Introduction

Developer: Nexon
Official Page: http://www.sgalaxy.com

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Large Acronym

Massively Multiplayer Online Real-Time Strategy. Try saying that three times fast. It may not sound as elegant as MMORPG, but MMORTS is exactly what Nexon is building with Shattered Galaxy. Thousands of people battling over hundreds of territories day and night. Great concept, but can they pull it off? From what we've seen, they can.

Shattered Galaxy

Select your world

Logistics

Shattered Galaxy takes place on Morgana IV. An experiment gone wrong ripped humans from Earth and dumped them on this desolate planet on the other side of the galaxy. Morgana IV is a your typical Tantooine wasteland. Instead of putting their differences aside, four factions - the Gronor, Argus, Brinell, and Dulcinea - have risen to battle for the scare resources. As you enter the world of Shattered Galaxy, you create a hero aligned with one of these factions. There are no differences between these factions, other than their position on the world map. Once you align with a faction, you cannot jump ship to another.

Your hero has four attributes, Tactics, Clout, Education, and Mech Aptitude. Tactics allows you to command more people on the field, and to control more units. Clout increases the tribute from your faction, as well as the spoils from a victory. Education allows you to install better equipment on Mechs. Finally, Mech Aptitude allows you to lower weight restrictions when installing Mech equipment. You start by distributing 40 points, and as you gain experience you can add points to each of these skills.

World map

Covering a POC

Units

There are four types of Mechs in Shattered Galaxy: Infantry, Mobile, Aviation, and Specialist. Infantry units are cyborgs that walk and carry rifles. Mobile units take the form of cycles, tanks and artillery. Aviation units (obviously) fly everywhere. Specialist units have unique abilities; some can lay mines, while others can heal.

In general, we've found that players specialize in one type of unit on the field, while having units from all four types in their inventory. When units gain experience, your rating for that type of unit increases. With a higher rating, stronger units become available. For example, before you can buy Archers (Infantry), you need to work up your Skimishers, Footmen, or Brutes.

Medics and Sappers

Artillery hitting the grapes

Shattered Galaxy allows you to customize Mechs from the ground up. You can choose the chassis, engine, computer, armor, and specialized parts. Each item has a tech level restriction; if the unit doesn't have the tech level, it can't use it. The maximum tech level of a unit depends on its experience and your Education. Parts don't come cheap, so you'll need to stop by the trading post and buy resources before upgrading.

Books could be written on configurations, optimal setups, and the pros and cons of equipment. We won't go into the gory details, but it's safe to say that Shattered Galaxy has a complicated and deep unit and equipment system with a steep learning curve. Ask other players for help if you're stuck.

Disguised Skimishers	Capturing a POC
My poor Ballista being ganged up on	Owls circling a POC