"Tank Game" v0.40
(Name pending... maybe forever...) INTRODUCTION
"Tank Game" is (currently) a 2-player turn-based action-strategy game, where each player builds vehicles, collects gold and captures objectives, in order to win the other in one of the game modes.

The game is currently only playable offline, with two human players. Online multiplayer will be looked into in further releases!

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
-No specifics, but nothing too ancient CPU wise.
-HardWare Accelerated, so requires a modern enough GFX card. (Please note: Requires DirectX9 support to display player colours properly, due to shaders that require it). Support for DirectX8 may be added later.
-Minimum resolution: 800x600, recommended 1024x768 or higher. Interface scales and aligns according to window size, so the bigger the resolution, the more stuff you'll see at once. :)


BRIEF EXPLANATIONS ON FEATURES
(Read the included Readme file for more in-depth descriptions)

GOLD
Players collect gold from gold mines (capturing) and gold tiles (destroying, then picking up the ore), then spend them to unlock or build units or weapons.

ENERGY
Every unit has a limited amount of energy to use each turn (amount varies depending on selected game mode). Every action, moving, firing and building eat energy. Note: All units have the capability of flying, but most units require a lot of energy to do so. Heavy Tanks can barely fly at all, while Gyro Scouts and Gunships can move great distances in air in a single turn.

GOAL
There are two selectable victory conditions. Factory Capture requires capturing opponent's factory. Flag Control requires holding special control flags for your team on the map. You can have either or both enabled.

GAME MODES
There are two modes. Tactical is the default, but many people will probably find it slow. In this mode units regain only a portion of energy per turn. In Arcade mode units move faster and spend more energy, but also regain full energy every turn.

MAPS
The game currently comes with seven maps to choose from:

Classic - The original "Tank Game" map
Mano-a-Mano - for quick duels
Mountains - More vertical movement
Two-Route - Two connected battle fronts
Symmetricality - Multi-purpose map
Gold Rush! - Lots of gold in center
Split - Ideal for Flag Control games

CAPTURING
To capture capturable objectives, like gold mines or bonus buildings, park a unit in front of it, and keep it there until your next turn, to capture the building.

WEAPONS
There are a variety of weapons, from machineguns to artillery, so experiment with each to see what you can do with them. Some weapons' shooting velocity can be adjusted when shooting, by holding down mouse button (these are marked with 'Adjustable velocity' trait), similar to bazookas/grenades in games like Worms.

UNLOCKING
Most things are initially locked, and you need to spend gold to unlock them, before you can build or use them. For more action-oriented gameplay, consider checking the option in main menu that unlocks all units by default. Extra weapons are always locked, but often very effective.

BUILD CAPS
There's a limit to how many you can have things in use at once. Mobile units have a limit you can set in the main menu, from 1 to 14. Each Engineer allows maintaining one turret, and each APC or captured Barracks allows deploying one infantry sentry. Keep an eye on build caps as you progress to ensure you can build what you need, when you need.

CRATES
Gamble pickups. Mostly good, sometimes bad. Usually worth the risk. ;)

TREES
Trees have a chance to block projectiles. The slower the projectile, the bigger the chance. Especially handy, but not failproof cover against missiles and ballistic weapons.

PARTIALLY DESTRUCTIBLE ENVIRONMENT
Some tiles in the maps are destructible, allowing creating cover spots, shortcuts, or generally to slightly adjust the landscape according to needs. Indestructible tiles are recognizable from their rocky look, and always cover the core layout, including edges of the map.

AVAILABLE UNITS

You start with a Factory, which is both your base and the source of new units. The Factory can build the following (provided they're unlocked):

Mining Drone - Primarily for mining gold ore or capturing buildings.
Engineer - Repairs units, lays mines and builds turrets.
Gyro Scout - Excels at vertical movement, lightly armored and armed.
Combat Tank - Jack of all trades, but master of none. Basic battle unit.
APC - Can deploy infantry sentries and excels at close combat.
Artillery - Long-range specialist for open maps, slow and lightly armored.
Gunship - Primary airborne unit, can move great distances in one turn.
Launcher - Launches rockets and guidable missiles, great against gunships.
Heavy Tank - Heavily armored and slow, but has some nice weapons to unlock.

Engineers can build:
Turret - Shoots at enemy units and missiles during the opponent's turn.

APC's can deploy:
Machinegun sentry - Weaker version of the Turret, basically.
Bazooka Bunker - Shoots rockets, but can't fire at extreme angles.

"TANK GAME"'S FUTURE

I plan to continue developing the game, with a fully functional map editor and online multiplayer being the next objectives. Providing feedback helps me stay focused, so please do let me know what you think of the game, what could be improved, what could be added, and what would make it more fun or interesting.

I recommend playing with a friend for now. Kicking a pal's butt is much more satisfying than playing against yourself... which isn't all that bad either though. Good practice.

I hope you enjoy the first release of "Tank Game"! :D


SCREENSHOTS:




DOWNLOADS:
"Tank Game" v0.40 (first public release) (9.38 MB) (05/22/2010)

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