Scrap 10DRL 1.1

Scrap

Scrap was entry for 7DRL challenge in 2005 but after deadline author wished to polish it in order to make it more a game than a proof of concept. Later extended version came and finally 1.1 which fixed all known bugs.

You control a robot surrounded by other hostile robots. That is all you get to know about the plot but it is sufficient. Your machine can have up to eight systems plugged in. Any combination with at least one power source is valid. How one collects parts to plug into one’s robot? From other robots of course! They need to be subdued first but that’s what game is about. In Scrap there are five kinds of systems. That means any machine including yours is going to have some weakness. A functionality that can be neutralized easier because you cannot have double for all installations.

Most important systems are power sources – they continuously repair any damages. By default system in worst shape is picked for mending but you can override it any time and choose more appropriate part if you wish. When disabled power source will slowly fix itself. When destroyed it causes large explosion which renders a robot inoperable.

Weapons are among most useful additions. They vary in range, strenght and damage type done. Normal weapon has equal chance to hit any system but specialized technology exists. For example phaser rifle has excellent ability to disrupt power sources. Any weapon that has some specialization is twice as likely to hit installation it is designed against. You can use this to exploit weaknesses or disable advantages of your opponents.

Armor protects systems from damage. Better materials are able to resist greater punch. Some armors have special resistances. This is similar to weapons. Having resist sensor armor installed will force any hits from weapons designed to damage sensory systems to overcome double protection. Sometimes it may be wise to pick weaker armor but with resistance shielding your most vital system.

Detection of other machines is role of sensors. Again not all systems are equal. Cameras are fairly good but cannot pick up objects behind obstacles. Also, they are useless in darkness. Sonars tend to have long range but can be employed only in water. X-ray allows to check what is behind walls but works at short distances. Choice is not going to be easy one. Detecting threat while still far allows for easy planning but negating cover might be more important.

Propulsion allows machines to cross various terrain. Wheeled drives are quite fast and useful on solid ground. Any robot with such propulsion will easily chase or escape tanks employing caterpillar track. However, on rough, difficult terrain where wheels are not very useful odds are going to be reversed. Slower caterpillars are not penalized for moving over rocky ground while wheeled drives are. Type of propulsion installed should be carefully considered because having ability to escape somewhere safe and repair after encountering too strong foe may save your hull. Now think about deep water of open sea, pits and chasms or indoor and underground locations. None of systems is versatile enough to give you maneuvering advantage in all of these places.

Scap does not have neither standard hitpoints nor experience. It is your system configuration that matters. Thus you need to kill only robots having parts you want or ones that are obstacle in reaching stairs. After you descend stairs all your systems are brought to 100% condition. Twenty levels await challengers.

There are two things one could complain about. Firstly, in last level player needs some luck not to start in unwinnable situation. Secondly, mine rarely is a threat. Except that the game is interesting coffee break roguelike. One of those uncommon RL games in non-fantasy setting.

Reviewed for roguetemple by Michael Bielinski