The Crust News

Hello Community,

In this article we want to talk about our experiments with the combat system and get your opinion on it as we approach another Stretch Goal.

[h2]Core Loop Combat System[/h2]
[h3]Fighting for Helium-3 on the Moon in sandbox mode.[/h3]

As the player's base grows, there is an increasing need for energy. The game is balanced in such a way that as the game progresses, more and more energy is required, and this growth is not linear but almost exponential. Servicing a base with colonists and producing hi-tier resources requires an enormous amount of energy. Helium-3 is needed in large quantities to meet the energy demand, as hydrogen-based fuel has too low an efficiency to cover all the needs.



[h3]Mining Helium-3[/h3]
Mining Helium-3 requires a Harvester, which is built in the Great Machinery Factory and requires medium and high-tech resources. The Harvester also requires fuel or energy cells to operate and move around the map. Which limits its range and autonomy time.
Helium-3 is extracted from the surface layer of regolith in different areas of the moon. The concentration of Helium-3 in each area is different, there are richer areas with concentrations in craters, and there are less rich areas.
The basic concept of the combat system is to capture and hold key areas on the moon. Something similar can be seen in the HoI game. Capturing one area gives the player several bonuses:
- access to Helium-3 deposits,
- the ability to build outposts to refuel and repair units,
- exploration of scientifically interesting craters and anomalies that generate science points with the help of rovers,
- logistical advantage, allowing you to "reach" remote promising areas and points of interest.



However, when capturing a large number of zones, it becomes increasingly difficult to control and defend them, so the player should carefully consider their expansion. Helium-3 mining speed is determined by several factors: the concentration of helium in an area, the number of Harvesters in an area, logistics to the main base (outposts, remoteness and speed) and special technologies that increase mining speeds. This combination of factors gives the player more flexibility in choosing a development and expansion strategy.

[h3]Military Unit Production[/h3]
The game adds several ground unit factories, a flying unit factory, artillery railguns and satellites that give certain bonuses to your units, and penalties to enemy units while above the battlefield.
The efficiency and automation of a player's base greatly affects the speed and scalability of their combat units. Thus moon factory efficiency becomes as important as military strategy on the global map. Each factory in the game is equipped with conveyor entrances for fast automatic delivery of resources, which allows you to put the production of different equipment on the stream.



[h3]Unit Parameters[/h3]
Each unit has a number of parameters that determine its purpose and combat potential:
- Damage type (predominant damage type of the guns (laser, kinetic, explosive))
- Damage (the total damage output of the guns)
- Armor (number of armor points)
- Hull (number of hull points)
- Maneuverability (the probability of evading enemy hits and the probability of leaving the battle)
- Speed (speed of movement on the global map and the probability of withdrawal from combat)

Combat units are divided into small, medium and large units.
Medium and large units have the ability to customize by changing the composition of components in the cells of the unit, which allows you to collect different characteristics and purpose of units. For example, to fight flying enemy units will be better suited missiles, to fight light and fast units - high-precision lasers, and to destroy armored targets - heavy kinetic guns. The player can also build a fast but lightly armored unit that can intercept an enemy unit heading towards your precious Harvestor.



Units also have experience and veteran points that increase with the number of victories and increase damage and maneuverability parameters.

[h3]Ai factions[/h3]
From the beginning of the game, each faction has only one home area under its control. The other areas have a neutral status, which allows Helium-3 and other resources to be mined from that area without restrictions. Building an outpost paints the area in the faction's (or player's) color, opens new opportunities, and prohibits other factions from mining the area. This mechanic allows you to develop diplomatic relations with factions and mine the same areas without resorting to military action. But all resources are limited, sooner or later the harvesters of the player and other factions will meet at the points of highest concentration of Helium-3, which may lead to conflict.



[h3]Battle[/h3]
Combat skirmishes take place on the orbital level (global map) between Ai faction units and the player. During the battle there are calculations with dice (random numbers), on the results of which various modifiers of composition and abilities of units of each side are applied. Each unit has a number of characteristics that add up and participate in the battle calculations:

- Damage (determines the combined damage power of all of the combat unit's guns)
- Armor (number of armor and hull points)
- Accuracy (the probability of hitting an enemy unit, made up of the accuracy of the guns mounted on the units)
- Maneuverability (determines the ability to evade enemy hits and the ability to withdraw from combat)
- Speed (affects the probability of withdrawal from the battle and determines the speed of movement on the global map).



Depending on the number of units, the battle can last a long time, which allows you to pull up additional units, or decide to retreat with the loss of some of their forces.
Each unit has the option to withdraw from the battle if it takes critical damage, if its maneuverability and speed are high enough.
The side that does the most damage to the enemy and keeps at least one active unit in the combat zone wins the battle.


[h3]Relationship to the game's economy[/h3]
In our concept, the combat system should not distract the player too much with micromanagement, but should set global goals and make them think strategically ahead of time. All mechanics in The Crust we strived to make automated, but with the possibility of fine manual control. This combination allows the player to achieve the best efficiency of his factory in the early stages, and not to drown in a series of micro tasks when developing a particularly large base. We want to apply the same principle to the combat system. The player will have a wide range of opportunities to win, he can focus on fine-tuning and managing units, diving into tactics, or emphasize mass production focusing on logistics and efficiency of creating new units.



The combat system is a great direction for The Crust's development, it allows us to expand the economy, greatly increase replayability and take the first step towards a possible multiplayer mode for the game.

The combat system will be available as a sandbox mode, after which we will probably add it to the third chapter of the company.
However, the so-called creative mode will remain in the game, which will allow you to develop your lunar venture or go through the story campaign without much stress.

We are still thinking about the fog of war, exploration units and satellites.
We are very interested in your opinion about it, what do you think about this concept?

Hey everyone,

We’ve really hit the ground running with The Crust Kickstarter, and it’s all thanks to you! We’re so appreciative of our almost 2,000 backers, and we’re so excited to show everyone what we’ve been working on! Check out our roadmap for what comes next and take a look at our latest Kickstarter update!

[h2]Stretch Goals[/h2]

Now that we've reached our funding goal, we're excited to announce some additional stretch goals to enhance the game further. These include features like an Expanded Expedition Mode, an Alternative Story Mode, and even a Combat System. We're incredibly grateful for your support, and we can't wait to bring these new elements to life with your help! You can find all of our updates on our Kickstarter page!

Check out our roadmap to see what comes next!

Hi, everyone!

After the last festival, where we presented the latest demo, we took a short break from information updates to prepare for the launch of our campaign on Kickstarter. Now we are ready to share the news again!

Let’s begin!

[h2]Ice location on a global map of the Moon[/h2]

We've introduced an ice map into the game, with the main concentration situated at the lunar poles. This means that to mine a significant volume of ice, players will need to embark on a journey to the moon's poles. To facilitate this, we've added a new unit to the game - the Ice Harvester. It's a large autonomous machine constructed at the heavy machinery factory, requiring fuel for both mining and movement across the global map.



We've been eager to implement this mechanic for two reasons: realism and replayability. Just like in real lunar expeditions, where people need to establish bases near the poles or organize ice logistics from the poles to other lunar locations, players face challenges and various gameplay opportunities.



In The Crust you will have to create a new place for human habitation and you will start with your lunar base. It is the extraction of ice and the creation of systems for obtaining water and oxygen will be the main stage that will allow you to accept colonists - hired professionals, with their skills and features that open access to a new technological stage of development, improve the efficiency of production and participate in expeditions on the global map.



Why is ice mining so important? Ice is the main and only source of water on the Moon. And the presence of water makes it possible to obtain two other vital resources - oxygen and fuel. These two elements will be the basis of your future life support and logistics system. Throughout the game, you will have to take care of the needs of your colonists, such as sustenance and comfort, but if you are unable to keep your life support systems up and running, your lunar venture is unlikely to be a success.




Lunar poles are areas where sunlight reaches least, creating gameplay constraints on the use of solar-powered equipment. Avoiding a journey there is not an option for players, as the underground deposits around the Elevator will eventually deplete. This mechanic contributes to a rich gameplay experience both in campaign mode and sandbox mode, where players choose a landing site for their base.




[h2]Expanded colonist mechanics and new interfaces[/h2]

Colonist mechanics remain a top priority in the development - everything related to them is being refined, their functionality is gradually expanding, new modules and interfaces for managing various aspects of their lives are being added.





Each specialist can be assigned a priority task according to their skills, allowing players to control the employment process by assigning the most relevant tasks to colonists based on their current needs.



We've also introduced a new interface for interacting with laboratories, allowing players to manually select specialists for different areas of research. However, by default, colonists automatically occupy the best positions for work or research based tasks on their skills.



Ensuring the survival of colonists will be one of the player's main tasks in the early stages of the game. The uninterrupted operation of life support systems, timely payment of wages, caring for their health, and maintaining comfort levels will directly impact the productivity of living employees. The higher the skill level of a specialist, the more expensive they are to maintain. Additionally, each colonist comes with their own quirks, character traits, and even skeletons in the closet, which may be revealed later on.



Just like in real life, choices won't be without their challenges - colonists will become part of the dynamic event mechanics, where players will make difficult decisions that have consequences. Sometimes these consequences are immediate, while other times they unfold later, but they inevitably occur and create a multitude of variations in the gameplay, adding variability and replayability to each session.

We've aimed to create the feeling of an extraterrestrial colony where employment is always associated with risk, without which the colonization of the Moon would be impossible.




Despite the crazy days associated with preparing and running the Kickstarter campaign, we continue to work hard on the game. Right now, our focus is on expanding expeditions, refining the internal systems of residential blocks, improving the visual aspect, and working on sound design. Gradually, we're adding new animations, VFX, and updated 3D building models to the game. We're also constantly catching and squashing bugs that our community periodically sends our way, for which we're immensely grateful!

We also want to tell you about our new idea voting system, which is now live on our website: https://idea.the-crust.com/


We're transferring the most interesting ideas and suggestions gathered through Discord, the feedback form, and the Steam community to this platform. It's still being populated, but you can already vote for the implementation of any idea or submit your own.

Hello Mooniacs,

We're very excited to announce that the Kickstarter campaign for The Crust just launched!

Your invaluable feedback has helped The Crust make significant progress, so we want you to join us as soon as possible. With your support we will be able to stay in full creative and financial control and increase the overall quality of the game. So please have a look at our reward tiers and maybe help us unlock a few stretchgoals as well.
We would also like to point out that anyone who donates for a digital copy of The Crust will receive early access to the full version of the game!

Go To Kickstarter

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We know you've been eagerly anticipating The Crust, and we continue to work diligently to deliver the game in its best form. It's important for us to implement the ideas we've envisioned for The Crust and to achieve the best gaming experience the game can offer.

We've come a long way!

We've been developing the game for over 4 years now, and in the past six months, we've made significant progress, thanks to your invaluable support. Your feedback help us make the game better, fix errors, and explore new ideas. Many of your suggestions are planned for implementation, and some have already been integrated into the full version of the game.

We've managed to introduce new multi-level conveyors, new units for resource extraction on the global map, new logistics and reconnaissance modules, an improved building and colonist management system, new room modules. Colonists now have completely new interfaces with expanded statistics data and micro-management capabilities. We've also significantly optimized the game for both CPU and GPU, allowing you to build a truly massive lunar factory on two levels.

Thank you!


 
There's just a little bit of work left to complete before we bring you the final version of The Crust. We're working on creating new mechanics on the global map, expanding expedition and extraction capabilities, improving unit management, and filling the global map with interesting objects for both the campaign and sandbox modes. We will pay special attention to the player's convenience and quality of life.
We plan to implement interaction with factions, lunar tourism, and several other exciting ideas, which we'll detail in the updates of our Kickstarter campaign.

We still need your support.

 

Hello Mooniacs,

We're only 24 hours away from launching our Kickstarter campaign.

NOTIFY ME ON LAUNCH

We've already reached 3,000 Kickstarter followers - how exciting!