Zero Visibility

Infobox VG
title = Zero Visibility


developer = [http://www.putfile.com/reggaming/images/22902 Reynesian Gaming]
publisher =
designer =
series = "Zero Visibility"
engine =
picture format = 800 x 600
version =
released =
genre = Real-time strategy
modes = Single player
ratings =
platforms = Windows
media =
requirements =
input =
footnotes =

Zero Visibility is an upcoming real-time strategy snowball fight game produced by Reynesian Gaming. Currently in development and tentatively slated for released in 2008, the game focuses on three opposing teams fighting for control of a town and the surrounding woods.

"RED:" The reds didn't start the fight, but they intend to finish it. They have multiple outposts across the map, each with approximately equal strength, yet they only have 2/3 the manpower of the blue team. The red team's preferred strategy is divide and conquer.

"BLUE:" The hostile blues are the ones who started the battle. They have many small outposts and a few large ones across the map. They specialize in Blitzkrieg attacks and are the main enemies of the red team.

"GREEN:" The shadowy Greens have no known organization. They specialize in hit-and-run tactics and are mainly a nuisance, yet they should not be overlooked. They almost never assault a base directly. Though a small group when compared to the reds and the blues, they strike where their opponents are most vulnerable and they have a nasty habit of disappearing without a trace.

Gameplay

Winter Break

The game features a separate campaign mode for each of the three teams. Blue and green campaigns modes are unlockable by beating the campaign for the previous team. Settings range from a schoolyard and surrounding suburbs to lakes, forests, and farms outside of town. The players' performance is evaluated based on what strengths are valued by the team they are playing, and the player is promoted or demoted accordingly, setting limits to the range of controls available to them. Though each team has eight predefined missions, more can be added through use of the game's dynamic mission editor utility. Each team has unique units and structures made to lean towards the team's overall style. Units are armed with a variety of weapons, from snowballs and shovels to more unorthidox weapons such as squirt guns and leaf blowers.

"Units"

Base Commander: The player is a base commander, wearing black and armed with a squirtgun. When the commander is inside of base headquarters, the player is able to scan anywhere on the map and give orders to any unit or structure on their side. However, some missions do not give the player a headquarters to house their commander, meaning that orders can be given only to units that are near the commander, whom the player's perspective will focus on at all times. If the player's commander is lost, the mission is failed automatically, so they must be kept safe at all costs.

Egghead: The Egghead constructs and repairs base structures as ordered by the base commander. They wear grey shirts and hats matching their side. Eggheads must be kept well-protected and within the confines of your base, as they are unarmed and have a tendency to wander off while collecting building material. Taking out an egghead can be devastating to a base, especially if the base is in an early stage of development.

Snowball Unit: Standard light infantry, easily trained and quickly replaced. Whereas they are not very effective alone, in groups they can devastate structures and units alike.

Shovel Unit: Heavy anti-structure infantry, commonly used in raids on bases. While unable to hit a fast-moving target, they have longer range than any other standard fighting unit.

Squirtgun Unit: Heavy anti-personnel infantry which can devastate enemy infantry but are practically useless against structures. Best suited to defensive positions, they are somewhat slow due to the bulky tanks of water they carry on their backs, but they make up for this through sheer firepower.

"Structures"

Headquarters: The nerve center of a base, Headquarters houses the Base Commander (you). This structure is identical for all teams, an igloo with a colored flag matching its team. The player is only able to scroll freely around the map if the base commander is housed in Headquarters, meaning that if this is not the case, then the player can only give orders to units within visual range of the commander and must move on foot in order to see the rest of the map.

Barracks: This structure varies in appearance from team to team. Barracks allow for the training of new units, as long as there are recruits available.

Armory: This structure also varies in appearance. A supply structure, this allows for the storage of building material, the training of more advanced units, and the use of artillery.

Artillery: Identical for all sides, Artillery is merely a tree tied down to the ground. On a moment's notice, it can launch three-foot snowballs and other odd permutations anywhere on the map with varying degrees of accuracy. Useless without an armory, as the armory supplies its ammunition.

Tech Center: This structure varies from team to team. This structure allows for training of eggheads and team-specific units and structures.

Pillbox: This structure provides cover for any single infantry unit, shielding them from attack. The Green variant is almost completely invisible, as it is dug out of an existing snow drift.

Snow Day

A single match pitting the player against up to two computer-controlled teams under player-defined conditions, including map, weather, time of day, and rules. At present, seven different rulesets have been announced:

Manhunt: Eliminate the commanders of all enemy bases to win.

Total Victory: Leave nothing standing of either enemy base.

Capture the Flag: Remove the flag from an opponent's headquarters and bring it back to base to score. Captures only count if the player's flag is still at base. The number of captures to win a round and the number of rounds is user-defined, but every player's base is reset at the end of each round.

Assault: Plant a flare in an opponent's base and arm it. It takes fifteen uninterrupted seconds to arm the flare. Once armed, the flare will signal an off-map artillery outpost to attack the base, eliminating the opponent from the round.

King of the Couch: Similar to King of the Hill, but with a disenfranchised piece of furniture as the marker for the hill's location.

Snowman's Land: Every player starts with five immobile snowmen positioned randomly around their base, which it is their duty to protect. Destroying every opponent's snowmen wins the round.

Last Stand: The objective is simply to survive as long as possible against an endless enemy onslaught.

= Mission Editor =

The game features a mission editor application used both to create multiplayer maps and add additional missions to the game's campaign mode. Users are able to create maps with a wide variety of obstacles, allocate structures and units to each of the three teams, define the mission objectives if the map is to be used in campaign mode, and set key actions committed by computer-controlled teams, allowing for nearly limitless opportunities to expand the game.