( Rebelsun1.2.zip, 03/06/04, 1.05Mb)
Requirements: Dark Basic requires you to have a Windows-based PC with DirectX 8.1 or better, and some semblance of a graphics card.

A game by Duncan Timiney.
Tested by Derek and Eggy.

1.1.Resources are used for buying equipment and characters. Resources are consumed after missions for ammunition expenses and team-share, but awarded for successful missions.
1.2.Reputation is awarded for successful missions, and represents the cap on the equipment and mission-types available for your team.
1.3.Selecting a character: Click on the appropriate image of the character.
1.4.Buying a new character: Click on any available empty green square.
1.5.Selecting equipment: Click on the armour, gun and melee icons. Available equipment will be listed in bright green, unavailable equipment in dark green. The equipment lists are expanded as your teams Reputation increases. Buying an item which replaces an old piece of equipment will automatically sell the old item
a)'New' denotes the item has been added since your last Reputation increase.
b)The item name, with its default mode if it has more than one mode.
c)The resource cost of the item.
d)Buying restrictions; currently this may be 'Exotic', which requires the 'Exotic Weapons' Special.
e)The available quantity of this item is displayed as a row of asterix.
1.6.Experience is awarded for combat action and successful missions. Earning experience leads to earning Special advances.
1.7.Special Advances: When an orange lightbulb icon appears for a character, a special advance is available. Click on it to bring the list of available Specials. The list is randomly generated but based on the characters statistics. The advance must be chosen immediately. There are four different kinds of Specials:
a)Stat Increase. Increases one statistic; the higher your stat, the less likely you are to have the approprate special appear in the advance list.
b)Special Skill. Each stat has a number of different skills linked to it. The higher your stat, the more likely you are to have such a skill appear in the advance list.
c)Misc Advance. These are advances with one-shot effects, such as increasing Resources or Reputation or repairing an injury.
d)Injuries. These never appear in the advance list and only occur as a result of being taken out of action during a mission. They are always debilitating.
1.8.Loading and Saving: Two buttons in the bottom-right of the screen allow you to load and save your team. At the moment only one team can be saved.
1.9.Finish With Team: The last button ends the pre-mission screen and proceeds to the mission selection screen.
1.10.Mission Selection: You receive a choice of three different missions. Examine the mission goals, environment and expected threat to help you make your choice; for example if you have heavy weapons, exterior missions are easier. If your team mostly has pistols and close-combat weapons, a fortress assault may be better.
a)You can reject all missions and go back to the team assembly screen, but doing so damages your Reputation.
b)Neutralize All Hostiles: Simply kill all the bad guys or make them withdraw.
c)Secure Entry Areas: Entry areas are points where enemies can enter the map. They look like orange hazard markers. Moving adjacent to them will secure them. In interior missions, they are often located at the end of corridors but can be anywhere. For exterior missions, there are three areas: One for each cardinal point other than your teams start point (Unless you split your team up, these can take a while to secure)
d)Assassinate Enemy Leader. The enemy leader can be recognized by the green 'L' above his character - just like your own leader. The mission ends after he is killed. These missions usually include entry areas that can be secured, but doing so is not required.
e)Recover Data. Your team must locate data stored on one of multiple computer terminals on the level. The Manipulate action must be used on an adjacent terminal to search it, which is a Ready Weapon action. Once located, the team must withdraw from the level.
f)Recover Supplies. Similar to the Recover Data mission, but usually in an outdoor environment and you should be looking for storage crates.

2.1.View Panel. The main section of the mission screen shows the terrain and soldiers. To the top and left are white rectangles representing what section of the whole map the view panel shows. The view panel can be scrolled by moving the mouse cursor to the edges of the screen or by using the cursor keys.
2.2.Message Panel. Below the view panel is a message box. This tells you generally what is happening - if shots are missing or hitting, if people are getting hurt etc.
2.3.Character Panel. The box to the top right shows the selected characters details. To the left of the characters name is the 'Stats' button. To the right is the 'Specials' button. These buttons will take you between the two character panel information screens.
2.4.Movement Panel. Below the character panel is the movement panel. The selected characters movement points will be displayed here as arrows and half-arrows.
a)'May Charge' will be printed if the character is able to perform an extended charge move to reach close combat. 'May Charge' will flash if the characters current action will deny him a charge move, such as a Ready Weapon action.
b)Characters may move into squares occupied by other friendly characters. Only two characters may occupy the same space.
2.5.Equipment Panel. Below the movement panel is the equipment panel. The selected characters armour and weapons are displayed here. Guns have their ammunition displayed in addition to a number of red target icons representing the number of remaining shots this turn.
2.6.Equipment Buttons. To the right of the equipment panel there may be several buttons for actions related to equipment. Weapons will have a 'reload' button (Three white bullets) and any piece of equipment may have a 'switch' button (yellow icon) for changing mode.
2.7.More Buttons. Below the equipment panel are four buttons.
a)Next Character
b)Review Mission Objectives
c)Map
d)End Turn

3.1.Character Selection. Your soldiers can be selected by either right-clicking on them, or by cycling through the Next Character button.
3.2.Actions. The current action avaiable for the selected character is represented by the mouse cursor. The default action is Movement. Right clicking will cycle through the available actions. Left clicking will perform the action.
a)Ready Weapon. Some actions are described as being a Ready Weapon action. These can only be performed if the character has not moved further than one square (or more specifically not used more than one-and-a-half movement points). Performing such an action reduces the characters movement points to one-and-a-half; enough to allow him one square of movement in any direction.
b)Movement. Cursor will be a white arrow showing the direction of movement. During a charge, a red line will indicate the path from his original position. Charging into combat gives the character an extra attack.
c)Fire. Cursor will be a: Red target if a shot is available; Red target with 'AIM' if an aimed or rapid-fire shot is available; Red cross if no shot is ready.
Firing Arc: Sometimes a shot will be declared as 'Out of firing arc'. This occurs when you have already fired a shot and are firing again in a radically different direction. Heavy weapons have a tighter firing arc, with pistols being the easiest weapon to fire in different directions.
Firing Two Weapons: Characters wielding two pistols will fire their second weapon automatically if their primary weapon misses. Some Special advances allow a character to consistantly fire two pistols.
d)Reload. Cursor is an ammo icon. If the characters weapons are empty, this icon will automatically replace the Fire icon; left click to reload. Reloading is a Ready Weapon action.
e)Manipulate. Cursor is a yellow hand. Use for opening doors, activating computers and opening supply crates.
f)Close Combat. Cursor is a blue sword. Upon initiating close combat, the two characters will become engaged, as indicated by a small blue cross, and cannot perform any action other than Close Combat until someone is taken out of action. The combatatant with the highest Agility normally strikes first, striking with every available attack before the slower character can strike. Extra attacks are awarded for two close-combat weapons / pistols and for initiating combat with 'May Charge' available (an actual charge isn't necessary)

4.1.Walls.
4.2.Difficult terrain. Rubble, pipes and bushes cost double movement to traverse. On the plus side, most of this terrain counts as cover or concealment if you are in or behind it.
4.3.Cover. Some terrain may block an incoming shot. Examples include windows, pillars and rubble. You can shoot past adjacent cover, so it is advantageous to be right next to or in cover, firing over it but using it for defence.
4.4.Concealment. Some terrain gradually reduces visibilty. Examples include fog, bushes and rubble.
4.5.Entry Points are denoted by orange hazard markers. New enemy soldiers may enter the map through these points. Your soldiers can secure them my moving adjacent to them.
4.6.Doors can be opened and closed using the Manipulate action. Doing so costs one movement point.
4.7.Computer terminals can be accessed using the Manipulate action. Doing so costs one movement point.

5.1.Armour. Only one suit of armour can be worn at a time.
5.2.Guns
a)Pistols can be fired twice with Ready Weapon or once on the move. One pistol can be wielded in each hand. If wielded in conjuction with a single-handed melee weapon or another pistol, the character gains an extra attack in close combat.
b)Rifles and carbines can be fired once at long range with Ready Weapon or twice at short range. Firing a rifle twice means the character cannot charge but can otherwise move normally. Wielding a rifle requires two hands, so the character cannot also carry a two-handed melee weapon.
c)Heavy guns can only be fired with Ready Weapon, and cannot be used with a two-handed melee weapon.
d)Other guns such as shotguns and voidcasters can be fire all their shots without disrupting movement or charging. They cannot be used with a two-handed melee weapon.
5.3.Melee weapons. Each character may have a single-handed melee weapon regardless of what gun they wield. A two-handed melee weapon may only be carried if the character has no other weapon or only a pistol. If a single handed melee weapon is wielded in conjuction with another single handed melee weapon or a pistol, the character gains an extra attack in close combat.

6.1.Soon To Be Implemented
a)Threat display in the 'white boxes'.
b)More mission types, furnishings and environments.
Escort-The-VIP
Water.
6.2.To Be Implemented But Goodness Knows When
a)Morale: 'All Alone' tests, being outnumbered in melee, etc. This will bring Command into the game more.
b)Utility Equipment such as scanners, medikits, grenades, force-fields etc.
c)Stationary Gun Emplacements
d)Battlesuits -> Assault cannons, stabilized heavy weapons, etc.
e)More enemies with differing and better AI.
f)Objects On Ground: So weapons can be picked up from the fallen, etc.
g)Being able go prone: Gives a bit of cover. Bad for melee. But mostly so you can make enemies hit the dirt and cower from explosions and sniper fire.
h)Opportunity Fire: Still haven't decided exactly how this should work. Either:
Select as an action (Simple) and either pick a specific firing spot (Fast) or general firing arc (Slow)
Not an action, instead have characters make reaction rolls for any enemy moving in their line of sight. (Complicated)

7.1. An AI character charged after he had been taken out of action by an overheating plasma gun.
7.2. Various display issues involving walls overlapping tall characters heads.