How-to draft beginnings

[jffdougan]

The following items have had basic "how-tos" requested. Per the thread with the original quote, these should be more like a cross between a user manual and a FAQ than like a strategy guide. This thread exists for that purpose - the posting of drafts, critiquing and rephrasing thereof, and suggestions for additional topics. I'll be reserving a bunch of posts after this so that the individual topics can each get their own posts.

As a note: I'm not positive I get the flashbangs part well enough to write it, but I'll give it a shot.

Code: [Select]

Basic Concepts (Campaign)
 Research
 Production
 UFO Interception
 UFO Disassembly
 Nation Happiness
 
Basic Concepts (Ground Combat)
 Time Units
 Reaction Fire
 Soldier Weight and Encumbrance
 Wounds and Healing
 Auxiliary Equipment
Please note that we want these to be very simple, short, clear and straightforward. Consider this a how-to on the absolute basics, not a strategy guide. Please also realise that I or others will probably change and edit any text you contribute, but a head-start will still be appreciated.

If there are other concepts that need to be explained, suggest them, but don't feel bad if we reject. This is really just the basics, not a full manual.

[jffdougan]

Research

PHALANX will need to conduct a broad research program to combat the superiority of alien technology. Our scientists will examine any artifacts recovered from a successful combat mission and deliver new research proposals via the mail client.

To develop the research program, build new laboratory facilities, hire more scientists and set them to work on a specific research project. With luck, we will be able to leverage what we learn to deploy more effectively on the battlefield and maybe one day take the fight to the enemy.

Addendum  (note: addenda is plural)

Artifacts must be stored in the same base where they are researched. If a research project is listed as unable to be researched at a particular base, it may be stored at a different base or you may need to research another project before it can be adequately studied.

[jffdougan]

Production

We may be able to repurpose captured alien technology for use in the war, but PHALANX will also need to produce its own advanced Terran technology and aircraft.

Our initial base has workshop space for a few engineers, but to improve the pace of production we'll need to build additional workshops, hire more engineers and set them to work on something.

[jffdougan]

UFO Interception

We can't just wait around for the aliens to come knocking at our door. We need to detect alien craft and shoot them down whenever possible. The initial PHALANX base includes a powerful radar facility, but we'll need to build off-site radar towers to cover more of the sky.

Once a UFO has been detected, we'll need to dispatch our nearest interceptors to try to shoot it down. But we're heavily outgunned in the air, so we should send multiple aircraft whenever possible.

Addenda

Off-site radar towers have a smaller detection range than our in-base installations.

Previously unseen types of UFOs should be approached with extreme caution until our scientists and engineers can establish their combat capabilities.

Alien activity will often go undetected in areas where our radar coverage doesn't reach and the funding nations will be angry when PHALANX fails to respond to these attacks.

[jffdougan]

UFO Disassembly

Disassembling captured UFOs will be vital in the battle to uncover secrets about the alien technology. PHALANX will need to build a UFO Yard -- an off-base installation to house the recovered crafts -- as soon as possible.

Our engineers will need to travel to the storage site and transport the components back to their workshop, so UFO Yards should be built close to the base where work will occur.

Addendum

Before our engineers can disassemble a UFO in a way that will yield usable materials, they'll need the complete technical readout from the research teams.

[jffdougan]

Nation Happiness

PHALANX is a UN organisation that is permitted and funded by the unanimous support of its member nations. If we neglect the defense and security of one of our sponsors, they'll soon lose faith in our capabilities and withdraw their funding. Let the relationship deteriorate too far and they may shut the whole operation down.

To keep up satisfaction in the performance of PHALANX, make sure the organisation can cover as much of the globe as possible and confront alien attacks all around the world.

[jffdougan]

Time Units

A soldier can only do so much in a single turn. Each soldier has a limited number of Time Units (TUs) they can spend each turn on moving, crouching, looking around and firing their weapon. They move faster when standing and spend more TUs walking in a crouched position.

Monitor a soldier's TU carefully. Some firemodes -- like aimed shots and automatic fire -- take more TUs than others. Running low on time in the wrong spot can be a deadly mistake.

Addendum

TUs are refreshed each turn, but if an enemy flashbang goes off in front of a soldier they will lose all of their TUs for the next turn.

[jffdougan]

Reaction Fire

Units can fire on enemy units when they wander into their field of view during the enemy's turn. Soldiers will execute a reaction shot when an enemy unit spends more Time Units (TU) in their field of view than the cost of their reaction fire.

This means that a unit which has been set to execute a reaction shot that costs 8 TU will take the shot after the enemy spends 9 or more TU within their field of view. But be careful -- aliens can take reaction shots just like PHALANX soldiers.

Soldiers firing weapons with low TU costs will execute more reaction shots -- and receive less reaction fire from the enemy -- than soldiers who fire weapons which cost more TUs.

Addenda

A soldier will not perform reaction fire unless they have saved enough Time Units in the last turn and reaction fire has been enabled in the soldier's control panel. Commanders can choose the firemode the soldier should use with reaction fire in the firemode selection window.

If an enemy unit wanders out of a unit's view -- even for a moment -- the reaction fire counter will be reset. A unit must spend enough TUs consecutively in view of a unit to receive reaction fire.

[jffdougan]

Weight and Encumbrance

Soldiers must be able to fight quickly and effectively. Load them up with too much equipment and they will slow down, reducing the number of Time Units (TUs) they have to use each turn. Soldiers will get a speed boost if they're carrying a light load.

Addendum

Monitor a soldier's load carefully in the equipment screen. If he is carrying more than 50 per cent of his maximum capacity, he'll lose TUs and may not be able to use all of his fire modes. If he is carrying less than 20 per cent of his maximum capacity, he'll gain extra TUs.

[jffdougan]

Wounds & Healing

Our soldiers can receive wounds if they are injured by enemy fire. These wounds can effect their firing accuracy, firing speed and movement speed. Injuries will degrade a soldier's health each turn and may lead to death if they are not treated by a medikit. A PHALANX squad should bring along plenty of medikits to perform combat stabilisation of wounds.

Addenda

Wounds can be tracked in the character stats window. A medikit can heal wounds to prevent a soldier from dying from their wounds on the battlefield, but it will only restore a small amount of health. Soldiers will need time to recover once they've returned to the base. Build a hospital facility to greatly increase their recovery times.

[jffdougan]

Auxiliary Equipment

The aliens deploy powerful weaponry to deadly effect on the battlefield. Engaging them in a shootout on open terrain is a sure way to get killed quickly, so PHALANX soldiers must be adept at using auxiliary equipment to overcome the extraterrestrial forces on the battlefield.

PHALANX soldiers should equip themselves with smoke grenades to hide their positions when in the line of sight of alien forces. Incendiary grenades and rockets can produce fields of fire that damage alien forces before they come within range of our soldiers. And flashbangs can be used to temporarily disable an alien unit.

If a soldier comes face to face with an alien and is not capable of taking it down without suffering deadly reaction fire, indirect weaponry such as grenades -- launched by hand or through a grenade launcher -- should be used to take out the enemy from a safe position.

We'll always need conventional firearms on the battlefield, but auxiliary weaponry deployed defensively will be key if we're to overcome the aliens' technological dominance on the battlefield.


Addenda

Smoke clouds will block line of sight on the battlefield.

Flashbangs will remove Time Units when deployed effectively. A unit that has been effected by a flashbang will lose any Time Units it had when the flashbang exploded and will not receive more Time Units during its next turn. Flashbangs are only effective when they explode close to the target and within its field of view.

Incendiary fields cause a small amount of damage to units which pass through them.

[DarkRain]

Research:

In order to make any progress in defeating the alien invasion, you will need to conduct an active research program. Research will allow your soldiers to use some recovered alien artifacts, your engineers to create new arms, armor, and aircraft, and you to understand what will need to happen in order to defeat the alien invasion.
<...>

I think "weapons" would be better here,
Also, if you need more info on the flashbang, just ask, and we'll be glad to help.

[H-Hour]

Thanks for starting the work on this jffdougan. As I mentioned in a PM, I think we should avoid giving specific instructions relating to the UI (click this button, etc), because this changes frequently and the texts will quickly become outdated.

It's a hard line to walk between being technically useful but not too specific. Here I've drafted up a sample edit on the Research item. Notice a couple things:

1. I try to keep the tone formal and operational, as though it might be a military directive, without being an actual formal document, which would in reality be too specific for our needs.

2. I try to disguise the this-is-how-you-do-it bits in simple and broad text, because the player is a commander after all and shouldn't have to be told too much. For instance, look at this line: "To develop the research program, build new laboratory facilities, hire more scientists and set them to work on a specific research project." By using the phrase "to develop the research program" I make it sound like its an advisory statement on expanding and improving research. But actually I'm telling the player the most basic information on how to use the research mechanic. This form of disguising our purpose is important for giving the player information without patronizing them too much.

3. I think if there is useful clarifying information like the unavailable research items, we should try and put them into an Addenda or something like that, in order to keep it out of the main text, which should be like a summary.

PHALANX will need to conduct a broad research program to combat the superiority of alien technology. Your scientific advisor will examine any artifacts recovered from a successful combat mission and deliver new research proposals to your mail client.

To develop the research program, build new laboratory facilities, hire more scientists and set them to work on a specific research project. With luck, we will be able to leverage what we learn to deploy more effectively on the battlefield and maybe one day take the fight to the enemy.

Addenda

Artifacts must be stored in the same base where they are researched. If a research project is listed as unable to be researched at a particular base, it may be stored at a different base or you may require another project be researched before it can be adequately studied.

[jffdougan]

I've tried updating most of these that H-Hour didn't already touch, aside from needing somebody else to write the entry on flashbangs and fields of view. Let me know what y'all think.

[H-Hour]

Thanks again to jffdougan for getting these going. I've gone through and filled some of them out and adjusted things here and there for all of the texts. If people could please read these and imagine themselves in the position of a new player who doesn't understand the game. Suggest what parts of the text might be misleading or prone to confusion.

I'll commit these texts soon, but any adjustments should be made first so that we don't make extra work for the poor translators.