Starsiege: Tribes
| Company type | Video game |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Founder | Dynamix |
| Products | Starsiege: Tribes |
| Parent | Sierra On-Line |
Starsiege: Tribes represents a first-person shooter video game and serves as the initial installment in the Tribes franchise. Created by Dynamix and released by Sierra On-Line in 1998, it continues the storyline from Metaltech: Earthsiege and Starsiege. An expansion titled Tribes Extreme, intended to introduce single-player campaigns, additional multiplayer maps, and improved AI, was ultimately cancelled.
Gameplay
Set in the 40th century, Tribes is a team-oriented multiplayer online shooter where humanity has expanded across multiple galaxies through jumpgates. The central conflict involves four principal human factions: Children of the Phoenix, Blood Eagle (imperial knights), Diamond Sword, and Starwolf, alongside numerous smaller tribes vying for control. Players engage as warriors allied with these factions.
Combat unfolds over 40 expansive outdoor maps that cover several kilometers. Base placement varies strategically depending on the selected game mode.
Gameplay is defined by five main modes:
- Capture the Flag (CTF) – Teams of up to eight players strive to seize enemy flags and bring them back to their own base. Flags dropped after a carrier’s death can be retrieved or returned. This mode accounts for approximately 75% of server activity.
- Deathmatch (DM) – Players or teams compete individually to achieve the highest number of kills.
- Capture and Hold (C&H) – Teams capture and maintain control over bases or key assets, earning points based on how long they hold them.
- Defend and Destroy (D&D) – Teams attempt to eliminate specific enemy base components while protecting their own; this mode ranks as the second most popular.
- Find and Retrieve (F&R) – Teams collect dispersed flags across the map and return them to their base; securing all flags results in victory.
Players choose among light, medium, or heavy armor classes, each providing different levels of protection, energy reserves, ammunition capacity, and weapon compatibility. For instance, heavy armor allows use of heavy mortars, whereas light armor grants access to sniper rifles. When armor is depleted, players die and respawn at designated base or field locations. Energy cells supply power for jetpacks, weapons, and equipment packs that enhance player capabilities.
Bases typically include defensive structures such as generators (which supply power to turrets and stations), turrets, stations, and sensors. Destroying generators disables defensive systems for that team. Available weaponry includes heavy mortars, sniper rifles, explosive disc launchers, gatling guns, grenade launchers, blasters, plasma rifles, and laser rifles.
Movement
Players employ jetpacks to propel themselves into the air until their armor's energy runs out, offering movement options beyond simple running and jumping. Jetpacks facilitate short hops and zigzagging maneuvers that help evade enemy fire in open terrain; upward thrusts also assist in avoiding close-quarter attacks.
A distinctive movement technique known as "skiing" takes advantage of the game's physics engine. By timing jumps while descending slopes, players build momentum that enables high speeds. Combining this momentum with jetpack boosts at hilltops allows swift traversal across maps. This mechanic was officially incorporated into Tribes 2 by Dynamix in later iterations.
Development
The official announcement of the game occurred in May 1998.
Reception
On GameRankings, the game garnered positive critiques. GameSpot highlighted its well-balanced gameplay, robust online features, and solid performance, emphasizing the depth of multiplayer modes, impressive graphics, and customizable weaponry. The maps were praised for their smooth integration of indoor and outdoor environments. However, some drawbacks were noted, such as difficulties with long-distance combat, a limited selection of close-quarters weapons, and issues related to weapon queue management. In 2005, GameSpot honored the title as one of "The Greatest Games of All Time." Next Generation lauded its inventive design and the availability of free servers.
From a sales perspective, the game moved nearly 99,000 units in 1999, falling short of the company's forecasted target of over 250,000 copies.
The game received several industry honors, including winning the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' Online Action/Strategy Game of the Year at the 2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. It was also nominated for PC Action Game and Computer Entertainment Title of the Year but was ultimately bested by Half-Life. Additionally, it secured Computer Games Strategy Plus's 1998 Online Game of the Year award for its internet capabilities and strategic gameplay depth, along with IGN's Best Online Game of 1998. In 1999, PC Gamer US presented it with a "Special Achievement in Innovation" award for revolutionizing online combat through advanced networking and user interface design. The game was shortlisted for PC Gamer’s Best Multiplayer Game and PC PowerPlay’s Best Online Only awards but lost both to Team Fortress Classic.
Sequels
The franchise continued with Tribes 2, which was released in March 2001. For the third installment, Tribes: Vengeance, Sierra licensed development to Irrational Games, with the game launching in October 2004. To support Tribes: Vengeance, Vivendi Universal distributed free copies of Starsiege: Tribes and Tribes 2 on May 4, 2004 via a DVD-ROM included with Computer Gaming World magazine and through FilePlanet.