Carrier Command: Gaea Mission
- September 28, 2012
- Bohemia Interactive
- 38h median play time
This much belated franchise-resurrection trips in execution due to unit pathfinding issues and the lack of multiplayer.
Get on Steam"Carrier Command: Gaea Mission" is a tactical combat game where players control a massive aircraft carrier. The objective is to explore, dominate and defend islands in a vast archipelago, using land, sea, and air units. Players can customize their carrier and units, and engage in real-time battles against AI or human-controlled opponents. The game offers a mix of strategy, action, and exploration in a detailed and dynamic open world.
Reviews
- The game offers a unique blend of RTS and FPS gameplay, allowing players to control units directly while also managing a carrier.
- The graphics are visually appealing, with nice atmospheric effects and detailed environments.
- The concept of capturing islands and managing resources is engaging and provides a strategic challenge.
- The AI pathfinding is severely flawed, often leading to units getting stuck or failing to follow commands effectively.
- The campaign mode features poorly executed FPS segments that detract from the overall experience.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and crashes, making it frustrating to play at times.
- story156 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The story of "Carrier Command: Gaea Mission" is widely criticized for being lackluster and poorly executed, often described as a mere backdrop for gameplay rather than a compelling narrative. Many players find the campaign's mission objectives confusing and the voice acting subpar, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game. While some appreciate the nostalgic elements and the blend of strategy and action, the consensus is that the story fails to engage, making it a weak point in an otherwise interesting game concept.
“Carrier Command: Gaea Mission is an intricate and captivating game that managed to keep me engrossed for a solid 40 hours.”
“My childhood revived with a great campaign and story along with other things you can do!”
“The storyline is kind of borrowed from a series of books, and mashed in with the Carrier Command lore... it kind of works too.”
“The story is mediocre and the voice acting passable at best.”
“The story mode is just a glorified tutorial with bad voice acting.”
“The storyline is hollow as it acts more as a 'reason to be' since it just says 'you need to get the carrier because this' and 'you have to conquer islands because of that'; it really isn't engaging.”
- gameplay109 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Carrier Command: Gaea Mission" is characterized by a mix of engaging mechanics that allow for resource management and tactical control, though it suffers from issues such as frustrating AI and repetitive elements. While many players appreciate the depth and potential of the RTS mechanics, the execution is marred by bugs, poor controls, and a lack of urgency in missions, leading to a mixed reception overall. Despite its shortcomings, the game offers hours of entertainment, especially for those who enjoy strategic gameplay, but it could benefit from further refinement and focus on core mechanics.
“The gameplay itself is very deep and rewarding; the 3D model of the carrier and its subsystems make sense - it is also not a micromanagement nightmare.”
“I really like the gameplay; it makes you feel like a general and requires a well thought out plan to win a battle or an island with minimum losses.”
“The graphics are great, the concept is fantastic, and the gameplay is very good.”
“The RTS gameplay, which is the bulk of the game, has a lot of promise, and being able to take control of units manually is very nice, but the AI piloting is lacking and regularly causes frustration to the point where manual control becomes a necessity instead of a 'nice to have' feature.”
“Beyond that, it has too many cutscenes with terrible writing and animation, and the basic gameplay loop in the six or so hours I played was very, very dull.”
“The gameplay is solid and the mechanics work to great effect; it's just that this game is too boring for any of its strong points to save.”
- graphics82 mentions
- 49 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising their beauty and polish, especially for a title from 2012, while others criticize certain aspects as outdated or inconsistent. Some players appreciate the atmospheric effects and overall aesthetic, but note issues like graphical bugs and performance problems when settings are adjusted. Overall, while the visuals are generally considered impressive for their time, they are not without flaws, leading to a varied reception among players.
“The graphics are incredible, the controls are good, the sound is good; I just like it.”
“For a game made back in 2012, Carrier Command: Gaea Mission still holds its own in both graphics and gameplay.”
“The graphics are beautiful, certainly, but I felt a little betrayed by the trailers which appeared to promise a trifecta of gameplay.”
“The orange tinge on everything is horrible; I can handle the 2005 graphics, but I swear they had colors back then.”
“Good game to play... only problem is I tried changing the graphics settings higher and it has made the game black screen with the game running in the background.”
“The graphics of the game are, in a word, mixed; the carrier, the vehicles, the buildings, even the landscape for 2012 standards are at least passable and easily good, but the people, faces mostly, are so bad. It's like they were having fun designing everything, then they ran out of time and the people had to be done in a rush.”
- stability26 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- -8 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and stability issues, including frequent crashes and problematic AI pathfinding that significantly detracts from the experience. While some players acknowledge improvements following updates, many still find the game to be a "buggy mess" that hampers enjoyment and progress. Overall, stability remains a major concern, with players recommending caution before diving in.
“Runs great on my old rig.”
“The game maintains a steady frame rate, even during intense action sequences.”
“I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs, which is impressive for a game of this scale.”
“Horrifically buggy AI pathfinding that was never fixed.”
“What I can't stand in a game is the buggy crashes every 5-10 minutes.”
“Pathfinding glitches and issues render the game unplayable.”
- music9 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the great soundtrack and its integration with the graphics, others find it inconsistent and overshadowed by technical limitations. Complaints include abrupt shifts in volume that disrupt gameplay and a relatively short soundtrack that doesn't match the lengthy campaign. Overall, the music is seen as a highlight but is marred by execution issues.
“The music is great and the graphics are nice.”
“Nice graphics, nice story, nice music, good gameplay. I didn't find any important bugs or glitches.”
“I really liked the graphics, music, and the general concept of the game - being a FPS/RTS game.”
“I had to constantly lower the music volume because it would shift between epic sounding battle music and then some people loudly wailing in my ears as I was trying to hear the voice actors.”
“The soundtrack is around 25 minutes, and frankly doesn't come close to cutting it, considering the campaign can last 15+ hours.”
- optimization8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- -12 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with frequent crashes, severe AI pathfinding issues, and poor performance detracting from the overall experience. Players report that AI units behave erratically, failing to engage appropriate targets and requiring constant oversight. Additionally, despite the game's ambitious environmental effects, the graphical quality remains subpar, even at maximum settings.
“The performance is impressive, with various weather conditions that not only impact vehicle performance but also enhance the visual experience.”
“I'm astounded by how different weather conditions affect gameplay, making it harder to see during a rainstorm and adding a psychological depth to the experience.”
“The environmental depth of the game significantly contributes to the overall optimization, creating a more immersive experience.”
“The game literally revolves around the use of AI-controlled units which are so poorly optimized that the pathing is incredibly bad.”
“That's not all, the AI to which this game revolves heavily around is so poorly optimized that your anti-tank equipped units will fruitlessly shoot at airborne targets and vice versa with the AA units. What's worse is that they won't switch targets to hit the appropriate enemy units, so you literally have to babysit a total of 8 dumb AIs!”
“Optimization is terrible, and even at the highest quality, character models look awful.”
- grinding7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, with slow unit restoration and a lack of manual time compression making island conquests feel boring. The game's pacing, reminiscent of its 1989 predecessor, leads to frustrating waits for resource generation, while the added FPS missions are seen as an unwelcome and tedious distraction. Overall, the grinding elements detract significantly from the enjoyment of the game.
“Lastly, restoring units is tediously slow, and you can only speed up time when traveling between islands.”
“There is no manual time compression, so taking poorly defended islands can be tedious and boring.”
“Unfortunately, the original game's tediously slow pacing (that was fun in 1989) is copied with perfection, as are fundamental elements of the game's design that leave the player stuck waiting for resources to generate.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely derived from its quirky elements, such as the protagonist's amusingly off-kilter British accent and the absurdities of the AI and vehicle behaviors, which often lead to comical situations. Players find humor in the game's numerous bugs and illogical physics, particularly during frustrating moments like navigating through muddy terrain, where the challenges become laughably exasperating. Overall, while the game has potential for humor, it often straddles the line between funny and frustrating due to its technical issues.
“The British accent of the protagonist is hilarious. I can't tell if it's real or not, but it definitely sounds off.”
“It has a huge amount of potential, but there are so many bugs, so much stupid AI, and so much lack of attention to detail by the programmers. Hearing bird chirps and wildlife sounds while deep underground in the bowels of a research center is kinda funny, actually.”
“The vehicles can often get lost by themselves, often with hilarious results, not to mention some odd physics.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is generally viewed as commendable, though some users note a lack of multiplayer options that could enhance the experience. While technical improvements can enhance playability, the absence of competitive elements limits long-term engagement.
“The game's replay value is commendable.”
“Even if it doesn't have replayability.”
“Lack of multiplayer cripples replayability - it would be brilliant vs. another human.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its excellent graphics and overall visual appeal, creating an enjoyable experience. However, the cutscenes and voice acting detract from the atmosphere, feeling lackluster and uninspired. Overall, while the game excels in visual design, the narrative elements fall short.
“This is an excellent game with atmospheric graphics, moderate tactical depth, and thoughtful missions.”
“Love the controls and atmosphere.”
“I love the look; the graphics are neat (if a bit 2005). The great atmospherics make it an overall joy to look at. The vehicles are well-designed too; not too gimmicky and have a balanced futuristic feel.”
“The aforementioned cutscenes are, on the whole, horrible; the voice acting is wooden, and they somehow feel devoid of any atmosphere or effort.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is criticized for starting poorly, with players experiencing significant bugs and a lack of engaging character progression, leading to frustration and dissatisfaction early on.
“The game starts off on a really bad note, and after 15 minutes of bugs and nail-bitingly poor character development, I think I've had enough of this game.”
“Character development feels rushed and shallow, leaving me disconnected from the characters and their stories.”
“I was expecting a deep and engaging character arc, but instead, I was met with flat personalities and predictable outcomes.”
