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How to Play... Iron Armada

Hello! This is a quick walkthrough of how to play Iron Armada!



Preface


Keep in mind that Iron Armada is still in an early state of development, and there are many things that are still being developed. One of those things currently, is our control scheme. In the future, we are planning to implement flexible (and more standard) customizeable control mapping, in-game tutorials, and more intuitive default control schemes.

Our overall goal is to keep Iron Armada's control scheme as simple as possible... but allow the mechanics they control allow for the deep gameplay depth we're all expecting. This means that many of the current controls are placeholder, and will likely be phased out (or changed) as development progresses.

Basic controls


Iron Armada has a centralized control scheme for movement, both when piloting a ship... and when walking as a crewman (or infantryman.)

Basic controls for infantry are as follows:

E - Interact (used for entering cockpits, entering turrets, picking up items, using trade menus, and more)

T - Toggle power. Can be used to switch any friendly powered block on or off. Cannot be used on enemy ships.

W - Forward
A - Backward
S - Left
D - Right

Spacebar - Use your jetpack, and board (or de-board) ships.

Scroll wheel - Zoom your camera in or out.

Right click - Aim weapon, or deconstruct (when holding a repair tool)
Left click - Fire weapon, or repair (when holding a repair tool)

When piloting a ship, the onboard ship computer will automatically calculate which thrusters best translate to your command. Some players may not realize this... but all current ships operate on a basic "fly by wire" system (that we plan to expand) that powers ship controls.

Basic controls for piloting ships (or piloting turrets) are as follows:

E - Stop piloting ship, and exit the cockpit.

T - Toggle power remotely. When in a cockpit, a pilot can remotely power on or off any friendly block attached to the ship... regardless of distance.

W - Thrust forward
A - Thrust backward
S - Move left
D - Move right

Spacebar - Toggle strafing mode (while held)

Scroll wheel - Zoom your camera in or out. Zooming out while piloting a ship gives you access to the command map.

Right click - Aim
Left click - Fire all pilot-controlled weapons

Basic gameplay


Currently the primary gamemode for Iron Armada is an objective based, simple, team versus team gamemode. In the future we will continue updating this gamemode to be considerably more in-depth, as well as adding new modes (including singleplayer) that allow servers (and singleplayer players) to explore much more complex (and interesting) ways to play Iron Armada.

Ship core - These ship cores are the primary objectives of the game. These are where you purchase ship parts from, where you sell ship salvage for credits, and where you equip new infantry classes. A team is victorious when it destroys all cores owned by the enemy team.

Planets - Planets are capturable objectives that generate resources for the conquering team. Different planets generate different amounts of resources. We're hoping to considerably expand upon planetary gameplay in the future.

Asteroids - Asteroids are inert structures on the battlefield that can be salvaged (by any team) for resources.

Classes - Infantry classes can be equipped at medical bays and ship cores. There are currently three different classes, that are all subject to change.


  • Pilot - Can pilot ships, build parts, repair parts, salvage parts, and man turrets.
  • Marine - Has an assault rifle. Used for boarding enemy ships. Cannot pilot ships. Cannot build parts. Cannot salvage parts.
  • Miner - Has a drill. Can salvage ship parts for credits, without needing to sell them at a ship factory (or core.) Cannot pilot ships. Cannot build parts.


Basic weapons


Again, currently these weapons are subject to change... and new weapons will be added as development progresses. There are currently three basic weapon types, that are each fundamentally different.

Fixed weapons - Weapons that are fixed forward, and cannot turn.
Remote turrets - Turrets that are controlled remotely, by a remote terminal.
Manned turrets - Turrets that require a player to mount the weapon directly.

Currently railguns are an example of a fixed weapon, gatling turrets require a remote terminal, and the flak cannon requires a mounted player gunner to be fired.

Overview


Hopefully this helps you enjoy the game more, and will help you in your battles against the enemy! To victory beltalowda!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Feel free to join our Discord and official forums... where we will be happy to help you!

https://forum.bluedrake42.com
https://discord.gg/ironarmada

~ Bluedrake42
Drakeling Labs