History VideoGame / Maelstrom

[[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maelstromcover_8275.jpg]]
''Maelstrom'' is a RealTimeStrategy game, released in 2007 by KDV Games. It is set on future Earth, where humanity has split into two warring camps: Ascension, made up of the unified corporations of the industrialised world, and Remnants, which are low(er)-tech rebels who resist their tyranny. Their struggle has just reached stalemate when the AlienInvasion occurred. The aquatic Hi-Jenti race has occupied Earth’s oceans, and seeks to spread further inward and eradicate human race by completely flooding the surface.

The game can be purchased on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/11560/ here]]. Oh, and it has nothing to do with with the tabletop game of the same name, the water ride at ''[[Ride/DisneyThemeParks EPCOT Center]]'', the ''VideoGame/{{Asteroids}}'' clone by Creator/AmbrosiaSoftware or the ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' fanfic of the [[Fanfic/{{Maelstrom}} same name.]]

!! Maelstrom provides examples of the following tropes:
* AquaticMook: Hi-Jenti are this by default. Land-bound units of the two human factions can be converted into this by investing into the aquatic upgrades.
* ArtificialStupidity:
** The strategical AI isn’t too bad, and it can even build bases for you pretty well. However, the game’s pathing algorithms are really, utterly broken. If you send a column of vehicles anywhere, you’ll likely discover most of them stuck halfway through, unable to drive over or around some minor terrain features. Luckily, enemy troops suffer from the same issues, balancing the playing field.
** It also applies to targeting calculations. It’s entirely possible for vehicles to attempt shooting at each other, have their projectiles stopped by terrain, and carry on in perpetuity (or at least until back-up arrives). Special prize goes to the cryo-soldiers, which will often freeze the water the allies or even themselves are standing in.
* AwesomeButImpractical: Terra-morphing. Sure, it’s cool to do something that 99% of strategies don’t allow and dig up new hills, ravines, or even lakes and rivers. However, it takes up realistic amounts of time to do anything significant, and you also can’t outsource this task to the computer.
* CameraPerspectiveSwitch: You’re allowed to manually control any of your units, which shifts camera perspective from bird’s-eye-view to a more typical third-person camera.
* CommandAndConquerEconomy: Averted: It is possible to set the base-building automatically, and it works pretty well for its day.
* EnergyWeapon: The Ascension weaponry is mainly laser-based.
* KillItWithIce: The Cryo units of the two human factions will freeze the water reservoirs, allowing land units to go over them safely and instantly killing any hi-jenti that were submerged underneath.
* MegaCorp: Ascension, which are a single, large corporation that has taken over most of the industrialised world and was busy battling the Remnant rebels when Hi-Jenti arrived. Their technology is the most advanced of the the three: their units have regenerating armour, while buildings generate enough solar power from roofs and windows to sustain themselves without need for dedicated power stations, and can transform into vehicles in the event of emergency.
%%* ObviousBeta: See ArtificialStupidity above.
* RegeneratingShieldsStaticHealth: Ascension units have self-repairing armor, but their health remains static without healing from dedicated units.
* RegeneratingHealth: Hi-Jenti units will regenerate health while they’re underwater.
* RPGElements: The commanders you can control in third-person mode will gain experience points, and obtain new skills when they level up.
* SuperDrowningSkills: Averted. Drowning is instead represented as human units steadily losing health while they’re in water until they die.
----

* FrickingLaserBeams: The Ascension weaponry is mainly laser-based.

The game can be purchased on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/11560/ here]]. Oh, and it has nothing to do with with the tabletop game of the same name, the water ride at ''[[Ride/DisneyThemeParks EPCOT Center]]'', the ''VideoGame/{{Asteroids}}'' clone by Creator/AmbrosiaSoftware or the ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' fanfic of the [[Fanfic/Maelstrom same name.]]

The game can be purchased on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/11560/ here]]. Oh, and it has nothing to do with with the tabletop game of the same name, the water ride at ''[[Ride/DisneyThemeParks EPCOT Center]]'', or the ''VideoGame/{{Asteroids}}'' clone by Creator/AmbrosiaSoftware.

The game can be purchased on Website/{{Steam}} [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/11560/ here]]. Oh, and it has nothing to do with with the tabletop game of the same name, the water ride at ''[[Ride/DisneyThemeParks EPCOT Center]]'', or the ''VideoGame/{{Asteroids}}'' clone by Creator/AmbrosiaSoftware.

The game can be purchased on Website/{{Steam}} [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/11560/ here]]. Oh, and it has nothing to do with [[TabletopGame/{{Maelstrom}} with the tabletop game]], the water ride at ''[[Ride/DisneyThemeParks EPCOT Center]]'', or the ''VideoGame/{{Asteroids}}'' clone by Creator/AmbrosiaSoftware.

* ArtificialStupidity: The strategical AI isn’t too bad, and it can even build bases for you pretty well. However, the game’s pathing algorithms are really, utterly broken. If you send a column of vehicles anywhere, you’ll likely discover most of them stuck halfway through, unable to drive over or around some minor terrain features. Luckily, enemy troops suffer from the same issues, balancing the playing field.

* ObviousBeta: See ArtificialStupidity above.

* DoingItForTheArt: Maelstrom has some extremely detailed water physics. The water will realistically flow in accordance to gravity and terrain layout and fill up valleys, potholes, and anything in between. It is also possible to use terraformers to dig more water reservoirs or even create new river flows. It’s too bad that the pathing algorithms can’t handle the terrain anywhere near as well.

* XMeetsY: ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'' meets (beta-version) of ''VideoGame/{{Perimeter}}''.

'''Maelstrom''' is a RealTimeStrategy game, released in 2007 by KDV Games. It is set on future Earth, where humanity has split into two warring camps: Ascension, made up of the unified corporations of the industrialised world, and Remnants, which are low(er)-tech rebels who resist their tyranny. Their struggle has just reached stalemate when the AlienInvasion occurred. The aquatic Hi-Jenti race has occupied Earth’s oceans, and seeks to spread further inward and eradicate human race by completely flooding the surface.

The game can be purchased on Website/{{Steam}} [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/11560/ here]]. Oh, and it has nothing to do with [[TabletopGame/{{Maelstrom}} with the tabletop game]], or the ''VideoGame/{{Asteroids}}'' clone by Creator/AmbrosiaSoftware.

The game can be purchased on Website/{{Steam}} [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/11560/ here]]. Oh, and it has nothing to do with [[TabletopGame/{{Maelstrom}} with the tabletop game.]]

The game can be purchased on Website/{{Steam}} [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/11560/ here]].