- Joined
- Feb 14, 2009
- Messages
- 316
Introduction
Out in the vast sandy waste of a desert unknown, a small team of commanders, known as Team Alpha, has been sent to hold the invasion on a military base until help arrives...
About the project
See that "Divide and Conquer" link in my signature? One of the first mistakes I made was starting this mega project alone. The other mistakes are not that important. Except it was stupid to invest so much time into it. Or not. Time will show.
Anyway, Desert Survival uses much the same scenario, the differences being it's only one map, with no transition crap whatsoever; it's a team map; and it simulates much more elements of realism and requires much more strategy and organisation.
Basic layouts
The goal is to survive for a certain period of time, or eliminate all enemy creatures. The main base is a well protected area in the top left corner of the map, and provides the basic necessary equipment plus health/mana (power) regeneration.
Aside from that, there are other capturable sub-bases and resource supplies scattered across the map. But everything is destructible, therefore quick team work is a must.
Each player starts off by choosing a commander (hero) with a certain specialisation. Players can also hire troops and augment their commanders with various weapons and equipment.
The "enemy" consists of ... practically the entire environment. Starting from the dangers that naturally lurk in a desert, going through carnivorous or poisonous plants, parasites, insects, and ending with more intelligent creatures. All enemy creatures are related to each other in specific ways (i.e. carnivorous plants eat all kinds of meat, not just human; lots of creatures consume insects, etc.)
Common sense will help a lot in figuring out many "secret" functions. But for convenience, everything will be included in a manual, accessible through F9.
Detailed Information
Resource and gameplay system
There are 3 types of resources. They are - gold, fuel, and energy.
Gold - Primary resource. All troops and equipment require it. Controlling a gold source will provide gold over time, whilst killing enemies will also reward gold. Certain commanders will be able to search dead bodies for valuable trophies that can also be used or sold to the merchants.
Fuel - This is the secondary resource. While most purchasable things won't cost fuel, it is necessary for launching powerful attacks, sustaining certain weapons, propelling vehicles, or simply placing an explosive barrel which you can then ignite. Fuel is obtained via a petrol well, or purchased with gold from a Trading Centre.
Energy - Unlike other resources, energy is not directly expendable. Rather, there is a certain limit that can be reached. Energy is required to power the base defences, recharge power generators, and in extreme circumstances, launch devastating blasts of raw power. Energy is obtained by capturing energy crystals that are scattered across the map. However, using high amounts of energy is potentially dangerous, as it can damage certain buildings, or cause destructive psionic storms.
Vehicles are mechanical devices that consume fuel in order to function. However, they are very durable, and can perform unique and extremely useful functions, like transporting troops, pass through difficult terrain, absorb damage, and can also be customised with specific equipment.
Troops are cheap and available at many places over the map. They are mainly used to support commanders against the hordes of monsters, but like vehicles, some of them also specialise in dealing with a certain aspect of the environment.
Commanders
Like normal heroes, they also have starting attributes that increase with the rank of the commander. These are:
Durability - Adds hit points. Simple as that.
Combat - Adds damage, armour, and attack speed.
Power - Adds power and increases the rate of power recovery.
Note that there is no "primary" attribute, and also that not all commanders have power or combat as an available attribute.
Commanders are also split into categories according to their function. Categories include:
A: Siege and Artillery. These are the "supportive" type, who either assist in siege attack/defence, or drop attacks at very long range.
B: Specialists. They specialise in dealing with a certain aspect of the desert. Like killing reptiles, for example.
C: Scouts. They use their abilities and various equipment to quickly and stealthily explore the map, capture resources and territories, and take the initiative.
D: Soldiers. These specialise in raw close-range combat, commanding troops, and tanking damage.
Buildings
Main Base
Command Centre - The main building. Controls the use of energy, and launches the special attacks. When it's destroyed, the players are defeated.
Power Generator - Can transfer up to 50 power per second to an allied unit. Each one has a capacity of 5000 power, starts with 500, and regenerates at a rate of 5 per second (can be boosted to 100 per second at the cost of 5 energy).
Tavern - Units can enter and rest into the tavern, regenerating 4% of their maximum HP each second. While inside the tavern, they can't do anything (works like any other transport). Tavern stores up to 5 units. Mechanical units can't rest. Duh.
Trading Centre - Used to exchange resources, and supply non-combat equipment.
Hangar - Sells/repairs vehicles (like Tavern, but limited to 1 mechanical unit), and provides gasoline and vehicle enhancements.
Weapons and Ammo Centre - Sells and reloads weapons.
Armory - Sells armour, energy shields, and other protective equipment.
Barracks - Sells troops and equipment for troops.
Gate - Serves as a teleport location for instant travel abilities.
Primary Defences (PD) - They can be modified to attack enemy troops in various ways at the cost of energy.
Out posts
Barracks, Hangar, Gate, PD, Trading Centre, Tavern, Power Generator (varies).
Laboratory - Researches new technology. (each out post has a different lab for different things).
Outer map
Gate, Power Generator, Tavern
Gold Source - Each gold source provides 1 gold per second.
Petrol Well - Provides 1 fuel per 2 seconds. Randomly spawns fuel tanks.
Energy Crystal - Depending on size, provides from 5 to 15 energy.
The Enemy
| Species/Attitude to | Parasites | Plants | Insects | Reptiles | Mammals |
Parasites |
-
|
Hostile
|
Friendly
|
Hostile
|
Hostile
|
| Plants |
Neutral
|
-
|
Neutral
|
Friendly
|
Hostile
|
| Insects |
Friendly
|
Neutral
|
-
|
Neutral
|
Hostile
|
| Reptiles |
Neutral
|
Friendly
|
Hostile
|
-
|
Neutral
|
| Mammals |
Neutral
|
Neutral
|
Neutral
|
Hostile
|
-
|
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