2005 Original Here

The first significant indie project I worked on was an RTS called "Core Wars."  For an amateur effort by a couple of 15-year-olds, we got reasonably far along before the project dissipated.

The original concept for the Beta Force was a mixed offense/defense list that could swoop in and squat on key positions.  They lacked the firepower and aggression of other lists, but made up for it with sturdy, versatile units.  A core unit was the Impulse Jeep, a lightly-armored car with a minigun on swivel.

This 12-years-later remake follows roughly the same dimensions, but revises the concept as a Tactical Rickshaw, or Tac-tuk.  The Tac-tuk carries a driver and up to two engineers, or a single module.  Modules might be turrets, power supplies, shield generators, etc.  The front Tac-tuk is carrying a Snub Wave Cannon Module, which is being operated by another engineer.  Modules can also be placed on other vehicles or in defensive works, but the Tac-tuk is the most effective way to quickly mobilize individual modules.

Unlike other armies, engineers are imagined as the only infantry unit for the Beta force.  All Beta Force vehicles and modules can operate autonomously, but recieve significant buffs when operated by an engineer.  So it would be up to the player how to build and deploy vehicles and modules, and how to distribute his engineers among them to get the best performance for a given mission.