Universal Combat CE

About

Universal Combat CE is a single player strategy game. It was developed by 3000AD and was released on February 6, 2015. It received neutral reviews from players.

The ultimate space capital ship combat compendium is the evolution of hard core space combat sims. The only game of its kind currently in existence.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

44%

Audience ScoreBased on 219 reviews

music4 positive mentions

graphics9 negative mentions

The game offers a vast and ambitious sandbox experience, allowing players to command large spaceships and engage in various types of combat.
There is a significant amount of depth and complexity, rewarding players who invest time in learning the mechanics and systems.
The game has a unique premise that allows for a variety of gameplay styles, including space combat, ground operations, and resource management.

The controls and user interface are overly complicated and unintuitive, making it difficult for new players to get started without extensive reading of the manual.
The game is plagued by bugs and crashes, leading to a frustrating experience for many players.
There is a lack of a proper tutorial or guidance, which can leave players feeling lost and overwhelmed by the game's mechanics.

graphics
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
77%
16%
The graphics of the game are widely criticized as outdated, with many reviewers likening them to those from the 90s or early 2000s, and some even describing them as reminiscent of Windows 2000-era visuals. While a few users noted minor improvements, the overall consensus is that the graphics fail to meet modern standards, detracting from the game's appeal compared to contemporary titles. Despite this, some players suggest that the gameplay may still offer value for those who prioritize content over aesthetics.
- “I have to admit, the graphic improvements are cool.”
- “Oh yes it is, it's some of the most atmospheric graphics in a space game....and you feel as if you can actually go to that nebula, or that planet....or even that base and dock there.”
- “As this is an old game re-released, the graphics are dated now but still they are good enough to enjoy the game.”
- “This game began development in the mid-2000s, and the graphics show it.”
- “The graphics on this game are extremely dated; I understand it came out in 2004, but BF2142 came out in 2006 and blows this game away in terms of graphics.”
- “The graphics literally hurt my eyes.”
gameplay
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
82%
9%
The gameplay of the game has been criticized for its slow pace, outdated mechanics, and a steep learning curve, making it feel cumbersome and unengaging. Many players noted the lack of guidance and clarity in the game's systems, leading to frustration with its complex controls and frequent bugs. While some appreciate the variety of gameplay options, the overall consensus is that there are superior alternatives in the genre that offer better mechanics and a more enjoyable experience.
- “The amount of gameplay options available to the player is absolutely incredible!”
- “Ultimately, other games don't come close to the same versatile free-form gameplay and with so many options.”
- “Unfortunately, the systems and deck layouts are practically identical, so you really don’t see much difference in general gameplay.”
- “Gameplay is slower paced, especially with large ships that take a longer time for hyperdrive transit and jump charge time.”
- “The game's mechanics, gameplay, menus, UI design, and tutorial (aka the manual) are extremely archaic and don't hold up to modern standards of video games.”
story
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
82%
9%
The game's story aspect is characterized by a flexible narrative structure that allows players to create their own experiences through various missions and open-world exploration. While there are campaign missions that provide objectives, many players find the storytelling lacking and the gameplay often feels unrewarding or empty, particularly in the roam mode. Overall, the potential for a rich narrative is overshadowed by bugs, poor design, and a lack of engaging content, leaving players to rely on their imagination to fill in the gaps.
- “It's like Dangerous Waters, Fleet Command, Falcon BMS, and 688 Hunter Killer Command: Modern Operations... but it's also a space simulator with the good elements from this genre: a vast universe to explore, engage in combat, capture stations, and land on planets. There are several campaigns that, as far as I can tell, are somewhat similar to X3:TC story arcs, where you receive objectives to progress, but how you achieve them is entirely up to you.”
- “You can begin your military career either with a mission-based tour of duty ('ACM'), or start in 'roam' mode where you are free to do whatever you wish in the open world.”
- “You play how you like and make your own story.”
- “Not talking about the scenarios, roaming feels empty with nothing to do, no missions to accept, no people to talk to, and with no proper goal you can set yourself.”
- “Much like its nine predecessors, Universal Combat is horribly plagued by game-breaking bugs, poor interface and design, horrendously glitchy gameplay, extremely boring and poorly written storyline, no tutorial, and lack of explanation for basically everything in the game.”
- “Oh the bugs.... oh the non-existent story..... oh the wtf moments.”
stability
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
96%
The game's stability is widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly detract from the experience. While some players appreciate its potential and depth, many express frustration over its incomplete state and the lack of effective fixes from the developers. Overall, the consensus is that the game is too buggy to be considered stable, leading to a disappointing experience for many players.
- “It runs great on my Linux laptop.”
- “The game has been incredibly stable, with no crashes or bugs during my playthrough.”
- “I've experienced smooth gameplay with consistent frame rates, making for a very enjoyable experience.”
- “People who bought it quickly realized it was a buggy, broken mess of a game that has great potential it will never realize.”
- “I am sick and tired of the crashes, bugs, glitches, and issues.”
- “Realistically, this is such a buggy mess that it shouldn't even be on Steam.”
atmosphere
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The atmosphere in the game is visually impressive, featuring high-quality lighting, textures, and models that create an immersive experience, particularly in space environments. However, players have reported significant issues with gameplay mechanics, such as ship handling during atmospheric entry, which can lead to frustration and crashes. Overall, while the graphics contribute to a captivating atmosphere, technical flaws detract from the overall experience.
- “It is dated, but the lighting, textures, and models are very nice and atmospheric (see my screenshots).”
- “Oh yes it is, it's some of the most atmospheric graphics in a space game... and you feel as if you can actually go to that nebula, or that planet... or even that base and dock there.”
- “This game has potential... but it crashes a lot entering the planet's atmosphere... forcing me to restart my entire game.”
- “It wasn't fun to try to enter atmosphere; in fact, I got sick from the ship shaking like it reached a boundary and bounced around.”
- “Rolling in atmosphere doesn't change your heading at all, and your yaw authority is way higher than it should be.”
- “This game has potential, but it crashes a lot when entering a planet's atmosphere, forcing me to restart my entire game. Then there is just nothing to do at all—make money, buy things, get bored by people, kill them for XP and more money... and that's about it.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The music soundtrack is generally well-received, with many praising its quality, though some users find it potentially aggravating. While the sound effects are considered serviceable, they may become repetitive or annoying for certain players. Overall, the music enhances the experience for most, despite mixed feelings about the sound effects.
- “The music soundtrack is really quite good, while the sound effects are serviceable.”
- “Nice soundtrack.”
- “Enjoyed the music.”
- “The sound was okay, but I could see how the music could aggravate some people.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is commendable, particularly for an older title, as it runs smoothly on lower-end computers while maintaining good graphics performance.
- “As an older game, the graphics performance is impressive, even on lower-end computers these days.”
- “The optimization allows for smooth gameplay, making it accessible to a wider range of hardware.”
- “I appreciate how well the game runs on my older system; it shows great optimization for various setups.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is criticized as a cash grab, with users pointing to numerous bugs and crashes that detract from the overall experience, suggesting a lack of care in development.
- “The constant crashes and blue screens of death make it feel like this was just a cash grab when it was released, and the gameplay is clunky.”
- “The monetization system feels exploitative, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
- “I feel like I'm being pushed to spend money at every turn, which ruins the overall experience.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Reviews indicate that while the game has a steep learning curve and some frustrating controls, it notably lacks grinding, setting it apart from similar titles like SG2, which involved more tedious gameplay elements.
- “Yes, it's buggy, there's a steep learning curve, infuriating control schemes, and tedious micromanagement.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game elicits mixed feelings, with some players expressing frustration over outdated graphics and limited view distance, which detracts from immersion. While the game attempts to evoke strong emotions, it falls short of expectations for some, leading to disappointment and anger among fans.
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the humor in the game to be engaging and entertaining, often highlighting the amusing elements as a key reason for their enjoyment.