Graphics

3D Hexagonally Square Octagons

Back in the day, SSI was known for some of the best turn-based strategy and wargames. Inevitably, these games had to display movement, area and occupation in terms of squares, octagons or, usually, hexagons. RTS games, too, often use such shapes to help position units. Movement isn't necessarily restricted to follow the borders between the objects, but the ending position is.

Ruins in the ED

Space transport

It was a rather bitter surprise to see that yes, even with today's technology, SSI has managed to publish a game that has gone back to such primitive roots. Units obey artificial spacing restrictions, since there can only be one unit per hex. No, there isn't any bounds-checking to see if one body would collide with another (a staple of RTS titles since C&C), but merely "if hex==occupied then DoNotEnter".

It's War!

Sad little trees

The terrain and terrain-creation engine are also limited by these hexes, though this isn't so unusual as most games use tile-based graphics of one sort or another. Unless you happen to be looking at extremely steep slopes from the right angle, you won't notice.

Unified

The units themselves are very nicely modeled. They have a wide range of motion, excellent texturing and a cool, believable look. The more primitive European Dynasty, for example, still uses tanks not unlike our own. While they can get fancy with lasers, they have guns for the most part. Their weapons aren't sophisticated robot walkers like the UCS, or anti-gravity hovertanks like the lunar colonists. They rely on massive hitpoints and the innate toughness of primitive technology to help them through - they have the units with the most hitpoints in the game. As you can see, the three sides involved in the conflict have quite differing technologies and ideologies, so the game's graphics reflect those styles.

Pretty, but choppy performance

Laser wall... seems familiar

...And then there was Light!

The most impressive graphical aspect of Earth 2150 has to be the lighting engine. Earth naturally undergoes its day/light cycles still, so when it's nighttime, your units can turn on their lights for better visibility. Notice that they can turn on their lights, not that they always do so. While turning on your lights gives you better visibility, it also gives your position away. Thus, the player is given the option to leave lights up to the AI, to turn them always on or have them off all the time - this for each specific unit.