MENACE News

[h3]Mission Preparation in MENACE[/h3]
Today, we will cover the essentials of how to deploy your troops before taking on a combat mission in MENACE. Battles can be won and lost in deployment—that’s why mission preparation is a core element of the game.

[h3]Overview of the Battlefield[/h3][hr][/hr]The first thing to do before playing any mission is to get an overview of the procedurally generated combat map. This is where all mission objectives are shown, including deployment zones and other vital areas.

The map provides an abstract view of the landscape, including structures, roads, and environmental features that must be considered when formulating a plan. Time of day and weather conditions are also displayed—nighttime combat, in particular, may require special preparation.



[h3]Assessing Enemy Intel[/h3][hr][/hr]Enemy presence is also shown on the preparation map. Still, unlike topographic data, it’s more challenging to obtain real-time information on enemy movement and unit types.

This is why MENACE uses a slightly abstracted intelligence system, simulating orbital scans, intercepted radio traffic, satellite imagery, and intel from local sources. All of these combine into an intelligence rating. The higher the rating, the more likely it is to reveal additional information about enemy troops.

This can be essential, helping you plan for the presence of heavy weapons, vehicles, or special units.



[h3]Loadouts, Supply, and Squad Compositions[/h3][hr][/hr]Once you’ve reviewed the mission and estimated the enemy presence, you can make informed choices about what gear to bring.

Each infantry squad can be equipped with squad weapons and a special weapon, along with body armor and accessories (depending on their armor type). But supplies are limited.

Each mission provides a Supply point limit—an abstraction covering ammunition, spares, and maintenance for deployed equipment. This limit also applies to vehicles, which consume more supply points than infantry.

It’s your responsibility as commander to decide how to spend supply points.

You’ll also choose how many squads to bring and which squad leaders to assign. Leaders may carry over injuries from previous missions, be affected by emotional states, or have perk combinations that make them better suited for certain operations.


[h3]Deploying Forces[/h3][hr][/hr]The final step is deploying your squads and pilots.

The available deployment zone is shown on the combat map and varies based on mission type. Defending a settlement, conducting a patrol, or launching a base assault will each offer different layouts.

Some squad leaders have perks that extend the deployment zone—or even allow deployment behind enemy lines.



[h2]Engage, Explore, and Stay Informed[/h2][hr][/hr]That's it for now! We'll see you next Friday.

You can find us on Discord, BlueSky, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Reddit for discussions, updates, and feedback. You can also subscribe to our monthly MENACE newsletter on our website — just scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2432860/MENACE/

And here are the recent prior Dev Diaries in case you've missed them:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/642433677808108044
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/515206275424846335
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/515205641165341679

Today, we want to showcase another enemy faction in MENACE: The Rogue Army. We will provide an overview of their unit roster and the tactics they employ.

[h2]Rogue Armies in the Wayback System[/h2][hr][/hr]“Rogue Army” is a collective term for all kinds of human forces in the Wayback that follow their own agenda or oppose the rule of the established factions.

Similar to the pirates, they don’t follow a grand scheme and are not part of an overarching organization. In other words, each encounter against a “Rogue Army” can happen on different planets and for different reasons.

In one operation, you might fight against a renegade general who tries to gain control of valuable industrial assets, while in a different operation, you have to defend a peaceful population against an attack by its neighbor.

As a simplification, the ruling factions will also employ the same or similar types of units to represent their military arm, most likely with a different texture.

[h2]Tactics and Units: The Rogue Army Roster[/h2][hr][/hr]The backbone of any Rogue Army consists of large infantry squads without any meaningful equipment or specialized training. This human wave will be supported by raw firepower from a variety of sources. The overall theme is quantity over quality which is also reflected in the simple and cumbersome nature of most rogue army equipment.


All units heavily rely on supporting each other, so it's important to isolate individual units and defeat them one by one. The lack of maneuverability and speed of any Rogue Army further facilitates this approach.

Finding ways to mitigate the impact of their long range fire support is essential to win engagements without taking heavy losses. Possible approaches involve gathering intelligence before the actual combat, deep reconnaissance and offmap abilities as well as a strict target prioritization to disable the most dangerous units first.

The player can also employ most Rogue Army vehicles and weapons.

[h2]Rogue Army Units[/h2][hr][/hr][h3]Infantry Squad[/h3]

A basic infantry squad consisting of 6 or more soldiers. This unit is equipped with mass-produced rifles and a simple blast vest. While not sporting any special weapons, the squad makes use of anti-tank grenades and smoke grenades when necessary.



[h2]Heavy Weapon Teams Overview[/h2][hr][/hr]Heavy weapon teams provide fire support for the regular infantry squads, compensating for the lack of special weapons in regular infantry units.

These weapons come with a tripod and have to be properly set up before they can be used. As long as the weapon is combat-ready, the squad has to remain stationary, which makes it a prime target for delayed attacks like off-map abilities.

There is a wide variety of different weapons that the Rogue Army might field. All heavy weapons have limited ammunition.

[h3]Autocannon Team[/h3]
This large calibre autocannon can deliver devastating salvos once set up. It can effectively engage infantry and light vehicles over medium to long ranges.



[h3]Machinegun Team[/h3]
A medium MG that provides reliable suppressive fire. It is ineffective against most vehicles, but easily able to shut down enemy troop movements and pin squads in place while the infantry squads move in.



[h3]Rocket Launcher Team[/h3]
This is a reusable launch pod for anti-tank missiles. While not posing an essential threat to infantry squads, this rocket launcher can take out vehicles over long distances.



[h3]Mortar Team[/h3]
A heavy infantry mortar can shoot grenades over very long distances without a direct line of fire. Mortar teams can be very hard to locate, so reconnaissance and intelligence are key when facing this weapon.



…more weapon teams will be added in the future.

[h3]Supply Runner[/h3]
Just like the Players special weapons all Rogue Army Heavy Weapon Teams have limited ammo. The Rogue Army deploys so-called supply runners that rush to re-arm the heavy weapons once they run low on ammunition. Taking out the supply runners before they can reach their target is a viable tactic.



[h3]Artillery Piece[/h3]
A stationary heavy artillery piece. These systems can shoot high explosive shells at any point of the map due to their extreme range and indirect firing capability. Although very inaccurate, the damage these shells can do is considerable.

A prominent weakness is the artillery's very high minimum range, which makes it possible to move close to it and underrun its shooting arc.



[h3]Rogue Army Light Walker[/h3]
An armored bipedal walker that can carry a variety of weapons. This version is armed with a fast multi-barreled auto laser that fires high-energy beams in quick succession. It's not very accurate but effective against infantry and most light vehicles. Firing the laser builds up heat that has to be vented.



[h3]Heavy Tank[/h3]
A heavy tank, slow and exceptionally well armored, also referred to as an “assault howitzer”.
Mainly designed to support infantry attacks, its role is to suppress or destroy enemy strongpoints and buildings over short ranges. The lack of a turret limits the main gun's firing arc to a frontal 45 degrees which can be used against it by highly maneuverable units.

The tank is also equipped with a small turret featuring a medium MG with a 360-degree sight to defend against enemy infantry.

The tank's main armament is a short-barreled 15cm gun that can shoot high-explosive or HEAT rounds to engage infantry or hard points.



[h3]Rogue Army Officer[/h3]
An officer with his bodyguard ensures all infantry squads keep pressing the assault. The officer can increase the movement speed of nearby allied units and reduce their suppression so they can keep up their momentum.



[h2]Engage, Explore, and Stay Informed[/h2][hr][/hr]That's it for now! We'll see you next Friday.

You can find us on Discord, BlueSky, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Reddit for discussions, updates, and feedback. You can also subscribe to our monthly MENACE newsletter on our website — just scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2432860/MENACE/

And here are the recent prior Dev Diaries in case you've missed them:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/515205641165341679
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/577128955243397810
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/500567043120038946

The world of MENACE is modeled with the real world in mind, and the weather and light conditions greatly impact any warfare or conflict. Fighting at night is chaotic and dangerous for ill-trained and equipped troops. Blazing heat strains soldiers, and dense fog makes it hard to identify enemies on the battlefield.

This week, we want to give a first glance at the weather and lighting system in MENACE and how it impacts gameplay.

Note: This is just the first iteration; more environmental effects, lighting, and weather conditions will be added to the game.

[hr][/hr]There will be four basic times of day at which combat can occur, and each has distinct lighting to make sure players quickly recognize which time it is. Even more importantly, the different light settings make the game look different each time and add a lot of visual variety to each biome. Also, the lighting is crucial in creating a fitting atmosphere for the game.

The chance of fighting at a certain lighting time differs for each biome, with fights in normal daylight being much more common than fights at dusk, dawn, or night.

[h3]Dawn Clear[/h3][hr][/hr]Early in the morning, the sun is typically very low and still weak. Its light is already yellow-orange but way lighter than at dusk. Shadows are light with a blue or even purple tint and, of course, very long. Mornings also often have a light fog as the humidity of the night evaporates under the increasing sunlight.

In the game, there will be no special modifiers tied to dawn.

Each biome will, of course, have its light setup for dusk:

Temperate Dawn Clear

Desert Dawn Clear

Snow Dawn Clear

[h3]Dawn Overcast[/h3][hr][/hr]Each light setting has an alternative “overcast” variant. This means the sky is cloudy with no direct sunlight. This overcast state can also be used for additional weather effects, like rain or snow.

Overcast light is a lot less direct and intense. Shadows are almost invisible, colors are desaturated, and the whole map is darker. Take a look at the overcast versions of the dusk lighting:

Temperate Dawn Overcast

Desert Dawn Overcast

Snow Dawn Overcast

[h3]Day Clear[/h3][hr][/hr]The classical daylight is the time at which most missions will be fought. The default setup here is very sunny, with the sun high on the horizon. Shadows are sharp, dark, and short. Colors are intense, and exposure and brightness are high. This lighting will not affect combat.

Temperate Day Clear

Desert Day Clear

Snow Day Clear

[h3]Day Overcast[/h3][hr][/hr]As for all other lighting, we also do have an overcast version of daylight, which helps create a gloomy atmosphere for weather effects like rain as well:

Temperate Day Overcast

Desert Day Overcast

Snow Day Overcast

[h3]Dusk Clear[/h3][hr][/hr]One of the most distinct lighting effects in nature is dusk, with its very low sun that usually turns into a bright orange. Shadows are long and dark, while the light is still strong but brightly colored. Some fog might rise and create rays of light streaming across the map.

Temperate Dusk Clear

Desert Dusk Clear

Snow Dusk Clear

[h3]Dusk Overcast[/h3][hr][/hr]While overcast skies are a lot more dampened, we still try to maintain some orange light colors that are typical for dusk light. The sun is not blocked out completely, so there will still be some very soft rays of light to help maintain the atmosphere:

Temperate Dusk Overcast

Desert Dusk Overcast

Snow Dusk Overcast

[h3]Night[/h3][hr][/hr]Of course, there will be a night as well, and here is where it gets interesting. The night is very dark, with little light and hardly any shadows. The colors are tinted blue or purple and desaturated.

To maintain readability for the player, we added actor lights that lightened up all the models on the map to make them stand out a bit more. Also, units have a soft light under them to make it easier to see their positions.

Of course, vehicles turn on their headlights at night, creating long and sharp shadows wherever they move and adding to the eerie atmosphere.

Note: No separate overcast lighting variant exists as the night is already very dark.

Most importantly, the night will have severe effects on gameplay. All units' vision ranges will be reduced by 4, their detection value by 50%, and their accuracy by 20%. This will lead to fights at night taking place over shorter ranges.

This will make them more deadly and bloody as dropoffs do not come into play that much. Equipping short-range weapons and heavier armor can help your units survive at night.

Temperate Night

Desert Night

Snow Night

[h3]Nightvision[/h3][hr][/hr]To help your troops fight at night, there will be a variety of vision-enhancing equipment, like night vision goggles. They will reduce or remove the negative effects of night light and greatly increase your combat capabilities in darkness. A unit with night vision equipped will see the map like this:

Temperate Nightvision

Weather

[hr][/hr]In addition to the light of day, there will be a variety of weather and environmental effects that also impact visuals and gameplay. We are just starting to create these, and many of their visual effects are in their first iteration.

[h3]Light & Heavy Rain[/h3][hr][/hr]On the temperate biomes rain is rather common. Light rain will not have any combat impact, while heavy rain or thunderstorms might reduce vision on the battlefield. Of course, all weather effects will come with their ambient soundscape.

Capturing rain in a static screenshot is tricky, but here goes:

Temperate Rain

[h3]Sandstorm[/h3][hr][/hr]In desert biomes, players might run into the occasional sandstorm caused by heavy winds blowing up sand and dust. Sandstorms are dense and nasty, and fighting them is a real challenge. They reduce not only vision range and accuracy but also movement costs, so units are slowed down:

Desert Sandstorm

[h3]Blizzard[/h3][hr][/hr]Similar to a Sandstorm, a blizzard is an arctic storm with strong winds blowing up snow and ice. Vision is significantly reduced, while accuracy and movement speed suffer.



[h3]More environmental effects[/h3][hr][/hr]In the Wayback, there will be even more adverse effects on the battlefield. For example, scorching heat might increase the heat buildup in laser weapons, while freezing colds will help cool them down.
Other planets might have even more bizarre hazards, like energy fields that interfere with energy-based weapons or lower gravity.

[h2]Engage, Explore, and Stay Informed[/h2][hr][/hr]That's it for now! We'll see you next Friday.

You can find us on Discord, BlueSky, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Reddit for discussions, updates, and feedback. You can also subscribe to our monthly MENACE newsletter on our website — just scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2432860/MENACE/

And here are the recent prior Dev Diaries in case you've missed them:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/577128955243397810
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/500567043120038946
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/515203109058773566

In modern combat based on firearms, discipline and morale are just as important as in medieval clashes. Today, we give some insights into how we model discipline and morale and how to make the most use of them in MENACE:

[h3]Real Life Inspiration[/h3][hr][/hr]There are usually two different endings possible in any armed conflict. Firstly, one side is physically incapacitated and can not continue to fight. Secondly, combatants can lose the will to fight and hunker down, stop fighting back, and eventually flee the battlefield.

Both are equally important in real life, so we want to ensure that the latter is just as meaningful in MENACE as the former.

We, as developers, took a look at real battles and casualty rates. In most conflicts, casualty rates tend to be anywhere between 1% and 30%. Having every mission end with all units mowed down is typical in computer games but pretty far from reality. For us, it is important to model combat in MENACE in a way that is still rewarding and decisive to play but also to make sure that not every mission is a massacre.

In last week's Dev Diary, we talked about mission types and how you don't have to dispatch all opposition to win missions.
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/500567043120038946
This ties in with this week's topic, which is all about sending the enemy fleeing so you win the battle without fighting down to the last element.

[h3]Discipline[/h3][hr][/hr]All of the following hinges on the “Discipline” character stat that each unit in MENACE has. Discipline is a stat that incorporates a variety of factors which are all important for combat units:

Firstly, it measures how professional and well-trained a fighting force is. A highly trained force will hold its position longer and is less easily impressed by suffering losses or having ordinance and other attacks impact close by. This force will keep fighting back more efficiently no matter how dire or threatening the situation is.

Secondly, Discipline incorporates a unit's motivation. This is not necessarily training, as even untrained militias might have a very high motivation to fight given the right reasons and circumstances. Ultimately, a high motivation will also make a unit harder to suppress or rout, so the outcome can be similar to good training.

Finally, it also includes what we call “audacity,” a term often used in military circles when evaluating the effectiveness of small combat groups. It incorporates the squad leaders' will to take risks, seize opportunities, and be able to make decisions quickly. Audacity often separates the mediocre from the great squad leaders.

From all the above, we come to the conglomerate Discipline stat. In the game, it is between 1 and 100, with most marine squad leaders starting around 60-70, so they already have a decent discipline stat.



[h3]Discipline and Suppression[/h3][hr][/hr]At this point, you should head over to Dev Diary 7, where we discussed suppression.
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/535466136352851020
The total suppression a unit suffers from attacks, hits, losses, or nearby impacts is directly reduced through Discipline. Currently, only X% of the incoming suppression is applied, whereas X is 100 - discipline.

So a squad with a discipline of 60 will only suffer 40% suppression while a squad with 80 Discipline suffers 20%.

If a unit's Discipline is reduced by any game effects, the suppression reduction is, of course, adjusted accordingly, and vice versa. Using a combat stim that increases discipline right before engaging the enemy will make a unit much more resilient to enemy suppression, which might give it the edge in the upcoming fight.

[h3]Morale[/h3][hr][/hr]In MENACE, morale is used to estimate a unit's will to fight. If morale gets low enough, a unit will be hesitant to act, might retreat from the enemy, or even disband altogether!

There are three distinct morale states a unit can be in:

1. Unaffected: The unit is fully functional and can act normally.
   
2. Wavering: The unit is hesitant to act and loses trust in its leadership, highly reducing its combat effectiveness. Its accuracy and action point total was reduced by 20% and is “staggered.” Staggered means it will always act last in combat.
   
3. Fleeing: The unit is in full retreat as it sees its current position as untenable and attempts to save itself from destruction. The unit can not be controlled anymore and will move as far away from any enemy as possible. If a unit suffered too many losses and is fleeing, it might disband, instantly removing it from the battlefield and counting it as eliminated.
   

Note: UI is a placeholder and will change.



Now, let's look at the mechanics and numbers behind the system.

Each unit's dynamic maximum morale value is calculated as its maximum discipline. This maximum morale value is a snapshot at the beginning of combat, so changes to discipline during combat do not change the morale total.

1. If the morale is reduced below 33% of its dynamic max value the unit becomes wavering.
   
2. If the morale is reduced to 0 or below, the unit will flee.
   
3. If the morale is reduced to 0 AND the unit is under 33% total health, it might disband (non-player units only; player units will never disband).
   

[h3]What Affects Morale?[/h3][hr][/hr]Various factors and events reduce or increase morale during combat. Let’s look at them individually:

Most importantly, the max morale changes dynamically with the squad's hit point total. For example, a squad at 50% of its initial hitpoint total will have its max morale reduced to 50%.

Remember that the wavering status requires a unit to be under 33% of its dynamic maximum morale value. For example, a unit with 100 max morale that lost 40% of its hit points sits at a dynamic max morale value of 60. It will be wavering when morale drops below 20 (rounded) meaning it can only lose 40 morale pointsbefore that happens. While at full strength, it would have to be below 33 to waver, that is a total of 67 morale points it can lose for the same condition.

Morale recovers at 33% of the dynamic max morale per turn. This will lead to most units rallying after one turn of retreating.

Additionally, morale can be influenced positively or negatively by various morale events.

Currently, there are the following events in the game.

Note: This may change during development.

• Taking Damage. Getting hit and losing health reduces morale.
  
• Element Lost. Losing an element in its squad reduces a unit's morale.
  
• Ally Routing. A nearby friendly unit fleeing will reduce the morale of other units. This scales with distance.
  
• Ally Destroyed. A friendly unit getting destroyed reduces morale. This scales with distance.
  
• Morale Attack. This general event reduces morale and is usually connected to an attack. This might be an especially gruesome or even more sinister weapon, like a flamethrower.
  
• Objective Failed. Failing one of multiple mission objectives reduces morale.
  
• Element Destroyed. Destroying an element in an enemy unit raises morale.
  
• Vehicle Defect Inflicted. Inflicting a defect on an enemy vehicle raises morale. 
  
• Enemy Destroyed. Destroying a whole enemy unit or vehicle raises morale.
  
• Objective Completed. Completing one of the multiple mission objectives increases morale.
  

[h3]Using Morale in MENACE[/h3][hr][/hr]With all of the above, it becomes evident that keeping your morale up and the enemy's morale down is crucial in MENACE. Enemies with lower discipline are prone to suffer from mass routs once multiple units are destroyed quickly. To make sure the enemy suffers the most, it makes sense to use a “shock and awe” approach.

The more units get destroyed or routed quickly, the heavier the morale will suffer. As morale regenerates quickly, many units do not waver or flee when being slowly ground down over many turns but turn tail when they see their buddies get obliterated all around them instantly.

It could also make sense to whittle enemy units over time to reduce their max morale and then hit the weakened forces with everything you have to seal the deal.

Some enemies, on the other hand, might not be affected by morale at all and will not waver or flee. They will require a whole different tactic to be defeated.



[h2]Engage, Explore, and Stay Informed[/h2][hr][/hr]That's it for now! We'll see you next Friday.

You can find us on Discord, BlueSky, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Reddit for discussions, updates, and feedback. You can also subscribe to our monthly MENACE newsletter on our website — just scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2432860/MENACE/

And here are the recent prior Dev Diaries in case you've missed them:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/500567043120038946
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/515203109058773566
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/534342772300185779

In MENACE, tactical battles go beyond destroying all enemies. There is a wide variety of mission goals, many of which do not require you to dispatch all opposition.

Let’s take a closer look at the challenges that await you.

[h2]Missions in MENACE[/h2][hr][/hr]A mission is a single turn-based tactical battle deployment that is fought on a procedurally generated 3D map. Each mission has a certain mission goal that needs to be completed in order to win the battle. 

If a battle is won, the player’s performance will be rated depending on certain factors like losses suffered, speed, and others. Each mission grants new items to loot and promotion points to promote squad leaders and pilots and unlock new perks for them.

A mission in MENACE is not an isolated fight but will always be part of an “Operation,” which is a cascade of connected missions. The player will always have some choices on what mission to take on next to complete the operation, but more on that in a later diary.

Now let’s look at the individual mission types:

Note: More mission types are in the works.

[h3]Capture Area[/h3][hr][/hr]One of the most common tasks for a strike force is to enter a contested area and gain control of certain important assets like supply depots, infrastructure, factories, and others. The opposing force will, of course, try to rush in its own forces and contest control of these areas.


The player will deploy in a decently sized deployment zone at the southern map border while all enemy forces deploy at the northern map border. In the center of the map, one or two “capture areas” are placed.

Both forces rush to the areas as quickly as possible. 

Each capture area is usually around nine tiles large and has a certain number of capture tickets attached to it. Each unit within the area will capture one ticket per turn, so having multiple units in the area allows for fast capture. 

Enemy units within the area will prevent the player from capturing it, so clearing the enemy out before taking over is essential. Ideally, the player reaches the capture areas first and suppresses the approaching enemy before they can reach covered positions from which they can mount an assault.

Once all capture areas are secured, the mission will automatically end as a success, no matter how many enemy units remain on the field.

In this mission, speed is absolutely essential, so it's crucial to use transport vehicles, perks that allow extra movement, like “sprint,” or drugs that grant additional movement or actions.

[h3]Hold Ground[/h3][hr][/hr]Once important objects are captured, enemy forces will attack them and try to take them over. This can also be a civilian settlement that has to be protected from a pirate raid or a military arms depot that Rogue Army forces want to take over to bolster their arsenal.


This is a passive mission in which the player must hold out for a finite amount of rounds while the enemy keeps pressing the attack. The map will have a rather large area in the middle that has to be defended for the duration of the mission. The area will usually be placed in the center of a settlement or other structure.

The player has to deploy their forces around the target area while the enemies advance from all four map edges. This is also one of the few missions with unlimited enemy reinforcements that keep rushing in. 

The hold ground area has a certain number of tickets. Each enemy unit that stays in this area will reduce the tickets by one per turn, so it is crucial to stop them from entering the area or flush them out quickly once they are in.

Once the tickets are reduced to zero, the mission is lost. 

Often, the battle will take place in built-up areas like settlements that offer lots of cover for advancing enemies. One of the most important parts of winning this mission is to spread out your forces in the capture area so that they can instantly react to an advancing enemy and bog them down with suppressive fire before they can get to cover and dig in.

[h3]Sabotage[/h3][hr][/hr]Unlike the open battles of other mission types the Sabotage missions can be done more covertly. The goal is to reach one or more target areas and execute a “sabotage” skill while being next to them. After all targets have been sabotaged the player has to move all units to a designated evac zone and exfil to complete the mission successfully.


The player deploys at the southern map border while the extremely numerous enemy forces deploy all over the map. 

The big twist in this setup is that enemy units start in “patrol mode,” where they do not share vision with other units. Once the fighting starts, only units in the vicinity that see what's going on join the fight. Often, many enemy units can be outmaneuvered and passed by without having to eliminate them. 

The key to success in this mission type is making the most of cover and concealment, scouting out enemy patrols and positions ahead of time, and being fast once the fighting starts.

[h3]Rescue Civilians[/h3][hr][/hr]Not only military units take part in the fighting in MENACE. Sometimes, civilians get caught up in the fighting and become targets themselves.

In the Rescue mission, your goal is to find and rescue civilians or VIPs from enemy holding cells.

In this setup, there will usually be one or more bases with holding cells on the map. The player will deploy at the southern map border while enemy forces surround the civilians. Once the player moves a unit close to the civilians, you gain control of them and have to move them back to the southern map border for extraction.


The enemy forces guarding the prisoners are relatively weak, but once the action kicks off, strong reinforcements will come from the northern half of the map to try to stop the civilian extraction. The civs have no armor and can quickly perish if caught in the crossfire. If that happens, the mission is, of course, lost.

The key to winning this mission is to approach all civilians at the same time to ensure that the enemy reinforcements do not prevent your access to a second or third civilian position and slow you down.
Once you are moving the civilians out, it makes sense to deploy elements with machine guns and other suppressive weapons to delay and hold off the reinforcements trying to catch up to you. Then, it is a matter of effectively leapfrogging backward to your extraction zone without leaving a friendly unit behind and in danger of getting overrun on retreat.

You can also load civilians into transport vehicles, which is usually the fastest and safest way to transport them to the extraction zone.

[h3]Base Assault[/h3][hr][/hr]Finally, we have the most brutal mission in which your goal is to eliminate as many enemy units as possible. The setup is usually an enemy base, stronghold, or other defensive position prepared to defend itself in the upper half of the map. The player can deploy all along the southern border and start the assault there. 


The enemy is placed in heavily fortified positions, and they might have bunkers, barricades, guard towers, automated sentry guns, or minefields to aid their defense. The mission is won once a certain percentage of enemy forces are destroyed or dispersed.

This mission will require players to consider where to attack the fortified positions and how to take out structures, walls, and bunkers. Bringing rocket launchers, grenades, and other weapons that are effective against objects is key. Also, it might help to focus on a single vector of attack and overwhelm the defenders with a massive force instead of attacking from all sides with weak forces. 

Good reconnaissance is crucial in this mission, as a single sentry turret armed with an EMP cannon can stop your armored assault dead in its tracks. Similarly, a heavy machine gun position can easily suppress your infantry on approach if you are not prepared for it. 

[h3]In Summary[/h3][hr][/hr]
[h2]Engage, Explore, and Stay Informed[/h2][hr][/hr]That's it for now! We'll see you next Friday.

You can find us on Discord, BlueSky, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Reddit for discussions, updates, and feedback. You can also subscribe to our monthly MENACE newsletter on our website — just scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2432860/MENACE/

And here are the recent prior Dev Diaries in case you've missed them:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/515203109058773566
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/534342772300185779
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/512950040394727468