5.0 The Final Approach Part 2 – Skirmish Mode
[h2]Intro[/h2]
Continuing our final approach to the release of 5.0, in a few weeks time, today I wanted to focus on the second big addition to Siberian Dawn in the 5.0 update, a new game mode called Skirmish that brings a few different things to the way a mission works.
[h2]An Idea
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Normally each Mission is made from a fixed set of defined Objectives that tell the narrative of that Mission. The first time we discover an Objective we have that surprise and possible change of the tactics we were using at that point but, reflecting the memory theme in the game, every time we replay the mission we now have this memory of what came before. During a Mission we will be playing through this set of Objectives and they could be widely divergent in what we have to do, but always fitting the narrative.
With Skirmish mode I wanted to present a way of playing the game that had simpler Objectives, with a clearer goal from the start and more of a focus on combat. Initially this was going to be a set of dynamic objectives that changed as we went through the mission but this was going to be too random and chaotic, so that idea got scrapped when a much more simpler idea was struck upon.
[h2]Skirmish Mode
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Skirmish mode is a game variant for Siberian Dawn that uses the standard mission structure we already know well but with 2 very important changes. The first change is that there is only 1 Objective, and this will always be the same for any Skirmish, to kill X Rank worth of Hostile units. The second change is we are up against the clock and only have 30 Rounds to complete the Objective.
With the objective of killing X Rank of Hostile units this is not having to kill a set number of Hostile units but a Rank total. Using Rank as a target we are given the choice of killing lots of lower Rank units or maybe going for fewer of the tougher higher Rank ones to get to the target. There is also the additional twist that if we have a unit killed their Rank is deducted from our progress, so we have to watch how we treat our higher ranking units as losing them will be costly.
The time limit of 30 Rounds gives a new challenge to the Skirmish mode because this is a defined end, we still have the normal way of losing a mission if Vitae hits 0, but with the addition of a time limit we now have the pressure of getting to the target kills in time. Whichever skill level we are playing at the time limit will always be 30 Rounds but the target value of Rank kills will change so we can pick our challenge level. We will also be shown on the briefing screen what our best time record was at each skill level.
The base game will come with 2 Skirmish missions and each DLC Mission pack will add an extra one. These Skirmish will be built from the cards of the set of missions they are based on so each Skirmish will be a different challenge with a distinct group of Hostile units and events. There is also Skirmish 0 which is a Skirmish that is built from all content we own, so every mission mixed together in an epic Skirmish.
[h2]An Extra Challenge
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And the final surprise that each Skirmish mission holds is the Bosses. Every Skirmish will have 2 unique Boss cards of which 1 will be randomly selected towards the end of the Skirmish based on skill level. These Boss cards are powerful Rank 8 cards, so will add a lot to our progress at a vital point if we can take them out, but they might be better to avoid if we are close to our target. Killing one of these Bosses not only gives us the Rank reward but will also unlock their Nemesis variant, which we will cover in Part 3.
So Skirmish gives us a simpler alternative game to the normal Missions but provides a number of additional mechanics that make it still a very challenging addition to Siberian Dawn. We will also still be getting stars awarded for our performance so getting that perfect 5 stars and completing the goal is another challenge all together. But you might be thinking what is so important about these stars, well that will become clearer in the next part of our final approach as we uncover the ARK and the big additions that brings to Siberian Dawn.
Winterflood