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Unfortunately most of the RTS' on the market are carbon copies of each other - luckily independent game developers are filling the void with new and exciting games like Trash!

Real-Time Strategy games are as common as flashy lights and slot machines in Vegas these days. Unfortunately most of the RTS' on the market are carbon copies of each other so the gamer looking for something new and unique doesn't have many choices. Luckily independent game developers are filling the void with new and exciting content.



One such developer is Inhuman Games, who have been working quietly for five years on a new RTS entitled Trash. While not as technologically advanced as the big boys Trash can still hold it's own in the over saturated strategy market with unique features and something that many game companies have been leaving out, fun.



One thing you notice after playing a round of Trash is that things have been simplified compared to the latest batch of commercial RTS games. You still have to mine for resources, build units and upgrade various areas but additional features such as battle formations have been stripped away. This in no way means that Trash is a simple game.



Even with just the basic parts of a RTS Trash is a very deep game that is easy to pick up but hard to master. What makes Trash hard to master is the unique ways that the basic features have been used. Actions such as upgrading your units range have been made more difficult by allowing only one building to research one tech and one tech only.



This means if you build a tower that has the ability to research a flame wall or shields you can only research one of the upgrades so if you would like both abilities you must build two towers. Another feature that makes things difficult is the limited resources.

Trash, the core resource, is easy to come by but others such as gas, metal, and nuclear waste have been limited so if you only have one nuclear waste site you can only build one building that requires nuclear waste on that site. Playing as a human or mutant also gives a different experience as each side has unique units that balance each other.



Humans might have gatling cars and motorcycles with flamethrowers that seem overpowered but once you figure out the weakness you can upgrade a weaker mutant unit that can take on just about anything the humans have. So while it might seem like Trash is unbalanced at first after a few rounds it's clear that the developers took a lot of time perfecting each side.

The meat of Trash is in the multiplayer and it's probably where you will spend the most time. Once in the lobby of the game players have the option of connecting to any of Inhuman Game servers to create a game. Once you start a game people can login and alter various options such as which side they play as, amount of people on each team, how many CPU players you would like to add if any, and what map you will play on.



A very nice feature Trash has is the ability for humans and mutants to be on the same team and share technology, energy, and resources simply by connecting buildings with pipe. And since resources are limited making these connections becomes a vital part of the online experience. Connecting also allows you to make the entry level soldier into a one man army or make more advanced units unstoppable. Although doing this can be difficult once you achieve the goal the feeling is indescribable.



It is also necessary for players to communicate and plan everything out which gives you a great sense of being on a team and working together for a common goal. When it comes to connection speed the gamer that doesn't have access to broadband internet won't have anything to worry about. Everybody from 56k and up will have no trouble playing Trash lag free.

Trash does feature a single player mode but it's more like training for when you go online. When the final version of the game is released it would be nice to see an actual story that tells what happened to make the work into an apocalyptic wasteland where everything is made of garbage.



The graphics in Trash are pretty good. While they won't win awards for best graphics or revolutionize anything they work well and each side has their own distinct look that is reminiscent of a 1950's B movie. Textures are crisp, clean and vibrant and distinguishing the Mutants buildings and units from the Humans is very easy since each faction looks dramatically different. Also, since the graphics aren't very intensive Trash can be run on most low end systems without taking any of the fun away from the experience.



Sound is easily the weakest part of Trash. In the current open beta stage an actual musical score hasn't been implemented. Most of the sounds in place are explosions, rumblings, alarms, and some voices. While it does work nicely with the game they can be repetitive at times but some of that could be taken away once music is in place.



Although Trash might not be up to snuff compared to commercial games it is shaping up to be one of the best indie games being developed. If the small kinks can be worked out and music added Trash will be a big draw for many people including the casual gamer since matches don't usually last for longer than 30 minutes. I urge anyone with even the slightest interest in the RTS genre to give Trash a chance and since it is still in the open beta stage now is the time to do it.


Preview by Christopher Burkett.