Weapons
For those of us familiar with the show, the hand phaser and phaser rifle (compression rifle) are about all there is regarding an "assortment" of weapons.
Unfortunately, this simply won't do for a first-person shooter. A larger selection of weapons, each with its own unique uses is reqired for a good
balance of gameplay. In addition to the standard hand phaser and phaser rifle, you have Seven of Nine's I-MOD (Infinity Modulator) which infinitely
rotates the frequency of your phaser to cut through Borg adaptive sheilding.
You also have such weapons as the Klingon Scavenger, which fires red bursts of energy, the Hirojan rifle, which
uses a kind of green plasma, a Welding device which works like a portable lighnting bolt, and a personal photon torpedo launcher (awww yeah!) which makes
quick work of those baddies. There are also others, but we don't want to spoil it for you! Each weapon also has a second firing mode, like in Unreal.
Typically, these modes use more of the weapons energy, but are more effective against your enemies.
While you do have an adequate assortment of weaponry to choose from, some fans such as myself had a hard time believing the weapons to be authentic
Star-trek based technology. While the show is futuristic, almost all technology has sound theoretical principals that shift them into a possible
reality for the open-minded sci-fi fan. The I-MOD and Personal Photon Torpedo Launches were just too good to be true.
The AI
When they say Hazard Team, they mean TEAM. In the past, computer players that were supposed to assist you in FPS style play usually only got in your way. Not
this time. According to sources, Raven has created a 'node-based' AI system that's intelligent enough to move AI characters around the map and not shoot you
in the back. If interupted in their tasks, they can break, begin a new one, and return to the original one when finished. This system ties into the scripting
of each mission. Although the goals for each mission are played out linearly, scripted sequences in which the AI characters must complete a particular task in
order for you to continue are handled without a hitch.
This is all thanks to a new AI system developed by Raven called ICARUS. The scripting of each mission can be interrupted, while you do whatever you
need to, and continue on right where it left off.
