MENACE News

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

We already talked a lot about specific combat mechanics and stats in MENACE but today we will lay out the basic action point system and combat mechanics. How are attacks modeled, hit chances calculated and casualties accounted? Let’s dive in!

[h2]Action Points in MENACE [/h2][hr][/hr]While many turn-based strategy games and franchises have swapped to the popular “2-actions” system, we will stay true to the genre's roots with a classic action point system.

Each entity on the battlefield has a pool of action points, used up by any action a unit can take. The idea behind this is that all actions take a different amount of time, and this system can model that with far more granularity than a 2-action system.

Each unit starts with 100 Action Points (AP) per turn. The available amount is relatively stable but can change under certain circumstances.

For example, when a unit is suppressed, it begins its turn with 30 AP less.

• A typical skill use, like firing a squad weapon or throwing a grenade, costs 40 AP.
  
• Heavy special weapons, such as firing a rocket launcher, typically cost 60 AP and cannot be used twice in a turn.
  
• Movement also costs AP, though the number of points needed depends on both the unit’s movement type and the surface being traversed.
  

Moving on a concrete road is much faster than slogging through muddy ground. Wheeled vehicles generally require fewer AP per tile than tracked ones, but certain surfaces may be impassable for them. Vehicles also need AP to turn, unlike infantry.

Careful management of your Action Point economy is essential to overcoming the tactical challenges in MENACE. As the game progresses and units acquire more perks, equipment, and weapons, the decisions about which skill or action to use—and when to use it—become increasingly complex.

[h2]Attack Mechanics [/h2][hr][/hr]Below is the rundown of how an attack is calculated in the game. Buckle up—this will get a bit technical.

Attacks usually begin with the attacker spending the action point (AP) cost for the corresponding skill. There are exceptions, such as off-map abilities, but we’ll set those aside for now.

Example Scenario: A Marine Squad uses its Squad Weapon to fire at a Pirate Scavenger Squad.

• The target is 6 tiles away.
  
• The target is in the open.
  
• The target is in default stance.
  
• The target is not suppressed, damaged, or injured.
  

1. Paying AP for the Attack[hr][/hr] The K-PAC assault rifle used by the squad has two attack skills:

• Salvo – Costs 40 AP, firing three shots in quick succession to maximize damage.
  
• Sustained Fire – A separate option not covered in this example.
  

Since Salvo costs 40 AP, the squad can use it twice per turn, but we’ll only consider one use for the calculation below.

2. Determining Hit Chance[hr][/hr]Calculating an attack’s hit chance starts with the attacker's base accuracy. In this example, that’s 70, meaning a 70% chance to hit. Weapon and skill modifiers come next, and both can increase or decrease accuracy. Suppressive fire, for instance, trades accuracy for suppression. In this case, no modifiers are applied.

Distance matters. Every weapon has an ideal range and shots beyond that suffer an accuracy dropoff per tile. Assault rifles typically have an ideal range of four tiles. A sniper rifle, while precise at long range, struggles in close quarters due to its size and weight. Here, the shot is taken from six tiles away—two tiles past the rifle’s ideal range. With an accuracy dropoff of six per tile, this results in a 12-point reduction, bringing accuracy down to 58%.

This is a simple scenario. Other factors could come into play: an attacker in a deployed stance gains 15 accuracy, while a deployed target reduces hitchance by 15%. Light cover reduces accuracy by 20. A suppressed shooter loses 50 accuracy, and a pinned target lying prone imposes another 50-point penalty. Additional modifiers include terrain, smoke, lighting, perks, skills, and accessories, all of which can affect the final hit chance.



3. Number of Shots[hr][/hr]Once hitchance is established, the next factor is shot count. Every weapon and skill determines how many times an attack is repeated. Each repetition is treated as a separate attack, with hit-or-miss calculations applied individually, along with damage, suppression, and armor impact.

A standard assault rifle salvo consists of three repetitions, meaning three shots per squad member using that weapon. Squads typically have five members, though this varies. Some squad members may swap their standard weapon for a special one, like a machine gun or grenade launcher, reducing the number of members using the primary weapon. If a squad takes casualties, fewer members contribute to the attack. Special weapons are unaffected by squad size, as only one member ever operates them.

In this example, the Marine squad carries a medium machine gun, so only four of the five members are firing their assault rifles. Three repetitions per shooter results in 12 total shots at a 58% hitchance.

4. Determine Hits[hr][/hr]With the number of shots known, the next step is determining how many land. Here, seven out of 12 shots hit the pirate squad.

Suppression mechanics affect this phase. If a target is suppressed mid-attack, they may involuntarily shift stance—moving from standing to deployed or even pinned. This can cause part of the attack to resolve against a standing target while the remainder is applied to a suppressed or pinned enemy. Early hits matter, as they may alter the conditions for later shots.

5. Armor Penetration[hr][/hr]Landing a shot isn’t enough—it must penetrate armor to deal damage. Each projectile undergoes this check individually.

The assault rifle in this example uses an intermediate caliber, effective against standard body armor but dealing relatively low damage. Its penetration value is 30, with a penetration dropoff of 1.8 per tile. Unlike accuracy dropoff, which applies to shots beyond the ideal range, penetration dropoff is calculated from the point of origin. Effective penetration is then compared against the target's armor to determine penetration probability. Armor also degrades with use, lowering its effectiveness over time.

For this scenario, penetration starts at 30 but suffers a 10.8-point dropoff due to range, reducing effective penetration to 19.2. The pirates’ armor is undamaged at 30, resulting in a penetration chance of 82%. Out of the seven shots that hit, five successfully penetrated.





6. Armor Damage[hr][/hr]Shots that penetrate armor deal damage to hitpoints, while those that don’t reduce armor durability instead. Each weapon has a separate armor damage stat with its own dropoff. In this case, the rifle’s armor damage value is 9, with a dropoff of 0.6 per tile. This reduces its effective armor damage per shot at six tiles to 5.4. With two non-penetrating shots, the total armor durability reduction for the pirate squad is 10.8 points.


Armor durability is tracked as a squad-wide value rather than on a per-member basis. Each element contributes to the total, and when a member is lost, the squad's armor pool is reduced accordingly. Some weapons specialize in breaking down armor rather than penetrating it, making follow-up attacks more effective.

7. Hitpoint Damage[hr][/hr]Penetrating shots deal hit point damage, which also suffers a dropoff. Here, the rifle’s base damage is 9, with a dropoff of 0.8 per tile. At six tiles, each penetrating shot deals 4.2 damage. Since five shots penetrated, total hitpoint damage amounts to 21.

8. Elements Lost[hr][/hr]The pirate squad consists of five elements, each with 10 hitpoints, for a total of 50. The attack reduces their hitpoints to 29, meaning two elements are lost, as one element perishes for every 10 hitpoints lost.

Suppression[hr][/hr]Suppression is as complex as damage calculation, if not more so. Every projectile applies suppression, even if it misses, and shots landing nearby still contribute partially. Losing squad members also generates significant suppression.

Full details on suppression mechanics are covered in Dev Diary #7.
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/535466136352851020

Summary[hr][/hr]These calculations may seem intricate, but the system was designed around two core principles. First, realism—combat follows a simulation-based model that accounts for factors like distance and ballistic dropoff. Second, accessibility—players don’t need to track exact numbers to make informed decisions. The UI presents only the final results, keeping things intuitive while still offering deeper weapon stats for those who want to optimize their strategy.

[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/534342772300185779
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/512950040394727468
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/535466769966436075

Today, we want to deliver a little sneak peek at one of the enemy factions in MENACE: The Space Pirates. We will show some of their units and highlight the lore behind the faction.

[h3]Space Pirates in the Wayback System[/h3][hr][/hr]While a rare issue in the Core Worlds, spiracy, as some amusingly refer to, is a significant force of social decay in the Wayback. In recent years, the Planetary Jingwei's grasp of the pirate problem has severely weakened. Nowadays, pirates run free, operating in bands that raid and pillage defenseless colonies.

Space pirates spend lots of time in space and are slightly out of their element when fighting on the ground. They are bad guys, albeit often bumbling and incompetent, with a sense that the smarter pirates are probably running the show off-stage. They obsess over trinkets, a catchall term for loot, with a primary want for goodies that come from outside the system.


[h3]Tactics and Units[/h3][hr][/hr]As mentioned above, the faction Space Pirates encompasses many different groups of outlaws, criminals and looters roaming the Wayback, trying to prey on the weak. Their roster focuses on high mobility and reckless assaults. Weapons are improvised and repurposed—rarely accurate but packing a lot of raw firepower, especially when firing on the move.

Space Pirates use a variety of transport vehicles to quickly move across the combat map and close in on their enemies. While these vehicles offer some protection, pirates are especially vulnerable when disembarking. Anticipating when and where they will land and keeping a squad ready to react is essential to prevent an overrun.

Pirates tend to use two primary transport vehicles depending on squad size. Larger squads ride in heavy trucks, while smaller squads use light jeeps.

With very few exceptions, all pirate vehicles and weapons can also be employed by the player.


[h3]Pirate Squads[/h3][hr][/hr]Scavengers: A gang of regular space pirates equipped with makeshift assault rifles and frag grenades. Against armored targets, they also use improvised RPGs. They come in large squads and try to overwhelm enemies with reckless aggression and firepower.

Chain Gun Team: A small team of scavengers with a portable chain gun. Lacking accuracy but making up for it with sheer firepower, perfect for suppression while advancing. The makeshift nature of the gun makes it prone to jamming.

EMP Gunners: A specialized pirate team normally tasked with disabling automated defense mechanisms when boarding spaceships. Their EMP gun disables enemy mechs and vehicles on the battlefield. While not dangerous to infantry, they can easily take out vehicles caught out of position.

Boarding Commando: Heavily armored assault specialists. The first to board spaceships and brute-force through defenders. While not well adapted to open battlefields, they are extremely dangerous in close quarters, wielding Corridor Sweeper Shotguns, Thermite Grenades, and Stun Grenades.


[h3]Pirate Vehicles[/h3][hr][/hr]Rocket Truck: An improvised, highly mobile artillery system. Suppresses large areas with massive rocket barrages, though individual missiles are very inaccurate. The truck must reload every other round. It is not very resilient and relies on speed to stay safe. If critically damaged, there’s a chance it cooks off, launching rockets in random directions.

Chain Gun Truck: Using the same chassis as the rocket truck and basic transport, this vehicle delivers mobile suppressive firepower. The truck-mounted version of the chain gun is heavier and deals more damage but is still prone to jamming.

Laser Truck: A specialized version of the pirate truck with a repurposed spaceship laser cannon mounted on top. This truck is a major threat to heavily armored vehicles. The cannon generates extreme heat and must vent periodically to remain operational.

Flame Truck: A heavy truck with high durability but minimal armor. The flamethrower mounted on top covers large areas in fire, devastating entrenched infantry. However, the flammable liquid inside the truck makes it prone to catastrophic explosions when damaged.


[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/512950040394727468
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/535466769966436075
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/535466136352851020

The goal of this Dev Diary is to explain how the performance of Squadleaders and Pilots improves over the course of the game. Instead of the classic experience point system, MENACE works with deliberate promotions to unlock perks.

[h3]Promotion Points and Mission Rating[/h3][hr][/hr]Promotion Points are earned through completing missions, fulfilling bonus objectives, exceeding mission requirements, or completing events. Unlike OCI components, Promotion Points are rewarded for each individual mission, so even if you fail an operation, you will gain Promotion Points.

Mission Rating Factors:

• Persistent Factors: Logistics (supply points used), casualties (lost elements), and mission difficulty.
  
• Optional Factors: Speed of completion, civilian casualties, collateral damage, and destroyed enemy elements.
  

Higher ratings yield more points. Promotion Points accumulate like other resources and can be spent after each mission.


[h3]Promotion and Demotion[/h3][hr][/hr]Unlike a classic experience system, promoting a character is a deliberate decision by the player and does not happen automatically.

• Ranks: Promotions range from 1 (Lance Corporal) to 8 (Master Gunnery Sergeant).
  
• Cost Scaling: Each consecutive promotion for the same character is more expensive than the previous one, making it costlier to focus on a single character rather than distributing Promotion Points among multiple leaders.
  
• Strategic Choices: Players must decide when and whom to promote, rather than funneling kills and experience into favored units.
  
• Comeback Mechanic: High-ranking promotions are costly, but new characters can be hired and ranked up, allowing them to catch up to veterans over time.
  

Demotion
Demoting a character is possible, with a small portion of Promotion Points refunded, though the affected leader will not be pleased.

A promotion-based system aligns with the game's military setting, giving the player, as commander of the Impetus, full control over who deserves a promotion.



[h3]The Perk Tree[/h3][hr][/hr]Each Squadleader and Pilot has an individual Perk Tree.

Perk Structure

• Unique Perks: Automatically unlocked and exclusive to each character.
  
• Regular Perks: Shared across multiple trees, but with unique combinations per character.
  
• Four Tiers: Unlocking higher tiers requires a specific number of total perks, regardless of their tier level.
  

Perks do not necessarily become more powerful with each tier, but some require deeper investment. While some characters lean toward certain roles, perks allow flexible builds and varied playstyles without locking characters into rigid roles.

Perks can be passive or active, unlocking tactical combat abilities.


Currently, there are over 40 perks in the game, alongside unique character perks, with more planned. This system gives players ample room for experimentation, supporting diverse builds and strategies. The ultimate goal is maximum replayability and build freedom.

[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/535466769966436075
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/535466136352851020
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/535466136352850185