Starsiege

Starsiege is a mecha simulation game developed by Dynamix and published by Sierra On-Line. Released in 1999 for Windows 95/98, it is the direct sequel to EarthSiege 2 and part of the larger Earthsiege/Starsiege universe that also spawned the Tribes franchise. Players pilot massive bipedal war machines called HERCs (Humaniform-Emulation Roboticized Combat Units) across a branching single-player campaign set in a war between human factions. The game features over 30 distinct HERCs, each customizable with weapons, shields, and internal components. Missions range from planetary surface battles to zero-gravity space engagements, with dynamic terrain deformation, destructible objects, and fully 3D environments. Multiplayer supports up to 32 players over LAN or the Internet, with deathmatch, team deathmatch, and capture the flag modes. Starsiege was among the first sims to support the 3dfx Glide API, Direct3D, and OpenGL, delivering advanced particle effects, per-polygon collision detection, and hardware-accelerated lighting. A robust mission editor allowed players to create and share custom campaigns. The game received strong reviews for its graphics, deep control options, and narrative integration, though some critics noted steep system requirements and a learning curve for newcomers to the genre.