Angels Fall First is a first-person multiplayer shooter by British studio Strangely Interactive,[1] combining game-play elements of traditional squad-based shooters with space combat games, with a particular focus on the ability to pilot and crew capital ships, which also serve as infantry combat settings themselves. Previously a mod of Epic Games' first-person shooter Unreal Tournament 3 and referred to as Angels Fall First: Planetstorm,[2] the game has since been moved to the Unreal Development Kit and was released on Steam's Early Access on 10 October 2015 with its current title.
| Angels Fall First | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Strangely Interactive Ltd |
| Publisher(s) | Strangely Interactive Ltd |
| Engine | Unreal Development Kit |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release | 10 October 2015 |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Angels Fall First: Planetstorm | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Strangely Interactive Ltd |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 3 |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Plot and Setting
editAngels Fall First is set in a science fiction universe. The game takes place during a period called the Second Antarean War between the Antarean Empire and the United League of Planets, an alliance of several stellar states.
The war was caused by a variety of factors: the gradual decay of the United League of Planets (itself created out of necessity during the First Antarean War), the upsurge of nationalism among the Antareans, and the reestablishment of old alliances by the rebel Antarean factions. Its primary cause was the Crowning Day Massacre, in which a naval blunder by the United League of Planets caused the deaths of thousands of civilians during an Antarean holiday, including that of a well-loved public Antarean figure.[3] In the resulting chaos, the long-lost heir to the Antarean throne reappeared, solidifying the Antarean revolt and throwing the regions into a full-scale war.
Gameplay
editAngels Fall First combines two types of gameplay: FPS and space shooters. Several of its maps take place on planet surfaces, primarily focused on combined arms warfare, featuring Fast-Attack vehicles, Armoured Personnel Carriers, Tanks and atmospheric Gunships. Others take place in space with a variety of spacecraft ranging from small fighters to large capital ships, all of which can be piloted and crewed by players. Infantry combat also takes place in space maps: several maps feature objectives that require infantry to board a location by dropship. Furthermore, players are able to board enemy capital ships through the same method, allowing them to destroy its key components and ultimately destroy the capital ship. The game is geared towards online multiplayer but has support for offline single-player gameplay, using bots to compensate for the lack of players.[2] The average server has a maximum of 64 player slots.
Since 2019, the number of simultaneous players of Angels Fall First has been below a minimum level for functional online multiplayer gameplay.[4]
Development
editAngels Fall First has been in development from as early as 2007, planned for submission to the Make Something Unreal Contest hosted by Epic Games. The original mod won prizes in the pre-final phases,[5] eventually winning third place in the Grand Finals.[6][7][8]
In 2009, the developers of Angels Fall First stopped working on the Unreal Tournament 3 mod. The developers changed the game engine to the Unreal Development Kit so they could make Angels Fall First a stand-alone game.[9][10] A demo version of the mod ported into the UDK engine was released in 2009.[11] The game became available on Steam Early Access on October 10, 2015. As of June 2024[update], it is receiving periodic updates.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Angels Fall First". 18 July 2022.
- ^ a b "Angels Fall First: Planestorm MODDB Description"
- ^ "Crowning Day Massacre video"
- ^ "Steam Charts Angels Fall First". Steam Charts. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "Third round of Unreal Tournament 3 'Make Something Unreal' Contest winners announced by Epic Games". Gaming Bits. 4 August 2009. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ "Make Something Unreal Contest - Grand Prize Winners Revealed". Beyond Unreal. 17 February 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ Tom Bramwell (22 February 2010). "Make Something Unreal winners unveiled". Eurogamer. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ Alice O'Connor (18 February 2010). "Make Something Unreal' Contest Winners Crowned". ShackNews. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ Rossignol, Jim (4 May 2010). "Hyperbolic Space-Biff: AFF Planetstorm". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
- ^ "AFF:Planetstorm UDK Showcase Released!". Affuniverse. 4 May 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ "Angels Fall First: Planetstorm". Epic Games. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ "Angels Fall First". Steam News Hub. Retrieved 31 July 2024.