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Last update: 08/25/98 
Join the Crusade
Auto-updated: 03/31/99
[Interplay Forum]
MAX2 is two (actually three) types of games in one. It is a Real Time Strategy game, similar to Starcraft and Dark Reign (see some sample Screen Shots). It also can be played as a Turn Based strategy game. The amazing thing is that the rules and gameplay are the same in either mode! If you play Turn Based most of the time, for some variety you can play it in Real Time mode and not have to relearn anything (other then the game will not wait for you). But even in Real Time, it has several types of PAUSES available to you. If you are playing single player against the computer, it has two very handy pause options. You can set the game to automatically pause whenever you select a unit. This lets you issue the orders calmly for the unit (which can include setting over a hundred waypoints for you unit to use in its travel). You also can set the game to automatically pause whenever one of your units moves and encounters an enemy unit! This is very handy, since at that point you may wish to alter your plans. However, there always is a PAUSE button you can use at any time. And even in a multiplayer Real Time game there are pauses available to you, referred to as "time-outs". As the game progresses, each player accumulates "time-outs" that can be used anytime during gameplay.
MAX2 emphasizes the strategy aspect. It was designed to avoid the early game "rush" syndrome, and its units are well balanced even though there are two different "sides" that you can play. You can either play as Humans (as one of eight different Clans) or as Sheevat. In either case, you will have some very interesting units and weapons available to you.
Even if you play as Human, you will have alien units available to you. These are from the friendly Concord alien races. These Concord units are self-repairing, gain experience through combat and are organic in nature. But even as "Human" you still have EIGHT different Clans to choose from. Each Clan has bonded with one of the many friendly Concord races which will provide you with certain benefits and each lends itself to different styles of play! MAX2 will not become "old hat" very soon with all this diversity. We have a separate page for each of the Clans, but here is a quick run-down on their benefits (just click on the Clan to jump to its page).
The Aven have bonded with
The Chosen and have Better Air Units. Your AWACs have been scan, your Ground Attack Planes have better attack,
our Fighters have been range and your Air Transports have better speed. Plus you can
build your Air Unit Plants, Fighters and Ground Attack Planes faster!
The Fen have bonded with
the Crimson Path and have Better Sea Units. Your benefits are diversified across Sea Units. Your
Submarines have better attack, your Gunboats and Missile Cruisers have better range, your
Corvettes and Gunboats have better armor, your Gunboats have better hits, you Escorts have
better scan and your Corvettes, Escorts, Sea Transports and Submarines have betters speed.
Plus your can build Shipyards, Missile Cruisers and Submarines faster!
The Cloak have bonded
with the Von Griffin and have Improved Espionage. This gives you speed and scan benefits for your AWACs,
Infiltrators, Radar Stations, Scanners, Scouts and Submarines. Your APC also has
better armor and hits and your Infiltrators, Scouts and Submarines have increased attack!
You can build an infiltrator faster as well.
The Phemer have bonded
with the Ayer's Hand and have Better Missile Units. Your Missile Crawlers, Missile Cruisers, Missile Turrets and Rocket
Launchers have increased attack and range. They all also build faster!
The Kamren have bonded
with the Musashi and have Better Armored Vehicles. Your APCs, Gunboats, Gun Turrets and Tanks have better armor and hits.
They all also have improved attack (except for APCs which cannot attack). In
addition, your Gunboats have added range and your APCs and Tanks have increased
speed.
The Elan have bonded with
the Sacred Eights and have Better Fast Units. This gives you attack, range and speed benefits for your Assault
Guns, Scouts, Ground Attack Planes, Corvettes, Escorts and Mobile Anti-Aircraft units.
You can build an Assault Gun faster as well.
The Aspen have bonded
with the 7 Knights and have Better Defense. However, you will be surprised that only the Gun Turret has added armor
and hits! Instead the emphasis is on attack and range. Your Anti Aircraft Turrets,
Artillery Turrets, Gun Turrets, Missile Turrets, and Land and Sea Mines all have better
attack. The turrets all (except for Gun Turret) have added range as well. Plus you can
build Missile Turrets faster!
The
Beaker have bonded with
the Axis Inc. and are Better Builders. You get extra Engineers and Constructors at the start of the game. Plus
both Heavy Unit Plants and Light Unit Plants build faster!
MAX2 comes with 23 Stand Alone Missions. In 17 of these you play the Human side while in the other 6 you play from the Sheevat point of view!
MAX2 also comes with four complete Campaigns. Each campaign consists of 9 missions (for a total of 36 missions in all). The first campaign is a tutorial campaign to get you started with the game. The last (fourth) campaign is the hardest. In these missions you play as the Sheevat!
MAX2 also lets you play Single Player Custom games where you choose the map, the Clan, the starting credits and units!
Finally, MAX2 comes with a Scenario Editor so that you can design your very own Missions!
While MAX2 comes with plenty to keep the game from getting boring just in Single Player, it is the multiplayer aspect of the game that many gamers thrill in the most! MAX2 allows up to six players and games can be on a LAN, over the Internet, Hot Seat or two player games via modem or serial connection.
Interplay will have a FREE Internet matching service called MAX2.NET. Players will be rated for skill and reliability, thus when you start a game you can make sure that the players joing are up to your standards! There also will be a Chat Rooms for players to talk about the game or find players for a new game. You can ban specific players from your Room as well as have your Room require a password to gain entry.
There are over a hundred units, so you will definitely have plenty of choices available in order to put together your own special strategy! And every unit has its own page in MAX2 Heaven, so you can find out more about any unit you ware interested in. Each page is PRINTABLE so you can make your own reference book to help while you play. Even better, it is easy to compare Human units to their counterpart Sheevat unit. Just under the reference chart is a line that says SIMILAR SHEEVAT UNIT: ... just RIGHT CLICK on that unit and choose OPEN IN NEW WINDOW. You then will have the original Human unit still displayed and the Sheevat unit in a new window. Just adjust your windows and compare the stats! To help your navigation viewing the various units, there is a list of all the units available at the bottom of every Unit Page! A good place to get started is with the page listing the Units You Can Start The Game With!
If you find any errors please report them to CaptComal@hotmail.com
so they can be corrected. Thanks.
[Official Interplay M.A.X.2 Site]
[Links]
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preliminary stages at this time. Any comments can be sent to CaptComal@hotmail.com
This site contains material that is copyright (c) 1998, Interplay Productions. All rights reserved.
