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2009 · Ntronium Games · 4X · Action-adventure

Armada 2526

Guide one of 12 races on their first interstellar journey from a single planet, until it becomes a mighty pan-galactic empire. From the Star Map you must manage your empire, deploy your fleets and conduct research, diplomacy and trade. Plot your strategy. Explore the universe and found new colonies.

Released: 17 November 2009
Platforms: Windows
Genres: 4X Action-adventure Real-time strategy Real-time tactics Strategy Turn-based strategy
Developers: Ntronium Games
Publishers: Iceberg Interactive
Modes: Co-op Single-player
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric
Themes: Science fiction 4X (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate)
Country: United Kingdom
Age ratings: ESRB E10+
Languages: English

About

Armada 2526 is a 4X science fiction computer strategy game developed by British studio Ntronium Games, released in North America on November 17, 2009. Armada 2526 is an example of the space opera genre, and is the spiritual successor of the game Armada 2525, which was released by Interstel in 1991. Armada 2526 puts players in charge of a fledgling galactic empire, and they must attempt to explore the galaxy and expand their territory, while trying to destroy rival empires. The gameplay is a hybrid of turn-based and real-time time-keeping systems, and players can use military, diplomatic, economic and technological means to further their empires. The game received mixed reviews from critics.

Ntronium also released an expansion pack for the game, titled Armada 2526: Supernova, which enabled online multiplayer play. Supernova includes two new alien races, new hazards, an updated trade mechanic, and more researchable technologies.

Players say

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The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The fundamental gameplay mechanic of Armada 2526 is 4X, an abbreviation of explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate. Players must explore the galaxy, expand their empire, exploit the various resources to be found, and exterminate their rivals. The game uses elements of both turn-based and real-time time-keeping systems, there are no set battles, and there are multiple paths that players can take to victory. Games last for an arbitrary amount of time, set at the beginning of the game; the galactic civilization with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.

The conditions for victory vary depending on the race that players choose to play as. Some races focus on the happiness of their citizens, others focus on developing technology, and yet others focus on population. There are four different game scenarios that players can choose from, each with a different size of randomly generated game map. These game maps can contain anywhere from two to seventeen civilizations.

Reception

Armada 2526 received mixed reviews from critics, resulting in an accumulative average score of 66 out of 100 according to review aggregator Metacritic. Game Zone's Mike Splechta praised the game's accessibility and replay value, but criticised its graphics as "just not up to today's standards". Simon Priest's review in Strategy Informer was positive overall, but he criticized the game's user interface, calling it "the weak link in the chain". James Allen of Out of Eight, on the other hand, praised the "informative" user interface, as well as the size of the randomized maps, the computer control of colonies, the AI opponents, and the diversity of the victory conditions.

However, he criticized the lack of online multiplayer play in the original version, and called the combat "bland", the diplomacy "generic", and said that Armada "lacks the 'hook' of more robust offerings". Adam Solo's review in Space Strategy Games Sector called Armada 2526 "a very solid game", but said that "it may not be for everybody", noting that this is in line with Ntronium's target of hardcore strategy fans. He also praised the developers for their continuous improvement of the game.