarching tactical decisions. Your drones manage resource stockpiling autonomously and aren’t directly controlled, though you can switch their behavior between automatic, stockpile, defend, or attack modes.
These intelligent drones automatically produce necessary units, organize themselves into groups, and engage nearby threats as they deem fit. Additionally, you can deploy repair plants to automatically maintain and fix your structures, minimizing the need for constant micromanagement.
The developers also plan to introduce new units and abilities, allowing players more direct control over time, should they wish to gradually increase engagement. For those who prefer complete command, the other two factions—the United Federation and Eastern Alliance—offer a classic RTS experience.
Like the other factions, The Collective comes with its own compelling story-driven campaign, ensuring a full and rich experience, not a ‘watered-down’ one. This faction even presents an intriguing challenge for veteran players, as they learn to master a force without direct unit control. Having spent countless hours in games like Majesty myself, I’m particularly excited to explore the strategic possibilities of The Collective.
While Fractured Alliance doesn’t have a release date yet, you can add it to your wishlist to follow its development progress.
Meanwhile, check out our curated list of the best strategy games and classic PC games available today.
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