Description
After several hit-and-run strikes by NTF forces, their hidden base has been located. You will lead the attack.

Storyline:
The storyline isn’t that bad in this mission. It basically involves an assault on an NTF Installation in the radar shadow of a large planet. The briefing is fairly well done, although it has a few spelling errors and the briefing screen is very cluttered. The icons and ships also don’t match up – Alpha wing is a Deimos corvette (if only ). There are too few messages in the mission, too.

Balance:
Although youÂ’re shot at for most of the mission and there is a real danger to your own life, there isnÂ’t really much of a risk to your capital ships. The Corvette and pair of Leviathans, with bomber assistance, can destroy all of the enemy capital ships and the installation with ease. Even when enemy bombers do arrive to pose a threat, they sit around doing little.

Design:
The design isnÂ’t that bad, but it isnÂ’t great either. ThereÂ’s nothing shockingly complex but everything thatÂ’s there works. The directives work okay and so do the mission goals. One of the best parts of the design is the background, which is designed cleverly to show proximity to the planet. However, it does look odd to fly downwards and see nothing but blue.

Gameplay:
Gameplay in this mission is pretty much a grind towards the base through a few NTF capital ships. Had the pair of Aeolus cruisers been placed more strategically they would have been a real surprise, but they’re pretty useless. The mission is also not particularly long – only five or six minutes at most.

Other Thoughts:
With a little rewriting and a bit more structure to make it feel more coherent, this mission might score higher. The ship names are also pretty odd – the friendly corvette is called the GTCv Dave!