Starshatter released
by Kit

Wednesday, July 7 2004

Space-based RTS game comes from Matrix Games.

Matrix Games (http://www.matrixgames.com) and Destroyer Studios informed VGLN.com today that Starshatter (http://www.starshatter.com), a 3-D space combat simulation, was released today.

Starshatter uses a dynamic campaign engine to custom-build an unlimited number of unique missions into five story-based campaigns. These campaigns can take a player from fighter pilot or frigate captain all the way to fleet commander, and it can be played either single-player or with up to eight players on a network. The surroundings for each mission are dynamic and adaptive, so that missions that are not chosen by the player are performed by other pilots who may or may not succeed. Thus the storyline is advanced according to the players’ choices as well as their piloting skills. As players advance, they will gain opportunities to engage in both atmospheric and space assaults, command squadrons, determine mission rosters and plan and execute strategies for task forces and starships.

David Heath, Director of Operations at Matrix Games, said: “This is a completely new breed of space combat game. Gamers have been waiting for years for such a multi-dimensional flight strategy simulator. It’s not just an empty box with beautiful graphics; on the contrary, sci-fi flight sim fans and strategy gamers alike will enjoy the dynamic, intelligent play and will find an addictive and fulfilling game in Starshatter.”

For mobile or lower-end systems without 3-D acceleration, Starshatter also includes a software rendering engine. It is designed to run well on a wide range of Windows computer systems in Windows 98SE, ME, 2000 or XP on systems from Pentium II 400 MHz on up to high-end gaming rigs.

Starshatter includes three different flight models with options which range from a Newtonian-physics vector-based model to arcade play, ala other space combat games, to atmospheric airplane-style flight. Starshatter supports mouse, keyboard, joystick, throttle, and gamepad flight controls simultaneously, so that you can find the control method that works best for you. You can easily assign any joystick or gamepad axis to any function you wish, and each axis (including the mouse Y-axis) can be inverted to suit your preferences.

For more information, check the Starshatter page at http://www.starshatter.com and the main Matrix Games page at http://www.matrixgames.com for future press releases and discussions.

--- Kit