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[Pre-Release Update] The past, the present, and the future!

“One cannot measure progress by lines on a map.”

General William C. Westmoreland

The Slush Force started out 3 years ago as a pandemic-era project to pass time and learn programming. Initial prototypes of this game were a 2-D platformer type of thing (think along the lines of “Super Mario clone”).

This video was from 2 years ago, and it seems quite hard to believe that even in the first year of development, so much evolution occurred!

In those 3 years, there have been plenty of ups and downs and even moments where the project was almost aborted.

But thankfully, it still remains standing.

Learning to design and program this game has spanned much of my college, graduate school, and post-graduation career.

I guess progress indeed cannot be measured by lines on a map…

Stay turned for what happens tomorrow (22 December).

What is Planned for at Release

At this point in time, the core mechanics of

The Slush Force are completed, and a good part of the campaign is ready with a sizeable remainder still in development (balancing, playtesting, und so weiter).

The first and second campaigns will be available at release, along with a corresponding set of Steam achievements.

The missions in the first campaign covers the initial contacts with, and apparent victory over, alien forces.

“Sir, what do you mean these things are not of this world?”

Unfortunately, the threat posed by the apparently incompetent alien invasion is overlooked. Shortly thereafter, they return in force…

“I told you they’d come back!”

The second campaign deals with larger scale combat against this much stronger invasion, including tank combat, airstrikes, artillery, and grinding urban combat.

“Someone’s having a good time out there for sure…”

But even then, you seem to have a strange asymmetrical advantage that the aliens do not…

Roadmap for the Future

Next year will be an exciting year for The Slush Force, with major updates planned that will bring the game into its final state.

The first major update for the game will be planned to release at the end of January or beginning of February. This will contain the third campaign, which will introduce significant amounts of new fire support options and a very different way of playing the game.

The second major update is anticipated for the end of February or beginning of March, containing the fourth campaign, which will bring the story to a potentially explosive conclusion.

Any bugfixes may be included in each major update, or any number of small hotfixes.

Please feel free to report any bugs that you find by contacting the support email.

“This is the hand that we are dealt, and so these are the cards that we must play.”

One (or more) sequel(s) is (are) also in the works, potentially focused on (i) air combat and/or (ii) exploration of the alien teleportation portals. Stay tuned for more news on those sometime next year…

In the meantime, I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all who have followed this project, whether you have been around for years or just came across this page today.

Happy hunting!

Check out the Steam page!
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[The Slush Force] Update #5: The Invisible Front

In the previous update, we talked about the use of combat aviation to help win difficult fights. Now, it is time to switch gears and talk about less obvious factors that impact combat readiness.

There is a saying that “all battles are won in the mind”. In The Slush Force, this is not entirely true.

However, we cannot ignore the reality that morale and psychological factors are indeed very important for combat effectiveness.

Morale Damage

Obviously, it is stressful to be shot at! All weapons in The Slush Force deal some amount of suppression. Near-misses are somewhat damaging to morale, but direct hits cause extreme panic.

Generally, vehicle-mounted weapons, as well as explosives (such as those you see on tanks and planes) are the most effective at suppression. Alien weapons are also quite intimidating.

Even a near-miss from a tank is sure to ruin your day!

The Effects of Stress

As you probably guessed, stress is not the best factor for high performance!

The speed at which soldiers become stressed out is determined by various factors, including their training, their own bravery, and their brothers-in-arms.

  • Militia and police units have inferior training are often easily routed.
  • Seeing the death of comrades is very disturbing to all but the most elite troops!

Seeing death and destruction is good for the mind, and your troops’ performance will get worse under these stressful conditions. For instance, they might miss more frequently, find it harder to reload, may refuse to advance forwards, or in extreme cases could even run from the battlefield.

The heart rate monitor (bottom, second from right) and the unit cards (top) provide insights into the status of your soldiers, including their morale!

Tactical Implications

Artillery, vehicles, or aircraft can all be used tactically to suppress a very powerful enemy unit and harm their fighting ability. More numerous enemy units could also be suppressed so that you can defeat them in detail. Not every round needs to hit the target to leave an impact!

That’s all for now, stay tuned for more coming soon!

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[The Slush Force] Update #4: Greetings from the Sky!

Hello again! It has been a while… As the push towards completion continues, I would like to give you all another update!

Previously, we talked about the roles of artillery and radio communications. Now, we will look a bit higher in the sky.

Calling in Air Support

Air support, like artillery, requires that your troops are equipped with a radio. To recap, radios are available in most units, in the form of a radioman or a vehicle.

  • Many infantry units are equipped with portable radios.
  • Vehicles generally have much more powerful radios, since weight is less of a concern. The range is unparalleled.

The sky is the ultimate high ground. Unlike ground-based mortars, artillery, or even cruise missiles, aircraft can readjust their aim in real time. Simply point and click and wait for the plane to get there…

An alien fighting machine is obliterated by a well-placed airstrike.

… and BOOM! The target is gone!

Aircraft Loadouts

Planes can carry a wide range of different armament. Let’s talk about some of these.

Most aircraft have an internal cannon. These are usually rapid-fire weapons, devastating against infantry and aircraft, but more disappointing in terms of penetrating power…

Aircraft cannons have a high rate of fire and are devastating against infantry, but often fail to penetrate heavier targets.

Some aircraft are able to equip rocket pods. Unlike the aircraft cannon, these externally mounted weapons usually fire slower projectiles and are harder to aim. While less effective versus moving targets, they pack a pretty hard punch.

Unguided rockets are used to dismantle a target.

A discussion on aircraft weapons can not be complete without mentioning the humble high-explosive bomb. “Dumb” bombs typically contain between 100-1000kg of explosive mass. As such, they are effective against a wide range of targets, ranging from infantry to tanks. Like unguided rockets, these are also hardpoint-mounted weapons.

A pilot misses a relatively easy bombing run. Go figure.

I guess skill matters… huh.

Next up is the guided air-to-ground missile. These are launched by aircraft, and fly in to the target by radio, laser, or GPS guidance. Generally considered more accurate (and less prone to collateral damage) than the “dumb” bombs, these are useful for precision strikes, particularly on moving targets.

An air-launched missile strikes an alien entity. A traffic light is accidentally dismantled, but don’t worry, its repair is covered in next year’s budget!

As of now, aviation is actively being worked on, so expect to hear more soon!

That concludes today’s update, stay tuned!

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[The Slush Force] Update #3: Firing the Big Guns

“Artillery adds dignity to what would otherwise be an ugly brawl.” – Frederick the Great

Hello again! It has been a while, but rest assured that I have been working hard!

In the previous update, I explained a bit about the map and strategic aspects of the game.

Today’s update will add to that by explaining the use of artillery and fire support units. Because aliens are not the easiest opponents, you will likely need these kinds of things to help you out…

Radio Equipment

The first thing you need in order to properly utilize fire support is a radio. Thankfully, most units deploy with at least one radio operator or radio-equipped vehicle.

  • Most vehicles are equipped with radios, often more powerful than infantry ones.
  • Infantry units are often equipped with shorter-range radios. Usually, squad leaders or dedicated radio operators have them.

Radio-connected units are connected by lines on the map. This gives you an easy indication of whether they are within radio range.

Squads within radio range may call on each other for fire support. (If they have such a weapon.)

Calling in Artillery Strikes

During close-quarters fighting, artillery can be called in to provide support. Depending on how you use it, this can either prove to be a great help or a giant disappointment.

Fire support units, like rocket artillery, can help you pull victory from the jaws of defeat.

Remember: Artillery units need to reload too, so be sure to make every shot count!

That’s all for this update, stay tuned for more in the near future!

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[The Slush Force] Update #2: Map and Strategy

Hello again! Last week’s update went over the basics of load-outs and combat mechanics. This is very applicable to the tactical side of the game. However, many questions remain:

How exactly do we get to the battlefield?

How do we recruit our troops?

How do we observe our equipment?

The strategic elements of the game are therefore the topics of the hour.

The Map

The map is quite important, since this helps you move your troops around. Currently, the map looks like this:

The map as currently implemented, note the friendly (green) and enemy (red) squads at various positions.

Movement on the map is turn-based, with each grid square indicating an area of 1 square kilometer. Each turn corresponds to 1 hour of in-game time.

During your turn, you can move any of your units, so long as they have sufficient movement points. (Movement costs depend on the type of terrain, with roads being the easiest and forested or mountainous regions being most costly.)

Squads with vehicles will have more movement points each turn.

The encounter of 2 units from opposing teams will trigger a battle indicated by the defender’s tile (see below for some examples).

  • A hostile encounter occurs on the map…
  • … leading to inevitable confrontation!

Recruiting

Proper preparation prevents a proper butt-kicking! This is why it is important to know what your soldiers are armed with. Luckily for you, the armory provides a way to do so.

But first, where do soldiers come from? For now, you are able to call in entire squads from the recruitment menu. The range of available squads depends on which divisions are available on the map.

The recruitment menu, as currently implemented, displaying the option to call in a squad of policemen. Note that the design of this menu will be improved in the near future.

The Equipment Room

Once a squad is recruited, you can examine the soldiers in the equipment room. This allows you to take a look at the weapon(s), armor, and other gear that the soldiers are carrying.

The police squad from the previous section, after being called in from the recruitment menu, is examined in the equipment room.

The Garage

As previously mentioned, some squads come with a vehicle. The garage allows you to examine vehicles just like the equipment room does with soldiers.

The police car that the aforementioned squad came in, is examined in the garage. (This vehicle is unarmed, so the weapons displays are blank.)

That’s it for this update! Stay tuned for more coming soon!

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[The Slush Force] Update #1: Small-Unit Combat, Infantry, and Vehicles

Greetings! Today, I will explain the infantry, vehicles and core game-play mechanics.

Infantry Equipment and Roles

You can rarely win without boots on the ground. Infantry comes with many types of equipment depending on their role.

In most squads, riflemen are the most common role. As the name suggests, they are usually equipped with a semi-automatic or select-fire rifle.

A rifleman runs forward towards a new fighting position.

Some soldiers use more quick-firing weapons. These machine gunners can better suppress enemies.

An automatic rifleman searches the horizon for enemy movement.

Assault engineers generally use heavy weapons, such as grenade launchers and anti-tank weaponry.

An assault engineer prepares to use his rocket launcher to destroy an enemy fighting position.

Instead of just throwing bullets at the enemy, we also have to hit them! Marksmen and snipers carry scoped rifles for range and accuracy.

A squad marksman takes an aimed shot at an enemy soldier.

Most squads come with a good mix of load outs. However, losing a key member of the squad can mean trouble!

The Use of Vehicles

A combat vehicle can improve a squad’s fighting strength. Vehicles come in different forms.

Firstly, armored personnel carriers (APCs), armed with machine guns or autocannons, can cheaply increase a squad’s firepower.

A mechanized squad advances under the support of an APC.

At the same time, however, these tend to explode at the first sight of enemy anti-tank weapons…

An APC is lost to enemy fire.

Infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) also equip machine guns or autocannons, but have stronger armor. This comes at a higher cost.

An IFV lays down suppressive fire to support the advancing infantrymen.

Lastly, main battle tanks (MBTs) have great firepower, heavy armor, and can… well, tank heavy fire. However, these will break the bank, so you cannot take too many of them.

An MBT and accompanying combined arms team awaits further instruction.

The Close Quarters Combat UI

To successfully fight the enemy, you should also learn about the user interface. This is used to command your soldiers.

The in-game interface is used to issue orders and view details about your squad.

The top panel (1) shows cards corresponding to each soldier. Clicking on one will select the soldier, moving the camera to his position.

The soldier display (2) monitors the soldier’s vital signs. The buttons here command the soldier to change his stance and movement speed. (However, panic or exhaustion may stop a soldier from listening to you.)

The weapon display (3) tells you about the soldier’s weapon. The buttons are used to control the fire selection and to switch to a different weapon, if the soldier has another.

The squad display (4) allows you to give orders to the entire squad. (Once again, panicked soldiers may not always listen.)

Lastly, the tactical map (5) shows a bird’s eye view of the battlefield. It is also used to give orders to the selected soldier.

That’s all for this update, stay tuned for more coming soon!

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The Slush Force Preview #2 – A Close Encounter

[CONFIDENTIAL – NOT APPROVED FOR PUBLIC DISCLOSURE]

ATTN: ALL DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL DEFENSE UNIT COMMANDERS

This footage was recorded in an engagement between soldiers from 17th Reserve Division and an extraterrestrial element of unclear composition. The aliens exhibit aggressive behavior. Squad received significant casualties during the encounter, but were able to neutralize the threat.

This is a notice that the extraterrestrials are hostile and should not be dealt with lightly. More directives to follow.

[END TRANSMISSION]

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The Slush Force Preview #1 – Armory

Fighting against aliens is tough work. But it is even harder if you lack the proper weapons!

Today I would like to show you the design of the armory. Here is where you can view and study your soldier’s loadouts. In the near future, you will be able to change their weapons as well, based on what you have access to in your inventory.

Be sure to like and subscribe to the Youtube channel to keep up to date!