Description
It is simple, a big battle in open space. The Shivans have established a jump node in the Sol system and we are waiting for them when they arrive.

Storyline:
The Shivans have managed to create a Jump Node into Sol, and the GTA must defend against the Shivan invaders. Do not allow the Shivans to establish a beach head. This very simple story has potential, possibly even becoming another grand battle between the Shivan and Terran fleets. Unfortunately, little backstory is developed or explained. This story doesn't translate well into the mission either, resulting in a lackluster Jump Node defense mission without enough tension to be exciting.

Balance:
There is a good selection of ships and weapons to choose from in this mission. This designer chose a minimalistic approach, where only two Shivan captial ships and escorting wings will face four wings of Terran fighters and one capital ship. This just doesn't seem to be enough Shivans to be a credible "invasion force," but you have a good chance of losing the sole Terran capital ship unless the Shivan Cain and Lilith are destroyed quickly. Unfortunately, the three default wings of Terran fighters and one wing of Terran bombers will make quick work of the Shivan capital ships. After that, it's merely mop-up work as the final series of Shivans keep coming through the jump node. A stronger Shivan first wave would make this a more believable Shivan invasion of Sol, but this mission is almost on the right track.

Design:
The mission design is very basic. The primary and secondary objectives are simply to destroy all the fighters and the capital ships. Ship naming isn't done at all. The Shivan wings are named "Shivan1" and "Shivan2" and the Capital ships are named "Lilith 20" and "Cain 26." Simply renaming the ships would have made this mission much more professional. There are no in-flight messages, which greatly takes away from the already basic battle environment. Without any mission directives or escort status for the capital ships, the HUD appears quite empty. Perhaps one reason the battle seems to be lackluster is that the Shivans are given no AI settings. Since the Shivan AIs must fend for themselves, there just isn't much of a battle strategy to keep you on your toes. Finally, a "PVF Toth" ship image is used in the Briefing for one of the "Shivan" attack waves.

Gameplay:
It just isn't fun enough to recommend, since there isn't enough atmosphere or story to deliver the excitement you'd expect from a Shivan invasion of Sol. If you're good, you can wipe out the Shivans handily. And it's downright easy if you are intelligent enough to have all of the Terrans concentrate on first one, then the other, Shivan capital ships.

Other Thoughts:
I'd love to see this story done in a better mission.