Earthsiege/Starsiege: Birth of the Apocalypse

This video was put together for the veterans of the Earthsiege/Starsiege series. It focuses on the Apocalypse-class HERCULAN, which was first conceived during the Earthsiege Expansion Pack, released in 1995 (and not in Earthsiege 2, as many newer players believed.). Having said that, many players may never have touched the Expansion Pack, seeing as how the original Earthsiege game would have been near-impossible for most conventional players to complete at any decent difficulty level.

The Apoc, as its fans dubbed it, was among the most popular human HERCs in the entire Earthsiege/Starsiege series, a heavy attack HERC which had a perfect blend of speed, maneuverability, durability and firepower. And in the hands of an expert, it was also one of the deadliest HERCs on the battlefield.

I re-installed the Earthsiege Expansion Pack program, and used old snapshots and video recordings to construct this video.

The video begins with the introduction of the Earthsiege Expansion Pack, followed by a few shots of the antiquated Colossus-class assault HERC, which as veterans of Earthsiege 1 know, was outclassed by the newer Cybrid designs. In truth, even the older Cybrid Hyperion assault HERC was more powerful than the Colossus.

Enter the Apocalypse, the latest Human design incorporating Cybrid advances. A series of slides show the hubbub as the Apocalypse factory comes under attack in Mission 4, and the new HERC gradually takes shape in the construction bay. I have also reconstructed the page from the original manual for display, here.

By Mission 8, the first Apoc is ready for use. Note its sleek, graceful curves (it looks much better than the clunky Apoc in Earthsiege 2). I arm it with the best weapons, plus two of the new PBW Mark IIs', and go on to demonstrate just how devastating this new HERC is. Mission 8 is a defend-type mission. "Gut", the crew chief and mechanic of the squad, delivers a sending-off message before the mission begins.

The gameplay clip starts out with my Apoc being raised to ground level by the underground lift. I go through my usual mission startup sequence: Radar to active, weapons linked for greater firepower, and energy weapons power bars' maxed out for longer endurance in a firefight. Shields to full power to the front. Squadmates are also ordered to Fire at Will. Soon, two Cybrid Mirimac-class HERCs' attack, and get owned by my Apocalypse.

Near the end of the clip, I switch to external views of the Apoc, then my squadmates Colossus; then to the map and damage display for both HERCs.

I also incorporate a small excerpt from the Earthsiege/Starsiege novels I have penned, a tiny bit of fan fiction. Starsiege fans will easily recognize the terminology used, and the language of the Cybrids.

The video ends with the final pictures of the Expansion Pack, after the Cybrid Command Elements are destroyed, and the Earth is saved.

I recently found my original, 15-year-old Earthsiege Expansion Pack manual! Yay! Plus I've scanned it to ensure a soft copy exists.

Category:

Gaming

Tags:

• Earthsiege
• Starsiege
• Apocalypse
• Paladin
• Expansion
• Pack
• HERC

[crazy88boss]

Rather dull-looking.

[BudgetPhoenix]

@hookey221

I used to play this when it first came out when I died the brain scene scared me lol I was only like 8 years old

[ImperialArmour]

I totally remember this. I ended the game in an Ogre i think.

[RosieKR]

I miss these days. Especially the fact that you actually had to BUILD your vehicles.

[l33tphoenixman]

oh yes, many a mission i have done in ES and the expansion, with the apoc. same with ES2. starsiege was ok, they really changed the feel of it. why lasers, though? atc's all the way! lol and i found out the hard way, apoc + 6 EMP2's all fired at once = crash XD

[Spectre426]

Oh man this brings back memories. Unfortunately I never got to play Earthsiege 2, my computer at the time couldn't handle it. Earthsiege, the expansion and Starsiege were all amazing though.

[Homer4980]

i love this game

[hookey221]

Great Video! This was the very first game I ever played. I still remember when you died the scene with your guy about to get his brain removed. Please upload that if you still have the game. 5 Stars!