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TABLE OF CONTENTS
WELCOME TO DARK COLONY
1
THE MARTIAN TERRAIN
3
GAME ELEMENTS
4
THE GAME SCREEN
9
BUILDING UNITS AND BUILDINGS
14
BUYING UNIT UPGRADES
14
SELECTING / MOVING UNITS
14
MOVING / ATTACKING UNITS
15
UNIT COMMANDS
15
PLAYING THE GAME
17
BASES OF OPERATIONS
20
ADDITIONAL BUILDINGS
23
THE BATTLE UNITS
25
HUMAN UNIT DESCRIPTIONS
28
ALIEN UNIT DESCRIPTIONS
30
ALIEN AWARDS
34
INDIGENOUS CREATURES
35
ARTIFACTS
36
STRATEGY TIPS
38
CREDITS
39
CUSTOMER SERVICE
40
DARK COLONY™
WELCOME
TO THE
DARK COLONY
The year is 2137, by Human reckoning, and the war for Mars has begun. . . .
The Mars Colonies
Soon after the new Millennia, mankind s study of
Mars revealed a remarkable energy source called
Petra-7. Only a few tanks of the precious gas
could fuel entire cities for weeks, bottles of it could
accelerate crop growth to feed entire continents,
and more. As studies on the gas continued, plans to
mine, colonize, and terraform Mars were quickly
planned and put into operation.
For the next several decades Mars was prepared for Human habitation. Giant
oxygenation factories spewed gases into the atmosphere, seed bombs exploded
over irrigated terrain, and even insects from Earth were released into the new
world. In the end, mankind s most ambitious project had turned the red planet
into a thriving world, complete with lush jungles and colorful deserts. Now it was
time to move in.
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DARK COLONY™
“Houston, we have a prob—aaargh!”
Soon after the arrival of humans on
Mars, mining outposts began to
experience strange equipment
malfunctions and accidents which
severely tested their resources and
patience. Lizard-like creatures and
strange arachnids seemed to appear
overnight, artifacts and ruins of
unidentifiable origin were discovered
beneath the surface of the planet, and then, suddenly, entire colonies seemed
todisappear into the darkness.
DARK COLONY™
there are more artifacts hidden somewhere in the underground catacombs of the
ancient ruins.
The Taar have one goal: to destroy any foothold the humans establish on Mars
while searching for Portalis, an ancient portal that when re-activated, becomes a
doorway to gather together the scattered remnants of the Taar species. They will
then be ready for the real battle: the war for Earth.
THE MARTIAN TERRAIN
The Jungle
The jungles of Mars are prime examples
of terra-forming done correctly. Lush
vege-tation and a high oxygen level make
for a comfortable haven for humans.
Ample shade is provided by dense foliage
and water flows freely into lakes and
streams.
Amidst the increasing confusion and fear, eyewitness reports began to come in.
Mankind was not alone on the planet. An alien race, dubbed the Grays by the
humans, seemed to materialize out of the night alongside nightmarish scythecreatures that cleaved human troops in half with a single sweep of their massive
claws.
As more reports of fighting broke out, Earth forces regrouped and strove to
learn more about their new enemy.
The Taar
The Taar, as the aliens call themselves,
are a race of interstellar wanderers
seeking a new home. Their planet has
been ravaged by a plague which left
them close to extinction. Worse yet, not
only do the Taar lay claim to Mars, but
to Earth as well! For five hundred years
Taar scout ships have been secretly
conducting bio-research on how to
defeat Earthlings, and despite losing one of their ships somewhere in the New
Mexico desert, they still remain undetected.
Desert
High levels of Detirium in the soil have
created barren areas, with naked rocky terrain,
scorching high temperatures, and very thin
air. These desert areas are suited more for the
Taar, who do not require as much oxygen as
humans and are more tolerant of the heat.
The only cover is provided by the webs of the
Flynt, an indigenous arachnid species that
managed to survive the planetary overhaul.
The Taar have also found the same ruins and artifacts on Mars that the
Humans have. More shocking than that, is the rumor that not only are the
artifacts able to evoke destructive power for whoever discovers them, but that
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DARK COLONY™
Ruins
DARK COLONY™
The Gray Campaign
Rumors about previous civilizations on
Mars have been prevalent on Earth
since the discovery of canals in the early
1900 s. It wasn t until routine Martian
probes returned pictures of architectural
ruins, especially the haunting images of
the Cydonian Head, that these rumors
were accepted as fact. What lies behind
these ruins is still unknown
You are the fearless leader, a legendary warrior, and captain of Nebres-WarshipT, holding the last survivors of your dying race. Centuries of searching have led
you to this small solar system, where a freshly terraformed planet is waiting to
make a perfect home for your lost clan. First, however, you have to remove the
presence of these filthy aliens who call themselves humans. They have already
polluted their own planet, and set plans in motion to infest Mars.
When beginning a campaign, you can
name your commander. Simply type in
the name of your choice.
Once all the options are correctly
entered, you are presented with a
mission briefing.
GAME ELEMENTS
After the game has been loaded and the cinematic introduction has played you
are presented with the main option screen.
The Training Missions
In order to become familiar with the play mechanics of Dark Colony a series of
training missions have been designed to display the abilities of the various fighting
units. Set in Area 51, a secret base on Earth, the missions are simple, short
exercises. It is advisable for first time players to successfully complete the training
missions (both for the Humans and the Grays) before attempting to fight the war
on Mars.
Campaigns
The Dark Colony campaigns are a series of missions tied together by the
different story lines. You choose whether to play a Training Mission, or play a
campaign as either the Humans or the Taar, aliens also called Grays.
The Human Campaign
You play the role of head of security for the largest corporation on Earth, Pan
Luma Industries (PLI). With mysterious accidents occurring on PLI s Martian
colonization project, you are dispatched to investigate and overcome obstacles that
stand in the way of progress. A simple security operation turns into our darkest hour
as mankind goes to war against the vicious, alien threat posed by the Taar.
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Using the Mouse
In this book, the term click means move the mouse icon to the desired area
on the screen and press the left mouse button. Left-click means move the
mouse icon to the desired area and press the left mouse button. Right-click
means move the mouse icon to the desired area and press the right mouse
button. In Dark Colony, left-clicking activates buttons and units, and rightclicking deselects units.
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DARK COLONY™
Multiplayer War
DARK COLONY™
Serial Cable
The Dark Colony multiplayer game can handle up to 8 users and supports a
wide variety of connection methods.
This option is for two computers connected directly by a null modem cable.
Connecting and Chatting
Once Connection has been established you are brought to the Multiplayer chat
screen. Here you can chat with your opponents, and the player hosting the game
can select the game play options.
TCP/IP
IPX Network
Modem
Serial Cable
Single Player War
Act as Server
This option allows you to play a single scenario. With this option, the following
window appears:
Connect to Server
Player Type
Main Menu
Select Race
Name
Color
Team
Ready Status
Connection Types
TCP/IP
Selected Scenario
With the TCP/IP connection, the following choices are available.
A Scenario
Directories
w Acting as Server
Scroll Arrows to View
Directories & Scenarios
Chat Window
Scenario Options
After dialing up your Internet Provider, simply send your IP address to your
friends who are playing and have them use the Connect To Server option, below.
Chat Bar
w Connect to Server
Player Type
This allows you to connect to a friend s host machine that is Acting as the
Server, as long as you know the IP address of the host machine. Enter in the IP
address then left-click on Connect.
Choose the opponents intelligence as Human or AI regular or AI advanced.
Select Race
Set each Player to represent either the Humans or the Grays.
w IPX Network
When your machine is connected to a Local Area Network that supports IPX,
the IPX Network option allows one player to act as a server, and then allow
other players to join into the game without the use of a modem.
Name
Enter a player name.
Color
Modem
When modem game is selected you are prompted to select if you are the server,
or if you wish to dial out to an already existing server.
Select one of 8 unique colors for your units. The colors automatically shift to
prevent duplication.
Team
Set starting alliances for the battle. There can be up to 8 different teams.
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DARK COLONY™
Ready Status
Click here, or on the Ready button when you are ready to start.
DARK COLONY™
Load Game
When Load Game is selected from the Main Option screen you are prompted to
select a game that has been saved during a previous campaign.
Select a Scenario
Use the Up or Down arrow keys to select a directory, then left-click on the
scenario you want to play.
Encyclopedia
The encyclopedia offers information about
units and artifacts in Dark Colony. To view
an entry, you must first select if you wish to
see, Human, Gray, or Artifact entries.
Chat Window
Send messages to other players connecting.
This option sets the appearance of active Artifact technology.
Once you have selected the category you
wish to view, you can flip through the
entries using the Next and Back
arrows. The rotation of the unit s 3-D
model may also be modified using the arrow buttons directly below it.
Erupting Vents[On/Off]
Quit
This option allows dormant Petra-7 vents to become active after a certain amount
of time.
Exits Dark Colony and returns to the operating system.
Storage Cells[Off/Low/Medium/High]
This option sets whether random Petra-7 storage tanks will be placed on the map.
Artifacts[Off/Low/Medium/High]
Renewable Vents[On/Off]
THE GAME SCREEN
Choose whether vents will re-erupt or not.
Side Bar
Petra-7 Quantity Multiplier
This option sets the total amount of Petra-7 in each of the vents.
Mini Map
Human Base
Petra-7 Flow Multiplier[1-10]
Weapon & Upgrade Buttons
This option sets the rate at which the Petra-7 flows from each vent.
Commander Rank
Description Window
Select what rank the Commanders start at.
Build Button
Text Bar
Petra Units
Start Time
Set whether the game begins in the day time or at night. Humans can see better
in the day, and the Grays can see better at night.
Day / Night Cycle
There are several parts of the game screen that are used during game play.
Mouse Cursors
There are four mouse cursors in Dark Colony: Move, Select, Attack, and Build.
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DARK COLONY™
Move
DARK COLONY™
Sidebar
When the move cursor is active, all selected units move toward the spot
where the cursor is clicked.
All building, resource management, and advanced troop commands
are controlled and viewed from the Sidebar. When a unit is selected,
the unit command tab is highlighted, then list the advanced
commands available such as units to buy, upgrade, and unit
activation commands.
Select
The select cursor appears when the cursor is over one of your own units
and allows the selection of individual troop units. Left-click to select a
new unit, or click and drag to select several units. Right-clicking deselects
the active unit or unit group.
Attack
The attack option is orange and appears when you have a unit selected
and pass the cursor over an enemy unit. To have your selected unit
attack the enemy unit under the mouse cursor, simply left-click. The
attack order is confirmed and a star flashes on the target as your unit
then moves to intercept and attack the target.
Mini-map
At the very top of the Sidebar is the mini-map, where the
white square shows your current screen position, and rightclicking on the mini-map centers the game screen over the
chosen location. Dark areas are masked by the Fog of
War (see page 17).
Build
The build cursor appears when the player is directly over the Sidebar
menus. To buy more of a particular unit type, left-click on a button until
the number you want is reached. To subtract units from the total of units
to buy, right-click.
Tabs
Just below the mini-map are the three menu tabs.
Build / Command Tab
Text Bar
At the bottom of the play screen is a text area for incoming messages, such as
mission updates or status reports from other teams. Clicking on the up or down
arrows to the left of the text bar (only when they are lit) cycles through the past
history of messages received.
Scrolling the Map
To move the game view window around the battlefield simply move the mouse
cursor to the far edge of the screen in the direction you would like to scroll. You
can also use the directional arrow keys on the keyboard.
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The most-used tab, this provides you the ability to select which units
or buildings you wish to build. In addition, when you select units, this
tab activates and shows the available advanced commands for the selected unit or
group of units.
Upgrade Tab
Here you can upgrade your units weapons and armor. There are two
upgrades for each unit type, and once bought, the upgrades affect all
units currently in play and any units built afterwards.
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DARK COLONY™
Option/Multiplayer TAB
At any time during the game you can left-click Tab 3 on the Sidebar
interface for the in-game options screen. Here you have a choice to load
or save your game, or go to the advanced options screen and the encyclopedia.
DARK COLONY™
Objectives
To review the scenarios objectives, left-click on the Objectives button.
Description Window
Save Game
Left-click on the Save icon to save your current position in a campaign scenario.
You must enter a name for the save game before clicking the Save button.
This window identifies the buttons you can select from the
Tab menus, as well as the output rate from Petra-7 vents.
The Build Button
Options
Change the Game Detail (Low/High), Sound Effects (SFX)
(On/Off), or the Game Speed.
Left-click on the Build button after you have selected units,
buildings, or upgrades for your units. Once selected, the units you
chose to build emerge from your Base of Operations. Armor and weapon
upgrades that are bought apply immediately to current and future units of the
same type.
Allied Options
Left-click on the Allies icon to set up the alliance options in a multi-player
game. The current alliance status between the 8 players is shown under the
following categories:
¥ Current Alliance
Petra Units (Money)
The main source of energy in Dark Colony is the precious gas called
Petra-7. With the use of the resource extraction units such as the
Human Exploiter, or the Gray Brozaar, this gas can be collected from erupting
vents and converted into Petra Units.
¥ Share Vision Communications
¥ Share Radio Communications
¥ Send Money
A check-mark for Radio Communication means that only the
marked player will receive your messages. For the other
options, a circle represents your offer to form an alliance, a cross
represents an opponent s offer to you. Both a circle and cross
mean that both sides are fully agreed and aligned. Once allies,
players cannot target each other s units for attack.
The number in this field shows the amount of Petra Units (the only version of
money on Mars) you have available to spend on buildings, units, and upgrades.
This number grows slowly unless you have an Exploiter or Brozaar over a Petra-7
vent. Once positioned over the vent, the extraction unit automatically begins
mining the Petra-7 and converting it into money.
To see how much a vent produces, use the mouse cursor to drag a box around
one of the Petra-7 vents. A number appears in the description window showing a
yellow number that might look like this: 30000/20. This number indicates that
the vent has a total resource of 30000 units of Petra-7 and they can be mined at a
rate of 20 units per second.
Pause
Left-click on the Pause button or press the Escape key to pause the
current game. To begin the game once more, left-click on the Pause
button or press the Escape key again.
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Day / Night Cycle
The day or night indicator shows the current cycle on Mars, as well as how
long the current cycle lasts. Due to the nature of their vision, Humans
fight better in the day cycle, and Grays fight better during the night cycle.
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DARK COLONY™
BUILDING UNITS AND BUILDINGS
To build any unit or building, follow the instructions below.
Left-click on Option Tab 1. The icons that appear show what you can build.
When all units are available, the side bar looks as follows:
DARK COLONY™
To select several units simultaneously, left-click and hold the mouse button
down. Drag the mouse-box over all the units you wish to select, then release the
mouse button. A light blue box indicates the selected area. All of the units within
the box are selected. In group mode you can command all the units to do certain
things, just as you would a single selected unit.
Next, left-click on the icon of the unit/building you want. The cost
of your selection appears in the text bar. To buy more than one Unit
at a time, keep left-clicking on the portrait; a small number appears,
showing the amount you want. Right-click on the portrait to reduce
the number of units you wish to build.
To de-select any selected units, right-click.
Once the desired number is reached you can build the selected item
by clicking on the Build button at the bottom of the Sidebar.
When the cursor is placed over a potential enemy, the cursor turns into the
orange attack cursor. To attack that unit simply left-click on it while the cursor is
orange. If a unit is commanded to move to a location that it cannot reach, the
unit gets as close to the location as possible. If the target is destroyed before
active units reach it, those units stop to await new orders.
Note: The total cost of units is pre-subtracted from your total, so
you can see how much Money you ll have left before pressing the
Build button.
MOVING/ATTACKING UNITS
To move the selected unit(s) simply left-click on the location that you wish the
unit to move to.
Once a unit is built, resources are deducted automatically. Units appear at the
Base of Operations at a rate of about one unit per second.
UNIT COMMANDS
Once a unit has been built and is on the field, they are ready to follow your orders.
BUYING UNIT UPGRADES
For unit armor and weapon upgrades, left-click on the Tab 2 icon.
The icons that appear show what weapon or armor upgrades are
available. When all units are available, the side bar looks as follows:
There are two weapon and two armor upgrades for each unit
type. The cost of each upgrade appears in the text bar when you
left-click on an upgrade portrait.
When moving units around the map, the units can be told how to move.
This can vary from traveling passively and avoiding all combat, to attacking
anything that the unit comes across.
Below is a list of some of the Advanced Commands and their functions.
Move
The default unit command is move. When the Move button is selected
all units go directly to the location that you left-click on and ignore
enemy fire.
Once built, armor or weapon upgrades affect all units currently
in play and those built afterwards.
Attack
SELECTING / MOVING UNITS
When the cursor is placed over another one of your units, it turns into a
select cursor. To command a unit to do something, you must first select it by
left-clicking on the desired unit.
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When attack mode is selected, the unit attacks anything within its sight
or weapons range. Attack mode is a useful command to set for units
that are moving, as they automatically intercept enemy units they spot.
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DARK COLONY™
Stop
Use the Stop command when you want all selected units to stop in
their tracks.
DARK COLONY™
P L AY I N G T H E G A M E
Mission Briefing
Prior to each scenario, the mission
briefing screen shows the goal your forces
are to achieve in that session.
Standard Deploy
The standard deploy button is used to deploy units, groups of units, or
artifacts.
A mission scenario has two possible
outcomes, Victory or Defeat. When one
of these conditions is reached, the game
is ended and the debriefing screen
appears providing details of the battle.
Way-Points
When selected, left-click to lay down way-points for your units to
follow. To patrol the way-points, left-click on the first way-point you
placed and the selected unit(s) then start a patrol loop until ordered
otherwise. If the last way-point is double-clicked on, the units follow each waypoint as they were laid down, then stop at the last way-point.
Activate
Resource Management
The main source of energy in Dark Colony is the precious gas called Petra-7.
With the use of the resource extraction units such as the Human Exploiter, or the
Gray Brozaar, this gas can be collected from erupting vents and converted into
Petra Units.
Some Petra-7 vents are stable and provide
long lasting supplies of the gas. Other vents,
however, may either lay dormant or erupt
during game play.
Like the Deploy button, the Activate button appears for units that drill
themselves into the ground or have a special power. Note that if several
units are selected and they all have this option, pressing this button
activates all of them.
Steal Money
Appearing as a command that only S.A.R.G.E or Gorrem units can use,
the Steal Money command causes the unit to interrupt and re-direct a
portion of the incoming Petra-7 from an enemy s extraction unit.
Influence
Used only by Commander units, influence boosts the health and
weapon accuracy of units in the commander s radius of effect.
Napalm / Para-storm Attack
As a special attack available only to S.A.R.G.E. or Gorrem units, this command
causes the unit to launch an area-effect weapon with deadly results. Care should
be taken, however, because the weapon can also damage friendly units.
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All city structures are built on a stable Petra-7 vent. Energy flows at a constant
rate when a city is present. In the bottom right of the screen is the Petra-7 Unit
energy meter, or money you have available to build structures, units, and
upgrades. The number on the counter automatically decreases when a unit or
structure is bought or upgraded. The number increases when a resource
gathering unit is deployed on a Petra-7 vent, or finds an underground Petra-7
deposit.
Gathering Resources
In order to gain energy, you must collect Petra-7. To collect Petra-7 you need a
resource gathering unit. Most missions that allow for resource gathering start you
with one of these gathering units. If necessary more can be built at the main city
structure. If you want the energy to come into the city faster, more resource
gathering units can be built to mine from other Petra-7 vents.
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DARK COLONY™
DARK COLONY™
Resource gathering units must be directed to and
deployed on Petra-7 vents manually. Once
deployed, they should be defended by units with
combat capabilities because the gathering units have
no defensive capabilities themselves. If threatened,
these units can be un-deployed and moved.
When a resource gathering unit is built it does not automatically search for a
vent. It is recommended that you scout out a vent with another unit before
actually sending the gathering unit itself. This way is much more inexpensive if
the exploring unit is lost. Also, the gathering unit usually has a very small vision
radius in comparison to the other units in the game. Once a suitable vent is
located, select the gathering unit by left-clicking on it. Then put the mouse cursor
over the vent and left-click again. Once the unit has reached the vent it
automatically deploys itself, unless the vent has already been taken. In this case,
the unit occupying the vent must be destroyed
to remove it.
Unit Vision
Fog of War
All terrain at the start of a campaign mission is not revealed,
and thus black, until a unit of your team has explored the
area. Once a unit moves towards the undiscovered terrain
the darkness recedes, leaving the terrain visible both in the
main game screen and the mini-map in the upper-right of
the screen. After the unit has left the area, a fog of war
covers the position behind it, darkening the main game
screen slightly and showing only terrain, vents, and buildings, not enemy units.
Certain units have a larger vision radius than others, and are better at exploring
unexplored terrain.
Line of Sight
Many objects in the game actually block your unit s vision,
or in some cases shrink it. Large plants, rocks, and other
terrain obstacles provide good cover for ambushes and
other tactics.
Unit Health
When a unit is selected an inverted triangle appears over it. This is
the unit s health indicator. The color of the triangle depends on the
amount of hit points the unit has left. The color indicates the unit s
health: green is healthy, yellow is damaged, and red is severely
damaged.
Unit Power
Some units have power in addition to their Health. These units
have a circular bar of colors which show the level of power they
have. A full circle of power goes from red to green, red being the
lowest power, and green being the highest.
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Night and Day
Like Earth, Mars has its own day/night cycle which is
roughly 8 minutes real time for each phase. During the
daylight hours the humans have the larger visual range, but
at night, the grays have the superior vision.
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DARK COLONY™
DARK COLONY™
BASES OF OPERATIONS
Exo-Center
Cost: 2000
Critical to most missions where you have a base in the game is the defense and
maintenance of all city structures. The city structures are necessary for collection
of resources, the building of units, and artifact extraction and research.
Builds: Exploiter, Osprey, Medicraft
The main generator that converts the mined Petra-7 into usable
energy, and builds Exploiters to harvest the fuel.
Colony Foundations
Each colony, both human and alien, is built upon a fivesided plate. Each plate is positioned over of an existing
Petra-7 vent which is mined continually, allowing a little
money to trickle in.
To be able to develop any of the units required to fight the
war, the player needs to build a series of structures to enable
research and construction. Each structure has a specific
function or functions, and is dependent upon the others.
Barracks
Cost: 1000
Builds: Trooper, Sentinel
The training center for human soldiers and the production of land
mines.
Science Lab
Cost: 2000
Function
Petra-7 extraction/conversion
Infantry Development
Scientific Study
Advance R&D
Robotic Applications
Human
Exo-Center
Barracks
Science Pod
Research Bay
Robot Factory
Taar
Mind Hive
Warrior Fold
Genetics Sac
Neural Hive
Bio-Forge
Upgrade
N
N
Y
N
Y
Builds: Weapon and Armor Upgrades
The building responsible for development of existing technology and
weapon/armor upgrades.
Research Center
The buildings are not impervious to damage, though their strength rating is
much higher than that of general units. Certain buildings can be upgraded to
support more advanced development.
Human Structures
The human colonial structures are based on the cold steel
and metal designs of 21st century Earth. Lacking any
warmth or feeling, these monstrous structures are function
without form.
Cost: 3000
Builds: S.A.R.G.E.
An advanced research division, this building allows the production of
S.A.R.G.E units, and displays the location of ancient artifacts.
Robot Factory
Cost: 3000
Builds: Reaper, Firestorm, Barrager
The mechanized assault division manufactures the largest units on
Mars; the Reaper, Firestorm, and Barrager.
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DARK COLONY™
Alien Structures
The Taar modeled their bases after the Human s in order to
be able to use the same foundation plates that were set
down by the pre-colonizing terra-form teams. Though
visually distinct, the function of each structure effectively
mimics the human equivalent.
Mind Hive
Cost: 2000
Builds: Brozaar, Zisp, Ortu
A bio-processor which converts raw Petra-7 into usable energy, and
builder of biological mining units.
DARK COLONY™
Genetics Sac
Cost: 2000
Builds: Sy Demon, Xeno-wort, Atril
Built for fast replication of skin tissue and genetic cloning, the Gene
Hive produces heavily-armored units for the Taar.
ADDITIONAL BUILDINGS
Along with the main bases, there are a variety of independent structures created
by the warring factions. These buildings can be destroyed by the opposing armies
and must be defended like home bases.
Additional Human Constructions
Dropship Beacon
Warrior Fold
Cost: 1000
Builds: Infantry, Slom
The genetic womb develops Gray clones into fighting infantry, and
synthesis of the Slom anti-personnel drone.
A Dropship beacon allows a commander to call in reinforcements.
Oxy-Gen 1000
Breeder Pod
Cost: 2000
Builds: Upgrades
Responsible for the development of existing bio-technology, as well
as weapon and armor upgrades.
Neural Hive
Cost: 3000
Builds: Gorrem
The Neural Hive allows the research of the Gorrem to refine their
psionic attack, and then provide them for cloning.
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Oxygen enrichers were developed by Aerogen to replace atmospheric
generators in the desert areas of Mars.
Relay Tower
An integral part of the Humans communication network, the Relay
Tower keeps the expanding colonies in touch with each other.
Petra-Tanks
Mobile transports containing refined Petra-7, Petra-tanks are mainly
used in emergency situations, or in areas without any accessible vents
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DARK COLONY™
Other Alien Constructions
DARK COLONY™
THE BATTLE UNITS
Luminar
Dropship beacons for Taar saucers, these can be activated by the
commander only.
Communicant
Taar communication technology has enabled the Communicant to tap
in to the existing human satellite network. The parasitic nature and
appearance of the Communicant has previously allowed it to go
unnoticed by the Humans.
Tendon Ripper
An alien torture pod, the Tendon Ripper serves the Taar as a means
of extracting information from their enemies by slowly pulling its
victim apart.
The war for Mars is being fought by two unique, yet equal armies. The Taar have
modeled their invasion force around the human blueprint, developing biological
technology that functions closely to that of man s metal machines.
Function
Human
Generic foot soldier
Trooper
Mechanized Ground Unit
Reaper
Mining vehicle
Exploiter
Artillery Unit
Barrager
Long Range Artillery
S.A.R.G.E
Defensive Towers
Firestorm
Ground Mines
Sentinel
Flying Scouts
Osprey IV
Healing Units
Medi-Craft
Reinforcement Supply
Angel One
Taar
Gray
Sy Demon
Brozaar
Atril
Gorrem
Xeno-Wort
Slom
Ortu
Zisp
Saucer
Each unit has its advantages along with disadvantages based on the situation.
Incubaar
A Taar attempt at psychological warfare, these giant plastic heads emit
conflicting images of horror and beauty. The victim endures both
painful and joyful feelings at once, thereby suppressing any aggression.
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DARK COLONY™
DARK COLONY™
DARK COLONY DEPENDENCY CHART
TAAR:
HUMAN:
To get the Building
To get the Building
Barracks
Science Lab
Requirement
Mind Hive
Breeder
Pod
Mind Hive
Upgraded Breeder
Pod
Breeder
Pod
Genetics Sac
Breeder
Pod
Upgraded Genetics Sac
Genetics
Sac
Neural Hive
Upgraded
Breeder
Pod
Exo Center
Exo Center
Upgraded Science Lab
Science Lab
Robot Factory
Barracks
Upgraded Robot Factory
Robot
Factory
Research Center
Upgraded
Science
Lab
Science Lab
Exo Center
Exo Center
To get the Unit
To get the Unit
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Requirement
Warrior Fold
Building Required
Exploiter
Exo Center
Trooper
Barracks
Exo Center
Sentinel
Science
Lab
Barracks
Exo Center
Reaper
Robot
Factory
Science Lab
Exo Center
Osprey
Robot
Factory
Science Lab
Exo Center
Firestorm
Upgraded
Robot
Factory
Science
Lab
Barracks
Barrager
Upgraded
Robot
Factory
Upgraded
Science
Lab
Exo Center
Medicraft
Research
Center
Barracks
Exo Center
S.A.R.G.E.
Research
Center
Barracks
Exo Center
Warrior
Fold
Mind
Hive
Mind Hive
Building Required
Brozaar
Mind Hive
Gray
Warrior
Fold
Mind Hive
Slom
Breeder
Pod
Warrior
Fold
Mind Hive
Sy Demon
Genetics
Sac
Breeder
Pod
Mind Hive
Ortu
Upgraded
Breeder
Pod
Genetics
Sac
Mind Hive
Xeno-wort
Upgraded
Genetics
Sac
Mind Hive
Atril
Upgraded
Genetics
Sac
Upgraded
Breeder
Pod
Mind Hive
Zisp
Neural
Hive
Upgrade
Breeder
Pod
Warrior
Fold
Gorrem
Neural
Hive
Warrior
Fold
Mind Hive
Exo
Center
Mind
Hive
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DARK COLONY™
HUMAN UNIT DESCRIPTIONS
DARK COLONY™
Barrager
Height: 4m
Mars Weight: 400kg
Main Weapon: 40cm Mortar Shell
Weakness: Slow and Susceptible to Air Attacks
Exploiter
Height: 1.8m
Mars Weight: 16,000kg
Main Weapon: Carbide polymer composite drill
Weakness: No attacking/defensive capabilities
Description: The main function of the Exploiter is to convert raw Petra-7 into an
energy waveform. The basic unit can be retro-fitted to handle a variety of tasks,
such as the excavation of Artifacts. Strong outer armor makes it almost
impervious to small attacks, when deployed.
Description: Due to its large size, the Barrager is quite slow, making it an easy
target once sighted. A large visibility radius allows long range attacks with shells
that damage any units within a 6m radius.
Medi-Craft
Height: 2.4m
Mars Weight: 92kg
Main Weapon: Cellular Regeneration Accelerator
Weakness: No Attacking/Defending weapons
Trooper
Height: 2m
Mars Weight: 87kg
Main Weapon: Pulse Rifle
Weakness: Thin Armor
Description: The generic human soldier is equipped with an electro-magnetic
pulse rifle that launches titanium shells at a speed roughly nine times the speed of
sound. A lack of sufficient armor requires that they attack en masse, especially
against any larger units or bases.
Description: The Medi-Craft uses a mag-lev generator to suspend itself 5m above
the surface of the ground, and a cellular regeneration accelerator to heal
battlefield units who are within its radius of effect.
Sentinel
Height: 1.4m
Mars Weight: 227kg
Main Weapon: Thermo-plastic carbide shrapnel
Reaper
Height: 3m
Mars Weight: 800kg
Main Weapon: 10mm Auto Cannon
Weakness: Susceptible to Air Attacks
Description: The Reaper class mech was designed with raw fire-power in mind.
The Reaper s 25mm cannon makes an excellent ground assault weapon, especially
against enemy buildings. Though very slow, it has very a strong Titanium armor
sealed with a Culver coating.
S.A.R.G.E
Height: 2.5m
Mars Weight: 500kg
Main Weapon: E.M. Pulse Rifle
Weakness: Weak Ammo, Expensive to Build
Description: [Information is Classified]
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Weakness: Volatile compound is dangerous to friendly units.
Fragile while walking.
Description: The Sentinel can walk across battlefields and bury itself below the
ground, where it is hidden from enemy view. When deployed, the unit burrows
into the ground using an electro-hydraulic-counter-weight-hammer. Any enemy
unit coming within 1m of the Sentinel cause it to detonate, launching explosive
shrapnel at the attacker.
Osprey IV
Height: 1.04m
Mars Weight: 800kg
Main Weapon: Napalm Canister
Weakness: Very Weak Armor
Description: The Osprey IV is a reconnaissance vehicle, mainly used to scout out enemy
positions and reveal unseen terrain. Armed with 15kg napalm canisters, this vehicle can
attack ground units, but is susceptible to attacks from ground troops and defensive towers.
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DARK COLONY™
Firestorm
Height: 2m
Mars Weight: 400kg
Main Weapon: Firebolt V Missiles
Weakness: Very fragile when mobile
DARK COLONY™
Description: The Ortu is a multi-purpose bomber/reconnaissance flying unit. A
hollow bone structure makes it light and maneuverable, though at the same time
quite fragile and susceptible to damage.
Atril
Height: 3.5m
Mars Weight: 1000kg
Main Weapon: Explosive Mucous Sac
Weakness: Susceptible to Air Attacks
Description: Designed strictly for defensive purposes, the Firestorm mobile turret
has the ability to launch missiles at both ground and air targets. Although
equipped with very strong carbonic armor, the delicate control circuitry is
exposed when mobile, making it an easy target when in transport.
Angel One
Height: 31m
Mars Weight: 1,400kg
Main Weapon: Unit/Building Deployment
Weakness: Limited Reinforcement Calls
Description: Bred for long range attacks, the Atril has a re-generative mucus sack
than can be propelled great distances via pressurized carbon dioxide generated
internally. The mucus sacks contain an explosive spore that damages any unit
within 25m of detonation.
Gorrem
Height: 2m
Mars Weight: 75kg
Main Weapon: Psychic Mind Lance
Weakness: Costly to Produce
Description: Angel One is part of a fleet of human supply ships in orbit around
Mars. Initially used to support the colonization projects, primarily to deliver base
components, they have been refitted to also provide military reinforcements. The
Commander can call in these dropships on a limited basis.
ALIEN UNIT DESCRIPTIONS
Taar Infantry
Height: 1.7m
Mars Weight: 60kg
Main Weapon: Plasma Bolt
Weakness: Weak weaponry
Description: As the main unit of the Taar army, the Gray soldier is a well rounded
soldier (no pun intended), able to attack both ground and air units. A small body
size and relatively weak armor requires that they attack in large numbers to do
any substantial damage.
Ortu
Wingspan: 3m
Mars Weight: 50kg
Main Weapon: Explosive Mucus Sack
Weakness: Poor Armor
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Description: The Gorrem is a docile animal native to the Taar home planet. The
discovery of a psychic gene allowed the Taar to breed the Gorrem into a long
range sniper, ideal for wiping out infantry operations. A lack of armor requires
that this unit not get involved in battles of attrition. A Gorrem also is equipped
with a Para-Storm attack, similar to the S.A.R.G.E. unit s Napalm attack, but with
acidic spores.
Slom
Height: .5m
Mars Weight: 1.5kg
Main Weapon: Explosive Hydrogen Sack
Weakness: No Defensive Capabilities
Description: The Slom has been engineered as a suicidal defensive weapon, with a
thin outer skin covering a highly volatile hydrogen cocktail. The Slom buries
itself in the ground and uses a methane trigger to detonate the explosive mix,
destroying everything within a 10m radius.
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DARK COLONY™
Brozaar
DARK COLONY™
Flying Saucers
Height: 2m
Mars Weight: 800kg
Main Weapon: Resource extraction/conversion
Weakness: No attacking/defensive capabilities
Description: The Brozaar is a recent addition to the Taar arsenal, modeled after
the human Exploiter to extract and refine Petra-7. The unit can be genetically
altered to perform other tasks, such as Artifact extraction and some advanced
medical procedures. An advanced poly-organic skin makes it very durable and
impervious to most forms of attack when deployed.
Height: 2.6m
Mars Weight: 140kg
Main Weapon: Bio-Scythe
Weakness: Susceptible to Air Attacks
Description: The Sy Demon was bred in response to the human Reaper, giving
the Taar a lethal infantry killer of its own. A quick unit with a very long visual
range, titanium blades embedded into its skeleton make it ideal against hard
targets and defensive structures.
Xeno-Wort
Each of the opposing armies are led by Commanders, highly trained soldiers
with abilities beyond that of normal infantry. Commanders rise (or drop) in rank
based on their battlefield performance.
Human:
Lieutenant
Description: A strictly defensive unit, this fragile beast is defenseless when in
transit. However, once deployed it buries itself into the ground, leaving only its
super dense posterior exposed, which is very difficult to destroy. The high-power
plasma turret is effective against both air and ground attackers.
Zisp
Height: 3m
Mars Weight: 60kg
Main Weapon: Medical/Genetic Repair
Weakness: No attacking/defensive weapons
Description: The Zisp is a strain of mutant Grays with powerful telekinetic abilities.
They were bred to be able to channel and project their healing energies onto
injured units and buildings. The lack of outer armor makes this a fragile unit.
Captain
Major
Colonel
Idrac
Sitruc
Reglia
Gray:
Ximal
Height: 1.4m
Mars Weight: 600kg
Main Weapon: Plasma Turret
Weakness: Vulnerable when traveling
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Description: Flying Saucers are from a hidden base somewhere on the surface of
Mars. Initially used to transport colonists from the home-world to Mars, they
now serve as troop transports. The Gray Commander can call in Flying Saucers
on a limited basis.
Commanders
Sy Demon
a
Height: 7.2m
Mars Weight: 800kg
Main Weapon: Provide Supplies and Reinforcements
Weakness: Limited Reinforcement Calls
The higher the rank, the stronger the Commander s abilities.
Dropships - Commanders can call in larger dropship reinforcements.
Vision - larger vision radius
Morale - inspire more troops to fight harder — Inspired troops health indicators
change from triangles into stars and gain an offensive bonus for a short duration.
The more kills the Commander is involved with or is witness to, the more
performance points are gained. On the other hand, the more deaths of friendly
units the Commander witnesses, the more points are subtracted. Should the
Commander get injured in battle, performance points are not available until the
beginning of the next mission.
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DARK COLONY™
Commander Awards
Commanders can also earn Awards, up to six per side, earned for a perfect
battlefield performance. The awards slightly increase the power of the
Commander s ability to influence his troops.
Human Awards
DARK COLONY™
Xenare: Given for unbelievable number of kills over the course of the
campaign
Kaoxtaar: Awarded for accomplishing a scientific task during the campaign,
for example, the discovery of important artifacts.
Galtaarx: The highest possible medal given by the Taar.
Mars Theater Medal: Given for campaign service on Mars
INDIGENOUS CREATURES
Battle Star: Given for a large number of kills on a single mission
Salise
Height: 1m
Mars Weight: 10kg
Main Weapon: Razor sharp teeth
Weakness: Soft skin
Command Star: Given for a huge number of kills on a single mission
Star of Valor: Given for an unbelievable number of kills over the course of
the campaign
Description: These jungle lizards are notorious for their curiosity. They have been
rumored to have infested several camps and like to lay on the warm metal of an
Exploiter as it collects Petra-7.
Order of Humanity: Awarded for accomplishing a scientific task during
the campaign, for example, the discovery of important artifacts.
Rennat
Height: 2m
Mars Weight: 40kg
Main Weapon: Strong jaw
Weakness: None
Celestial Crescent: The highest possible medal given by the Earth.
ALIEN AWARDS
Xexpaar: Given for campaign service on Mars
Teltraax: Given for large number of kills on a single mission
Altaarkan: Given for huge number of kills on a single mission
Description: An armored rodent that is indigenous to desert regions, the Rennat
is known only for its speed. Not much more is known about the ecological habits
of this creature.
Flynts
Height: 2m
Mars Weight: 13kg
Main Weapon: Acid Squirts
Weakness: Weak skin
Description: A quick, six-legged, jumping arachnid that shoots acid streams,
Flynts are mainly found in desert regions. Early human explorers learned (to their
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DARK COLONY™
DARK COLONY™
misfortune) that in addition to the Flynt s fanged bite, the creature could also
express a poisonous neurotoxin.
To extract an artifact you must first have a Research-center and a resource gathering
unit. The Research-center is needed to locate the artifact dig site. Once an artifact dig site
is located the player must send the resource gathering unit to actually dig up the artifact.
Grubs
Height: .5m
Mars Weight: 3kg
Main Weapon: Face Grabbing
Weakness: Very Weak
Description: These Grubs are the pupating larvae of Flynts that attack by jumping
at the victim and extending barbed tendrils coated with a mild poison.
Known Artifacts
Once an artifact has been extracted it is used in much the same way as any
other unit. All artifacts have different functions and abilities. All artifacts however
are deadly offensive weapons. Some can even cause harm to the player s units, and
should be used with caution.
Lunatek
Baats
The Lunatek emits ultrasonic waves that induce a hallucinatory state
of fear in both organic and non-organic units. Units affected by
waves become paranoid and delusional, attacking anything and
everything in sight. The grunts on Mars call this uncommon
medical condition berserking .
Height: .5m
Mars Weight: 3kg
Main Weapon: Sharp Fangs
Weakness: Large Target
Description: Similar to the bats introduced by humans into the new Martian
ecology, Baats are indigenous to the planet and have become a dominant
predator. Only their large size is a drawback, making them easy targets for
Humans and Grays alike.
Tektaara
The Tektaara is a mind control device that causes the victim to
become a willing puppet of the whoever controls the Tektaara. Due
to their advanced intelligence, humans and Taar are immune to the
Tektaara, but the indigenous species of Mars are not. Deploying the
Tektaara gives the player unlimited control over all the Martian
creatures currently active on the world.
ARTIFACTS
What Are They?
Rumors of an ancient civilization on Mars have been circulating
since the early 20th century although there has never been any
proof. The terraforming projects uncovered some unfamiliar
structures and markings, possibly of an extraterrestrial nature.
Solaris
The Solaris is an energy harnessing device which has been modified
to expel the power it stores. When activated, it begins to absorb all
visible light within a 40km radius and then releases the energy in a
massive energy blast that burns everything within a 50m radius.
These structures are entrances to underground tunnel systems which contain
A rtifacts , mysterious technology which appear to be some kind of advanced
weapon systems.
Maxtor
Artifact Site
During the course of the campaign, and on many Multiplayer maps, artifact
research is necessary to complete your mission. If an artifact is located on a map
you are told so on the mission briefing or Multiplayer chat screen.
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The Maxtor is a gravity well, quite similar to a black hole. When
activated, this unit buries itself in the ground unfolding its five
petals to reveal atomic attractors. Any unit caught within 25m of
the gravitational pull of the Maxtor gets dragged into the
processing chamber and is pulverized into space dust.
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DARK COLONY™
Kaox
This spherical unit is believed to be an ancient butchering machine.
When activated, the Kaox drops to .2m above the ground and
opens up to reveal a vast array of whirring carbonic blades that
shred everything within its path. The Kaox s main drawback is that
it moves in a random pattern, and once activated kills anything,
even friendly units.
CREDITS
GameTek
Original Concept and Design GameTek Canada
Lead Programmer
Programming
Stephen Orr, Mark Mastercraft, Kevin Hoare
Main Artwork
Greg Bick, Ray Larabie, Pete Armstrong
Additional Artwork
STRATEGY TIPS:
Cinematics
¥ Use air units to explore the map and watch enemy movement.
¥ Use a mix of units. Artillery may need troops to provide protection from airborne threats, and artillery can increase its range greatly if you use airborne
scouts as spotters.
¥ Don t forget to buy Armor and Weapon upgrades for your units.
¥ Remember, Taar forces are more effective fighters at night (vision/targeting
skill etc.) and Humans are more effective during daytime hours.
Campaign Design
Scenario Design
¥ Units can be hit by friendly fire, so be careful when using artillery.
¥ Back up your ground-to-air missile towers with artillery.
¥ Protect your cities from air attacks with Firestorms or infantry.
¥ When purchasing large numbers of units (20+) at a time, you may need to
move the units away from the Base of Operations in order to make room for
the new units.
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Brian Shelton, Sergei Kuprejanov,
Adam Holbrough
Brian Shelton
Ed Zolnieryk, Greg Bick
Sergei Kuprejanov, Pete Armstrong,
Blair Renaud
Multi-Player Scenario Design Blair Renaud
SFX
Music
Playtesters
¥ Keep an eye out for newly erupting Petra-7 vents. When a vent runs out of
fuel, the Exploiter can be moved to a new vent.
¥ Try to defend important areas with a variety of units.
Andrew Brownbill
Brian Shelton, Blair Renaud
Barry Blum
Richard Wilson, Suzanne Brownbill,
Chris Archer, Jay McDonald, Chris DeMenna
Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Producer
Rick White
Associate Producer
Jon Kromrey
Test Manager
Sean Decker
Product Test Supervisor
Lead Tester
Testers
Jason Ray
Jeremy Dang
Jesse Anacleto, Garrett Graham, Mary Parker,
Dave Pope, Daniel Rivera, Dave Wallick
Editors / Documentation
Mark Whisler, Anathea Lopez
Documentation Support
Aaron Scheiber
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CUSTOMER SERVICE
Our Technical Support staff is here to assist you 8:30am - 5:00pm Pacific Time,
Monday through Friday. Holidays are excluded.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
Our Customer Support staff is here to assist you 9:00am - 5:00pm Pacific
Time, Monday through Friday. Holidays are excluded.
Technical Support handles the following:
Answering Technical questions about installing and running our products.
Customer Support handles the following:
Answering Technical questions about installing and running our free playable
demos.
Release date confirmation.
Disk / CD Replacement and Upgrades -- Please see Policies.
Missing or damaged game parts replacement.
Refunds / Exchanges -- Please see Policies.
Placing an order for a patch disk to be sent via Snail Mail.
Inquiries about game hints.
Receiving and routing comments and suggestions received about our products to
the development teams here at SSI.
These are the ways in which you can contact SSI Technical Support:
1.E-mail
When emailing Technical Support, PLEASE put only the product name in the
subject line.
Note: SSI no longer has hints available through our Hintmaster, please e-mail SSI
Customer Support for information about where to find the latest hints.
SSI Tech Support's internal address
These are the ways in which you can contact SSI Customer
[email protected]
Support:
2.Fax
1.E-mail
SSI Tech Support’s Fax number is 415-895-2113 Attn. Technical Support
SSI Customer Support’s internal address:
3.Telephone
[email protected]
SSI Tech Support’s Telephone number is 415-895-2626
2.Fax
Our support lines are open 8:30am - 5:00pm Pacific Time, Monday through
Friday. Holidays are excluded.
SSI Customer Support’s Fax number is
4.Snail Mail
ATTN: SSI Customer Service
Mindscape Games (SSI)
Attention: Technical Support
88 Rowland Way
Navato, CA. 94945
415-895-2113
3.Telephone
SSI Customer Support’s Telephone number is 1-800-234-3088 or 415-895-2000
4.Snail Mail
Mindscape Games (SSI)
Attention: Customer Support
88 Rowland Way
Navato, CA. 94945
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