Our references: retro games!

[h3]Do you recognize the references in the following image?[/h3]

In this news, Aliza, lead programmer on USC: Counterforce, shares her love for the old-school games that impacted the development of the game.

This time, let’s see some of the good old games that greatly influenced USC: Counterforce. We always wanted to strike a good balance between a kind of “realism” and old-school, boardgame-like combat mechanics—and though this is generally true about almost all games in the genre, we aim to emphasize the game’s “tabletop feel” in many ways.



First of these is the completely top-down presentation (at least as far as the tactical map screen goes, since you can also follow your marines through their head cameras)—and with this comes an almost completely flat map, without elevations and multi-story buildings. After Ultimate Space Commando we were experimenting with bringing elevations to its sequel, but ultimately, we found that it didn’t work well with the “flagship” USC mechanics, and it didn’t do good for the dynamic of the game. We didn’t want to change that special feeling that comes with this presentation, a feeling that made games like Julian Gollop’s Laser Squad (1988-1992), Space Hulk (board game: 1989, PC: 1993), or Space Crusade (board game: 1990, Amiga/PC: 1992) so great.

Screenshot of a mission in USC: Counterforce

We played these games as children back in the early 90s, and they made a huge footprint in our lives. Equipping your squad with weapons, ammo, and armor to take on a mad scientist, defending your base, or fighting aliens in a jungle in Laser Squad was an experience second to none. You had Time Units to spend in each turn, carefully planning your movement and shots, consulting the scanner (minimap) to devise your tactics—and then being gunned down by a well-placed opportunity shot from the AI. You could destroy walls and obstacles, and it was important to be aware of your surroundings as you moved with your squad. Many choices with a comprehensible system behind them, forcing you to think, to make the best of each of your turns. If there was only one game to name as an influence for USC and USC: CF, it would be Laser Squad. We often tend to call squad- and turn-based games against aliens “UFO or X-Com-clones”, but really, those games only came after.

Laser Squad "Screenshot 11" - Killed the enemy droid, mobygames.com

Space Hulk and Space Crusade, both parts of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, are a little bit different kinds of beasts, but only on the surface. You have a squad of hardened Space Marines; you have a grid-based map of tight corridors, rooms, and doors you can open. The rules are simpler, and your choices are not so abundant, but you have to act almost perfectly in every situation to survive. Positioning of your units is key, as Line of Sight mechanics and other rules are very strict—these are board games, after all! And the atmosphere, the feeling of constant and imminent threat at every corner, while your Marines themselves are nothing short of a human war machine—really unique! When we look at the systems behind these games, we can see they differ a LOT from that of Laser Squad, but what they have in common makes them very fun, very engaging, and indeed very difficult games. Making something this engaging in 2022 is no small task—graphics and UX expectations may have evolved, but those in themselves don’t make a great tactical game! We can still learn a lot from games we played decades ago.

Images of Space Hulk and Space Crusade, the video games and board games from the 1990s

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Join our Discord to chat with the developers of USC Counterforce: https://discord.gg/vsxD6n8P8J

The USC Counterforce team