In this post we’ll talk about RESEARCH and DESTROY’s campaign Strategy map. From the outset we wanted to create a non-linear campaign mode for RAD to keep repeat playthroughs fresh–and of course, like the Turn-Based Action missions, also be fully playable in co-op.
Making the campaign playable in simultaneous co-op was a huge design challenge. We also wanted to keep the gameplay theme of “direct control” consistent between the Strategy map and Turn-Based Action battles. You’re not moving pieces across the board–you ARE the pieces!
Or in this case, you’re a van. The RADvan acts like a cursor that you’ll use to carpool your team of Super Scientists around the Strategy Map. The events and decisions you make on the Strategy map affects the Turn-Based Action missions, and the outcome of those missions affects what happens on the Strategy map!
Time works much the same way between the Strategy map and Turn-Based Action missions–the Super Scientists and the Supernatural each take turns to do their stuff, and time only passes when you move the van! Each Super Scientist turn lasts 40 days (in-game time) before the Supernaturals make their move.
After you liberate a territory by completing a Turn-Based Action mission, the first thing you’ll want to do on the Strategy map is build a University. With a University you can begin researching the Supernaturals and use the knowledge you’ve gained to develop new weapons and gadgets to combat them.
But first, you must observe your subject in the field and engage in some battlefield vivisection! As you progress through missions you’ll fulfill requirements to start various branches of research. The more Supernaturals you research, the more weapons, gadgets, and unique upgrades you can develop.
$cience is RAD’s currency and it funds your Universities and R&D. Earn $cience by completing missions or gather it during field research.
After building a University, you can set your Super Scientists to work. Research options on the Strategy map depend on Supernaturals you’ve encountered during missions and completed research. When you’re ready to start, drop a Scientist off at the University and let them do their thing.
Research and development costs $cience, but the real limiting resource is time! Have your Super Scientists work together to fast-track research. In a co-op game, having six Super Scientists on a project can really speed things up!
Supernatural research also helps on your missions. Completing Basic Ghost Research reveals the exact health of Ghosts, while completing Advanced Ghost Research gives you a damage bonus. You’ll also discover exactly how the Ghosts differ between day and night.
The arrow on the clock indicates whether it is night or day.
Supernatural Turn
During the Supernatural Turn, Supernatural-controlled territories may grow in power and try to gain back land they’ve lost. If you’ve built a University, you’ll get a chance to fight off the invaders in a unique defense mission. Build defenses on the Strategy map to prevent invasions and help stop the Supernatural hordes during the defense mission . We’ll go into further depth about these University Defense Missions in an upcoming post.
The Supernaturals will react (super)naturally to what you’re doing on the Strategy map. As you progress through the campaign, you’ll play a variety of Turn-Based Action missions in different territories. A combination of story, Supernatural AI and your own actions on the Strategy map will ultimately set the course for your campaign.
Just like in the Turn-Based Action missions, managing your time on the Strategy map is of the essence to survive and emerge victorious. Can you finish developing your next great gadget, your next weapon upgrade and build new defenses at your University before the Supernaturals make their move? Take your time to make a plan of attack, then make every second count!
