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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
THE DARK PLANET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
INSTALLING DARK PLANET. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
STARTING DARK PLANET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
LEARNING TO PLAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
PLAYING THE GAME – CONTROLLING YOUR RACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
IN-GAME SETTINGS AND CONTROLS – QUICK REFERENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
GAME SETTINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
COLLECTING RESOURCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
WORKER TASKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
CREATING UNITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
COMBAT SYSTEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
RACES OF DARK PLANET: THE DREIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
RACES OF DARK PLANET: THE SORIN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
RACES OF DARK PLANET: THE COLONIST CORPS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
APPENDICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
CREDITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
UBI SOFT LICENSE AGREEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
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INTRODUCTION
THE DARK PLANET
From Earth, one can barely make out the star 6Hubley-21. Its glimmer is lost against that of
much bigger and brighter stars. But 6Hubley-21 shines in other ways, for it is one of those rare
stars that possess an Earth-type planet – Natrolis.
When playing Dark Planet™, you are given the chance
to guide one of the existing races on the planet's
surface to become the dominant force in the
region. Your goal is to take a small race of
people and battle the other interlopers until
you achieve total victory in each
campaign, weakening the opposing
enemy races enough until you are
able to take them all on in a final
battle for supremacy.
From orbit, Natrolis is a shining sphere of rich greens and blues. The planet is lush with
vegetation and rich in water. One third of the surface is a single vast continent; the rest is
comprised of oceans and small archipelagos.
Planets such as Natrolis do not remain unnoticed forever. Like all treasures, there are those
who would kill to possess it. And, like all treasures, there are dragons to guard it.
On the eve of the third millennium, three forces will be drawn together to battle for the future
of their species and for the future of the planet. Only one of these forces can prevail.
You must choose which side to fight for. Will you join the Expansionist Corps Mechanized
Division (ECMD) and scale the ladder of promotion for glory and honor? Or will you join the
deadly Dreil and lead a ruthlessly efficient race in achieving their ultimate goal? Or perhaps
you will join the Sorin and evolve into a Holy Warrior revered by the people and feared by the
powerful priests of the High Council.
Natrolis awaits you.
You start the game by establishing
a base camp in the center of your
region. By gathering a few workers,
you can lead these brave souls on
to further glory, exploring the map,
finding all the different types of
natural resources such as wood,
minerals, and stone. At the same time
you will discover the secrets of the land
and the other races living there. To
succeed in your quest for greatness, you
must help your people master the collection
of resources to expand and support your race.
By building new and fantastic structures, you
can achieve much success in a short span of
time. You can quickly build up a fleet of vehicles or
a fierce set of well-trained military units ready to go
on the attack at a moment’s notice. From these
buildings you can also enrich your population's
knowledge base by researching new technologies and
techniques, such as advanced weaponry for your military.
Once you start to harness these new techniques, as well as gathering as many resources as
possible, you can start to channel this improved power and knowledge back into your central
structure, one step closer to realizing its full potential. With each level you raise your primary
building (Hub, Hive, or Temple), your race’s skills increase accordingly, gaining the ability to
construct wondrous new buildings, better vehicles and more advanced military units.
The overall winner of the game is the leader who takes their race through the campaigns
across the land and succeeds in suppressing the challenges of the other races.
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A resolution requester will appear. Select your desired resolution and color depth.
INSTALLING DARK PLANET
To install Dark Planet, you must be using Microsoft Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP. Full install
requires 550 MB of Hard Disk Space.
®
To install Dark Planet on your computer:
1. Start up your computer using Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP.
2. Put the Dark Planet game disc into your CD-ROM drive.
3. If AutoPlay is enabled, the Setup program should automatically appear; click ‘Install Dark
Planet’. You should now follow the instructions that appear on the screen to install all the
components needed to play the game.
Or
If AutoPlay is disabled, double-click the My
Computer icon on your desktop, double-click the
icon for your CD-ROM drive, and then double-click
the Setup.exe icon for Dark Planet. When the
Setup Screen appears, click ‘Install Dark Planet’.
You should now follow the instructions that appear
on the screen to install all the components needed
to play the game.
If you have trouble installing Dark Planet, refer to
the troubleshooting guide at the end of this
manual, or the readme file located in the root
directory of the Dark Planet CD disc.
There is a fast mouse option, which provides a more responsive gaming experience but is not
compatible with all systems.
You can skip the logo screens and introductory movie by pressing the Left Mouse Button or
the Spacebar.
If you have trouble starting Dark Planet, refer to the troubleshooting guide at the end of this
manual, or the readme file accessible from the Setup program or the Start Menu.
LEARNING TO PLAY
The best way to learn the basics of Dark Planet is to
play one of the Tutorial Campaigns. This is a series
of levels that teach you how to build, collect
resources, expand your population and combat the
enemy. The Tutorial Levels can be played in any
order and each one teaches you valuable skills
needed to be successful in the Campaigns.
1. To play the Tutorial Levels, select Campaign from
the Dark Planet Menu.
2. Choose the Team that you wish to play by clicking
on one of the team symbols and click Continue.
3. Type in a player name and click Continue.
4. The Tutorial Levels will now be displayed on the left-hand side of the Map Screen.
Select the first one and continue; the background to the level will now be displayed.
INSTALLING DirectX
5. If you wish to play this level, click Continue, if not, click Back and select a different level.
Dark Planet also requires the latest version of DirectX (8.0) to be installed on your computer;
this is supplied on the game CD. At the end of game installation a prompt will appear asking if
you wish to ‘Install DirectX’.
6. The objectives needed to complete the level will display before loading.
Select ‘yes’ and follow the instructions that appear on screen to install DirectX 8.0.
UNINSTALLING DARK PLANET
To uninstall Dark Planet from your computer:
1. Start up your computer using Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP
2. Put the Dark Planet game disc into your CD-ROM drive.
3. If AutoPlay is enabled, the Setup program should automatically appear; click ‘Remove Dark
Planet’. You should now follow the instructions that appear on the screen to remove Dark
Planet from your computer.
Or
1. Start up your computer using Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP.
2. Click on the Start Button on the taskbar, go to Settings and click Control Panel. Double-click
Add/Remove Programs, select Dark Planet, and then click Add/Remove.
3. Follow the instructions that appear on screen to remove Dark Planet from your computer.
STARTING DARK PLANET
You must have a Dark Planet disc inserted in your CD-ROM drive to play.
Click the Start Button on the Windows Menu bar, then click Programs.
Select Dark Planet or use the desktop icon.
To see the current objective while playing the game click the Objective icon on the Main Panel
or press the F2 Button.
Choosing a Race
In Dark Planet you have the chance to guide one of three races into being the dominant
civilization. Each race has its own strengths and weaknesses and each can research different
technologies. To see the research and upgrade abilities of each race, refer to the Technology
Tree.
The race you choose to play must eventually become the dominant force on Natrolis. The Dreil
need to cocoon the other races to survive, the Colonists have superior technology, whereas
the Sorin have a much better equilibrium with their surroundings. Choose the race you feel has
the best all around ability and then strive for control of the planet.
Winning a Game
In both the Tutorial and Campaign Levels of all races, victory is achieved by completing the
mission objectives set out for that level. These can vary from a secret mission to rescue some
member of your race, destroy a hidden enemy base, or a good old straight fight to the finish.
Most of the missions are based around both protecting and expanding the power of your
growing civilization, which is the key to victory on all levels.
You can also achieve victory on some levels by destroying the main base, or civilization center,
of the opposing forces. These are usually well guarded and take a lot of effort to wipe from the
map.
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Playing a Campaign
A campaign is a set of related levels that tell the story of your battle for superiority. You must
play the missions in a Campaign in sequence, completing the objectives set out as necessary
for victory.
To play a campaign:
1. On the Dark Planet Menu, select Single Player.
2. If you are a new player, choose the Team that you
wish to campaign as by clicking on one of the team
symbols and click Start.
3. Type in a player name and click Start.
4. The available levels will now be displayed on the
Level Select Screen; choose the one you wish to
play and click Start.
5. The objectives needed to complete this level will be
displayed again after loading.
While you are playing the game, to see the current
objective to be completed click on the Objective icon
on the Main Panel or press the F2 Button. Once you
have completed a level in the campaign, the next one
will be become available.
Skirmish
The Skirmish game is essentially a fight to the finish
with the last team standing the winner.
Capture the Flag
In the Capture the Flag game each player has to grab
their opponent’s flags and get them back to their
marker to score. Some maps have the team flags
directly at the opposing bases, and some are placed
around the map. Use the mini-map to quickly find flags
that can be collected.
Domination
To win the Domination game a player must hold a set of marker points for the longest time. By
getting one of your units close to a marker, you will see it change to your team color and your
score will start to rise. These points are placed at strategic points around the map, and can
quickly be found using the mini-map.
Campaign
The Campaign Levels in the multiplayer game are structured so that the more human players
that are participating, the bigger the game will become. To win, each player must join and
complete a number of set objectives to overcome a common enemy, whose purpose becomes
clear as the Campaign unravels.
CREATING OR JOINING A MULTIPLAYER GAME
To play a saved game:
Players can create a game that others can connect to. The player with the fastest computer
should be the host for the game.
1. From the main Dark Planet Menu, click Load.
To create or join a multiplayer game:
2. Select the name of the player you have previously campaigned as.
1. If you are creating a game to run across the Internet,
establish your connection before starting the game.
Playing a Saved Game
3. Click on the save game that you wish to continue.
4. Click Start to continue; the game will now load at the last point saved.
Or:
1. If you are playing the game, bring up the Options Panel using the Options icon on the Main
Panel.
2. Select the Load tab.
3. Choose the saved game you wish to load.
NOTE: If you do not save your current game, you will lose it on loading a previously saved
game.
2. Select the ‘Multiplayer’ option from the Main Menu.
3. Type in your player name.
4. Select the connection type for the game.
The connection types available depend on the
hardware, software and services you are using.
If you are connecting through a LAN network and
are unsure of the protocol to use, check with your
Network Administrator. The connection choices are:
IPX Connection for Directplay – Connect across a network that uses the IPX protocol.
Multiplayer Games
TCP/IP Connection for Directplay – Connect across the Internet or a network that uses TCP/IP.
In the multiplayer game, you can play against up to 8 human players connected across a
network (LAN) or Internet connection (via the Ubi.com network).
5. To join a game, click on the Search Button, and then select a game and click on the Join
Button. All players attempting to connect must be using the same version of the game.
Note: If you do not have a network or Internet connection available, the multiplayer games can
still be played as a single player against computer opponents. Select the Custom Button from
the Main Dark Planet Screen and set-up a game using the same method as for a normal
multiplayer game listed below.
Or
MULTIPLAYER GAME TYPES
6. If you are joining the game, select your team number, race, and color.
There are four different styles of network play available in Dark Planet. Each one is very
different, with its own set of maps and challenges.
Or
To create a game, click on the Create Button. As the host, you are responsible for selecting the
game settings, which are displayed in the box on the right hand side of the screen. Use the
Chat Box to discuss the best game settings with the other players.
If you are the host of the game, you can change any of the other game settings.
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7. When you are ready to start the game, click on the
Ready Button. All players must click on the Ready
Button before the host can begin the game. The
names of the players that are ready are highlighted
in green. If you change your mind before the game
starts, toggle the Ready Button. Only when all of the
players are ready, can the game start.
If you are the host, click on the Ready Button to begin
the game.
MULTIPLAYER GAME SPEED
Multiplayer games can only run as fast as the player with the slowest connection. If the game
seems jerky and unresponsive while you are playing a network game, one or more of your
players has latency or frame rate problems.
The slowest players can drop out of the game, and could try either changing their graphic
settings to a lower level, or closing any applications that may be consuming bandwidth before
starting the game. If you lose your connection during a game, you cannot rejoin.
CHATTING TO OTHER PLAYERS
To chat to other players during a game, press the ‘t’ key, then type your message followed by
Enter. This will broadcast your message to all human players in the game. If you are playing a
team game use the ‘c’ key to chat only with your teammates.
Game Settings : Lobby Screen (Host only)
Difficulty
This setting controls how difficult the AI is for the computer-controlled teams. There are three
settings: Easy, Medium, and Hard. The default setting is Medium.
Starting Resources
This setting alters the amount of resources available to mine at the start of the level. This can
be a bare desert-type setting or a lush plain full of resources to battle over.
Unit Population
This setting chooses the limit to the population of each network player from 10 to 300.
Technology Tree Start Point
The player can choose how advanced the technology should be when the game starts. It
affects both the resource start value and the technology tree level.
Time Limit
Can be used to set a limit to the time of play, with the highest scoring player being the victor.
Cloak of Darkness State
This setting alters the map visibility to the starting players, and can be Normal (Cloaked change
depending on the race you choose), Explore (partially cloaked), Cloaked (fully cloaked) or
Visible (uncloaked), making all players visible to each other at all times.
Score to Win (Domination and Capture the Flag games only)
Sets the amount of points that needs to be reached in order to win the game.
Multiplayer Game Settings
PLAYING THE GAME - CONTROLLING YOUR RACE
PLAYER SETTINGS: LOBBY SCREEN
Exploring
Name:
Shows the player name. If you are the host of the game,
you can Close some of the open slots to limit the game
to fewer players. Closing a position occupied by a
player ejects them from the game. Selecting Computer
in the player list allows a computer-controlled enemy to
compete in the game.
Number of Players:
Dark Planet will allow up to 8 players to compete
together. These can be made up of any combination of race and human vs. computer-controlled
teams. The number of players allowed on any particular map is displayed on the Map Selection
Screen when the multiplayer game is being created.
Race:
Shows the player’s choice of race in the game. Each of the three races has different skills and
abilities that the other races do not. For more information on each of the races, see the relevant
Tech Tree Reference Card. More than one player can choose to play as the same race.
Team Color:
Shows the color of the team that will be competing. Each player must choose a different color
from other opponents.
Team Number:
Shows the teams that wish to play as allies. You can select a team by clicking on the Team
Number Button. Players that select the same team do not compete against each other.
Exploring the map is vital at the start of the game. This will allow you to uncover resources and
it will also show you what the nearby geography looks like. This will allow you to plan your
attack if you come across the enemy and show you where it would be good to set up defenses,
as well as show you where any hidden resources are. More advanced collection techniques
should be researched later on to allow you to speed up and continue your resource collection
when local resources start to get short.
Mist of Discovery
When you explore the map with one of your units, a person, a military unit, or vehicle, the map
will be revealed to you from dark to color. When looking at the map on the screen, dark areas
show parts of the map that have not been explored yet and need to have one of your units sent
over to that area to reveal it. The lit areas around your houses and units reflect how far that
unit can see, or in the case of a house or building, it reflects how far you can see the map from
that house or building. When you command your units to move somewhere, the lit area will
move with the unit. This reflects its current sight. Different units have different sight capability
allowing them to ‘see’ further around them.
When a unit has revealed the map, the terrain stays visible on your map, but it will not be as
bright as it was when you had a unit nearby. This means that you know the terrain but you
cannot currently ‘see’ this area of the map as your enemy moves around on it. So if any enemy
team moves its own units there, you will not see this on your map until you move back into sight
distance where your map will be updated to reflect the change.
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Basic Unit Selection
Moving Units
Controlling your tribal members is the whole crux of the game. Master the selection process,
as it can be difficult when there are lots of things happening on the screen at one time or the
display is zoomed out quite far.
Moving units across the land.
1. Once you have selected the units you want to move across the land (you can see the
selected unit or group’s thumbnails appear above the panel) click with the Right Mouse
Button on the map location where you wish the selected unit(s) to move to.
To select a single unit or vehicle:
1. Move the cursor over the unit or vehicle and click with the Left Mouse Button.
2. Selected units will display their energy bar above their heads as well as appearing as a
‘thumbnail’ graphic above the Main Panel.
To select a number of units on the screen:
1. Click on the screen and while holding down the Left Mouse Button and drag the cursor
over the rectangular area of the screen where the units are. This area will be highlighted
with a colored area attached to the cursor.
2. Letting go of the action button will highlight any units that were within the selected
rectangle. This will be reflected by all of the units showing their energy bars above their
heads, as well as appearing as ‘thumbnails’ above the Main Panel.
Selecting an area of the map that is larger than the screen is possible, as the drag box area
grows to cover the area of selection underneath it.
Engaging the Enemy
On land, both your Military and Worker units are capable of engaging the enemy in combat.
When set to the correct attack mode, Military units will automatically attack enemy units that
come within a close proximity to them, unless you order them to attack a different target first.
To order a Military unit or Worker to attack.
1. Click on the Military unit or Worker (or group) that you wish to attack with.
2. Right-click on the selected enemy unit or building. Your units will then attack the target until
it is either destroyed or they are defeated.
To defend an area or building.
1. Click on the Military unit or Worker (or group) that you wish to attack with.
2. Right-click on the area or building that you wish to defend. Your units will then defend that
area until defeated or commanded elsewhere.
2. A confirmation animation will happen on the point of the screen where you clicked and the
units will be on their way.
3. If, for some reason, the destination that you have given to the unit is not reachable, the unit
will travel to the nearest location possible and wait in a neutral stance for a new command.
The unit is now idle, and can be found with the ‘m’ key (default) if lost.
The speed at which the units reach their destination depends on the speed of the unit and the
game speed (refer to the section ‘Changing the game settings’). The speed of the unit can in
some cases be increased due to research that you can develop. This increases unit speed by
varying amounts.
Transporting Units
Sometimes you have to move a group of units through a dangerous or heavily protected area.
The best way to move exposed units across these areas would be to create a Transport
Vehicle, which can load up and protect your units. Each Transport Vehicle can only hold a
certain number of units on each journey.
To load a Transport Vehicle:
1. Build a Transport Vehicle at their relevant building (see Tech Tree Reference Card for more
info).
2. Select the group of units on the screen and right click on the Transport Vehicle. The units
will now board the vehicle.
3. With the vehicle still selected, look at the bottom of the main panel to see how many units
you are carrying and still have space for.
To unload a Transport Vehicle:
1. Select the Transport Vehicle containing units.
2. Click on the land where you wish to unload. Your units will now automatically disembark.
Grouping Units
Thumbnails and the Unit Queue
Grouping lets you give a single command to more than one unit at the same time. You can
group any number of units together with the group command on the panel or by using the
shortcut keys.
When you select a unit or a group of units on the screen, a small picture or ‘thumbnail’
appears on top of the Main Panel. This bar along the top of the Control Panel is also used as a
Unit Queue. When a building is selected, multiple tasks can be qued up to be performed in a
particular order at that building. For example, you may wish to research a new weapon before
creating an army of these newly armed warriors, and this can simply be done by multiple
clicks of the Research and Create Unit Buttons. To cancel any item in the queue, simply click
on the thumbnail and it will be removed.
You can create up to six groups of units for you to command.
To create a group:
1. Select a group of units on the screen. Their thumbnails will appear above the Main Panel.
2. Click the Group Button on the Main Panel, then choose a group number.
Terrain Specifics
To select a group:
1. Double-click on any unit in the group. This will select every member of the group ready for
receiving a command.
The differing geographical locations such as the icy lands and arid landscapes inhabited by all
of the different races share key terrain features.
Or
Press the number key that is associated to that group. For example, to select group 5, press
the 5 key.
2. The screen will move to the central point of the group. You can hold down the group’s
number to follow the group around the map as they perform their commands.
Water - Only passable by flying units or vehicles.
Shoreline - Passable by flying or land-based units.
Lowland - Passable by all air or land-based units and ideal for construction. Usually populated
with vegetation and patches of stone.
Highland - Partly passable by most air and land-based units, construction here is very difficult.
Attacking Archer units can sometimes create more damage from these higher areas.
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It is not possible for all units to walk over very steep hills and dips in the terrain; they will stop
when the elevation gets too high for them to climb. If the unit is given a destination on the
other side of a steep hill or dip, the unit will walk around the obstacle to get to the destination.
Saving and exiting
To save a game:
Bring up the Options Panel using the Cube icon on the Main Panel.
When firing weapons, the impact on the target’s energy rating will be greater in relation to the
height of the starting height of the weapon. The radius of some weapons can also be
increased on impact.
Click on the Save tab and select a slot to save your game into.
IN-GAME SETTINGS AND CONTROLS –
QUICK REFERENCE
To change the music volume:
1. Click on the Options Panel icon at the bottom right-hand side of the game screen.
This saves your game at the current location, ready for use the next time you log in.
Control Keys
The control keys or ‘hotkeys’ are keys that allow the player to shortcut actions that would
normally be performed using the Main Control Panel. These keys cover things such as camera
movement, speed and other useful game actions. Some keys are customizable by the player,
some are not. They can be set in the Options Panel by selecting F3.
2. Move the music volume selector and adjust the setting as required.
Leaving the Game
Press the Escape key. A prompt will appear to confirm your exit from the game. Any progress
in that level that is not saved will be lost the next time you log in.
To change the sound effects volume:
1. Click on the Options Panel icon at the bottom right-hand side of the game screen.
Extra Controls
Hold Shift while placing a building highlight to put down multiple buildings of that type.
2. Move the sound effects volume selector and adjust the setting as required.
Double-clicking units will select all the units of that type in the viewing area.
To change the game speed:
Click on the Options Panel icon at the bottom right-hand side of the game screen.
GAME SETTINGS
Move the game speed selector and adjust the game speed as required.
Game Option Settings
OR
The game Setting Options Panel can be reached from
three places: ‘OPTIONS’ Menu on the front end, and by
clicking either the F3 key or the Options Button on the
Main Panel in-game. These are both saved to the same
place. There are four options menus:
1. Press the ‘.’ key to speed up the game speed.
2. Press the ‘,’ key to slow down the game speed.
3. Press the ‘/ ’ key to reset the game speed back to default.
Remember that the opposing races also speed up their actions when the speed is altered.
To Change the Game Resolution:
1. Select the resolution required after running the Dark Planet shortcut or from the Main
Options Panel.
Moving around the Map:
Cursor keys scroll in four directions.
Delete and Page Down rotate the camera left and right. Holding down the Right Mouse Button
and moving the mouse also rotates the camera.
Insert and Page Up pan the camera up and down.
Home and End zoom the camera in and out. If you have a Mouse with a scroll wheel, you can
also use it to zoom.
In Game Help
To display current objective:
Click the Objective icon on the main panel or press the F2 key.
To display a help box:
Simply leave the cursor over an item you wish to know more about, either on the game
battlefield or the panel. After a time a small box will appear next to the object with a brief
description.
Graphics:
Allows the player to select graphical game settings
such as resolution, rendering types, and other settings
that can be changed to suit player and game
performance preferences.
Sound:
Allows the player to adjust straightforward settings such as music and sound effect volume.
Options:
Allows the player to change the overall games settings such as game speed, graphic displays
and switching the help system on or off.
Controls:
Allows the player to set up and define their preferred control key settings.
To Change a Control Key:
Go to the CONTROLS section on the OPTIONS Menu. Click on the key you want to change.
The Cursor will appear in the key box, then select the new key by pressing it once. The key
is then assigned.
If you try to assign a function to a key already used for a different function, the function to
which the key was previously assigned will display ‘NONE’. If this is not assigned to a new key,
it will not work in the game. Defaulting the control keys will go back to original settings.
Certain settings are local to the machine, such as graphic and sound settings. When playing a
network game, only the network game host can change settings that are global to all network
players.
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Energy (Colonist only)
Representing the overall state of health of both man and machine, the energy
level of the Colonists can go up and down as resources are mined and
attacks weathered. The Colonists have found that the natural vents on
Natrolis supply the perfect amount of energy needed to continue a long
campaign on the surface. It is collected by either the Sapper Droids or the
Mining Extractor from the natural vents found around the land.
COLLECTING RESOURCES
Each team collects different resources that allow them to successfully exist on the Planet.
Sorin, for instance, use mostly stone and wood to build, while Colonists are on Natrolis mainly
for the Crystal Ore, but also need energy in order to succeed. You need to organize the
collection and storage of these resources not only for day-to-day survival but also in order for
your race to expand their numbers. Expanding the size and ability of the controlling structure
needs a greater amount of resources to go from strength to strength.
The resources that your race possesses are shown in the boxes on the left-hand side of the
Main Control Panel. They are:
Wood (Sorin and Dreil)
Wood is vital to the construction of not only your early buildings, but as a
component of some military units. Wood is gathered by the Hammer Slaves
(Sorin) or the Drones (Dreil) from nearby trees and hard shrubs.
Crystal Ore (Colonist and Dreil)
As the hardest and most precious material on the planet, the crystal-based
minerals are the source of many things. Uses range from basic and advanced
weapons for your military to tools that assist the learning of new skills and
research. Crystal is gathered by the Sapper Droids (Colonist) and the Drones
(Dreil) from surface areas covered in crystal shards.
Stone (Colonist and Sorin)
Used in the building of more advanced and sturdy structures, stone is
gathered by hand by the Sapper Droids (Colonist) and the Hammer Slaves
(Sorin). With bigger buildings and the later protection needed by towers and
walls, stone is also vital in the development of your race.
To view natural resources:
Simply place the cursor over the object you want to examine, i.e. a tree or a rich mineral seam.
A hover box will appear over the resource displaying the value of resources still available for
collection. By researching different technologies and techniques, it is possible to extract more
and better quality resources in the same amount of time.
WORKER TASKS
The worker unit is the single and most basic element of
your civilization. Colonists have remote Sapper Droids,
the Dreil have Drones, and the Sorin rely on Hammer
Slaves to be the backbone of their civilizations.
Workers are absolutely necessary for performing your
basic commands, and are the only units that can
effectively stockpile your resources needed for
survival. It is better to have excess Workers than to
have too few in your ranks.
Workers can be assigned different tasks at any time in
the game:
BUILDER
Workers are the only characters who have the capability to construct buildings. The more
Workers assigned, the quicker the building are constructed, as long as you have the correct
amount of resources of course.
REPAIRMAN
Organic Energy (Dreil only)
As the source of life for the Dreil, energy is needed in increasing quantities
as a conflict rages on. Collectors bring back cocooned enemies to the Mound
or any nearby Larder. Energy is used by the Dreil to summon both defensive
and attacking forces to capture victory for their race.
When the buildings are in need of repair, perhaps due to attacks from the other races, your
Worker unit is the only character that can perform repair tasks on a land-based building.
Faith (Sorin only)
As the source of magic and creation for the Sorin, Faith is needed in
increasing quantities as the conflict rages on. It is gathered by instructing the
Hammer Slaves to worship the main Temple or any other religious artifact, or
by capturing the souls of defeated enemies. Faith is used by Sorin Priests to
summon both defensive and attacking magic to capture victory for their race.
FOREST CUTTER
MINER
Mining the land by hand is far slower than by building a mine over the geothermal vents, but
sometimes it's necessary to mine these by hand until you have enough resources to build a
mine.
Buildings and units need wood. Your Forest Cutter, will carry the wood back to the Main
Control Building or Collection Point, whichever is closer.
MILITARY GRUNT
Sometimes it may be necessary to defend oneself from attack or to attack a member of an
opposite race due to there being no Military units around. While not designed to fight or be
aggressive, the Worker can, when asked to, attack for the greater good of the race.
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ENERGY COLLECTOR (Colonist Sapper Droids)
There are plenty of natural energy vents scattered over the planet surface. The Sapper Droids
can collect this gas and transport it back to the nearest Hub or Silo for conversion of the
plasma energy needed to run everyday Colonist operations. This collection method can be
automated later on by building a Mining Extractor directly on top of surface vents.
FAITH GATHERER (Sorin Hammer Slaves)
The Sorin Priests need to have faith placed upon them before they can perform their magical
spells. The only character who can give them faith is the trusty Slave. Slaves can pray at any
of the Religious icons scattered throughout the land as well as the Altars and Temples that you
may control at that time. Slaves cannot pray at an enemy race’s religious icon. Faith is
unlimited; there is no danger of the faith running out by leaving a Slave praying too long.
To create a Vehicle or Remote unit:
1. Build a Vehicle or Remote unit structure (refer to Tech Tree Reference Cards for building
details).
2. Click on the building.
3. Click on the Create Unit Button for the vehicle you
wish to create. If you have enough resources and
housing, a Vehicle of that type will be put onto the
Unit Queue at the bottom of the screen.
4. To add more Vehicle units to the Unit Queue, keep
clicking the Create Unit Button until you
run out of resources, or have selected enough.
To assign a worker to a task:
1. Select a single worker unit by left-clicking on them.
5. Once a Vehicle unit is added to the Unit Queue, after
a brief period the Unit will appear next the building.
2. Right-click on the target resource, i.e. a tree, if you wish to collect wood. The cursor will
change to reflect the resource that the worker unit will be collecting (i.e. an axe for wood,
or a pickaxe for a piece of crystal).
COMBAT SYSTEMS
The worker unit will now go to the designated site and collect as many resources as they can
carry before returning to the nearest control building or collection point. When the resource is
depleted, the worker will then search for more of the same resource in the nearby area. If a
worker does not find new resources of the chosen type, they will wait for new commands.
CREATING UNITS
Creating units such as Workers, Military units and Vehicles all costs resources (wood, stone,
crystal and energy). You must also have enough Houses for all your people to live in (each
house initially holds five units). If a House is destroyed, you need to replace it before you can
create more units. For more information on Military and Vehicle units, refer to the individual
team sections and Tech Tree Reference Cards.
To create a Worker unit:
1. Click on the main Control Building.
2. Click on the Create Worker (Sapper, Slave or Drone) Button. If you have enough resources
and housing, a Worker unit will be put onto the Unit Queue at the bottom of the screen.
3. To add more workers to the Unit Queue, keep clicking the Create Worker Button until you
run out of resources, or have selected enough.
4. Once a Worker unit is added to the Unit Queue, after a brief period the Unit will appear next
the Control Building.
To create a Military unit:
1. Build a Military structure (refer to Tech Tree Reference Cards for building details).
Formations
ABOUT FORMATIONS
When you select a group and target them to a place on
the map, they will usually move as a group, staying in
the same shape as when commanded, with the faster
units sometimes breaking away from the main pack.
Proper military operations depend on order and
command. This is where formations come in.
Creating and commanding formation groups brings
a very powerful military element into your control,
bringing things such as the ability to protect weaker
units inside a structured powerful squad. When you
create and target a formation, the group stays in position, defending each other until the last
man.
Formation Types
SQUAD FORMATIONS
These types of formations represent the most basic type of preformed group, with the selected
units quickly forming into a predefined shape. There are several default group shapes:
Arrow – Units form up in an arrowhead type formation. Perfect for a focused
attack on a particular enemy target, or for a more penetrating attack on an
enemy wall or guarded entrance.
2. Click on the building.
3. Click on the Create Unit Button for the type you wish to create. If you have enough
resources and housing, a Military unit of that type will be put onto the Unit Queue at the
bottom of the screen.
4. To add more Military units to the Unit Queue, keep clicking the Create Unit Button until you
run out of resources, or have selected enough.
5. Once a Military unit is added to the Unit Queue, after a brief period the Unit will appear next
the building.
Sphere – Units form up into a circular pattern. Used primarily for moving
weaker units across a map, with them in the center surrounded on all sides.
Probably the strongest and most elegant of the formation types for ease of
use and movement.
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Diamond – Units form up in a box-shaped formation. Useful for packing in a
good amount of strong troops and very resistant to hand-to-hand attack. The
group is very maneuverable, although fairly vulnerable to attack from missile
units if tightly formed.
Custom Formations
These types of formations are only used when set by the player. The game starts with no
custom types of formation, and they can only be used when the shape is set out during the
game. The beauty of these types of formations is that the player can adapt his groups to a
certain situation, whether it’s defending a forest clearing or moving along a hazardous
mountain path. Once set, their formation becomes a part of the predefined shapes, until reset
in the Options menu (please refer to Game Controls and Settings chapter)
Using Formations
TO CREATE A QUICK FORMATION (ALSO FOR CHANGING A
FORMATION TYPE)
Select a group or selection of units. Click on one of the Formation Shape
(Arrow, Sphere or Diamond) Buttons that appear on the Main Panel. The new
formation group will form up and is automatically assigned a group. It can
now be selected and targeted by either using hotkeys or the relevant group
icon.
TO TARGET A FORMATION
Select the formation using either hotkeys or the relevant group icon and click on the desired
target. The formation will now move at the speed of the slowest unit to the new target, arriving
in the chosen shape and direction.
To Create a Custom Formation
Place each unit you wish to be in the formation into the desired shape by
hand. Select the units that you wish to be part of the new formation and click
on the Create Custom Formation Button on the Main Panel. A new formation
type button will appear. The new formation group will automatically be
assigned a number and can now be selected and targeted by either using
hotkeys or the relevant group icon.
To Disband a Formation Group
Selected one or more group or formation. Click on the Disband Formation
Button on the Main Panel. Each separate group or unit will now become
individually controllable again.
To Tighten a Formation
Select the formation using either hotkeys or the relevant group icon, and click
on the Tighten Formation Button on the Main Panel. Keep clicking the Tighten
Formation Button until you reach the desired width. The formation will stay at
this width until either disbanded or spread out.
To Spread Out a Formation
Select the formation using either hotkeys or the relevant group icon, and click
on the Spread Formation Button on the Main Panel. Keep clicking the Spread
Formation Button until you reach the desired width. The formation will stay at
this width until either disbanded or tightened up.
Units are placed in the formation depending on both the formation type and their weapon and
armor capabilities. For instance, while weaker units are usually placed within the main pack,
missile units usually assume a place directly at the front or back of the group to avoid any
friendly fire. Since formations are made up of many units forming one whole, the formation
group always moves at the speed of the slowest unit.
ADVANCED FORMATIONS
Formations are quick and easy to set up and control, but mastering the smaller details can
make them a much more potent force. Different things affect the formations both early and late
into the game, and it is worth it to try out different strategies to finding the ultimate fighting
group.
LEADERS
Adding one or more leaders to any formation automatically makes that group perform better,
speed and direction change is improved, as is attack strength. Other factors such as attack
reaction speed is also greatly improved by adding a Leader unit. Leaders also become the
focus of any enemy attack on a formation, as, once they are destroyed, the formation returns
to being a more basic attacking force.
TACTICS
Different shapes are perfect for individual situations. Arrow shapes are perfect for attacking
small attack points such as gate outposts and the Sphere formations are perfect for moving
important units across hazardous areas. Combining different formations into legion groups
allows you to create both powerful attack and defense groups with lines of missile units
backed up with squads of tough hand-to-hand units.
TYPE OF UNIT
Formations naturally work better when made up of similar units. Larger vehicles and flying
units simply don’t work as part of a more nimble land-attacking group. Although you can
happily group these units together in a formation of their own (and in many ways, this can be
more effective), combining the two types of unit automatically results in the majority number of
units being grouped into their own formation, with the odd units excluded. This particular
feature is useful for quickly selecting a group of units when you do not have time to pick and
choose.
COMBINED STRENGTHS
When groups are formed, the attacking and defending strengths of the formation are a
combined number of the units contained within. A much weaker combination of units will
result in a weaker formation, so it is worth trying to balance each formation into a useful
combination of speed, attack ability, and armor.
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Attack and Defense Modes
When a single or group of units are selected, their mode of operation can be changed to suit
the environment. Guards can be ordered to stand their ground next to an important building,
or workers can be told to flee any enemy that they see approaching.
To set a unit’s mode:
Select the desired unit or group, then Click the Mode Select Button. Select
the desired mode by clicking on the relevant mode button. If the Mode
Display icon is selected, you will instantly see it change to the new mode.
The unit or group will now operate in the new mode.
AGGRESSIVE MODE (RED)
When the Aggressive Mode is applied to a selected group of units, they will
attack any enemy unit or building that comes into their awareness radius and
they will also chase fleeing enemy units. If a friendly unit is under attack,
Aggressive Mode units will also go and help out the unit under fire. Once the unit
has finished its attack, if there are no more targets, the unit goes back to the task
it was performing before the attack began.
STAND GROUND MODE (BLUE)
When the Stand Ground Mode is applied to a selected group of units, those units
will stop and forget their current task, and stay rooted to the spot. Archers will
shoot anything that comes into their firing range but Hand-To-Hand units will only
respond to attack and not instigate it. Units standing ground will not respond to
friendly units under attack.
FLEE MODE (YELLOW)
When the Flee Mode is applied to a group of units, the units will continue their
current task, but if attacked by an enemy, they will run in the exact opposite
direction until killed or out of danger. Fleeing units will not help other friendly
units in trouble, and will only run if attacked. Once free of danger, Flee Mode
units go back to their original task. This mode is particularly effective with
worker units.
NORMAL MODE (GREEN)
When units are created, they begin in Normal Mode as default. Normal Mode
units will respond normally to attack and won’t flee, they will also help out
friendly units under attack. Once an attack is over, any units in Normal Mode will
go back to their original task they were performing before the attack happened.
Other items of note:
If you click Shift and Target with a selected unit in any mode, this will put the unit into Enforce
Mode. They ignore their set mode and will attack the desired target until it is destroyed, then
default back to their original mode setting.
RACES OF DARK PLANET: THE DREIL
The Dreil cannot remember from which planet they originally
spawned, nor do they care. What is certain is that for millions
of years their race has expanded across the stars
leaving many thousands of inhabited worlds lying
dead behind them.
They are voracious and mindlessly efficient.
Mostly comprised of worker and soldier types, Dreil
societies are a study in specialization. Although the
individuals are often unrecognizable as
members of the same species, they are
unified in purpose by a powerful
hive-mind – the collective term for
a group of Dreil telepathically
linked by a Queen.
Dreil Queens are powerful
psychics and can sense worlds rich in
life from as far away as a neighboring solar
system. They guide their armies of loyal workers
and warriors to dominate and consume all living matter.
Then, when the host planet has been sucked dry, they build a vast, powerful egg launcher.
As her loyal subjects reach the end of their lifespan, the last living Queen fills an eggship with
her embryos and launches it towards the nearest life-bearing world. Then she dies.
The deadly Dreil lifecycle begins again on yet another victim world.
Now the Dreil have landed on Natrolis, a world rich in life and resources. The native species are
strong warriors, and the vibrancy of the planet has caught the attention of another powerful
expansionist race. The battle for dominance on Natrolis will be hard fought, but the Dreil will
consume all.
None shall be left to remember
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Available Dreil Units
Strong and well-armed units are vital to the continued existence of your people. To protect
your race you have a variety of units available to train from your various buildings. From Scout
units to quickly explore the land, Hand-To-Hand units who can express your might, or the
Globbers who can attack from afar, these are the most precious of your civilization. For more
information on upgrades and availability of the various military units, please refer to the
Technology Tree section of the manual.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Drone
Dreil
Worker
Poor
Quick to create.
Poor
Basic carbonised crystal shell.
Can build, repair and collect crystal and wood.
Most common unit in the Dreil hive structure, not important enough to the Queen to warrant
tough protection, as they are quick and easy to breed.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Queen
Dreil
Supreme Leader
Moderate
Commands all.
Easy to destroy if left unprotected.
Good
Increases speed, armor and health of nearby units.
When the Queen is brought to the surface the Dreil team really flourish. Several Queens can
be in operation at any one time. Her influence over her troops should not be underestimated.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Cocoon Sucker
Dreil
Worker
Poor
Easy to produce.
Vulnerable when carrying cocoons.
Moderate
Sucker is the only land unit with the ability to collect cocooned
enemies and deliver them to the Hive.
The Cocoon Sucker collects entombed enemies and takes them back to the Hive. It does
this by straddling over the Cocoons created by fallen or captured enemy units and digests
them temporarily into its stomach, then it can head back to the Hive where it deposits it for
later consumption. Having little in the way of self-protection it’s worth sending these units
out with a protection party – the energy the Dreils get from the cocoons is well worth the
effort and risk.
Background
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Blocker
Dreil
Defender
Good
Large unit.
Easy to target from a distance.
Excellent
Protects buildings from attack.
Huge eyes allow it see the enemy in good time and huge arm-like features stop and crush
them more often then not. When in range, the Blocker can devastate most units with its
massive strength and bad attitude.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Digin
Dreil
Stealth Assault
Excellent
Hidden from enemy.
Can only attack small units.
Moderate
Hides under surface and attacks when stepped on.
When the enemy comes close, or walks by, these ambush masters jump out of hibernation
and pounce on the shell shocked enemy before burrowing back into the ground for the next
victim.
Digins have large claw like swipes that knock the enemies back and over, with such huge
force battering down onto them they usually pass out pretty quickly.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Illuminator
Dreil
Scout
Very poor
Can explore large areas.
Open to attack from fixed enemy installations.
Moderate
Lights up large local area.
This unit has a light in his tail, which can illuminate the world, giving light to the Dreils and
acting as a tool for spying on the other races. Putting quite a few of these in strategic spots
can give you a huge advantage as it will give you enough time to analyse the weaknesses of
opposing forces.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
BlackFly
Dreil
Saboteur
Good
Good visual range.
Can be spotted on mini-map.
Moderate
Re-cloaks explored enemy territory.
With its excellent stealth ability and good all round combat skills this specialist unit is best
used to conceal areas of the map in which you intend to build.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Hive Guard
Dreil
Defender
Moderate
Good average unit.
Does not possess a great natural weapon set.
Moderate
None
Very inexpensive to produce and has excellent defensive skills. Best used to protect your
home base while other units launch attacks against the enemy.
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Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Trailer
Dreil
Defender
Poor
Hard to kill.
Slow
Excellent
Creates toxic slime patches, which heal Dreil and damage enemies.
A hard-shelled cavern of slime sits on the back of this unit. It moves slowly, but wherever it
goes it leaves a trail on the ground, which dries into what is effectively a wall on which land
based enemies dare not tread. You can use this to insulate your Hive from attack by the
enemies more basic land units, giving you time to pick them off with your Globbers or Flying
units.
Spitter
Dreil
Ballistic Attacker
Moderate
Long range attacks.
Vulnerable at close range.
Moderate
Projects missiles that cripple and eventually cocoon enemy units.
Can launch globules of paralysing noxious chemicals over its prey, which means they can
be taken back to the Hive for energy. These chemicals can dissolve structures so sending
10 or 20 of these units into dismantle an enemy installation is a good strategy for an early
attack.
Globber
Dreil
Ballistic Attacker
Good
Good medium range attacker.
Less effective in smaller numbers.
Good
Projects missiles that cripple and eventually cocoon enemy units.
By creating some of these units, you can use them in defensive or offensive groups. Skilled
at projectile acid attacks over the heads of others, these strong-stomached Dreil are great
for counter-attacking flying units on their way over the land.
Salamander
Dreil
Collector
Poor
Can collect multiple cocoons and bring them back over difficult
territory.
Vulnerable when flying with full load.
Moderate
Can collect multiple cocoons.
Once you have just demolished a group of enemies far away, turning them all into cocoons,
the Salamander is the quickest method of retrieving and returning them to the Hive.
Slow when fully loaded, they are vulnerable to attack from the enemy, but can easily be
protected by a more agile flying unit.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Stinger
Dreil
Attacker
Moderate
Fast
Expensive
Moderate
Thrusting tail attack.
This unit has a vicious sting in its tale, the Stinger is one of the more basic units as it needs
to have contact with the enemy to attack, the sting will sap the victim of strength which
should give you time to follow up with other units and cocoon them.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Spawn
Dreil
Flying Killer
Moderate
Focussed attacks.
Short life span and easy to kill.
Moderate
Once unleashed, attacks anything in local area.
The size of a flying rat, once unleashed from the Goliath, the Spawn tend to target a single
enemy unit. When there are a lot of them it’s more like death by a thousand cuts than by a
swift final blow.
Most small things in life have a limited lifespan and the Spawn are no exception tending to
tire themselves out and die on the spot, unless the enemy has blasted them away first.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Winger
Dreil
Air Attacker
Good
Can attack from above.
Vulnerable from below.
Moderate
Can deliver targeted attacks on enemy buildings or units from long range.
A well-rounded flying unit. Capable of cocooning enemy units from the air.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Kamibee
Dreil
Suicide Bomber
Moderate
Delivers killer blow.
One shot deal, and can be easily stopped on route to target.
Good
Explodes on impact, creating massive damage.
A Bee–like flying creature, its entire body is filled with an exploding sack of acid. These
units are usually flown into heavily populated enemy areas, exploding everywhere on
command, cocooning all exposed enemy units. The Kamibee is not very clever and can
easily get distracted on the way to its target. The best way for the enemy to dispose of this
unit is to shoot it down when in mid-flight, but it still explodes and scatters acid everywhere.
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Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Mantis
Dreil
Destructor
Awesome
Practically unstoppable.
Close in attacks.
Solid Crystallised Diamond.
Used for ending battles.
Absolutely immense damage can be caused by the Mantis, in particular, damage to enemy
houses and structures. The Ego unit with its immense scale is slow on the ground to move
around, but as it can withstand enormous enemy attack, it’s particularly easy to get into a
position of destruction.
Healing Units
Dreil units can only be healed by the Queen. To heal a unit, move it to within her influence
(shown by a marker above the Unit’s head). Over a period of time, the Unit will gradually return
to full health.
Available Worm Units
To master the underground, you must master all the skills needed to keep a swift and efficient
amount of Worms under control. The variety of Worms available make sure that this is
possible, with Cocoon Collection, Attack and Transport all ready to form a potent force.
For more information on upgrades and availability of the various Worm units, please refer to
the Technology Tree section of the manual.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Worm Trainer
Dreil
Wrangler
Moderate
Good visual range.
Death ends command of Worm units.
Moderate
Summons worm units.
The Worms are so huge that it takes a concentrated force of control to be able to command
them. The Worm Trainer links telepathically to the Worms, keeping them under control to
work for the Dreil team.
The Worm Trainers move and think fast, and are close to the Worms themselves, so the
enemy doesn’t usually think to take them out first, but are the key to the control of these
huge entities.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Dirt Whale
Dreil
Transporter
None
Can travel underground.
Inoffensive
Good
Transports units.
The main worm transport unit, when commanded it opens up and an army of Dreil units can
be sent to attack an enemy installation. Its size allows a variety of large and small units to
be transported, but it can be limited by weight. The main weakness of the Dirt Whale is it
visibility when moving across land. As it travels close to the surface it can be spotted
slightly moving the land. But it still takes a clever enemy attack to destroy it.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Dex Worm
Dreil
Ground Attack
Good
Speed
None
None
Fast attacking worm unit.
The smallest of the worm family, but also one of the quickest and most deadly. The Dex
worm can stealthily travel huge distances underground, then surface under the feet of an
enemy unit, and grabbing them like a bear trap, drags them underground to finish them off,
before moving on to the next fleshy snack.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Collector Worm
Dreil
Worker
None
Automated cocoon collection.
No attack.
Good
Collects Cocoons away from the Hive.
When the terrain is too dangerous for the Salamander or Cocoon Sucker to cross, you can
send in the Collector Worm. These earth dwellers have the ability to burrow through the
ground to the point where multiple enemy units lie cocooned, and return them for use in the
Hive. There are some things, which the Collector Worm simply must avoid such as buildings
and heavy trees as they are too much to push through.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Goliath
Dreil
Carrier of Death
Poor unless protected by Spawn.
Size, Cargo is easy to deliver.
Especially vulnerable to fire.
Thick crystal hide.
Carries cargo of Spawn units.
A static worm unit, the Goliath opens up to spew out swarms of deadly spawn units upon
the enemy. After each attack, the Goliath needs time to regenerate a fresh batch of spawn,
so it needs to be protected at all times. Summoning some Goliaths close to an enemy
settlement can provide an almost constant stream of Spawn with which to soften up the
opposition before a full-on attack.
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Constructing Dreil Buildings
Available Dreil Buildings
Constructing buildings costs a set amount of resources (wood, crystal and energy). You can
construct more than one of each type of building, for example, a Scout Tower at each corner
of your nest. To display all the buildings that are currently available to you in the game, simply
select a Drone and click on the Build Icon on the Main Panel. Hovering over the various
Building Icons will give you more details on cost, usage, and capacity. For more information on
general Buildings, refer to the following section. For more information on the Main Hives, refer
to the next section.
The buildings belonging to the Dreil race are made up mostly from materials such as wood and
crystal, which have been digested by the Dreil units for building purposes. The architecture is
that of a nest-based hive culture, translucent panels cover the walls of the Hives and each
building looks like the purpose it serves. Some structures, such as the Hive Mound, are huge
mammoths of buildings, designed to give great stature to the occupants and emit confidence
to the busy workers below. Covered in a tough acid resin, the Hive and other buildings need to
be strong if attacked and accessible to mass numbers of workers for repair.
There are five types of buildings:
Control - Such as the Main Hives. These let you collect resource and energy or create units
associated with the controlling powers within, such as the Queen Units or the Drone who can
collect resources and prepare units for collection of energy.
Offensive - Buildings such as the Barracks that let you train new military units to fight for
control of the land.
Defensive - Such as Walls and Towers that give you an early warning of attack as the enemy
tries to break through these defenses to the heart of your civilization.
Collection - Which increase the resources that you can store or collect, Suckers let you
collect more Cocoons and Mines vastly speed up the collection of Crystal.
Research - These buildings, such as the Genus Hive, let you experiment with the materials
available to create better and more useful skills and technologies, greatly increasing the
speed at which you can create quality tools or weapons and greatly increasing your chances
of success.
Researching the various technologies such as Genetics, can improve the structure and
construction time of your units and buildings, making them more impervious to attack.
To construct a Building:
1. Click on a Drone or group containing one or more Drones. The more Drones assigned to a
building, the faster the construction becomes.
Cells
These are the most basic buildings that can initially be made. These are the living quarters for
your Drones thus limiting the number of Drones that you can have under control around your
Hive. Made from a thin version of the Dreil resin, these can be built quite quickly and take up
a small amount of land real estate.
Larder Hive
After the land around the Hive has been stripped of its resources, you will need to explore
further a field to collect supplies of wood and minerals. With the added danger this presents,
you can build a remote Collection Point in which to collect your materials. Being made of thin
resin, and being both open and remote, there exists the possibility of enemy races destroying
these building to limit your advancement. The Collection Point also allows you to research
new and improved techniques for storage and improvements made using the resources
stored there.
Genus Hive
With the advance of the Main Hive, the path of knowledge opens to you once again. With
technology long lost, the Genus Hive contains an advanced research and development
facility that helps you progress to the most advanced options, such as purer methods of
creating cocoons and resin, better mining mechanisms, or some of the more progressive
Military technology.
2. Click on the Build Button on the Main Panel.
3. Click on the button of the building to construct. For example, to build a Collection Point,
click the Build Collection Point Button.
4. Right-click on a location on the map. The building highlight will be shown in green if the
building can be constructed there.
Or
Soldier Hive
The first link in the chain of defense that you will need to build in order to protect your Hive
Mound. The Soldier Hive is made from hardened resin and can initially produce fearsome
Hive Guards. Once the Hive Mound progresses Stingers, Blockers and Digins can also be
created. Researching better weaponry and better shell based armor can make these and
other units much more effective, although the extra weight can sometimes slow them down.
If you want to build more than one of the same type of building, press and hold the SHIFT key,
then click multiple locations on the map. To build lengths of fences or walls, simply click and
drag the pointer from the start and stop locations.
To dismantle a Building:
1. Click on a Drone or group containing one or more Drones. The more Drones assigned to a
dismantling, the faster the deconstruction becomes.
2. Click on the Raze Building Button on the Main Panel.
3. Click on the building you wish to dismantle.
You cannot dismantle your Main Hive, as its position is fixed. When you dismantle a building,
a varying amount of resources are placed back onto your main total. Depending on the quality
of material salvaged, this amount can be quite high or fairly low.
Phlegm Hive
Toughened crystal resin construction inside and out allows the Dreil Globbers to perfect their
craft. This building lets you train and research all type of projectile-armed units, capable of
inflicting damage from near and afar. The first unit that can be created from here is the
Spitter, a short-range but nasty attack unit. More experience and training allows you to
create the Globber, who causes chaos over longer distances. More training and research to
these units means the accuracy is increased greatly, as is the damage and range.
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Wormery
Although an innocent looking structure, the units that are trained here are not. The Wormery
allows you create the Dirt Whale and the Worm Trainer, who can summon and control
behemoths of the underground. As this is the controlling force in the Worm regime, the
Wormery is often the focus of enemy attack, especially as it is slightly smaller than other
structures.
Winger Hive
Once the Winger Hive is established, you can deploy flying members of the Dreil race, the
Wingers. The Wingers ability to cross any obstacle makes him an excellent choice for
exploring the map. His aerial attack can be deadly if enemy units have no weapons with which
to retaliate against him. If sufficient resources are available it is wise to keep this Hive
churning out units as often as possible.
Apiary
This structures sole purpose is to safely create the devastating Kamibee. The Kamibee is
prone to violent explosions and so the main body of the structure is kept off the ground and
out of harms way. The legs however are vulnerable to enemy attack and should be protected
to safeguard your ability to produce Kamibees.
Nest Hive
The lab where the giant Ego units are created and trained. After researching in the Genus
Hive, you find the ability to create new forms of Dreil units, using the strongest part of each
strain and vast amounts of energy - the speed of the Blackfly, the toughness of the Blocker
and the Acid generation of the Kamibee. Combining this into a big bag of badness makes for
a commanding presence in the Dreil ranks.
The Ego has little-known weaknesses and can be defeated over a long sustained period of
assault, But it has the same payoff as the Kamibee, as the enemy units that manage to
destroy it will usually be turned into Cocoons for feeding to the next batch of larvae.
Fences
This more natural crystalline structure exists as a very tough barrier for any enemy to
breech, especially when protected by a Watchtower. These can be dismantled by the
dissolving slime that the Drones possess to build with.
Repairing Buildings
When they are damaged, buildings can catch fire. The buildings can only be repaired to full
effectiveness by the Drones. Repair of buildings, like construction, requires resources. This is
based on the time and extent of the repair that is needed. If left unattended, damaged buildings
become more susceptible to attack as the enemy targets the weakest areas of your race first.
To Repair a Building:
1. Click on a Drone or group containing one or more Drones. The more Drones assigned to
repairing, the faster the repair becomes.
2. Click on the Repair Building Button on the Main Panel.
3. Click on the Building you wish to Repair.
Inside the Nest
About Dreil Technology
Along with the combat abilities of your race, the other dynamic that charts the rise of your
civilization is technology. By learning new and more advanced technologies, your race is
immediately at an advantage over any nearby neighbors. Technology is a key factor in the
survival, expansion and longevity of your race. The various Races have varied skills and
techniques that they are waiting to use in your potential downfall.
Better buildings, units, and technology become available as you build newer research buildings
and advance your Main Hive. The Technology Tree shows you all the routes and options that are
available as you master the skills needed for the next level of discovery. The technology available
to you depends on the race that you wish to play as.
Unit and Building Attributes
All of the Drones, Military units, Worms and Buildings can have the following attributes. Refer to
the Technology Tree for more information on these attributes and the research items that affect
them.
Hit Points - The amount of damage a unit or building can sustain before it is defeated.
Speed - The speed at which a unit or Worm travels at.
Capacity - The amount of resources that a Collector unit or Drone can carry, the amount of units
that a Transport Worm can carry or the number of inhabitants that a House can hold.
Attack Rate - The amount of damage that a Worm or unit causes when attacking.
Hit Rate - The time between swings in a hand-to-hand attack and the speed at which the Worm,
Watchtower or Globber units can reload.
Glows
To keep an early lookout for invading forces, the Glows can be built to light up areas of your
land. Any enemy units which stray into its radius will be revealed to you. The Glows are
constructed of a thinner resin, which, although providing good range of cover, is susceptible
to enemy projectile attack, particularly fire based.
Armor - The amount of protection that a unit, Worm or Building has when being attacked by the
enemy. The type of unit directly affects this amount, a large Worm or Building naturally has more
armor than a smaller hand-to-hand unit.
Accuracy - The amount of damage inflicted by the attacking unit.. Better accuracy produces
more damage. Accuracy for Globber, Watchtower and Worm units can also be affected by height.
Minimum Range - The minimum range that a Globber will fire over before attacking hand-to-hand.
IBall
Material and building research allow you to upgrade to the IBall. This crystal resin-based
lookout post provides you with excellent coverage with which to cover areas and start front
line attacks on attacking enemies. The larger structure takes more time to build, but by
containing large of amounts of crystal, allows the use of stronger acid attacks from within.
The IBall is particularly effective when used in conjunction with the largest Trailer walls.
The Illuminator and Blackfly units can be trained here to locate the enemy.
Maximum Range - The maximum range that a Globber, Worm, or Watchtower can fire over.
Field Range - The area over which a Queen can create a particular field.
Field Creation Rate - The speed at which the Queen creates a particular field of effect.
Build Rate - The speed at which a Building is constructed or repaired and the time it takes to
create or train Drone or Military units.
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Energy - The amount of Energy a unit has in their being. Can be captured by you or the enemy
in various ways when the unit is captured or dies. The amount also affects the performance of
the Queen units.
About Energy
The Dreil team is primarily dependant on one thing, Energy. Although crystal and wood help
shape the look of the Dreil team above the surface, Energy drives it below. Energy is used by
all of the units to move, fight, or fly, and is created by either capturing enemy units and
delivering them back to the Hive, or by delivering smaller amounts of resource back to the Hive
for conversion into precious Energy.
To cocoon an enemy:
1. Click on a projectile unit such as the Globber or Spitter.
2. Right-click on the enemy unit.
3. The Drones will start to glob the chosen target, and will not stop until it is ready or
until instructed to do so.
To collect a cocoon:
1. Click on a Cocoon-Collecting unit, or group of Cocoon-Collecting units.
2. Right-click on the cocooned enemy.
3. The collecting unit will then automatically bring back the Cocoon to the Hive until
stopped by the enemy or until instructed to do so.
Growing the Hive
The present struggle for the Dreil race is to grow the Hives around the land into the dominant
force they once were long ago. This requires not only an enormous amount of dedication and
resources, but also an understanding of the path of technology that comes with the new
knowledge learned from the past. As the levels of the Hive rise from the surface, so does the
wisdom that has been buried for thousands of years.
TO ADVANCE YOUR HIVE TO THE NEXT LEVEL
1. First, you must have enough of the resources necessary for the upgrade to the next level.
You can find this out by clicking on the Main Hive, then hovering the Upgrade Hive Button.
The button will also be lit if the Upgrade is possible.
2. Click on the Main Hive.
3. Click on the Upgrade Hive Button. The Upgrade Hive action will now be added to the
Unit Queue.
While the Main Hive is upgrading, you cannot create any new Queen or Drone units, although
you can still create units and perform actions from your other buildings. Any Drones that are
working at the Hive at the time of upgrade will continue to do so at the next level.
With the Hive upgraded, new buildings, units, and technologies are waiting to be discovered.
You can click on the Drone to see if any buildings have been added to the Build list or click on
existing Research buildings to see the new upgrade or research options that have been added.
Researching Technology
In Natrolis, as your Hive advances through the different levels and eras, so does the level of
technology available for your race to begin to understand. With each era, there is an
opportunity to master new skills and techniques, unimaginable to the Drones that begin the
reign under your control. The technologies themselves take a huge leap with every advance
you make, from simple houses that the Drones populate in the Worker era, to the destructive
force of the Ego unit in the Dominant era. As with all evolution, the race that masters all the
technology available in the land usually prevails.
In Dark Planet, you quickly cover these generations of technology in a smaller time frame, and
this is divided into eras. These eras reflect the skill base of your race as you achieve them.
To research a new technology:
1. Click on a Building that allows research. A list of research items available will appear on
the Main Panel. If you have enough resources, the available topic buttons will be lit, if not,
hover over them, and you will be able to see which resources you still need to gather to be
able to research this item. Researching technologies takes a long time and a lot of
resources, but when you have these new technologies available, you immediately have
the advantage.
Worker Era - Characterized by the tireless actively of the Drone units in re-establishing your
Dreil race on the land.
2. Click on the button for the technology you wish to research. For example, you can research
better methods of attack at the Soldier Hive, giving all of your units better offensive skills.
Breeder Era - Characterized by the appearance of the Queen on the land, the explosion in
population and the creation of different types of Resource Collectors and Military units.
3. The research item will be added to the Unit Queue for that building. You can add more until
you have exhausted the topics or have no resources left.
Warrior Era - Characterized by the advanced Military units available, rising technology and the
increasing turmoil in the land. These units fight to expand your domain.
For more information on the different technologies available, refer to the Technology Tree
section of the manual.
Dominant Era - Characterized by the awareness of the enemy threat to the Dreil race
existence and the use of energy to bring control of the land back as it once was, in the hands
of the Queen.
Upgrading Skills, Units and Buildings
Although you will discover various sizes of Hive activity in each part of the land, the game
Dark Planet typically starts in the Worker Era, with the Hive at its lowest point. As you advance
the Hive levels, you will find all the new technologies, units, and skills that become available
as you begin to dominate the landscape with your race.
By advancing through the eras, you have the chance to not only learn new skills and train new
units, but to upgrade the units, Worms, skills and structures that already exist. These upgrades
can take the form of a better weapon or different type of armor, or they can be in the form of a
new use of energy, which increases speed of movement.
TO UPGRADE A SKILL, UNIT, OR BUILDING:
1. Click on the building associated with this unit. This could be the Barracks for a Blocker,
or the Hive or Collection Point for the Drone. More information of this can be found in the
Technology Tree section of the manual.
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2. Click on the Button on the Main Panel that refers to the upgrade you wish to perform.
For example, better Armor can be found in Genus Hive building. If you have enough
resources, the button will be lit. For more information on that item hold the cursor over
the button.
3. The item will be added to the Unit Queue for that building. You can add more until you have
exhausted the topics or have no resources left.
Hives of Energy
Hive Mound (Level 1 - Worker Era)
The Great Hives existed a long time ago, before the current conflict began. The lack of
conflict and energy negated the need to work on the surface and the Dreils returned
underground, only to be reawakened and brought back into battle. Made from a tough crystal
resin composite, they have only recently faded into semi-obscurity. Your main objective is to
make the Hives of the land rise to their dominant position, with the Dreils at the top of the
food chain.
The first Hive is thus easily open to attack and must be strengthened at the very start of the
game, a simple offering of Energy, Wood, and Crystal will be enough to make it initially rise
again.
The first Hive initially only creates Drones to do your bidding for you, collecting resources
and rebuilding your World. You can use the Hive as a central store for Cocoons, increasing
the overall energy inside.
RACES OF DARK PLANET : THE SORIN
The warden’s heavy footsteps
echo through the temple
passage as he brings the
old priest a pot filled with
fresh blood. The offering
of blood and the tale of
his brutality on the
battlefield will, he hopes,
assure him further glory in
the afterlife. He bows his
head as he enters the old
priest’s chamber and places
the pot on the table. The
priest’s tongue flickers out for a
moment to taste the air, then he
shuffles forward and laps greedily at the
contents of the pot. The taste is unique and exquisite. Dizzy with pleasure, he slithers back to
his chair and signals for the warden to begin. The story will be a fine tale of savagery and the
slaughter of the soft-bodied creatures from the stars.
Hive Mound (Level 2 - Breeder Era)
After the Hive has started to re-emerge from the ground, you can start to get a better picture
of its former glory. You will see that this is the first Hive to have sufficient entrance to allow
the creation of a Queen unit. The influence of the Hive is felt all around the land, with new
buildings and past techniques being rediscovered in this important juncture in your
technology development. As the Hive rises, you need more Energy to get to the next stage,
which you can achieve with the help of the Queen and advanced Cocoon Collecting units.
On a planet that endured no catastrophic impacts, the Sorin are the ultimate expression of life
and evolution. Their society and their intelligence have developed over tens of millions of
years. They are the absolute rulers of Natrolis, the very top of the food chain.
Hive Mound (Level 3 - Warrior Era)
With the energy starting to build, your civilization is strong. The third level of Hive, although
not complete, inspires your people onto greater levels of military might and devotion to the
Queen. Many buildings and technology advances can be achieved at this point. With the
extra platforms that appear as the Hive rises, new skills and methods of energy use can be
exploited by the Queen unit.
Comprised of the oldest Sorin High Priests, the Council is considered by many to be corrupt
and reactionary. What the High Council fears above all else is a war that will bring about the
appearance of a Holy Warrior to challenge their authority. The Sorin history books are filled
with such events. Alas, despite the priests’ ability to wield powerful religious magic, they
cannot see the future. A great war is coming, and the Holy Warrior they fear so much will
either save their species or destroy them.
Hive Mound (Level 4 - Dominant Era)
Once the Great Hive has finished its journey to the surface, the full extent of its power can be
realized. The energy of the working race can be fully harnessed into all aspects of the Dreil
psyche. The military units look to express their might over the enemy and giant Worms tear
up the earth under your command. The Queen channels the stored energy into forging a
victorious path.
In a world so dominated by one unified race there is little need for technological advancement.
Instead, the Sorin religion took precedence, and over millions of years dramatically shaped the
development of their species and their society. For the last two hundred years, the High
Council has ruled without challenge.
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Available Sorin Units
Strong and well-armed units are vital to the continued existence of your people. To protect
your race you have a variety of units available to train from your various buildings. From Scout
units to quickly explore the land, Hand-To-Hand units who can express your might, or the
Archers who can attack from afar, these are the most precious of your civilization. For more
information on upgrades and availability of the various military units, please refer to the
Technology Tree section of the manual..
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Hammer Slave
Sorin
Worker
Poor
Inexpensive to produce.
Vulnerable
Poor
Builds, repairs and collects resources. Generates faith at Temples and Alters.
The Slave is the single and most basic element of the Sorin civilization. Slaves are
absolutely necessary for performing your basic commands, and are the only units that can
effective stockpile your resources needed for survival. It is better to have excess Slaves
than to have too few in your ranks.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Zilla
Sorin
Soldier
Moderate
None
None
Moderate
Solid hand to hand unit.
The Zilla is the medium Infantry unit. He is significantly more effective at combat than your
Slave. With sword in hand and a reasonable strength rating the Zilla is a good start to your
army.
Zillas are not however well protected from attack themselves and are at a disadvantage
when attacked from an enemy who has a more powerful weapon or is well protected with
armor or shields.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Lancer
Sorin
Soldier
Moderate
Above average speed.
None
Moderate
Can cover ground quickly.
With its long spear it is particularly effective in hand-to-hand situations against basic enemy
units and quick raids on an unguarded settlement.
The Lancer unit is easy to distinguish, not only is he is light-bodied, but is also nicely
balanced by wielding a full height wooden spear, which gives it some reasonable protection,
meaning it can stay in the fight longer.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
FireBaller
Sorin
Air Bomber
Good
Creates a lot of damage.
Highly visible.
Good
Delivers lava bombs from the Fire Pit.
From the depths of the Fire Pit comes the FireBaller, a slow flying unit capable of carrying
stone vessels full of lava, dropping it on an unsuspecting enemy unit or structure. Because
of the loads it has to carry, the FireBaller is quite slow moving, although he can be upgraded
later in the game.
The FireBaller has to keep coming back to the Fire Pit to reload, so for the most effective
attacks, build some Fire Pits near an enemy stronghold.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Wingback
Sorin
Air Archer
Good
Delivers significant damage.
None
Moderate
Fires flaming missiles.
Like the FireBaller, the Wingback is a product of the Fire Pit, except it can generate
ammunition internally and does not have to return to the Fire Pit to refuel.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Chameleon
Sorin
Early Warning
Good
Fast speed and good visual range.
None
Good
Indicates the direction of nearby enemy units.
A floating arrow above the Chameleon’s head points out enemy units to allow you to send
troops to intercept approaching forces. Also handy in a fight in his own right.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Pathfinder
Sorin
Scout
Poor
Fast speed.
Vulnerable in heavily populated areas.
Poor
Large visual range.
You will need to spend time exploring the map and bring back a great deal of information on
where the enemy Races have their settlements. You can of course send in some Military
units or you could send Pathfinders to scout the land using both stealth and cunning.
Deployed ahead of any of your groups of military might to make sure the area is clear and
clean for you to move your precious units through the landscape.
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Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Guardian
Sorin
Defender
Excellent
Lethal combat.
Slow
Excellent
Can be assigned to protect structures.
There is not that much that can be said to detract from the extreme effectiveness of the
Guardian, it is the ultimate in defensive units. Larger and more effective than the Brute, he is
a great addition to the garrison of any Sorin town.
The downfall of the Guardian is it’s sheer size and susceptibility to the aerial attacks from
enemy units. Although well armored with tough Leatherback hide, it is sometimes not quick
enough to get away from some of the more intense assaults as they are launched.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Archer
Sorin
Archer
Moderate
Fast to reload.
None
Moderate
Missile attack.
The first of your Archer units, this unit uses a Bow, so it can fire basic projectiles over a
distance. Because of this, against even much stronger enemy units and armed with only a
bow and arrow, is still extremely effective.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Sorego
Sorin
Ego unit
Awesome
Magically charged and virtually unstoppable.
Suceptible to missile attacks due to slow speed and size.
Excellent
Devastating area attack.
As the official Ego mascot of the Sorin Race, the Sorego holds all the cards. Razor sharp
claws and teeth and with mineral based skin as armor, the Sorego usually can be counted
on in a fight. The Soregos were created in a cross breeding program involving the Guardian
and Leatherback, and a dose of magic to help the mix.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Brute
Sorin
Soldier
Good
Large unit, hard to kill.
Large target area.
Excellent
None
Representing a magical and engineering generation of weaponry the Brute is bigger, faster,
stronger, and has more hit points than the Lancer.
Not only does the Brute have more advanced weaponry, it also has the benefit of thicker
Breeza Armor that will cancel out a lot of the general hand-to-hand damage that is inflicted
on lesser units.
The armor on the Archer is standard leather edition, which is enough to stop basic attacks
from significantly affecting its energy unless sustained over a long battle.
Archers are most effective when firing from a height, this allows him to fire slightly further
than if they are on the same level as their target.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Vesta Archer
Sorin
Archer
Good
Long range.
Expensive
Good
Missile attack.
Crossbows, due to the increased tension in the firing mechanism, can fire further and with a
quicker projectile speed than a Bow. The weapon takes slightly longer to reload than a bow,
but is extremely effective. The weapon itself also differs from the Basic bow design in the
fact that when it fires a projectile it flies in an almost straight line. The upgraded Archer is
more accurate, has a greater range and dispatches ‘fire’ arrowheads.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Castor Archer
Sorin
Assault Archer
Good
Longer range magic missiles.
Slower to reload.
Excellent
Magic ammo causes lots of damage.
Armed with a magically charged projectile launcher, the Castor can cause widespread
damage to closely packed enemy groups. Firing perfectly targeted magic bombs, and
devastating from height, the Castor quickly moves from victim to victim.
The Castor Archer also comes fully loaded with Breeza armor and a bad attitude.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Warden
Sorin
Leader
Good
Magical armor.
None
Excellent
Increases speed and armor of nearby units.
A leader of the Sorin race, the Warden keeps a close eye on the Slave units and the
buildings in the Sorin realm. Well armored and powerful in attack, the Warden’s main
strength is its ability to protect the Sorin units by his powerful influence.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Stomper
Sorin
Warrior
Good
Twin Blades.
Clumsy
Good
Loves to demolish enemy buildings.
The Stomper is a particularly viscious member of the Sorin race. Although not the most
intelligent unit he comes in to his own when ordered to attack enemy buildings. Armed with
two hefty blades he will make short work of even the most reinforced structures
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Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Priest Protector
Sorin
Defender
Excellent
Fast, effective with weapon.
Slightly weaker in lower numbers.
Good
Can be assigned to guard other units.
The Priest Protector is a defender of the Sorin tribe. Primarily focused on defending
vulnerable Priest units in the open, the Protector uses its speed of attack to best effect
when confronting an enemy.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Zombie
Sorin
Undead
Average
Strong in numbers.
Short life span.
Poor
None
Created by magic the Zombie is brought to life from the corpses of long dead Sorin warriors.
Although only functioning for a short time, in sufficient numbers they can overcome most
adversaries. Also, since the spell can be cast over a distance it is possible to create
Zombies in an otherwise inaccessible area.
Healing units
Priests are the only units capable of completely healing wounded units. To be able to heal a
unit, area or group, the Priest must be within quite a close range. If your units are engaged in
battle, this puts them in a very perilous position. Also, as the Heal Area and Heal Group spells
are quite slow to perform, it is quite easy for the enemy to counteract this with something that
prevents your magic from being effective.
Researching items such as medicines, can improve the effectiveness of any healing
performed on your tribal members.
Available Vehicle Units
To master the air, sea and land, you must possess all the skills needed in keeping a swift and
efficient amount of Vehicles running and well protected. The variety of vehicles available
allows this to be possible. Military and Tansport Vehicles are ready to form a powerful fleet.
For more information on upgrades and availability of the various vehicles, please refer to the
Technology Tree section of the manual.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Balloon
Sorin
Air Explorer
None
Cheap to create.
Easy to destroy.
Moderate
Automatically explores map from air.
The Balloon floats around in the wind and opens the map up wherever it goes – fairly cheap
to create and with a good radius this comes in very handy when your keeping an eye out
casually for the enemy advancing.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Blimp
Sorin
Transporter
None
Sturdy air transport unit.
None
Good
Can move troops safely over hazardous terrain
The Blimp is made from rough Leatherback skin so it’s pretty hard to burst and can be used
to quickly move small numbers of troops across water and enemy territory in relative safety.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Breeza Transporter
Sorin
Transporter
Poor
Size, firepower.
Unarmed
Excellent
Fires at enemy units.
Basic unit transportation vessel that moves designated units from one area to another
designated target. There is a threat to the members onboard the Transporter when if it is
attacked mid-journey, as their weapons and defensive capability is rendered useless while
on board. Fortunately the speed of boarding and embarking the vessel is fairly quick in
turnaround, so when the Breeza reaches the target the cargo can if needed turn and fire at
the attacking Race.
To heal a Slave or Military unit:
1. Click on either the Priest Adept or High Priest units.
2. If you have enough Faith, select the Heal Area Button from the Main Panel.
3. Right-click near or on the Slave or Military unit you wish to Heal. The Priest will cast the
spell and the unit will be revitalised. Enemy activity can prevent you from performing any
spells, so try to make sure that the area you are in is not currently engaged.
To heal an Area:
1. Click on either the Priest Adept or High Priest units.
2. If you have enough Faith, select the Heal Area Button from the Main Panel.
3. Right-click on the Area that you wish to Heal in, the Priest will cast the spell and any units
in the Area of effect will be revitalised. This is not an exact spell, but works very well in a
battlefield situation. Enemy activity can prevent you from performing any spells, so try to
make sure that the area you are in is not affected.
To heal a Group:
1. Click on the High Priest.
2. If you have enough Faith, select the Heal Group Button from the Main Panel.
3. Right-click on the Group of units or boats that you wish to Heal, the Priest will cast
the spell and all of the units in that group will be revitalised. This is much more
powerful spell and focuses on the entire group. Enemy activity can prevent you from
performing any spells, so try to make sure that the area you are in is not under attack.
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Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Leatherback
Sorin
Assault Transporter
Poor
Size, firepower.
None
Excellent
Attacks enemy units with missiles.
At some point in time you will gather the skills needed to control the Leatherback, one of the
most fearsome creatures living in the wild. Almost impossible to kill without major firepower,
it’s sheer size and strength alone wards off attacks. Not only does it possess the ability to
carry a heavy load quickly across various terrain, it also allows for the extra provision of
building a defense capability to complement it’s transport prowess.
Constructing Sorin Buildings
Constructing buildings costs a set amount of resources (wood, stone, and faith). You can
construct more than one of each type of building, for example, a Watchtower at each corner
of your village. To display all the buildings that are currently available to you in the game,
simply select a Slave and click on the Build Icon on the Main Panel. Hovering over the various
Building Icons will give you more details on cost, usage, and capacity. For more information on
general Buildings, refer to the following section. For more information on Altars and the Main
Temples, refer to the magic section.
To dismantle a Building:
1. Click on a Slave or group containing one or more Slaves. The more Slaves assigned to
a dismantling, the faster the de-construction becomes.
2. Click on the Raze Building Button on the Main Panel.
3. Click on the Building you wish to dismantle.
You cannot dismantle your Main Temple, as its position is fixed. When you dismantle a building
a varying amount of resources are place back onto your main total, depending on the quality of
material salvaged, this amount can be quite high or fairly low.
Repairing Buildings
When they are damaged, buildings catch fire, but they can be repaired to full effectiveness by
the Slaves. Repair of buildings, like construction, requires resources. This is based on the time
and extent of the repair that is needed. If left unattended, damaged buildings become more
susceptible to attack, as the enemy targets the weakest areas of your race first.
To Repair a Building:
1. Click on a Slave or group containing one or more Slaves. The more Slaves assigned to
a repairing, the faster the repair becomes.
2. Click on the Repair Building Button on the Main Panel.
3. Click on the Building you wish to Repair.
There are five types of buildings:
Available Sorin Buildings
Religious - Such as the Altars or Temples. These let you worship for faith or create units
associated with the magical powers within, such as the Priest Units or the Slave who can
collect Faith through prayer.
The Sorin buildings on the planet are made from the same basic materials that are scattered
across the land, mainly wood and stone. The architecture is that of a civilization with deeply
religious overtones that cover the walls of the Temples with ancient graffiti - or so it looks.
Some of the Temples are huge mammoths of buildings, designed to give great stature to the
occupants and emit confidence to the praying workers below. The Temple needs to be strong
if attacked and accessible to mass numbers of workers for repair.
Offensive - Buildings such as the Barracks that let you train new Military units to fight for
control of the land.
Defensive - Such as Walls and Towers that give you an early warning of attack as the enemy
tries to break through these defenses to the heart of your civilization.
Industrial - Which increase the resources that you can store or collect.
Research - These buildings, such as the Coral, let you experiment with the materials available
to create better and more useful skills and technologies, greatly increasing the speed at which
you can create quality tools or weapons and greatly increasing your chances of success.
Cottage
The most basic buildings that can initially be made. These are the living quarters for your
Slaves created at the Temple and thus limit the number of Slaves that you can employ in the
land around your Temple. Although made from mostly sturdy wood, these can be built quite
quickly and take up a small amount of land real estate.
Researching the various technologies, such as Stone Working, can improve the structure and
construction time of your buildings, making them more impervious to attack.
To construct a Building:
1. Click on a Slave or group containing one or more Slaves. The more Slaves assigned to a
building, the faster the construction becomes.
2. Click on the Build Button on the Main Panel.
3. Click on the button of the building to construct. For example, to build a Storehouse, click
the Build Storehouse button.
4. Right-click on a location on the map. The building highlight will be shown in green if
the building can be constructed there. You can also left-click the Mouse Button at this
time to rotate the building to adjust orientation.
Or
If you want to build more than one of the same type of building, press and hold the SHIFT key,
then click multiple locations on the map.
Storehouse
After the land around the Temple has been stripped of its resources, you will need to explore
further afield to collect supplies of wood and stone. With the added danger this presents, you
can build a remote Storehouse in which to collect your materials. Although being made of
mostly stone, it is both open and remote so there exists the possibility of enemy races
attacking them to slow down your progress. The Storehouse also allows you to research new
and improved techniques for storage and improvements made using the resources stored
there. A wise leader will protect these outposts of their civilizations carefully and with
diligence.
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Barracks
The first link in the chain of defense that you will need to build in order to defend your
empire. This building, made mostly of wood and stone, can initially produce fearsome Lancer
units, capable of inflicting ferocious hand-to-hand damage on enemy units as they seek to
protect your civilizations. Once the Temple progresses Zilla units can also be trained to
accept the same responsibility that the Lancer units have fought so hard to achieve.
Researching better weaponry and armor can also make these units much more effective.
Fire Pit
Once you have mastered the art of both metalworking and magic, you can combine them to
create the Fire Pit. Impervious to heat, flying units deliver the deadly lava ammo to some
unsuspecting enemy target, bringing death from above. Made mostly of stone and charged
with magic, the Fire Pit is tough to break, but can create a lot of damage to surrounding
buildings if destroyed.
Politika
Constructing the Politika allows you to create the Warden unit. Built from mostly cloth and
wood, it serves as a guard-like lookout post against enemy attacks, and as a base from
which the Wardens can police the endeavours of the Slave units.
Fences
After researching fences, you can start to create these basic wooden structures. Although
they can be destroyed fairly easily they will hold up attacking forces long enough for you to
send units to intercept. The opposition may also decide to take a much longer route to avoid
alerting you to their presence. Fence enclosures can be used to protect various areas of the
map from early attack as well as defending exposed buildings such as Stores.
Altar
Religion is very important to the Sorin and by building an Altar, even Hammers in remote
locations, or who are busy setting up a new settlement far from the Main Temple, will be able
to worship and contribute to the amount of Faith available.
Archery
Of stone construction with a target range, this building lets you train and research all types of
projectile-armed units, capable of inflicting damage from afar. Initially the Archer units create
havoc using basic bow and magic arrows, but later units come with upgraded flame and
magical charged projectiles. By upgrading to the Vesta and Castor units, accuracy is
increased greatly, as is the damage and range.
Stable
Once you have the skills to capture and control some of the planet’s wild beasts, you can
construct additional canopies for some of them at the Breeza Bay. Built from stone and
wood, these structures are large enough to accommodate both the creatures and the
workshops needed to outfit them into the essential transport units that the Sorin depend on
to travel in safety.
Hanger
Building the Hanger allows the Sorin race to fully access the potential of their engineered
flying units. Both Balloon and Blimp can be used to scout and attack enemy targets, long
before any units reach them. Made from similar materials to the Scout Tower, the Hanger
isn’t nearly as well protected and is vulnerable to enemy attack.
Research Library
Constructing the Research Library allows you to study some of the mysterious hidden
knowledge of the Sorin race. Here you can carry out scientific research to improve the
abilities and efficiency of the units under your command. With its thick stone base, this
building is a tough nut for the enemy to crack.
Walls
With advanced stone-working research, wall enclosures can be constructed to provide
rugged protection to surrounding areas of land. Needing a lot more stone to create them,
walls last much longer than fences and when combined with Watchtowers, become a far
more useful tool for defensive purposes.
Scout Tower
Scout Tower is made of wood, which while providing basic structural integrity is susceptible
to missile attacks, particularly fire based.
Coral
The pinnacle of biomechanical engineering is the Ego Building. From here huge attacking
Sorego can be created, making any attack a sure shot at success. Made mostly from stone,
the size itself protects the building, but also makes it a target for enemy attack. It will try to
stop you from producing the deadliest unit.
Torch
Once the art of fire is researched and mastered, it can be put to many uses. One of them is
the Torch Tower. Cheap to build and construct, it can be used to light up areas of land,
independent of units being nearby. These can also be erected as disposable buildings, taking
the surprise out of enemy attacks by letting you know of units close by.
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The Wisdom of a Generation
About Sorin Technology
Along with the magical abilities of your race, the other dynamic that charts the rise of your
civilization is technology. By learning new and more advanced technologies, your race is
immediately at an advantage over any nearby neighbors. Technology is a key factor in the
survival, expansion and longevity of your race. The various races all have different ways of
both researching technology and collecting resources, as well as methods of attack and
defense.
Better buildings, units, and technology become available as you build newer research
buildings and advance your Main Temple. The Technology Tree shows you all the routes and
options that are available as you master the skills needed for the next level of discovery.
The technology available to you depends on the race that you wish to play as.
Unit and Building Attributes
Slaves, Military units, Vehicles and Buildings can have the following attributes. Refer to the
Technology Tree for more information on these attributes and the research items that affect
them.
Hit Points - The amount of damage a unit or Building can sustain before it is defeated.
Speed - The speed at which a unit or Vehicle travels.
Capacity - The amount of resource that a Slave can carry, the amount of units that a Transport
Ship can carry or the amount of people that a House can hold.
Attack Rate - The amount of damage that a Spell or unit causes when attacking.
Hit Rate - The time between swings in a hand-to-hand attack and the speed that the Boat,
Watchtower or Archer units can reload.
Armor - The amount of protection that a Unit, Vehicle or Building has when being attacked by
the enemy. The type of unit directly affects this amount, a large vehicle or building naturally
has more armor than a smaller hand-to-hand unit.
To worship for Faith:
1. Click on a Slave, or group of Slaves.
2. Right-click on the Main Temple or the Altar.
3. The Slaves will start to pray at the chosen target, and will not stop until instructed to do so.
About Magic
Faith is used not only in the restoration of the tribal Temples to their former glory, but also in
the creation of magic. Depending on the Priest who is casting the spell and the terrain they
inhabit, people on that land can be witness to such spectacles as raging clouds of fire, rocks
raining from the sky, armies of the Undead, and lands rising and falling. Priests are the only
ones capable of casting these spells and being a magical unit, are slow and not very well
armored for battle, so must be well protected at all times.
To perform the casting of spells:
1. Click on the Priest unit you wish to cast the spell. Each unit has their own set of spells.
2. Select the Spell you wish to cast from the Main Panel. If the Spell Button is not lit, then you
do not have enough Faith to perform the spell.
3. Right-click on the area or object you wish to effect with the Spell. The cursor will change to
reflect when you can and cannot cast a spell inside the range of your Priest unit.
Advancing Your Temple
The struggle to make your Temple rise from the depths is a long and well-charted one. It
requires an every-increasing sense of wealth and stockpile of resources, as well as the
gradual understanding of the technology that comes with the new knowledge learned from the
past, as you unearth the levels of the Temple that have been buried for thousands of years.
In Natrolis, you quickly cover these lost generations of discovery and wonder in a smaller time
frame, and this is divided in eras as the amount of energy needed to excavate the Temple from
its hidden depths. These eras reflect the skill base of your race as you achieve them.
Wood Era - Characterized by the mainly wood based buildings and basic tools available for
use in everyday resource collecting and early defense.
Accuracy - How much damage the attacking unit affects, better accuracy produces more
damage. Accuracy for Archer and Watchtower units can also be affected by height.
Stone Era - Characterized by the more advanced stone based buildings, expanded population
growth, greater explored territory and better use of construction and technology.
Minimum Range - The minimum range that an Archer will fire over before attacking hand-tohand.
Battle Era - Characterized by the skirmishes, heavily defended villages, industrialized resource
collection, discovery of the power of magic and advanced weaponry employed by your
Military units.
Maximum Range - The maximum range that an Archer or Watchtower can fire over.
Spell Range - The area over which a Priest can cast a particular spell.
Casting Rate - The speed at which the Priest casts a particular spell.
Build Rate - The speed at which a Building or Vehicle is constructed or repaired and the time
it takes to create or train Slave or Military units.
Faith - The amount of Faith a unit has in their Soul. Can be captured in various ways by you or
the enemy when they are defeated.
About Faith
While other races depend on various types of energy to live, for the Sorins Faith is the thing
that brings the tribal members together and defines them as either good or evil. This Faith is
gathered, through worship, at the focal point of the Main Temple and is tapped into by the
Priest to perform spells across the land. When a member of a race is defeated, the Faith
contained in their soul escapes to be used elsewhere on the planet.
Conquest Era - Characterized by the power of the Faith that the Priests employ in battle,
dependence on it for power, huge populations and mighty battles needing to be fought for
control of the land.
As you discover the lost Temples in each part of the land, the game of Natrolis typically starts
in the Wood Era, with the Temple at its lowest point. As you advance the Temple levels you will
find all the new technologies, units, and skills that become available as you begin to dominate
the landscape with your race.
To advance your Temple to the next level:
1. First, you must have enough of the resources necessary for the upgrade to the next level.
You can find this out by clicking on the Main Temple, then hovering the Upgrade Temple
Button, which will be lit if the upgrade is possible.
2. Click on the Main Temple.
3. Click on the Upgrade Temple Button. The Upgrade Temple action will now be added to the
Unit Queue.
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While the Main Temple is upgrading, you cannot create any new Priest or Slave units,
although you can still create units and perform actions from your other buildings. Any Slaves
that are worshipping the Temple at the time of upgrade will continue to do so at the next level.
With the Temple upgraded, new buildings, units, and technologies are waiting to be
discovered. You can click on the Slave to see if any buildings have been added to the Build list
or click on existing Research buildings to see the new upgrade or research options that have
been added.
RESEARCHING TECHNOLOGY
In Natrolis, as your Temple advances through the different levels and eras, so does the level of
technology available for your race to begin to understand. With each era, there is an
opportunity to master new skills and techniques, unimaginable to the Slaves that begin the
reign under your control. The technologies themselves take a huge leap with every advance
you make, from simple sacks that increase Slave carrying capacity in the Wood era, to huge
creatures that can transport your people around in the later eras. As with all evolution, the
race that masters all of the technology available in the land is usually the one to prevail.
To research a new technology:
1. Click on a Research Building. A list of research items available will appear on the Main
Panel. If you have enough resources, the available Topic Buttons will be lit. If not, click on
them, and you will be able to see which resources you still need to gather to be able to
research this item. Researching technologies takes a long time and lot of resources, but
when you have these new technologies available, you immediately have the advantage.
2. Click on the button for the technology you wish to research. For example, researching
walking speed in the store gives your units better footwear to speed up movement around
the map.
3. The research item will be added to the Unit Queue for that building. You can add more until
you have exhausted the topics, or have no resources left.
For more information on the different technologies available, refer to the Technology Tree
section of the manual.
UPGRADING SKILLS, UNITS AND BUILDINGS
By advancing through the ages, you have the chance to not only learn new skills and train
new units, but to upgrade the units, vehicles, skills and structures that already exist. These
upgrades can take the form of a better weapons or different types of armor.
To upgrade a Skill, Unit or Building:
1. Click on the Building associated with this unit. This could be the Barracks for a Soldier unit,
or the Temple or Storehouse for the Slave. More information of this can be found in the
Technology Tree section of the manual.
2. Click on the button on the Main Panel that refers to the upgrade you wish to perform. For
example, better Armor can be found at the metalworking Forge Building. If you have enough
resources the button will be lit. Hover the button for more information on that item.
3. The item will be added to the Unit Queue for that building. You can add more until you have
exhausted the topics, or have no resources left.
Magical Buildings
Temple (Level 1 - Wood Era)
The Great Sorin Temples were created in a time long ago before the war began. The slump in
Faith and Offerings has caused them to drop deep into the ground as the magic aura
surrounding them weakened. Made from a central crystal core with a stone shell, their
construction marked a landmark in past civilization’s development and achievement. Your
main objective is to make the Great Sorin Temple rise to its top level again, where all its
former power will be revealed.
The first Temple is thus easily open to attack and must be strengthened at the very start of
the game. A simple offering of Faith, Wood and Stone will be enough to make it initially rise
again.
The first Temple initially only creates Slaves to do your bidding for you, collecting resources
and rebuilding your World. You can use the Temple as a central store and as a place of
worship for your Slaves to collect Faith.
Temple (Level 2 - Stone Era)
After the Temple has started to re-emerge from the ground, you can start to marvel at its
might and wonder. It allows you to create the first of the Sorin Priests, although not with a full
armory of magic power. The influence of the Temple is felt all around the land, with new
buildings and past techniques being rediscovered in this important juncture in your
technology development. As the Temple rises, you need more Faith and Offerings to get to the
next stage, which you can achieve with the help of the Priest, whose importance at this
stage will become clearer as the game unfolds.
Temple (Level 3 - Battle Era)
With the power starting to build, your civilization is strong. The third level of Temple, although
not complete, inspires your people onto greater creations of military might and religious
fanaticism. Many buildings and technology advances can be achieved at this point, and with
the extra platforms that appear as the Temple rises, new and more magical Priest units can
be created to take full advantage of the Faith that your people are now amassing.
Temple (Level 4 - Conquest Era)
Once the Great Temple has finished its journey to the surface, the full extent of its power can
be realized. The spells that can now be created can change the face of the world forever.
The final series of buildings are so technologically advanced that the early stages of your
development seem like they happened so long ago. As the central point of your civilization,
this will become the focus for any attack on the heart of your city, and thus must be
protected at all costs. Although the outer shell is easily repaired, prolonged damage to the
core can be harder and more costly in the long term.
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The Priests are the spiritual leaders of the Sorin. When you master the control of the Priests
and their magic, then you will have a much better chance of conquering the planet. Try
experimenting with smaller spells to get a feel on how they work.
Fertilize Land
Priest level required - Priest
Description - When this spell is cast, it will fertilize the land in the affected
area, making the trees grow faster ready for collecting.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Freeze Area
Priest level required - Priest
Description - When this spell is cast it freezes land and buildings within the
casting area. Occasionally trees and rocks may be affected by this spell
causing them to become unusable. Though very occasional, this can prove
an effective attack.
Magical Units
Priest
Sorin
Spellcaster
Poor
Casts low level spells.
Hand to hand encounters.
Moderate
Can perform minor magical feats such as healing.
Although Priests can only cast basic spells such as small offensive spells and basic healing
spells, their place within a civilization is safe. Priests condition the people to believe in the
power of the Temples, and as the Faith in the civilization rises, so does his Power.
If and when commanded, the Priest can leave the area of the Temple to carry out his
magical spells, however once he has left the safety of the Temple, he is very open to lethal
enemy attack.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Adept Priest
Sorin
Magical Leader
Good
Devastating Spell power.
Hand to hand battles.
Good
Possesses a devastating arsenal of spells.
The Adept Priest is the most awesome member of your elite civilization. The Adept Priest
can control the weather if he has the Faith of his avid followers. Environmental spells and
magic are his forte and although he's a whole lot wiser than the Priest, moves much slower,
as any majestic leader would. His energy threshold is fairly low as he needs to channel all
of his spirit into the spells he casts, so looking after this precious being is necessary when
transporting him through the lands.
SPELLS
About Spells
Spells are the used by the Priests of all of the Sorin tribes on the planet. These are generated
using the Faith gathered at the Temple, the more Faith, the more devastating the spells that
can be performed. Upgrades to the way that spells are performed can be researched at the
Temple. Refer to the Technology Tree for more information.
Heal Unit
Priest level required - Priest
Description - When this spell is cast it acts to heal all friendly units within the
targeted area. A set amount of healing will be applied to all units in the area
regardless of number.
Heal Group
Priest level required - Priest
Description - When this spell is cast it heals all units within the area,
expending the greatest amount of healing on those in the worst condition.
In addition any damage expended on valuable units such as Priests will be
restored to 100% condition.
Torch Area
Priest level required - Priest
Description - When this spell is cast, any units in the area are affected by
Spontaneous Combustion. A fiery blast emanates from the center of the
casting point. On seeing the beginnings of this spell, quick thinking can
sometimes save some of your units as you can sometimes direct them away
from the blast.
Rain of Fire
Priest level required - Adept Priest
Description - When this spell is cast it causes a terrible rainstorm of red-hot
burning projectiles to fall on the selected area causing terrible damage to
anything struck in the area. Because the area of effect is so large, a wise
Adept will have cleared the area of friendly units before casting.
Call on the Army of Darkness
Priest level required - Adept Priest
Description - Using all the power from the newly restored Temple, the Adept
is free to call on the assistance of the Army of Darkness. This large group of
only the elite Undead Warriors fight with the fury of tenacity that the living
can only envy. Resistant to most forms of magic, it will take a well-planned
assault to rid the world of this particular menace.
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RACES OF DARK
PLANET : THE
COLONIST CORPS
Early in the 26th century, the
leaders of the 1st world nations
held an emergency summit to
discuss solutions to the rising
number of international armed
conflicts between 2nd and 3rd
world countries. Overpopulation had
pushed international tensions to the limit
and disease and mutation ran rampant
throughout most of the world.
Available Colonist Units
Strong and well-armed units are the key to a successful colony. To protect your Race you have
a variety of units available to train from your various buildings: Scout units to quickly explore
the land, Scientist units perfecting your resource collection and Military units that protect
them all. For more information on upgrades and availability of the various military units, please
refer to the Technology Tree section of the manual.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Sentry
Colonist
Defender
Good
Resists assaults.
Poorly armed.
Good
Protects buildings.
To withstand an assault of any sort of scale, you need a unit that can stand in the middle of
battle, trading blow for blow. The Sentry is the unit in charge with the defense of Colonist
structures and is well equipped for the task. Armed with a Polyresin shield that can deflect
bullets and withstand attack with acid. When used to guard important installations, these
units are extremely effective at resisting enemy attacks.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Marine
Colonist
Soldier
Moderate
High velocity missile.
Weak missile damage.
Moderate
Ranged attack.
The start of your Colonial force on the land. Very mobile with light body armor, and having
world-class training in close range combat. With a group of these troops, you can quickly
cover ground and get to flashpoints on the map.
Secretly financed by technology corporations sensing the approach of new markets, militant
human rights groups push for extreme and immediate solutions to the problem – namely the
Colonist Movement. Public support for the movement swiftly followed.
After 6 years of talks, the conference spokesman unveiled to the world the Expansionist
Charter. Rich countries were to pour billions into exploration and colonization of the
neighboring solar systems. Poorer nations provided the many cheap lives needed for the early
extreme-risk missions.
Now 300 years later, the Colonist Corps High Orbital Support Vessel (HOSV) Ganymede enters
6Hubley-21 on its way to the system’s fourth planet, Natrolis. Four years previously, all contact
with the seed-ship Natrolis Blossom abruptly ended only days after it landed on the planet.
Final transmissions told of colonist security being swiftly overwhelmed by a savage, lizard-like
species. Most dreadful of all was the report that Dreil scouts had been spotted observing the
battle. If this is true, then the Colonist Council’s worst fears have been realized… The
pestilence that is the Dreil empire is spreading toward the Homeworld. The Colonists have
been ordered to purge the Dreil from the planet, and to neutralize any further threat to
colonization.
For four years the crew of the Ganymede have traveled in stasis to the frontier. The Onboard
Sentient Support System (OS3) awakens the Marines. The line must be drawn on Natrolis.
Although lightly armored for speed, the Marine is armed with a short range Crystoplasma
carbine rifle that can penetrate most armor.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Commander
Colonist
Leader
Moderate
Fast moving and agile.
None
Moderate
Increases speed and armor of units under his command.
When deployed, the Commander gives a welcome boost to any attacking forces within his
sphere of influence.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Flamer
Colonist
Soldier
Moderate
Powerful short-range attack.
Closed areas
Excellent
Can kill some units instantly.
Possessing strong armor the Flamer can be used in both defense and attack capabilities.
Especially effective against the minor structures of the Sorin and Dreil teams.
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Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Gunner
Colonist
Soldier
Moderate
Flexible in attack or defense.
None
Moderate
Area of effect grenade launcher.
Similar to the Marine but armed with a medium-range projectile launcher. As a mid-squad
unit, the Gunner can be slightly slower to react and fire, but causes much more damage
when finally catching the enemy in his sights. He is particularly effective when you need to
take out an installation, as the continued projectile assault creates much better collateral
damage.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Aqua Marine
Colonist
Special Forces
Moderate
Can attack land units from under the surface.
None
Excellent
Only colonist unit equipped to explore under water.
Short-range hand-to-hand fighter with mineral based ballast in their boots to keep it
weighted on the sea floor. His re-breather allows continuous underwater operation.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Jet Marine
Colonist
Air Corps
Good
Good covering unit.
None
Moderate
Can get in and out of dangerous areas quickly.
A lightweight mobile airborne unit, which is equipped with a jetpack. The Jet Marine is
equipped with a light Rocket Launcher, stopping enemy units on the land in their tracks.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Jet Bomber
Colonist
Air Corps
Moderate
Laser bombing precision.
Must return to aerodrome to reload.
Good
Keeps attacking target until it is destroyed.
The backbone to any squad for attacking enemy installations from the air. The Jet Bomber is
trained in the art of flying from A to B whilst dropping heavy munitions down on the enemy.
The Jet Bombers have Grade 1 level unit propulsion systems strapped to their armor as
standard, which can be upgraded by your engineering department at a later date.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Rocketeer
Colonist
Mass destruction
Good
Accurate, deadly.
None
Excellent
Missile attack.
This supreme assault unit is the most deadly manned land unit in the Colonist arsenal. The
arms of the Rocketeer suit are launch pods for the adamantium tipped rockets, capable of
piercing all known armor. The back of the suit is fitted with the best available power unit for
maximum firepower. This unit has no known weaknesses.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Medic
Colonist
Doctor
Poor
None
Vulnerable
Good
Heals wounded units.
With the tools and skills to heal both major and minor injuries quickly to completion, the
Medic can become the focus of enemy attack, trying to slow the Colonist advances.
Because of the layout of her equipment, when damaged the Medic cannot heal herself, so it
works better when paired to another Medic unit.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Admiral
Colonist
Military Leader
Good
Powerful weapon.
None
Good
Improves performance of units under his command.
The highest ranking Colonist unit who takes an active role in combat, the Admiral inspires
admiration from his troops and leads by example. Units who are under the Admiral’s
influence perform at an advanced level, making them a more efficient fighting force.
Healing units
Medic units are the only units capable of healing fellow units when wounded in the field. They
come supplied with all the equipment needed to repair any or all damage, and can also heal
other medic units, but not themselves. Repair often require a requisite amount of resources
to complete, so be sure to have enough before employing vulnerable medic units into a
dangerous area.
To heal a Military unit:
1. Click on the nearest Medic unit.
2. If you have enough energy, right-click to target the wounded unit or group.
3. The Medic, when near to damaged units, will automatically heal them, until fully operational
or until resources run out.
Researching items such as medicines can improved the effectiveness of any healing
performed on your tribal members.
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Available Vehicle Units
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Sapper
Colonist
Worker
Poor
Fast to collect resources.
Slow when fully loaded.
Poor
Only land unit with the ability to collect resources, repair structures and place building
foundations.
Sappers are absolutely necessary for performing your basic commands, and are the only
units that can effectively stockpile your resources needed for survival. It is better to have
excess Sappers, than to have too few in your ranks.
High Gee Transporter
Colonist
Transporter
Poor
Carries multiple units over distances.
No offensive capabilities.
Excellent
Very resistant to attack.
A hovering machine which looks like a high-tech hovercraft. Use this unit to transport your
troops to other parts of the world where they can do their job. Packed with a tough titanium
resin shell to project its cargo.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Dropship
Colonist
Supply and Construction
None
Orbital flight capability.
None
Excellent
Remote operation.
Summoned from orbit, this ship uses energy supplied by Sapper units to complete the
construction of Colonist structures.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Sniper Droid
Colonist
Assassin
Moderate
Pinpoint accuracy, range and speed.
None
Moderate
Ranged attack.
Half scout, half killer, the Sniper Droid can be sent out to remote regions such as hilltops
to warn of and take out enemy advance attack teams.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Demolisher Droid
Colonist
Heavy Assault
Good
Explosives
None
Good
Self detonating.
As the premier land-based assault and clearance unit, the demolisher has the ability to
break through most targets using explosives and brute force.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Recon Droid
Colonist
Scout
Poor
Very fast, explores large areas.
None
Moderate
Sweeping cloak reveal.
The need to examine the landscape and find out where things are located is the entire
reason for the existence of the remote Recon Droid. Sending this mechanical marvel out to
open the land up for you will soon reveal where most things are.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Fire Beamer
Colonist
Assault
Moderate
Fast moving.
None
Excellent
Dual cannons.
A short-range assault unit, the Fire Beamer is a front line unit for clearing enemy defenses
and other obstacles. Slightly better armored than other units on the front of its suit to
withstand the extra heat that is created when its weapon is in use. This also makes the Fire
Beamer a very difficult unit to breach from the front.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Target Designator
Colonist
Saboteur
Moderate
Fast moving.
None
Moderate
Target designator, requires silo for missile launch.
Created from the Missile Silo, this is the remote targeting probe needed for the accurate
destruction of enemy strongholds. Once triggered the Target Designator can be moved in
close to the desired target and within a few moments, death will rain down from above.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
Kooot
Colonist
Conqueror
Excellent
Huge damage potential.
Close in attacks and very visible.
Excellent
Area of effect weapon.
If the colonists are in a particular area for any length of time, they can build up a sizeable
base camp. One of the advantages to expanding your base of operations is the ability to
build your Kooot unit. Using all the high-tech materials they can get their hands on, the
Kooot unit is a metal crushing tyranium war machine.
As the Colonists have found in the past, mastery of the native races usually rests with one
thing, firepower. In land, sea, and air the Colonists have developed the latest in military vehicle
technology for each of these terrains. Now with unlimited supplies of resources, the
development pace and type of unit creation can increase tenfold. For more information on
upgrades and availability of the various Vehicle units, please refer to the Technology Tree
section of the manual.
Name
Race
Occupation
Combat Ability
Strengths
Weaknesses
Armor
Special Attributes
Background
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Constructing Colonist Buildings
Repairing Buildings and Vehicles
Constructing buildings costs a set amount of resources (stone, crystal and energy). You can
construct more than one of each type of building, for example, Radar posts at each corner of
your camp. To display all the buildings that are currently available to you in the game, simply
select a Sapper and click on the Build Icon on the Main Panel. Hovering over the various
Building Icons will give you more details on cost, usage and capacity. For more information on
general Buildings, refer to the following section. For more information on the Control Hub, refer
to the Control section.
When they are damaged, buildings and vehicles tend to catch fire. These buildings can be
repaired back to full effectiveness by the Sappers (working with the Dropships). The vehicles
can only be repaired at the Hanger. Repair of buildings, like construction, requires resources.
This is based on the time and extent of the repair that is needed. If left unattended, damaged
buildings become more susceptible to attack as the enemy targets the weakest areas of your
race first.
There are five types of buildings:
Control - Such as the main Control Hub, or Ego Unit building.
To Repair a Building:
1. Click on a Sapper or group containing one or more Sappers. The more Sappers assigned to
a repairing, the faster the repair becomes.
Offensive - Buildings such as the Gunnery that let you train new military units to fight for
control of the land.
2. Click on the Repair Building Button on the Main Panel.
Defensive - Such as Barriers and Guard Towers that give you to an early warning of attack as
the enemy tries to break through these defenses to the heart of your defenses.
4. The Dropship will fly in to help the Sappers finish construction.
Industrial - Which increase the resources that you can store or collect, for example mines
vastly speed up the collection of Gas.
Research - These buildings, such as the Lab, let you experiment with the materials available to
create better and more useful skills and technologies, greatly increasing the speed at which
you can create quality tools or weapons and greatly increasing your chances of success.
Researching the various technologies, such as Construction, can improve the structure and
construction time of your buildings, making them more impervious to attack.
To construct a Building:
1. Click on a Sapper or group containing one or more Sappers. The more Sappers assigned to
a building, the faster the construction becomes.
2. Click on the Build Button on the Main Panel.
3. Click on the button of the building to construct. For example, to build a Store, click the Build
Store Button.
4. Right-click on a location on the map. The building highlight will be shown in green if the
building can be constructed there. You can also left-click the Mouse Button at this time to
rotate the building to adjust orientation.
Or
If you want to build more than one of the same type of building, press and hold the SHIFT key,
then click multiple locations on the map. To build a length of fences or walls, simply click and
drag the pointer from the start and stop locations.
5. The Sapper units then place the correct amount of materials at the building site, the
Dropship then flies in to finish the building off.
To dismantle a Building:
1. Click on a Sapper or group containing one or more Sappers. The more Sappers assigned to
a dismantling, the faster the de-construction becomes.
2. Click on the Raze Building Button on the Main Panel.
3. Click on the Building you wish to dismantle.
You cannot dismantle your Control Hub because its position is fixed. When you dismantle a
building a varying amount of resources are placed back onto your main total. Depending on
the quality of material salvaged, this amount can be quite high or fairly low.
3. Click on the Building you wish to Repair.
You cannot repair Vehicles with the Sappers. To repair damaged Vehicles (some of which are
manned by units), you have to bring them back to the nearest Hanger building for repairs.
Available Colonist Buildings
The buildings on the planet are made from the same basic materials that scatter the land,
mainly a composite of stone and crystal. Using the latest in building technology, the Colonist
can create much more advanced buildings in a shorter time span. Built to withstand any
hostile environments, the Colonist set of structures tends to be much tougher than those found
elsewhere on the planet.
Living Capsule
With Hotels in short supply on the Planet, the Colonists live in pre-built housing capsules.
Quick to set up and containing all the equipment for day-to-day survival, these are the
cornerstone of your continued expansion. Each Capsule holds five units but can be an easy
target for enemy aggression if left exposed.
Qmast Store
Once the mining operation gets more strung out, supply routes can become less than optimal.
Building local stores allows for the easy collection and pre-processing of resources before
they are transported back to the main Control Hub. Some research can take place here as
well, mainly regarding collection methods and upgrades to tools based on examination of
deposited resources.
Bootcamp
Any successful Colonial operation depends on a highly efficient military presence.
Constructing the Bootcamp allows you to create units such as the Marine, who not only
provides early protection from enemy attacks, but can also probe enemy positions for weak
points of entry later in the campaign. As you expand your presence you will be able to create
Sentries for defensive duties and the destructive Rocketeer, when the time has come to wipe
out your opposition.
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Barriers
It is not always viable to have guard units on duty all the time. Building simple Barrier units
can both prevent early attacks from basic enemy units and warn of impending danger. Quite
quick to set up, the only drawback being the additional time and expense needed to reroute
supply lines to compensate for the added protection.
Enclosure
Once enemy attacks become larger and more regular, you need to strengthen the defenses
around your camp to protect your buildings and population. The second wall structure
available is made of an advanced resin alloy and is modular in construction for fast
deployment. When used in conjunction with the Tower, it can make the camp defenses very
solid indeed.
Lamp
Used to provide permanent illumination in hostile areas of the map. Any enemy units, which
come within the area of illumination of these powerful light sources, will be visible to you and
defensive forces can be dispatched accordingly.
Static Cannon
Perfect for exposed areas, the remote Static Cannon is an automated defense unit built to
engage enemy units trying to breech the Colonist areas of operation. Because of the design
of it’s swivel turret, the main weakness it that, when surrounded, the back of the firing
chamber can be exposed to attack, but don’t count on many enemy units being left for long at
the front to cause this too happen.
Gunnery Range
Once you are established on the planet’s surface, you need to have units both capable of
assaults on the enemy and who have the ability to clear large regions of obstacles quickly.
Trained at the Gunnery Range are units such as the Fire Beamer and Flamer who both wield
especially destructive weapons, the Gunner who is primarily an assault trooper and the more
subtle Sniper unit, designed to penetrate enemy areas and stealthily take out difficult targets.
DroidTek
Radar scanning of the planet surface from orbit only reveals basic knowledge of the terrain.
To fully understand the scope of the local region you have to create Spy Droids from the
DroidTek. These units can not only map out regions for later mining exploration, but can also
pinpoint enemy positions and possible points of entry to enemy encampments.
Aerodrome
Once your scientists find a steady supply of fuel and have converted some of you engine
technology to have the ability to be used on the new planet, you can create highly mobile
flying units. These units can be used to perform lightning raids into enemy territory, or to
pound enemy defenses into submission before ground troops arrive to mop up.
Silo
Originally designed as an offensive weapon and still used as such on occasions when its
Target Designator Droid can reach its target, the Silo can also be very useful in eliminating
attacking forces. Any time the opposition become bogged down in one place they become
vulnerable to the Silo’s mighty missile.
Garage
Once you have established a plentiful supply of resources and energy, you can start to create
more exotic methods of transport. The vehicle hanger allows you to create and research
advanced modes of transport, as well as updates to existing units and technology. The
Transporter makes the movement of squads a more straightforward proposition and the Aqua
Marine can go where no one else can.
Laboratory
With so many minerals being processed, by-products such as fuels and even better
explosives appear. More research into these explosive compounds allows you to tune
specific to exploit them to the maximum. Sappers and Mining units can access deposits more
efficiently and attack units such as the Demolisher can be constructed specifically with the
task of bringing the enemy to their knees.
Obviously any enemy attacking or managing to destroy these buildings can create huge
damage to the surrounding area, so it is better to build these structures slightly away from
the main camp, but equally well protected.
Auto Mining Extractor
Once the amount of resources needed becomes no longer viable to completely collect by
hand, you need to automate the process. These Mining rigs can be built over fresh or
surface-mined deposits, and deep core drilling into the surface will extract the maximum
amount of the chosen resource.
With this amount of increased sub surface activity, the Dreil team in particular are likely to
attack the structures to try to preserve underground harmony, so they will always be a
primary target that needs to be protected.
Tower
Although the Scouts are efficient at mapping local areas for brief moments in time, to get a
proper picture of surrounding activity you need to deploy surface Towers. Giving a good
picture of the terrain and unit activity in the surrounding area, the Tower can deliver a good
early warning of incoming enemy attacks. The Tower is not helpless and can defend itself
against limited attacks. It is best positioned behind a wall when its superior range can wreck
havoc with enemy forces.
Engineering Building
Once the engineering division has determined a good source for certain materials, you can
build the Kooot unit. This metal behemoth represents decades of military technology, rolled
into a devastating assault unit 4 stories tall. Because of the energy needed to drive this
beast, they are usually in short supply, so if you manage to construct one of these units,
operate and maintain it properly to bring victory to the colonist effort.
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Engineering Evolution
About Colonist Technology
Although the knowledge of the Colonist race is built on thousands of years of technological
triumph, they still have to learn and master new skills at each location they land. By combining
past knowledge with new and more advanced technologies, your race is immediately at an
advantage over any nearby neighbours. Technology is a key factor in the survival, expansion,
and longevity of the Colonist people. The various Races are all adept at skills relating to their
location. The Dreil Race are expert miners, being underground dwellers and are loyal to the
Queen, while the Sorin Race are expert wood and stone workers who are also loyal to their
Priests who command respect and fear through the use of magic.
To Gather Energy:
1. Click on a Sapper or group of Sappers.
2. Right-click on one of the Energy Geysers that appears on the land.
3. The Sappers will start to gather energy at the chosen target, and will not stop until
instructed to do so.
Advancing Your Operation
The struggle to take on the challenge of conquering a new planet is not new to the Colonists.
It requires an ever-increasing sense of wealth and stockpile of resources, as well as the
gradual understanding of the technology that comes with the new knowledge learned from the
current situation and careful expansion of your central Control Hub.
Better buildings, units, and technology become available as you build newer research facilities
and advance your Control Hub. The Technology Tree shows you all the routes and options that
are available as you master the skills needed for the next level of discovery. The technology
available to you depends on the Race that you wish to play as.
In Dark Planet, you quickly cover the stages of conquer and evolution in a smaller time frame,
and this is divided in Phases as the amount of energy needed to expand the Control Hub.
These eras reflect the skill base of your Race as you achieve them.
Unit and Building Attributes
Phase 1 - Characterized by the Spartan and basic buildings with a limited workforce to
establish, explore and initially gather some vital resources.
Sappers, Military units, Vehicles and Buildings can have the following attributes. Refer to the
Technology Tree for more information on these attributes and the research items that affect
them.
Phase 2 - Characterized by the more technology and buildings starting to appear, expanded
population growth, greater explored territory and better use of construction and technology.
Hit Points - The amount of damage a unit or building can sustain before it is defeated.
Speed - The speed at which a unit or vehicle travels.
Capacity - The amount of resources that a Resource Collector unit or Sapper can carry, the
total units that a Transport Vehicle can move or the population limit of a House.
Attack Rate - The amount of damage that a unit causes when attacking.
Hit Rate - The time between swings in a hand-to-hand attack and the speed at which the
Vehicle, Watchtower or Gunner units can reload.
Armor - The amount of protection that a Unit, Vehicle or Building has when being attacked by
the enemy. The type of unit directly affects this amount, a large vehicle or building naturally
has more armor than a smaller hand-to-hand unit.
Accuracy - How much damage the attacking unit affects - better accuracy produces more
damage. Accuracy for Gunner, Watchtower and Vehicle units can also be affected by height.
Minimum Range - The minimum range that a Gunner will fire over before attacking hand-tohand.
Maximum Range - The maximum range that a Gunner, Vehicle, or Watchtower can fire over.
Build Rate - The speed at which a Building or Vehicle is constructed or repaired and the time
it takes to create or train Sapper or Military units.
Phase 3 - Characterized by the heavily defended camp region, knowledge of the surrounding
terrain and enemy races and the advanced weaponry employed by your military units.
Phase 4 - Characterized by the size of the battle now being waged for control of the region, the
dependence on the powerful crystals for power, and increased technology and populations.
The game of Dark Planet typically starts in Phase 1, with the Control Hub at its lowest point.
As you advance the through the Phases you will find all the new technologies, units, and skills
that become available as you begin to dominate the landscape with your race.
TO ADVANCE YOUR CONTROL HUB TO THE NEXT LEVEL:
1. First, you must have enough of the resources necessary for the upgrade to the next level.
You can find this out by clicking on the Main Control Hub then hovering the Upgrade Control
Hub Button, which will also be lit if the Upgrade is possible.
2. Click on the Main Control Hub.
3. Click on the Upgrade Control Hub Button, the Upgrade Control Hub action will now be
added to the Unit Queue.
While the Main Control Hub is upgrading, you cannot create any new Sapper units, although
you can still create units and perform actions from your other buildings. Any Sappers that are
working at the Control Hub at the time of upgrade will continue to do so at the next level.
Energy - The amount of energy a unit contributes toward the team total. This is collected by
each race in a different way when a unit dies or is captured, either by being cocooned for food
by the Dreils, or sacrificed by the Sorins.
With the Control Hub upgraded, new buildings, units and technologies are waiting to be
discovered. You can click on the Sapper to see if any buildings have been added to the Build
list or click on existing Research buildings to see the new upgrade or research options that
have been added.
About Energy
RESEARCHING TECHNOLOGY
The civilizations of the Races in this world are based are two things: energy and magic. Use of
these forces by the Dreil and Sorin races over time have left behind traces that can be tapped
into by the Colonist to boost their own central energy total.
In Natrolis, as your Control Hub advances through the different levels and Phases, so does the
level of technology available for your race to understand. With each Phase, there is an
opportunity to master new skills and techniques, unimaginable to the Sappers that first landed
on the planet surface. The technologies themselves take a huge leap with every advance you
make, from the simple energy gatherers that the Sapper units carry in Phase 1, to full blown
automated mining structures in Phase 4. The race that masters all of the varying technologies
available in the land is usually the one to prevail.
These Energy “Geysers” naturally appear on the land and can be accessed only by the Sapper
units. When a member of any Race is defeated, the energy that they contain can be captured
and used elsewhere on the planet.
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To research a new technology:
1. Click on a Research Building. A list of research items available will appear on the Main
Panel. If you have enough resources, the available topic buttons will be lit, hover over them
and you will be able to see which resources you still need to gather to be able to research
this item. Researching technologies takes a long time and lot of resources, but when you
have these new technologies available, you immediately have the advantage.
2. Click on the button for the technology you wish to research. For example, you can research
Capacity at the Qmast Store. This gives the Sappers bigger collection chambers on their
resource disintegrators.
3. The research item will be added to the Unit Queue for that building. You can add more until
you have exhausted the topics, or have no resources left.
For more information on the different technologies available, refer to the Technology Tree
section of the manual.
UPGRADING SKILLS, UNITS AND BUILDINGS
By advancing through the Phases, you have the chance to not only learn new skills and train
new units, but to upgrade the units, vehicles, skills and structures that already exist. These
upgrades can take the form of a better weapon or different type of armor, or they can be in
form of a new type of fuel, which increases speed of movement.
To upgrade a skill, unit or building:
1. Click on the building associated with this unit. They can be the Hub, Laboratory and the
Qmast for various upgrades. More information of this can be found in the Technology Tree
section of the manual.
2. Click on the button on the Main Panel that refers to the upgrade you wish to perform.
For example, better Armor can be found at the Laboratory. If you have enough resources
the button will be lit. Hover the button for more information on that item.
3. The item will be added to the Unit Queue for that building. You can add more until you have
exhausted the topics, or have no resources left.
Energy Based Buildings
Control Hub (Level 1 – Phase 1)
Made of tempered Alloy, each Control Hub is dropped into position at the start of the
exploration of each region. It contains a finite amount of energy that supplies the whole
Colonist team. To continue and expand operations, a continued source of energy needs to be
developed by your Sapper units. The first Control Hub is open to attack and must be
strengthened as soon as possible. A simple upgrade in the levels of energy and crystal are
usually enough to allow a move into the next Phase.
Once placed, the Control Hub creates Sappers to do your bidding, collecting resources and
enabling the establishment of your base camp. You can use the Control Hub as a central
store for both resources and energy.
Control Hub (Level 2 – Phase 2)
As you gain the ability to expand the Control Hub, you can also start to make use of its new
range of technologies. The influence of the Control Hub is felt all around the camp, with new
buildings and techniques being developed in this important phase of your colonial
establishment.
As the Control Hub expands you need even more resources and energy to get to the next
Phase.
Control Hub (Level 3 – Phase 3)
The third stage of the Control Hub, although not complete, allows much better use of the
available resources in creating devastating new technologies. Many buildings and
technology advances can be achieved at this point, and with the increased skills of resource
and energy collection, your race can get closer to the final Phase of operations and complete
domination of the planet.
Control Hub (Level 4 – Phase 4)
Once the Control Hub has reached its full capacity, the full extent of its potential can be
tapped into. The final series of buildings are so technologically advanced that the early
stages of your development seem like they happened so long ago. As the central point of
your establishment, this will become the focus for any attack on the heart of your city, and
thus, must be protected at all costs; although the outer shell is easily repaired, prolonged
damage to the energy core can be harder and more costly in the long term.
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APPENDICES
Useful hints
• When moving a slow or vulnerable unit across the map, surround it with stronger units
using a custom formation type.
• Always add Leader units to a group, they affect the movement and combat abilities of units
in their influence.
• Use the mini-map to quickly move around the world.
• If you have a wheel mouse, you can use the wheel to zoom in and out.
• You can rotate to any angle by holding down SHIFT as you rotate the screen.
• Remember to use the Idle key to find units that are currently waiting.
• Cripple an enemy tribe by taking out their stores and houses. This limits their ability to
gather resources and expand their population.
• Double-clicking a single unit on the screen will auto-select all of the visible units of that type.
• Left-clicking on an object or unit in any Building Queue will remove it from that list.
• Focus group attacks onto the strongest enemy units, as they often affect the ability of lesser
nearby units.
• Always attack the Town Center of an enemy civilization. This is where the most people are
gathered, and is the source of all power.
• Remember that repairing buildings will use additional resources.
• Make sure you have plenty of houses for all of your people to live in.
• Build a series of Walls and Watchtowers all within each other's range. This makes them
much more effective and difficult to attack.
• Holding down SHIFT while placing down a building will allow you to build multiples of that
type.
• Put all the different types of units into their own group i.e. Workers, Vehicles, Soldiers etc,
then use the keyboard shortcuts to easily move them around.
• Try to use 2 or more units when constructing new building; they will build it much quicker.
• Assign Defender units to protect buildings from early attack. You can also patrol areas using
waypoints.
• Stockpile plenty of resources, even if you do not need them right away. Upgrading and
researching new technologies later in the game eats resources.
• Use the compass on the Main Control Panel to set your view North again.
• Use the Options Panel to turn on unit range markers.
• To make a guard unit patrol large areas, click the Patrol Button, then use CTRL and mouse
right-click to put down patrolling waypoints.
• The Dreil team relies on dead organic matter to cocoon for energy.
• The Sorin Team relies on capturing the souls of their dead enemies for Faith.
• The Colonist Team relies on the ability to easily access the natural volcanic vents for energy.
• If the enemy surprises your resource collecting units, use the DUMP Button to free them of
the resources weighing them down.
• Always wait until a transport unit is finished loading before attacking it.
• Keep a close eye on unit numbers suddenly dropping, as attacks can come from below the
ground and from the air.
• Use the different Attack Mode Buttons for each type of unit, such as Flee for Workers and
Aggressive for Defenders.
• To target units being trained or created, select their source building and right-click on the
place you want them to go to once created.
• To target multiple enemy targets, right-click a drag box over a number of enemy units with a
group of your own selected.
• Remember that even without a main building, your workers can still build a limited number
of useful structures.
• Stores allow you to research resource-related upgrades. The main structure allows you to
perform vital unit upgrades and the research building allows you to do military unit
upgrades.
Q&A
Q: I don’t know what to do?
A: Play the first mission.
Q: How can I find out how much health the enemy has?
A: Click on them or any buildings they possess.
Q: Gathering resources seems to take forever.
A: Research and upgrade items to speed up resource collection, such as carrying capacity.
Q: Can I harm my own people with ‘friendly fire’?
A: No.
Q: I turn up the game speed and the computer always seems to be one step ahead of me.
A: Remember that it speeds up for your opponents too, and they know how to play well.
Q: I keep getting lost on the map.
A: Click on the Home or Map Buttons on the panel or try pressing the ‘H’ key to take you back
to your civilization center.
Q: Can I heal myself?
A: Yes, but only certain units can heal or be healed.
Q: What happens if I don’t research all the items during a mission?
A: Nothing, but you may be at a disadvantage by not choosing a good series of technical
upgrades. Try experimenting with the research items to see which ones work best for you.
Q: I’ve finished the campaigns against the other teams and defeated, now what?
A: Now try playing as another race. You might find it more difficult beating your old Team!
Q: The keyboard Hot Keys do not work when the game is running what can be done?
A: Turn off CAPS LOCK on the keyboard.
Q: Where can I get updates for Dark Planet?
A: Keep checking the Edgies Website at www.edgiese.com or www.darkplanet.ubi.com.
Q: I can’t see the in-game movies.
A: Make sure to have the latest version of Windows Media Player installed: this is included on
the Dark Planet CD.
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Default Control Keys
Troubleshooting
All options on Control Tab (defaults in brackets):
General
Go to Idle Unit
(m)
Go to Next Object
(j)
PERFORMANCE
Dark Planet is one of the most advanced strategy games ever made. To achieve the best
performance it is recommended that you are running the latest version of the operating system
and using the latest certified versions of the drivers for the devices in your system.
Rotate Left 90 Degrees
(Delete)
Rotate Right 90 Degrees
(Page Down)
Scrolling
(Cursor Keys)
Rotate Left
(RShift Delete)
Rotate Right
(RShift Page Down)
Increase Tilt
(Page Up)
Decrease Tilt
(Insert)
Go to Zoom Preset
(Enter)
Zoom In
(Home)
Zoom Out
(End)
Reduce Single Player Game Speed
VIDEO CARDS
The more RAM you have on your video card, the higher the resolution the game will run in.
Currently Dark Planet will work from 800x600 through to the highest available resolution on your
card.
HARD DISK SPACE
You need at lease 220MB of free hard disk space to run Dark Planet (and 550MB when full).
OPERATING PLATFORMS
Dark Planet will run on Windows® 95/98/Me/2000/XP. The game runs in Direct 3D.
(,)
UPDATES
Please be sure to check our Websites for current updates at www.darkplanet.ubi.com or
www.edgies.com.
Increase Single Player Game Speed
(.)
Machine Specifications for Running Dark Planet
Restore Normal Single Player Game Speed
(/)
REQUIRED
Jump To Home
(h)
Jump To Alert
(a)
CPU
Memory
Hard Disk Space
Graphic Display Card
Soundcard
CD Rom Drive
DirectX version
Internet or LAN Connection
Minimap On/Off
(z)
Minimap Toggle
(TAB)
Send Chat (Network only)
(t)
Options Panel
(F1)
See Current Objective
(F2)
Toggle Options Panel
(F3)
Save Screenshot
(F9)
Load Saved Game
(l)
Save Game
(s)
Pause Game
(p)
- Pentium® III 450 or AMD K6-3 500
- 64 MB RAM
- 220 MB free (Compact install)
- 3D video card with 16 MB RAM, DirectX compatible
- DirectX compatible
- 8x speed
- DirectX 8 (Included on Disc)
- Required for multiplayer gaming
RECOMMENDED
CPU
Memory
Hard Disk Space
Graphic Display Card
Soundcard
CD Rom Drive
DirectX version
- Pentium III 800 or AMD K6-3 800.
- 128 MB or better.
- 550 MB free (Full install)
- 32 MB RAM (DirectX compatible)
- DirectX Compatible
- 8x speed or better.
- DirectX 8.1 (Included on Disc)
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CREDITS
Development
All design, programming, art content, music and sound effects, internal testing and
documentation by Edgies, copyright 2002.
EDGIES DEVELOPMENT TEAM
David Wightman
David Elliott
David Brown
Graham Allen
Jason Kocemba
Glen Livsey
Tom Whittaker
Stuart Beel
Neal Corbett
David Miller
Duncan Shields
Maria VonTrap
Angus Syme
Barry Leitch
Barry Brown
David Edwardson
Steve Parker
Barry Clark
Eric Riley
UBI SOFT-MONTREAL
QA Manager
QA Lead
QA Tester
QA Tester
QA Tester
QA Tester
QA Tester
QA Tester
QA Tester
QA Tester
QA Tester
QA Tester
QA Tester
QA Tester
QA Tester
QA Tester
QA Tester
Eric Tremblay
Eric Audette
Steve Bergeron
Marc Brouillette
Marc-André Dessureault
Philippe Dion
Guillaume Roy
Robert St-Martin
Allen Tremblay
Ludovic Murat
Nicholas Gagnier
Patrick Melanson
Daniel Sarrazin
Yann Provencher
Jean-François Dessureault
Hanz Tabora
Emmanuel-Yvan Offoe
UBI SOFT-PARIS
International Coordination
International Coordination
Localization Manager
Content Manager
Alexis Godard
Anne Blondel
Coralie Martin
Fabrice Pierre-Elien
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Garrett Graham
Jon Kromrey
Chuck Yager
Manual Design
Price Design Team
Publishing
UBI SOFT ENTERTAINMENT
PRODUCTION
VP of Product Development
Executive Producer
Producer
Associate Producer
Bret Berry
Dexter Chow
Charles Harribey
David Chapman
Laurentiu Rusu
MARKETING
Senior Marketing Brand Manager Tena Lawry
PR Manager
Sean Kauppinen
PR Director/Group Brand Manger Karen Conroe
Director of Publishing
Jay Cohen
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UBI SOFT LICENSE AGREEMENT
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THIS AGREEMENT IS GOVERNED BY THE INTERNAL SUBSTANTIVE LAWS OF THE STATE OF
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THE INTERNATIONAL SALE OF GOODS, AS AMENDED). BY INSTALLING OR USING THE
SOFTWARE, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT
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