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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A nice little Number, 29 Jan 2002
Codename: Outbreak is the first game build on Vital Engine ZL. It is a tactical 3D action, in which the player is to command a task force. The events of the game bring us to year 2034, when the Earth has barely escaped the collision with a comet. Passing in dangerous proximity to the Earth, the comet scorched the atmosphere and hundreds of meteorites poured their fiery rain down causing death and destruction. Together with meteorites the Earth received alien life spores which started quickly developing under the planet's conditions. People faced a highly aggressive form of life capable to parasitize on humans, totally overriding them. Within several days after the catastrophe aliens spread across vast territories and captured many objectives. The game plot describes a military campaign to resist the invasion and the main character's participation in it. In the course of the game a player will have to carry out a number of tense and hazardous missions on the objectives captured by aliens, saving human survivors, creating diversions, preventing nuclear weapons launches, getting important information, samples and much more. There are 13 enormous levels, with 7 of them being open spaces and the rest 6 - indoor ones. It's possible to perform operations in the daytime as well as at night - this is left for the player to choose. Here not only the level graphics and lighting will change. At night one can sneak up to the enemy in the dark, the location of guards will also be different in day and night missions.
The gameplay is close to real task force actions at well-guarded enemy objectives, when the success of the whole operation very much depends on remaining invisible for security system, and suddenness being the major advantage. That is why it seems barely possible to win the game by mere annihilating all the enemies - skirmishes and explosions within a well-guarded enemy base will end up in the detachment spotted and quickly killed. The player will have to act stealthily and quietly, learn the patrol system to deliver sudden strokes, hide in the premises' shadows and make ambushes, lay mines on the path of heavy machinery, use the advantages of weapons and equipment, carry out sniper shooting, destroy shadowing cameras.Before each mission the player is given an objective and necessary information to follow suit with a stage where the player can select his team participants and equip them, receive an objective and all the information necessary. The player is offered 12 soldiers to select his teammates from. Each of the soldiers has his own specialization and possesses a number of unique parameters, like accuracy, endurance, reaction, health. The following objects are available as equipment: weapons, body armour, ammunition, medicaments, night vision equipment and several types of markers to spot the enemy. As the game proceeds, the player will obtain new types of weapons and armour, created according to alien technologies available. The top number of objects a soldier can take depends on his ability to carry weight. The stock of ammunition can be replenished by frisking the killed enemies, besides, some parts of equipment can be found in depots. All the missions are played by a team of two fighters - a player and his mate. The teammate in Codename: Outbreak is not just an assistant ready to help the player with fire or cover him in case of danger. It's nearly impossible to get through some missions without the teammate. There are frequent situations when several enemy sentries must be killed simultaneously, in order to restrain them from giving the alarm. Then the teammate's participation is really essential. By means of a special command the player can order him acquire the target needed and simultaneously open fire afterwards. Besides, it is possible to order the teammate cover the player, stand ground, attack the enemy or stop shooting. The player can switch between his soldier and the teammate anytime to carry out the most complex actions himself. At the end of the mission finals are drawn up. Depending on the number of enemies killed, objects found and necessary information got the soldiers participating can be promoted or awarded. Besides, participation in missions influences the increase in the player's parameters. Of course, if the soldier dies in action - he becomes unavailable for the player (though the strongest medicaments can bring him back to life). Improvement of the characters' parameters, as well as receiving ranks and awards adds new interest to the game, allowing players to compete with each other in reaching higher ranks. The game world of Codename: Outbreak is interactive and detailed. From the first minutes of the game the player finds himself not around the lifeless objectives with the enemies put on particular places waiting for him to show up, but around the interactive environment, where a lot of events take place. The territory is patrolled by soldiers, the military machinery moves, the personnel works at the computers and mechanisms, the characters talk to each other, cranes, cargo loading machines, radars and computers work. Owing to high interactivity the player has an opportunity to learn the patrol system, choosing the best way and time for action, eavesdrop the enemies' talks, work with computers and activate the mechanisms found on the level. Many elements of the environment can be destroyed. Thus, if you, for example, shoot into a pipe - it will emit steam, windows shatter and lights break under shots and explosions etc. The breakable sources of light allow, for example, smashing the lamps in the corridor to create a darkened area and make an ambush there. The computer rivals artificial intelligence is based on usage of virtual hearing and sight algorithms, helping the computer players to pattern their behavior in the game. The virtual hearing algorithms allow the rivals to react upon sounds spread around the level. Thus, for instance, the sound of skirmish or explosion will attract a patrol which have heard it or if the player passes behind the backs of a patrol, the noise produced by his steps will end up in the soldiers turning back and opening fire. The virtual sight algorithm allows the computer opponents, first of all, to have the same range of vision as the player (that's why they don't see what is happening behind their backs). Secondly, the distinctness of vision gets worse when the objects are far or the illumination is bad. Owing to these algorithms the player can, for example, quietly pass behind the patrol's backs, hide in the ill-lit areas of the premises or carry out distractive maneuvers. There is a system of aimed hitting in the game. So, a hit into the soldier's body, protected by armour results in minor damage while a head hit inflicts substantial injuries. Apart from affection zones, each rival has vulnerable spots, which result in maximum damage and sometimes, in instantaneous death. Besides, various kinds of armour secure different protection from this or that sort of damage, as bullets, explosions or chemical influence. The sound of the game has been thoroughly worked out. On each level the player is surrounded by much background noise, helping to create the presence effect. Everything that should make sounds makes them. The multiplayer supports up to eight players over the local net or Internet. A multi-user game will include such modes as capture the flag, cooperative single mission, the teammate controlled by other players and classical deathmatch. The game engine is based on modern technologies and supports the features of the latest accelerators generation. Any D3D-compatible accelerator will fit for the game. The engine perfectly copes as with open, so as with closed spaces and supports resolutions up to 1280x1024 in 32 bit. Among the implemented features are: dynamic colour illumination, directional sources of light, procedure textures, mirror and chrome surfaces, volumetric fog, realistic water surfaces, multitude of trick effects including usage of particles system and many more. Owing to model- simplifying-with-the-distance technology, the quantity of polygons has been much increased. So, the models of enemies and the ones led include up to 1000 polygons. The character's animation is done separately for upper and lower part, allowing getting smooth and natural movements. The game has 3-dimensional sound - A3D, as well as EAX cards are supported. Features Possibility of stealthy movements, sniper shooting and sudden attacks
Multitude of equipment with a kit selection possibility
Improvable and thoroughly worked out soldiers' parameters, possibility of being promoted in service
The player controls two soldiers, handly command system for the teammate
View from the first as well as from the third person
Levels combining open and closed spaces
Possibility of choosing time of the day for the mission
High interactivity and level detailing
Hit processing algorithm, various kinds of injuries and armour
High artificial intelligence of the rivals
Work with any D3D-compatible accelerator
Dynamic colour illumination,
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