THE JELUVIAN PROJECT
Version 1.0, Final

FROM THE AUTHOR

The Jeluvian Project is a game which requires players to implement quite a bit of strategy to help them accomplish their objectives. What makes this game unique however, is that it is squad-based in nature, hardly comparable to a large-scale war. Hence, the tactics to use may seem foreign to those who have often been engaged in the “build your base and attack” style of play.

Instead, you are encouraged to be careful with your squad. You have to intelligently plan the path your squad will take through the field, which enemies you intend to engage, how to engage them and when to engage them. The player plays a significant part in the direction of an attack itself: Aiming and firing, initiating a quick retreat or even to dodge behind a wall for cover.

For that reason, perhaps, it would be better to make a clear distinction to players that this is a “Real-Time Tactic” game, and not a “Real-Time Strategy” one. There is a difference. Tactics being “the art or science of disposing military … forces for battle and maneuvering them in battle”, while strategy being “the science or art of combining and employing the means of war in planning and directing large military movements and operations” (Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2006).

With these in mind, I hope to appeal to you, my most valued player, to be open to the mechanics of the game, and to employ the more relevant skills during its play. May it be, through this, that you would appreciate it and find it a pleasant gaming experience.


09 Feb 2007
Pondwater, Tan JY.
http://pondwater.sitesled.com

LICENSE

i. This is freeware. A gift.
This game is released as Freeware. I want to share this game with you, so that you may enjoy it. It is a gift. So you should not have paid anything for this. And likewise, you should not be selling this to anyone else.

ii. What you cannot do.
Also, do not try to break into this game or try to modify it. Do not attempt to re-create levels for this game and pass it off as your own. The scripting, design, artwork are by me, so do not steal that. The music tracks belong to the respective composers. So you ask them if you would like to use those pieces.

iii. The good stuff.
Feel free to share this game with friends. If you do like this game, please let me know – it’s always the encouragement and support from players like you that makes a freeware developer’s hard work so worthwhile. And thank you for playing.

Visit my site at http://pondwater.sitesled.com.
My e-mail address is there too.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 License.

GETTING STARTED

For the basics required to play the game, you should go straight into the first operation itself. You will be taught the essentials of drone control through the Integrated HUD. Also, included in the directory of this game is a control reference card (controls.gif). Most of the information you need, including Drone Specifications are built into the Integrated HUD itself. The Tactics Guide in this document may be supplementary, but its content is enriching.

THE TACTICS GUIDE

The rest of this document serves as a Tactics Guide for those already familiar with the game-play. It is based on the State’s Instruction Manual in Tactical Drone Warfare and summarised for easy reading and comprehension. Be assured that the information you receive here is equivalent to that taught to the Military Officers of the State Forces.

Tactics: Basic

i. Split Sections Up
Avoid engaging an entire section of enemies at once. Try to split them up; find a position where you can lure one or two out and eliminate them first. It is easier to deal with three groups of two, than a single group of six.

ii. Fire Early
Just before a target comes into range, begin opening fire. Inflict as much damage as possible to give you a head start. Of course, always be mindful to conserve ammunition.

iii. Focus Fire
Whether an enemy is undamaged or near-death, the amount of damage it can inflict is no different. For that reason, focus your fire on eliminating a single target first, before directing fire at another target.

Tactics: Offensive / Manoeuvring

i. Perpendicular Movement
When attacking an opponent, do your best to evade its fire as well. Try moving your units perpendicularly to the oncoming projectiles. This greatly reduces the likelihood of being hit, especially with fast-moving drones. To do this, you can quickly click a direction for your units to move. And as they move, return your cursor to over the enemy drone and resume firing.

ii. Waypoints
Another method would be to pre-define a path for them using waypoints. As your drones move along the path you set, use your mouse to direct their fire at the enemies.

iii. Hit and Run
This is particularly effective when your units outrange your target. When the enemy has locked on to you and begins to pursue, move your drones away from it. Keep them far enough from your target so that it cannot fire at you, but close enough for your units to attack.

Tactics: Defensive / Positioning

i. Heavier Units in front
Place the sturdier drones at the forefront and the lighter drones at the back. Since they are more heavily armoured, they can withstand more of the enemy fire hence protecting the weaker units behind.

ii. Substitution
When the units at the front are weakened from enemy fire, move them to the back, and place a drone in better condition at the front. These weaker units can still contribute in firepower from the rear.

Tactics: Long-Ranged Units

i. Avoid Open Stretches
When attacking long-ranged units, avoid moving through wide, open stretches of land to reach them. Instead, pay attention to corners or walls which can provide you with cover, coming as close as possible to them before engaging.

ii. Approaching
However, if you have no choice but to cross a long, open stretch to attack them, do so quickly. Move towards them as fast as possible, placing your most heavily units in front.