Post by A numericalPrime A on Apr 13, 2012 23:31:40 GMT -6
Part 5: The Commanders
And we’re back!
Last week we finished up a nice little chat about the seven different Dots that you will encounter when playing Dot Wars. They span a whole array of jobs, most of which include either shooting something or exploding something. But the game would be so empty without a guiding force for these intelligences of the artificial type. They need a COMMANDING presence.
To fill this void, we introduced this novel concept that we will cordially refer to as “The Player.” They are you, you are they… everything just seems to work out real fine. You/The Player look like this:
Don’t you/they look familiar? They were those Commanders that we mentioned a couple of posts back.
Whenever you play Dot Wars, you will have the option of playing as one of these four fellows/gals. They each correspond to a different team, which is represented by four colors: red, blue, green, and yellow. In turn, these colors correspond to different elements of the Dot Wars world: Lava, Water, Earth, and Thunder. These different Dot teams are warring with each other because, you know, can anybody really stay peaceful towards each other for that long?
What do they do?
Each Commander can do a variety of things to be badass on the battlefield. To summarize, the player has two guns to choose from: an assault rifle for long distance and a shotgun for short range. It’s nice and easy to toggle between the two in the middle of a fight so that you are sure to have the right tool for the job.
Commanders also throw things. They can throw a grenade to get out of a tight spot. It has a satisfying explosion that does a pretty good job of obliterating your enemies. These grenades bounce off walls and generally do a great job of inflicting havoc.
The other thing that commanders throw is this thing called a flare. This flare is a great way for the player to have some control over the other Dots.
Basically here is what is happening: the player throws the flare, which causes the nearby dots to become attracted to it. The attracted dots then follow the flare to wherever it lands. Once they get there, the Dots are then free to move about as they normally do. This entire process is essentially equivalent to the “Attack move” that is so common in RTS games. It can also be used as a “RETREAT!!!” command if thrown away from enemies, or a “GO THAT WAY!!!” command if thrown in any arbitrary direction. This simple mechanism was set up so that the player has just enough control that they feel useful on the complex Dot Wars battlefield.
The Commanders
Each one of the commanders do the same basic things as outlined above. The thing that makes them different is their “Ability” and personality. They are both things that you should consider when picking a team on the menu screen.
The Lava Commander: Mustachio
Now this is a story all about how Mustachio’s life just turned upside down…
That was disgusting.
Anyway… The oldest and most remembered commander of the series was created way back in Dot Wars Assassins: Renegade. The players back then were given the option of naming their commander but were given a default name of “Mustachio.” He was initially designed as the “good guy” character, but has since evolved to be something more than that.
Mustachio is the aggressor of the Dot Wars World, which is to say that he is the ACTION HERO. He is always the guy that can use explosive force to fix any problem, just like the Lava Lords of old. He is a great contrast to his arch-nemesis, Aquoes, and they play an intricate game of really-loud spy vs. normal-sneaky spy. It’s quite amusing.
(concept art)
Mustachio’s ability is a very aggressive and powerful ability. He can summon a rather large fireball that sears through even the toughest of foes. It deals some initial damage as well as pushes the affected Dots away in an explosion. It’s a pretty good offensive or defensive ability that fits the Lava style quite handily.
Water Commander: Aquoes
Aquoes was also part of Dot Wars Assassins: Renegade way back in the day as the main antagonist. As previously mentioned he is sneaky and prefers to attack his enemies from wherever they do not think he will attack from, which can be anywhere. Like the ocean, he sneaks up on you and attaches a jellyfish to your chest…
…
I’m not going to talk about it.
(concept art)
Because he is all about being sneaky and stuff, Aquoes has the ability to spawn torrents of water that do two different things. First, it disrupts the movement of enemy Dots that touch it just like real water that is slippery. It then also allows allied players to pass through solid objects for a while, which can be super useful in really any situation. Use it to go under a wall and capture the enemy flag, or cross over lava to escape enemy fire, it is really all up to how you want to screw with your opponent.
Earth Commander: Terron
Terron is the embodiment of the Earth Dots. He is tough, unyielding; one might even call him “A Hard Place” if his nickname weren’t already “Rock.” Nobody wants to fight him head on because they know that he has more brute force than… well, maybe a brutish force, I don’t know.
He also has a really cool voice. You will see when you play the game.
(concept art)
As you will all soon learn, enemy dots can get annoying if they are not taken care of. Terron is a great commander to use if you want some nice crowd control. He spawns a massive rock out of the ground that blocks bullets. This is cool, but what is even better about it is that the rock will throw enemies away as it comes out of the ground and deals damage to them. This is really nice for defense or any time you want to have the upper hand on your enemies.
Thunder Commander: Dian 典
If speed is your thing, then you should play as Dian of the Thunder Dots. She likes to use her lighting powers as a sort of borderline sadistic display as a tool of intimidation. Don’t be fooled by her “kawaii” exterior, she is a much more powerful Dot than you may initially think.
(concept art)
Dian is useful for making fast moves across the battlefield whilst denying movement to your enemies. To be sure, she is the one to play as when you want to decide where your opponents go. When Dian activates her ability, she gains a boost in speed and leaves behind a damage-dealing trail of electricity. This is especially useful for making it out alive in Survival matches, but can be adapted to fit really any style.
So you made it this far down the rabbit hole, you might as well right it all the way to Wonderland. Next week we talk about a new SUPER SECRET topic that will change the way you look at Dot Wars. Forever.
Night,
Daniel Pumford
And we’re back!
Last week we finished up a nice little chat about the seven different Dots that you will encounter when playing Dot Wars. They span a whole array of jobs, most of which include either shooting something or exploding something. But the game would be so empty without a guiding force for these intelligences of the artificial type. They need a COMMANDING presence.
To fill this void, we introduced this novel concept that we will cordially refer to as “The Player.” They are you, you are they… everything just seems to work out real fine. You/The Player look like this:
Don’t you/they look familiar? They were those Commanders that we mentioned a couple of posts back.
Whenever you play Dot Wars, you will have the option of playing as one of these four fellows/gals. They each correspond to a different team, which is represented by four colors: red, blue, green, and yellow. In turn, these colors correspond to different elements of the Dot Wars world: Lava, Water, Earth, and Thunder. These different Dot teams are warring with each other because, you know, can anybody really stay peaceful towards each other for that long?
What do they do?
Each Commander can do a variety of things to be badass on the battlefield. To summarize, the player has two guns to choose from: an assault rifle for long distance and a shotgun for short range. It’s nice and easy to toggle between the two in the middle of a fight so that you are sure to have the right tool for the job.
Commanders also throw things. They can throw a grenade to get out of a tight spot. It has a satisfying explosion that does a pretty good job of obliterating your enemies. These grenades bounce off walls and generally do a great job of inflicting havoc.
The other thing that commanders throw is this thing called a flare. This flare is a great way for the player to have some control over the other Dots.
Basically here is what is happening: the player throws the flare, which causes the nearby dots to become attracted to it. The attracted dots then follow the flare to wherever it lands. Once they get there, the Dots are then free to move about as they normally do. This entire process is essentially equivalent to the “Attack move” that is so common in RTS games. It can also be used as a “RETREAT!!!” command if thrown away from enemies, or a “GO THAT WAY!!!” command if thrown in any arbitrary direction. This simple mechanism was set up so that the player has just enough control that they feel useful on the complex Dot Wars battlefield.
The Commanders
Each one of the commanders do the same basic things as outlined above. The thing that makes them different is their “Ability” and personality. They are both things that you should consider when picking a team on the menu screen.
The Lava Commander: Mustachio
Now this is a story all about how Mustachio’s life just turned upside down…
That was disgusting.
Anyway… The oldest and most remembered commander of the series was created way back in Dot Wars Assassins: Renegade. The players back then were given the option of naming their commander but were given a default name of “Mustachio.” He was initially designed as the “good guy” character, but has since evolved to be something more than that.
Mustachio is the aggressor of the Dot Wars World, which is to say that he is the ACTION HERO. He is always the guy that can use explosive force to fix any problem, just like the Lava Lords of old. He is a great contrast to his arch-nemesis, Aquoes, and they play an intricate game of really-loud spy vs. normal-sneaky spy. It’s quite amusing.
(concept art)
Mustachio’s ability is a very aggressive and powerful ability. He can summon a rather large fireball that sears through even the toughest of foes. It deals some initial damage as well as pushes the affected Dots away in an explosion. It’s a pretty good offensive or defensive ability that fits the Lava style quite handily.
Water Commander: Aquoes
Aquoes was also part of Dot Wars Assassins: Renegade way back in the day as the main antagonist. As previously mentioned he is sneaky and prefers to attack his enemies from wherever they do not think he will attack from, which can be anywhere. Like the ocean, he sneaks up on you and attaches a jellyfish to your chest…
…
I’m not going to talk about it.
(concept art)
Because he is all about being sneaky and stuff, Aquoes has the ability to spawn torrents of water that do two different things. First, it disrupts the movement of enemy Dots that touch it just like real water that is slippery. It then also allows allied players to pass through solid objects for a while, which can be super useful in really any situation. Use it to go under a wall and capture the enemy flag, or cross over lava to escape enemy fire, it is really all up to how you want to screw with your opponent.
Earth Commander: Terron
Terron is the embodiment of the Earth Dots. He is tough, unyielding; one might even call him “A Hard Place” if his nickname weren’t already “Rock.” Nobody wants to fight him head on because they know that he has more brute force than… well, maybe a brutish force, I don’t know.
He also has a really cool voice. You will see when you play the game.
(concept art)
As you will all soon learn, enemy dots can get annoying if they are not taken care of. Terron is a great commander to use if you want some nice crowd control. He spawns a massive rock out of the ground that blocks bullets. This is cool, but what is even better about it is that the rock will throw enemies away as it comes out of the ground and deals damage to them. This is really nice for defense or any time you want to have the upper hand on your enemies.
Thunder Commander: Dian 典
If speed is your thing, then you should play as Dian of the Thunder Dots. She likes to use her lighting powers as a sort of borderline sadistic display as a tool of intimidation. Don’t be fooled by her “kawaii” exterior, she is a much more powerful Dot than you may initially think.
(concept art)
Dian is useful for making fast moves across the battlefield whilst denying movement to your enemies. To be sure, she is the one to play as when you want to decide where your opponents go. When Dian activates her ability, she gains a boost in speed and leaves behind a damage-dealing trail of electricity. This is especially useful for making it out alive in Survival matches, but can be adapted to fit really any style.
So you made it this far down the rabbit hole, you might as well right it all the way to Wonderland. Next week we talk about a new SUPER SECRET topic that will change the way you look at Dot Wars. Forever.
Night,
Daniel Pumford
