The map is a RPG on 256x256 with 6 players. Everything saves to bank files. There is one friendly comp faction, and 8 hostile factions. The game has a custom camera that makes it feel like third person. It really adds a unique feel to the game. Players have the option to turn this on and off.
Name and terrain subject to change. This is the first map in a series.
Back Story:
Your brood mother awakens on an unknown planet due to terran activity on the planet. She doesn’t remember how she arrived or how she got there. She is badly injured and cannot create a full brood and has lost all her genetic memories. While she doesn’t have the psychic strength to build and control a full army, she has enough energy to build a few specialized independent brooding that are able to adapt to any situation.
The Broodling’s purpose is to search for why they are on this planet, recover the brood mother’s genetic memories and to reestablish the Brood. They can change into different zerg creatures at will only as long as they have the genetic memories to do so. They can also learn different abilities to fight the many creatures they will face.
Motivations for the broodlings moving forward:
- To re-establish the Brood
- To recover the original genetic memories of the Brood mother and learn their purpose on this planet
- To subjugate new and various life forms into the swarm
- To suppress other zerg broods on the planet and make them fall under control of the brood mother
- To reclaim locations of hatcheries and territories so the brood mother can rebuild her doom army
- To kill the different terran factions on the planet and reclaim any genetic material and Xel'Naga artifacts from them
- To kill any protoss that might be on the planet
Gameplay Mechanics:
You start as a broodling mentioned above with 2 abilities that you can learn. After you retrieve the first genetic memory you unlock the ability to transform into tier one units. Those being: Zergling/Roach/Hydralisk/Infestor.
The very first time you mutate into everything except the infestor, you have to pick one of two unit attributes each with their own abilities and "role." So for instance if you picked the roach, you would have to choose between either going Might or Physique. Might being a melee dps and Physique being a tank. The infestor works different. You have six spells to choose from and you can only get 3. All of these decisions are a one time setup (unless you delete the bank file).
The four attributes are:
- Might - Increase damage by .6 per point
- Reflex - Increases attack speed by .01% and increases armor by .02 per point
- Aptitude - Increases energy by 2 and energy regeneration rate by .02 per point
- Physique - Increases life by 2 and life regeneration rate by .02 per point
- Might units deal 50% more damage and receive 50% less damage from Reflex unit types.
- Reflex units deal 50% more damage and receive 50% less damage from Aptitude unit types.
- Aptitude units deal 50% more damage and receive 50% less damage from Might unit types.
- Physique units deal 100% of damage and receive 25% less damage from all unit types.
You receive a ability point every 3 levels and a mutation point every 5. The mutations consist of things like attack/armor/life etc. The mutations persist threw all evolutions (heroes) and as long as your not in combat you can switch between all the different types of heroes. You are awarded DNA from killing enemy units and use this to purchase evolutionary traits from the Brood Mother giving you access to your abilities.
Each hero type has 4 extra spells on the command card that require different levels and combinations of mutations. So for instance the zergling hero (both types) get's metabolic boost as an ability that requires you to have 3 mutations into movement speed and 3 into armor. These additional abilities will let you specialize your hero even further. Also by deciding to unlock certain abilities this way you are locking out others. Also you are being strong in one aspect, but weaker in others.
There will also be area's on the map where you will need to use different evolutions.
As you advance to the sequel maps you will unlock different evolution (hero types/units) that you can become, based on the levels of what you as a player have achieved.
Zones and Territories:
To complete the game it will be necessary to conquer all the zones on the planet. Each zone will have anywhere between two to eight territories. Territories can be captured by killing any enemy units guarding it and walking over it, it will spawn a drone to claim it for the swarm. Every 60 seconds every player on your team will be rewarded X amount of minerals for each territory controlled. Once so many territories have been captured then the headquarters of that enemy faction can be captured and once destroyed you can capture and build a hatchery.
Creep spreads throughout the territories that you have captured assuming they link to the starting cave. So if you lose lets say the first territory you can capture, it will remove all creep tumors that are ahead of it on the map. They are all connected. Units move 50% faster on creep and they make any hostile mob that spawns in the territory spawn as neutral.
Until the headquarters are captured each territory will come under attack from the headquarters periodically as to repel you from that location and retain control for that faction. This way it forces the player to not move from one zone to the next too quickly because counter attacks will be a serious threat to the expansion of the hive.
Territories will be specific to certain types of enemies and factions will have strength vs. weaknesses. The idea and strategy will be force the player to explore various mutations and to approach the game with some strategy. This stops players from grinding to some really high level in one mutation and blowing throw the game.
Hatch Locations:
Once you capture and build a hatchery you will have various tasks you can preform. You gain +10 supply for each hatchery your team owns. You can create units, upgrade tech, upgrade damage/armor of your army units, upgrade to lair/hive, set your re-spawn location there, and go on specialized missions for that hatchery. Think of missions as instances in a mmo.
Enemy Factions:
Gamma Squadron
- Renegades left over from the terran confederacy who escaped to planet X. Intent on reestablishing the confederacy.
Order of the Machine God
- A religious cult that desires to become machines through cybernetics. They have escaped to this planet to escape religious persecution and to work outside the bounds of ethical boundaries imposed by society.
Kenos Mining Corporation
- Intent on mining the planet for the expensive rare minerals that are not common in the terran sector. Ruthless in holding their claims they will do anything for a profit.
Highland Labs
- Science research firm that is investigating the protoss and zel naga ruins on the planet. Will violently defend ruins. Known for their scientist and medics.
Other possible factions:
Terran Brigands
- Stealing supplies from other factions. Will trade genetic materials for things that they want
Protoss scouting party
- Looking for signs of zerg on the planet
A terran city state
- Main starport, and only form of local government. Has a well trained militia including marines and siegetanks.
Posible zerg enemy