Pandora: First Contact

Pandora: First Contact is a science-fiction turn-based strategy game of epic scale. The player leads his chosen human faction over multiple centuries on a newly discovered earth-like planet into an unknown future. Pandora features research, diplomacy, economy, warfare and endless replayability with the exploration of exciting and randomly-generated worlds.

I actually had a chance to see this game in action pre-beta and its shaping up to be fantastic, I spoke to the developers about the game and discovered that the engine behind it has been made over the last 6 years, he used this time to make the engine capable of generating detailed terrain quickly and while the game only supports 4 player gaming the systems are in place to increase this up to 16 players and beyond with the games editor, something he hopes to make available some time after the games release.

I’m waiting to see if I can get hold of some gameplay footage for you, so stay tuned.  In the mean time, check out the screen-shots and concept artwork below.

Pandora: First Contact is due for release Q4 2012.

• Discover a new world harbouring a variety of ecoregions, ranging from the frozen ice lands of the north, to vast deserts and lush tropical forests in the south
• Encounter and survive the planet’s dangerous wild life. Agile predators in the steppes, deadly insect swarms in the jungle, or gigantic creatures lurking in the abyss of the oceans
• Ruins and artefacts, the relics of an ancient alien civilization long forgotten, provide you advantages against other rivaling factions
• Over the centuries, progress through a vast research tree spanning dozens of technologies and providing buildings, units, weapons, and more
• Negotiate trading or research pacts with other factions for mutual benefits. Forge alliances to stand united against common foes
• Build new cities to expand the borders of your empire. Manage cities by choosing building or unit production and assigning priorities to your colonists
• Shape the landscape with terraforming: construct farms, mines, forts, or other improvements to increase the productivity of your colonies or to fortify positions
• Command vast armies on the battlefield against enemy factions. Utilize the planet’s terrain, for example by fortifying in hills or hiding troops in forests or mountains
• Design your own units, choosing from a variety of different classes, weapons and armours to maximize the strength of your forces
• Unleash hell on your opponents with powerful military operations, ranging from drop pods behind enemy lines to black hole generators eradicating entire landscapes