M.A.X. has many hidden secrets.

Back in 1996 when I played the v1.00 Interactive Demo I seen a building called Monopole Mine that was not possible to build actually.
Any ways the building’s statistics was actually observable via the initial upgrades menu and I always wondered what was the purpose of this building and why was it removed from the retail version. A building that exploits magnetic monopoles for free infinite energy… sure would have had come in handy as a super-duper power generator if there would have been buildings that would have consumed tons of energy… like a shield generator for example.

Apparently there are several buildings and even a mobile unit that never made it into the actual game in the form as they were originally designed. For example the Recreation Center was converted into an Alien Derelict. A recreation center? Like foot soldiers not only gain experience level, but would require relaxation? Or productivity in Eco-Spheres could be increased by relaxed workers living in Habitats?
Recreation Center converted to an Alien Derelict

But there are more of course:

  • The Gold Refinery was actually a Communications Tower. According to the plot we are Mech Commanders. Or are we just floating brain tissue in a plastic tube? Yay! So we are the master mind sitting on a massive spaceship in isolation so probably we need some kind of stable radio communication device on the planet surface.
  • There was also a Life Support Plant that was probably supposed to ensure the stable operation of Habitats and Eco-Spheres but later became an Alien Derelict.
  • And there was the holy grail, the Shield Generator! Which became the Monopole Mine which became an Alien Derelict. A shield generator would have been so awesome. It was in Supreme Commander to say the least. It would have changed the game mechanics considerably though and I cannot even imagine how would it have worked in a turn based game.
  • And finally there was the Master Builder which can be seen in one of the in-game videos moving around slowly. It was a deployable mining station which is suspiciously similar to the one in Command & Conquer: Red Alert. Maybe that is exactly the reason why it was cut from the game. Note that in the below video I defined this unit to be a building to find it easier in the unit selection menu but of course it was a mobile land unit originally.

    The below video demonstrates most of the discussed units from the above list.