MENACE News

After getting into the details of how squad weapons and special weapons work, we are looking at the second important part: the soldiers wielding those weapons! We will also see what other types of equipment can be brought to the battlefield.

Squad Leaders
There are two fundamentally different character types in MENACE: Squad Leaders and Pilots. In today's diary, we look at the former and keep the latter for a future diary.

[h2]What are squad leaders in MENACE?[/h2]
Any unit you deploy in MENACE features a squad leader acting as its identification figure and its commander on the battlefield. Squad Leaders (short SLs) are handwritten characters with their own backstory and unique perk tree.

Furthermore, they have a set of specific stats reflecting their squad's capabilities. However, being unique doesn't automatically protect the SLs from harm. They can still be killed on the battlefield, so you have to take that into consideration when going for bold moves and suicide missions.

Squad Badges

When a squad loses all elements, the squad leader is “bleeding out.” Other SLs have a short time to head over there and stabilize them. This will make sure they are not dead, but they will still be out of action for a while and recover from their injuries.

[h2]Why Written Characters?[/h2]
From the very start of the project, we had a lot of discussions about whether characters or, in this case, squad leaders should be handwritten or procedurally generated (like in Battle Brothers).

Through procedural generation you can create an infinite amount of different characters, but the possibilities of meaningful dialogue or even character development are very limited or almost nonexistent. There is no persistence in relations or behaviour between the procedural individuals.

On top of that, after a while, the different components of the generation become apparent and recognizable to the player.

For MENACE, the interaction between characters and their reactions to the world is a very important tool for world-building and immersion, as are their opinions on certain topics.


In this regard MENACE takes a lot of influence from games like Jagged Alliance or the old Wing Commander. Characters are written personalities that can still permanently die.

Being able to give the squad leaders actual voices adds a lot of personality and attitude, which is especially important in the setting of MENACE, where a bunch of very different personalities with wildly different backgrounds have to get along.

Of course, the amount of written characters is limited, so if too many die, that means game over.

[h2]Squad Leader Stats[/h2]
Each squad leader has a variety of different skills and characteristics.

1. Action Points: Each character has a finite amount of Action Points, or AP, per turn. Any action, like moving a tile or using a skill, costs a certain amount of AP.
   
2. Hitpoints per Element: The amount of damage a unit can take until one of its elements is removed as a casualty. A squad with 10HP and five elements can take a total of 50 damage until it is completely out of action.
   
3. Armor Value: Depends on the armor the squad has equipped. The higher the value, the more penetration an attack needs to deal damage. Armors also have durability that is reduced every time the armor successfully stops a bullet.
   
4. Discipline: Reduces incoming suppression and increases suppression recovery. Moral tests are also done against the discipline of a unit. These have to be succeeded when losing elements, friendly units getting killed, or allies fleeing from the battle. The higher the discipline, the less likely a squad is to become wavering or retreat from the battlefield.
   
5. Accuracy: This determines the chances to hit for all attacks. Accuracy can be reduced by being suppressed by enemy fire and other effects. It can also be improved by deploying.
   
6. Detection: How well the squad can detect hidden/concealed enemy units. This value is subtracted from the enemy’s concealment value.
   
7. View Range: The distance in tiles the squad can see and reveal enemy units that have no concealment. Certain large objects can completely block lines of sight and allow for unrevealed approaches.
   
8. Concealment: How well the squad can stay hidden while in the field of view of enemy units. This is also increased by the environment like forests, buildings, or tall grass. A unit with some concealment that is deployed behind cover can ambush enemies very effectively.
   
9. Unique Starting Perk: Every squad leader starts with one unique perk already unlocked. These are very different between SLs and are designed in a way to make them feel unique and emphasize each individual's character.
   
10. Perk Tree: Each squad leader has their own perk tree that can be unlocked through “promotions.” Not all perks are unique to this character, but the selection and order of unlocks will be different for each.
    

[h2]Engage, Explore, and Stay Informed[/h2]
That's it for now. Let us know what you think about the Squad Leaders.

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.

In next week's Dev Diary we'll talk about "Supplies and Equipment".

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/515196931452961302
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/535464414104519508
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/512947503265480935

Happy New Year everyone! In the first Dev Diary of 2025, we will give an overview of weapon types and weapon stats in MENACE, as these are key elements of how the game plays and what the player has to consider when making his decisions before and during the battle.

[h2]Squad Weapons and Special Weapons[/h2]
In MENACE, there are two fundamentally different types of weapons: "squad weapons" and “special weapons.”

Equipping a squad weapon will outfit each individual element of a squad with a copy of this weapon. Supply costs are multiplied accordingly, making a bigger squad more expensive to equip. Squad weapons are regular infantry small arms ranging from shotguns and submachine guns over assault rifles to battle rifles and the like.

As the name suggests, special weapons fulfill more specialized roles upon equipping a special weapon; a single element of the squad exchanges its squad weapon for that special weapon.

Special weapons are generally speaking more cumbersome, specialized, and powerful than squad weapons. Examples would range from rocket launchers over mortars and machine guns to sniper rifles. Oftentimes, a squad will have to deploy and be stationary in order to use heavy weapons.


[h2]Ammunition[/h2]
Of course, ammunition plays an integral role in any simulation of modern combat. Considering the level of abstraction and the scope of action in MENACE, it’s not feasible to count bullets on all individual soldiers in the game.

That's why we decided to go for a hybrid approach. Squad weapons will have unlimited ammo, while special weapons have limited ammo. The same goes for vehicles where a vehicle might have an MG with unlimited ammo and a rocket launcher with just two shots.

That way, we ensure that no unit ever becomes useless (when completely out of ammo) while still making the management of ammo an important part of your strategy.

Of course, ammo can be replenished by various means mid-combat, or the ammo capacity can be increased by certain accessories.

[h2]Weapon Skills[/h2]
All weapons are used through “skills” which they grant to the unit that is wielding it. Most weapon skills are straight-up “attacks”, but there might be some utility to them as well.

As a rule of thumb, squad weapons tend only to have one skill, while special weapons may have multiple. An example would be a mortar that can shoot explosives or smoke grenades.

When using an “attack” skill, each individual element in a unit equipped with the corresponding weapon will fire an amount of shots at the target according to the weapon's fire rate.

Hence, a bigger squad will deliver a lot more shots with their squad weapons than a small squad or a squad that has already taken casualties.

On the other hand, the effectiveness of the squad's special weapon remains pretty much unaffected, even when the squad is smaller.


[h2]Weapon Stats[/h2]

• Trade Value: Like all items, weapons can be traded on the black market. The value of a weapon is mostly based on its rarity.
  
• Range: This is the maximum range in tiles this weapon can fire, but bear in mind that some attacks might land on or suppress adjacent tiles, effectively increasing their range.
  
• Hit Point Damage: The base amount of damage one shot of this weapon deals when not stopped by armor or modified in other ways.
  
• Armor Damage: The amount of damage an armor takes when stopping one shot of this weapon.
  
• Armor Penetration: This value will be compared with the armor value of the target to calculate the chance to penetrate. A penetration value that is equal to or higher than the armor value will always penetrate.
  
• Suppression: When a shot hits a target unit, this is the amount of suppression that will be applied per shot. A reduced amount will be applied for shots that miss the unit but hit its tile, and a further reduced amount will be applied when hitting an adjacent tile.
  
• Elements Hit: The maximum amount of elements in a targeted unit that can be killed by one shot of this weapon. This stat is important to prevent single-shot high-damage attacks from killing multiple elements in one shot.
  
• Fire Rate: The number of shots the weapon fires with one attack (skill use). Each shot will be calculated individually. If this is a squad weapon, each element of the squad equipped with this weapon will fire the stated amount of shots.
  

[h2]Dropoffs[/h2]
Dropoffs are an integral part of how weapons work in MENACE.

Just like in reality, shots at long distances will be harder to land and will lose kinetic energy on the way to their target. That’s why we have a bunch of variables affected by drop-offs. First of all, accuracy tends to be reduced over distance.

As all weapons are manufactured to fulfill different roles, this may vary a lot depending on the individual weapon. For example, a submachine gun will be a lot less accurate over long distances than a sniper rifle. At the same time, the sniper rifle will have reduced accuracy in close combat situations.

There is what we call an “ideal range” for each weapon, reflecting its purpose on the battlefield.

Secondly, kinetic weapons will lose force over a distance. This affects damage, armor damage, and armor penetration. This is why distance from the enemy alone protects your squads and increases the effectiveness of your armor.

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, as weapons work in a lot of different ways. A rocket launcher, for example, will not deal less damage over distance because its primary source of damage is its explosive warhead, not its kinetic energy.

[h2]Engage, Explore, and Stay Informed[/h2]
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.

If you missed the previous Dev Diaries, they’re still available.

Dev Diary #2 provided an overview of the strategic part of the game, including the Starmap, operational upgrades (OCIs), and the armory, where you manage and promote your squads.

Dev Diary #3 shifted focus to tactical combat, covering topics like alternating turn orders, unit composition, and how biomes and chunks shape the battlefield. Together, they offer a detailed look at the mechanics that define MENACE and the decisions that await you as a commander.

https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/515196772511907867
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/515196931452961302
[h3]Dev Diary #5: Next Friday[/h3]
In next week’s Dev Diary, we’ll delve into the details of squad leaders, their stats, and how equipment slots influence their roles. This will begin a closer look at how squads are structured and adapted for different challenges.

MENACE revolves around two gameplay layers: the strategic part we discussed in the last Dev Diary and the tactical part, with the latter being the game's core.

Today, it is time to get an overview of the most important aspects of tactical combat in the game before we dive deeper into each topic in the following Dev Diary posts:

[h2]Objectives[/h2]
In MENACE, each tactical deployment and battle is called a mission. It is always part of a series of connected missions that comprise a so-called operation. Of course, missions and operations are procedurally generated for maximum replayability and new challenges.

Each mission has one or more objectives that have to be fulfilled to complete it successfully. This can be rescuing civilians and getting them to safety, defending a military base, or capturing critical infrastructure before the enemy advances. The times of killing everything that moves to win any mission are over (but don't fret; some missions still require you to kill everything). Bringing the best-suited squads, vehicles, and equipment for the task at hand will substantially impact a player's success in the game.


[h2]Combat Maps, Biomes, and Chunks[/h2]
The maps in MENACE are square-based, as you might have seen in the screenshots. However, we try our best to visually break up the underlying structure as much as possible to make the map look like an actual battlefield, not a chessboard. 


A map's look is determined by its environment, which will differ for each planet. This might be temperate, desert, snow, or jungle. Each environment will branch into various “biomes.” A temperate biome could be “Rocky,” “Forest,” or “Plains.” Each biome will have challenges, like dense forests, obstructing rocks, or a lack of cover and hiding spots. These maps are completely procedurally generated.


Within these maps, we use “Chunks” to implement human-made structures. To that end, we created our very own semi-procedural editor for set pieces. With this tool, we can create a huge variety of human-made settlements, military outposts, factories, and more that all look different and have different setups. The important thing is that they make sense and are not random piles of buildings.

[h2]Action Points and Turn Order[/h2]
Sticking to the genre's origins, we implemented a classical action point system for units where every move and skill use costs a certain amount of action points. Once these points are depleted, the unit has to end its turn. It will re-activate in the next round and have its action point pool refilled.

Unlike most turn-based games, MENACE will use alternating turns between the player and AI. Each unit can act once in every combat round while the player chooses which one to pick. Once that unit has spent all its action points, the AI picks one of its units, and so on. 

This creates a situation where the faction with more units has a distinct advantage as it can move all its leftover units freely as soon as the other side has spent all its action points.

Picking the right unit at the right time, manipulating the turn order, or baiting enemy units into certain moves is the masterclass of MENACE combat. It takes a lot of experience and will make the difference between suffering horrendous losses or being hardly scraped.

We will discuss our reasoning behind alternating turns in a later Dev Diary. 

[h2]Units and Equipment[/h2]
Players can field two fundamentally different units, namely infantry squads and vehicles. Each infantry squad is led by a squad leader who also represents the unit in combat and is a distinct character who acts in events and more outside of combat.

The size of infantry squads can vary between 1 and 9 elements but will mostly be around 5. The unit shares one health pool, and one element will perish with a certain amount of hit points lost. This will reduce the unit's firepower as more and more fighters drop.


Squads can be equipped with a huge variety of squad weapons. Every member of the squad will use this weapon. Additionally, a squad can opt to equip a special weapon, replacing one of the squad weapons. These usually have a special purpose, such as a rocket launcher to fight armored targets or a machine gun to provide suppressive fire.


On top of the weapons, body armor can be equipped for additional protection and other benefits. Finally, accessories that usually focus on utility can be added. This can be a target designator, a motion scanner, or a set of frag grenades to fight enemies behind cover.

Besides squads, there are also vehicles, including walkers. These have a pilot instead of a squad leader and are always only a single entity on one tile.


Vehicles also have a health pool, but instead of losing elements, a vehicle will collect “defects,” aka injuries. Defects range from an overloaded targeting computer to a disabled engine or might even lead to a catastrophic explosion, instantly wiping the vehicle out. 


Unlike squads, vehicles come in certain fixed configurations and can only take on accessories or “upgrades” on top. However, each vehicle will have different variants to ensure a large build variety.

[h2]Cover and Line of Sight[/h2]
Cover and lines of sight are crucial to the tactical combat in MENACE. Cover is provided by buildings, nature features, ad hoc barricades, and even vehicles. Unlike in other games, cover is very effective at blocking shots from the front, so dislodging an enemy in cover with a direct assault usually ends badly. 

Instead, players will have to get creative. For example, they suppress the enemy and send another squad to flank them. Alternatively, players can throw smoke bombs to conceal their advance and take the enemy out with frag grenades that ignore cover. 

Lines of sight are very lenient in MENACE. Units can see and shoot through all buildings and assets smaller than 3x3 tiles. Only larger structures or objects will block all lines of sight and fire. There has been a lot of development, testing, and trial and error behind this decision.

Still, ultimately, we feel this is the best solution for the scope of the game while putting clarity and predictability for the player first. Few things are more frustrating than expecting to see an enemy from a certain position, moving there, and then not seeing them. 

Next week, on the 3rd of January, there will be no Dev Diary. We will take a little break for the New Year.

We wish you all the best and see you in 2025!

"A tactically rich turn-based game with some meaty role-playing elements", was how Staff Sergeant James Archer characterised his Menace hands-on, back in September. The only thing missing from his account of the game was the bread needed to make that rich, meaty concoction a tasty, nourishing sandwich.

And by bread, I of course mean the strategic layer - the parts between the turn-based battles where you pick your next mission, improve your squads, deal with pop-up story events, appraise your standing with each NPC faction, and equip your strike cruiser with auxiliary systems. Developers Overhype have now shared a few details of how it all works. Mmmmm, such malty, yeasty strategicalness.

Read more

Welcome to our first real dev diary for MENACE.

This week we want to give you a first impression of the strategic part of the game.

So far we have shown only in-game footage of the tactical combat, which is still the core of the game, but nothing from the strategic part. One of the reasons is the UI, which is still very heavily work in progress for the whole game.

The tactical combat can easily be shown without any UI elements. As the strategic part mostly consists of menus, buttons, and lists, it is almost impossible to show anything without leaving a bad impression without proper UI elements.

Keep in mind that all images shown below are snapshots from active development or even mockups of how it is planned to look down the road. All functionalities and mechanics are, however, already in place and are currently tested and balanced by us.

This is just a first overview; we will dive deeper into each of these areas in a dedicated post.

[h2]The Starmap[/h2]
While the tactical combat is the meat of the game, the strategic part adds context to each battle, gives the player medium - and long-term goals, and also features various permanent progression mechanics.

The Starmap is the central hub and visualization of the Wayback, the distant star system where MENACE takes place. Here, you can see the planetary bodies, which factions own them, and who is calling for the aid of the TCRN Impetus to help with their local squabbles like an out-of-control pirate raid or alien infestation.

Players can look at available “operations” and plan out their next move. Local factions will be grateful for the player helping them out but will also be disgruntled if left hanging for too long.


Additionally, the player can track the main resources that are available to them here: Promotion points, which are used to promote and “level up” squads. OCI components are used to upgrade the player's ship and acquire more squad leaders; finally, authority points are crucial for managing the morale and mood of the crew of the Impetus.

Maintaining authority on a ship filled with a motley crew of characters can be difficult. There might be a fight between crew members, an accident in the hangar, or a discovered hidden moonshine distillery on board. All of these events will challenge you as a commander and, depending on your decisions, will have an impact on the mood of the crew, your authority, or the resources available to you.

[h2]OCIs[/h2]
The TCRN Impetus, the strike cruiser serving as your base of operations, is not well suited for the challenges ahead. Luckily, local factions do have the necessary space wharfs and the technical knowledge to improve the ship with what we call Operational Capability Improvements, or OCIs for short.


These OCIs are active and passive upgrades to the ship and have a wide variety of effects. Some give the ability to call in a dropship for a gun run in combat or to shoot a devastating rocket onto a particularly resilient bunker. Others allow squads to heal between missions or increase the “intelligence” rating, which grants better information on enemy units and positions during the mission preparation.

[h2]Armory[/h2]
The armory is where players inspect, manage, equip, and promote their squad leaders and pilots. There are tons of weapons, armor, accessories, and vehicles to acquire through the game, all with their individual pros and cons.

We go to great lengths to make equipment choices as meaningful and varied as possible in MENACE. Players should have maximum freedom in equipping their units and will be encouraged to experiment and enable their very own playstyle.


[h2]Promotions[/h2]
Each squad leader has their own unique perk tree that gets unlocked through so-called promotions. Promotion points are earned for each mission and can be spent on any character, while higher promotions cost more points.

Many of these perks will be shared between certain characters, but the combination of perks available will always be unique. On top of that, each squad leader starts with a trademark personal trait that is instantly unlocked.


[h2]But wait, there is more![/h2]
In order to keep the diariess to a reasonable length, we have to cut them here. There are plenty more elements to the strategic part of the game that we will talk about later.

There is a black market where players can barter for equipment to bolster their armory, new squad leaders and pilots can be hired and most importantly we will introduce “operations”, which are a series of connected missions.

Stay tuned and join us next Friday for the new Dev Diary!