Edit: 6/15/17 - I have SUCCESSFULLY made this game work with windows 10 (this will require a patch) and played a multiplayer game between a windows 7 computer and a windows 10 computer (which may require a VPN). Instructions on both these items are below the review.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

This game has fantastic strategic depth, and is a very good single-player game. As far as mechanics, it is a 4x game where several alien species land on a single planet, and then battle it out for global domination. You build up your colony, expand and colonize additional areas, build an army and fight with your enemies. Fairly simple at its core, but what makes it special is that this basic formula is done just right.

Each species has its own unique abilities and traits, and each really has very distinct advantages. Even the humans, which in most games is the "average race" has very special abilities that no other race has, including a berserk ability for infantry, and very high taxes and trade. Re-lu begin seeing the whole map, and so they know the composition and strength of enemy forces long before the assault has begun, and they can subvert enemy morale with their spies, leading to riots and much destruction of property. There is really no average race, which is nice as a change of pace. Each race also has a major penalty associated with it, such as with the Re-lu, weak military units and defenses, or with the humans, extremely expensive military maintenance. There are 5 other races with equally interesting advantages and disadvantages.

The arguably worst feature of this game is the battles themselves. You can watch them, but you have no control, and units often move around the battlefield in odd ways. There is also some degree of luck involved because units have "accuracy," i.e., they just miss sometimes. Nevertheless, the automated battles means you can focus on the more strategic elements of the game, rather than the nitty gritty tactical, which speeds up games substantially. Personally, I don't mind it. But if you are looking for Command and Conquer, this is simply not that.

The tech tree is functional, and depending on the map type (mostly land/mostly sea) and world type (alien, earth-like, volcanic, etc.) you will need to adapt your selections. This is a refreshing change from games where you always research the same techs, no matter what. You can still sort of get away with this in singleplayer, but you must adapt in multiplayer to have any chance at survival in a competitive game.

And this brings me to multiplayer. In full disclosure, I have mostly only played 1v1 matches with the non-steam version, so I can't make any guarantees with the connection capabilities of the steam version. I use Hamachi (free) to make the TCP-IP connection function. But wow is multiplayer wonderful. I have played dozens of extremely close games, and you really feel the tension build as forces maneuver around the seas or make surprise land assaults with illegally purchased Skirineen Veterans. Or subvert your morale... or poison food at just the wrong moment... Or blockade you cutting off much needed food and energy to your colony (starvation and powered down defenses). The point here is that there is substantial strategic and tactical depth here that really shows in multiplayer, and to me this makes multiplayer the best part.

And another thing is that even after years of play, I am still discovering things I never knew. Did you know that submarines have special abilities? Did you know you can maximize taxes on every colony on the Cyth from turn 1 with no penalty because of their unique static morale ability to generate a ton of cash from the start?

I would almost say it is a game that is deceptively simple. Something that can be easily learned, but hard to truly master. If you've never played it, I highly recommend it. If you have played, I hope to see you in a game.

Just a warning, I have been unable to make this work on Windows 8+, so be wary if that is your system. Edit: Now I have, see below.

WINDOWS 10 Compatability: To make the game work in windows 10 you will need windows 7 direct draw capability which is no longer included in windows 10. Follow these steps:

1) Go to https://github.com/narzoul/DDrawCompat/releases
2) Download ddrw.zip
3) Extract the ddraw.zip to your Deadlock 2 main directory. By default, this will be located at: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Deadlock2
4) Locate the Deadlock.exe, right click it, and go to compatability. Ensure that you select Windows 7 compatability and also run as administrator. Apply these changes.

If you double click the exe the game should now play normally.

MULTIPLAYER: Deadlock 2 cannot utilize Steam's standard multiplayer system, however, you can still play multiplayer using a VPN (or virtual private network) such as Hamachi (which is currently free). To use Hamachi Multiplayer, you will need to download Hamachi, set up a room, and have the other players join that room BEFORE starting the game. Have the host note their specific IP address in case of difficulty joining. This will be noted right next to the power button in the hamachi window. It will read something like 25.167.103.101. Then, host a game of Deadlock under the TCP/IP connection protocol. Once the game is hosted, have all other players select join a game under the same TCP/IP protocol. If they are unable to find the game through a general search, simply have them type in the IP address. Players should be able to join the game. Once all players have joined, simply start the game.

FINAL NOTE ON MULTIPLAYER: Do not load a multiplayer game from a manual save file. You will need to load a game from an autosave only. Currently, a bug exists in that if you load a game from a save file rather than an autosave, the game may change populations, tech queues, and other items which could drastically alter the balance of the game. This however, does not appear to occur when loading from an autosave. This game is just phenomenal in multiplayer, so give it a shot!

*Note: At the time of writing this review, Deadlock 2 does not run on Windows 8. Only buy if you run Windows 7 or lower.*

This game is awesome. Just plain awesome. I must have played 1000 hours of this in middle school and high school.

It's not terribly complex, but its complex enough that it doesn't feel simple either. It's an expand and conquest game, similar to Civ and other turn based strategy games. Where Deadlock shines so brightly, though, is in its charm.

Each of the alien races is a delight. The have a huge array of custom taunts, praises, cowers, and insults which they occasionally lob throughout the game. The races are all unique and don't feel repetetive at all. Even after almost 20 years since playing it regularly, this game sticks in my memory as one of the best I have ever played.

I was so glad to see it here on Steam, so I picked it up immediately. I look forward once again to long LAN parties and crushing my enemies with Tarth troopers!

Remember playing this game when I was a kid and was stoked to see it went on sale for a $1.49. Bought and installed, loaded and got a "Direct Draw Init FAILURE" notification.

To bypass this, simply go to the source folder and locate the Deadlock.exe file. Right-click and under the compatibility tab you will check the box to run it in compatibility mode and set it for a verson of Windows that itsn't Win8 or Win95. All others are okay. Once this is set, run as administrator and it'll work. Now the only problem to get past is the black screen which has to do with the refresh rate.

At this time, I do not recommend buying the game.

update: did manage to get this game running using DDRAW as per instructions here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/328450/discussions/0/152393186485315528/

thumbs down remains as i think people who are selling games on steam should ensure games are playable as they are packaged. or at least have something automatic to lead the purchaser thru the process of getting it working. as far as the game itself - i think i prefer the first version to this one - this one seems to require a lot more clicking to do the same things.


Bah!!!! Note to self and everyone else: always check system requirements before buying a game!!!

This game doesn't run on Windows 10. But in fairness, the system requirements on Steam say it needs an earlier version of Windows than Windows 8. Tried running in compatability mode and some of the other fixes suggested in forums but couldn't get it to work. Got the black screen which apparently is a refresh rate problem.

It would be nice if steam had separate categories for games with special requirements, such as needing an outdated operating system to run or VR support. Then we could restrict our searches to games we are actually able to play. A search option that allows for excluding tags would be nice. Kinda strange steam doesn't do this yet, after all it is 2019 and the technology to exclude tags from searches has been around for decades.

Played the crap out of this game when I was a kid. Really good 4x strategy game. Battles (which are usually the most tedious part of these types of games) are auto-battled, so don't expect dexterity or battle tactics to matter at all, it's mostly about resource management, base building, diplomacy, espionage and tech trees. I still like the tech tree more in this game than in any other I've played.

Fun game but have to mess with the files first to get it to work. thankfully someone on the community figured it out heres what they said to do For windows 10

-First go here: https://github.com/narzoul/DDrawCompat/releases and download the ddraw.zip for the most recent release.

-Extract the files and place them in the Deadlock 2 folder within the steamapps/common.

-Do what's suggested on the first page of this thread and do the Set Launch Properties. Type "-w" (not sure if this actually makes a difference)

-Go to the local files and find the .exe for DeadLock. (right click deadlock launchers) Go into the properties menu under the compatibility tab.

-Select Reduced color mode, 16-bit

-Select the remaining 3 option below this then Apply and hit OK.

-Make a shortcut of the .exe file that you just changed the properties on and be sure to run from this one only. Opening in steam will not work.

This doesn't work on Windows 8 or later - there's a known issue with DirectX with a common "Direct Draw Init Failed" bug.

While I got this as part of a bundle it's worth warning people off this game in case someone tries to buy it.

Developers could have fixed this before they put it up for sale on Steam - selling dodgey software is reprehensible.

Note: This game worked for me on Windows 7. (Recommended only if you're win7 or earlier)
Note2: This game does NOT work for me on Windows 10.

One of the quintessential turn-based strategy games of the 90s. Deadlock II is basically Deadlock with an expansion pack, so not much new here if you've played Deadlock - but a few nice nice fixes and additions.

This is the game I go to when I'm craving oldschool strategy.

Love this game. Hate this port.

one of the best games ever made. cant stop playing