With 3D graphics prevalent in gaming these days, and faster and faster processors and video cards making amazing games possible, it is surprising that there has been such a dearth of 3D space strategy games.  Real-time combat in the 3D world of space seems like such a natural setting for a computer game.  Fortunately for strategy gamers, Strategy First will soon make up for this oversight with the release of ORB.  We were able to play a short press demo of the game, and with that initial look and some inside information on ORB we bring you a sneak peek at what to expect when the game is released in late 2002.

ORB takes place in a star system known as Aldus.  An ancient galactic war left its scars on the system, filling it with debris and leaving two small groups of survivors on two of the system's worlds.  Over time the two groups evolved into two separate races, isolated from and oblivious to the other.  The first race is the Malus, an aggressive and expansion-minded race.  The second is the Alyssians, a scientific race of thinkers always searching for greater enlightenment.  When the two races began to reach out into space, they found that their disparate cultures led to many misunderstandings and they soon find themselves embroiled in full-scale warfare.  They take the fight to the space between their worlds, driving their war efforts through the building of off-world resource bases, or ORBs.  Focused on their war with each other, they are unaware of a menace lurking just beyond Aldus that is a threat to them both.

The two races will each be featured in the game's two campaigns, which will tell the story from both sides of the conflict.  The two campaigns will be a different experience because of the cultural differences between the two races, which give them their own unique style and strategies.

The campaigns will be more than just a series of missions - they will take place in a persistent universe.  This means that if a large battle creates a debris field of destroyed ships in one mission, then the debris field will be present in future missions.  The same holds true of Aldus' stellar neighborhood - it is not made up of randomly generated asteroids and other objects.  You'll be able to recognize asteroids from one mission to the next  by their look and features.

These asteroids are central to the game as they are used to build ORBs and are a source of resources.  They are not static features tied to one location, but rather orbit through the system as the game progresses.  While it can be disconcerting to have one of your bases wander into enemy territory, you can also use this feature to your advantage by sneaking a fleet into enemy space on the back of an asteroid.

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