User:SilenQ/sandbox

Casus Belli — is massively multiplayer online browser game with the elements of tactics, strategy and space simulator. Game development started at the beginning of 2012. Its testing lasts since the end of 2012. The game was developed by the Infinitios (British Company). The minimum game requirement is an access to the Internet. Casus Belli can be played in the ordinary browser updated to the last version (by now these are all popular web clients such as Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Yandex Browser, Opera, Safari and others).

Gameplay
The player of Casus Belli game acts as the pilot of a spaceship. For the spaceship control the player can use mouse and hot keys. The game is made in 2D and provides the pilot with lots of opportunities such as: trips through the Space, gathering, expansions, PVE / PVP battles and many other things. Battle physics is based on real laws of Newtonian mechanics. According to the battle results, pilots are awarded with gold or silver, points of experience and medals for conspicuous service. The more experience a pilot has accumulated, the more equipment and weapons can be explored and used in the game. When buying the next spaceship, the player can choose its producer country: Russia, Ukraine, USA and China. The usage of spaceships from different industrial parks can boost a certain skill, and give some privileges to the pilot. One of the allies represented in the game is the human-friendly race of “Informants” which provided Mankind with the knowledge and technology necessary for Space expansion. The aliens manufacture spaceships and equipment in their own industrial parks that can be also accessed by players.

Plot
The game is set in modern time. Not so long time ago humanity wondered: “Are we alone in the Universe?”. Casus Belli, the Special Forces unit of UNO Security Council has an ambiguous answer: “No, we are not”. Events in the game are moving rapidly. During the first contact the aliens have brought new knowledge and technology, that’s why they are now called “Informants”. But the trouble came unexpectedly, as always. The Earth has been exposed to the danger of destruction and the joy of the first contact was replaced with the necessity of hard choice - to leave the Earth forever or close the ranks and fight back external aggressors. The hostile alien invaders called “Hunters” act swiftly and ruthlessly. Not the only intelligent race fell under the pressure of “Hunters” and Solar system is the next on their list. There’s almost no time left to get prepared to their attack. The humans are rapidly producing spaceships and training pilots to master the art of war in outer Space. The efforts of all scientists of the planet are aimed at studying new technologies that enabled Mankind to make a giant step forward and enter the cold and unexplored Universe. And while the first enlisted pilots combat on training areas, people of Earth ask questions, and the answers may not please them: "Who are the Hunters?", "Who are the Informants?", "Why are Informants in conflict with Hunters?", “Is this our war?”, “Would we pay a heavy price for the given knowledge?” and the most important one, “What will happen tomorrow?”.

Spaceship classes

 * Corvette
 * Frigate
 * Destroyer
 * Cruiser
 * BattleCruiser
 * BattleShip

Each class is unique and has its strengths and weaknesses. All countries of spaceship manufacture have their own design features and a certain set of specializations used in spaceship building.

Combat system
Casus Belli game has an interesting combat system, a bit similar to the one EVE Online. The Shop will surprise a pilot with a wide range of various equipment which performance characteristics can be improved in the «Tuning Centre». Spaceship combat system has two fire modes: to open fire in advance and when the target is locked on. When using the weapon that doesn’t require a target lock-on, all the calculations are done by the pilot and hitting accuracy depends on his skills only. To open the fire with a weapon functioning in “target lock-on” mode, you just need to point the target as active and that’s it – such lethal weapon as “Drone” can destroy the enemy in a matter of seconds. Usually, the target lock-on requires a certain amount of time, depending on the object signature and the scanner capacity (in this case, the target signature denotes the actual size of the target). The larger is the spaceship, the easier is to lock it on. It is necessary to keep the target in scanner working range until it is locked on, otherwise you’ll have to start all over again. When the enemy’s ship is destroyed in battle it forms a heap of debris where you may find some valuable things. After the destruction of its own ship, the player should go to his hangar on the Earth orbit to repair it, and only then he will be able to get back into the Space.

Gameplay
Players start the game on training area where they should take a short but necessary survival and Space navigation course. Upon arrival to the training area, the pilot gets at his disposal a simple Chinese “Corvette” with basic equipment. By taking part in Space battles, the pilot earns gold and silver, and accumulates experience to access new modules and ships. Every spaceship has certain controls such as CPU, generator, engine, protective shield, sensors, and radio communication units etc. All these modules can be replaced with more effective ones (upgraded).

The upgrade of modules can be performed in the “Dock” using configurator, in breaks between battles. Gold and silver can be spent on the ammo and hulls, additional equipment of the 2nd and 3rd level, spaceship maintenance or modules upgrade. In case there is some unnecessary equipment on board e.g. ammo, equipment or hull, the pilot can sell it and recover some expenses.

The Solar system in the Casus Belli game is a replicated copy of the real one and the pilot can easily travel to any corner of the Universe (even to the Sun!) on his own. It is also possible to unite in clans and combine efforts to occupy and protect economically advantageous areas from invasion of other players, and to repulse attacks of “Hunters”. Game developers also consider the possibility of creating new battle modes such as: team vs. team, clan vs. clan and duel mode. Combat operations and tactics can be coordinated via text chat, saving all the logs and history during the battle and after it, till the pilot is in.

One of the game features is the Fog of War i.e. when the enemies’ location is unknown. It is possible to detect enemies’ spaceships when they appear within scanner working range (detected object will be shown to other pilots of your team) or use “reconnaissance probe” (available for the purchase in Shop).

Interesting facts

 * Game physics is based on real laws of Newtonian mechanics. Ship motion and maneuvering techniques are very close to the realistic ones.
 * The spaceships of Chinese production line got the names of warships in Chinese mythology