(a.k.a. Papalot)
A strategy game for browser (Java applet)
STATUS: early alpha test, nascent, 10 levels, featureless playing field
This
game pits human against computer in a fantasy rustic world. By
choosing your deployments thoughtfully, you hope to dominate over the
enemy forces. Each side begins with some revenue-producing assets, those
being the Farmers, Gold Diggers, Workshops and Factories. But other assets
will be needed for defense and attack: Guardhouses, Warriors and Saboteurs.
As your earnings accumulate you must spend
the money judiciously, or your opponent will
swarm and leave your kingdom in ruins.
The fighting units are algorithmically self-directed once deployed, you'll see.
Each new level begins with a different layout: your's and your
opponent's starting assets will mirror each other in some cases, but in
other campaigns (levels) they'll differ greatly. As the levels progress,
these unique layouts present ever-new challenges.
Playing process:
-
select the feature (man or building) that you next
want to purchase and deploy
- click the Next
button and wait for (1) your new unit to be readied for the field and (2)
enough funding to build up to pay for the new feature ...but the longer you
have to wait, the more deployments your computer opponent can potentially
send into the field in the meantime, subject of course to readiness and
funding for the units that he chooses
- when readiness and funding are realized,
gameplay pauses and mouse pointer becomes a
rectangle; click the desired
field location to deploy your new asset
- miscellaneous controls: Ctrl-R restarts the current
level; Ctrl-N skips ahead to the next level
Legend:
(note that during gameplay a day's passage is marked
by 3 blinks of the health lights)
| Asset |
Price |
Readi- ness delay |
Total resis- tance |
Daily force |
Daily reve- nue |
Notes |
Gold Digger
|
10 |
2
(days) |
14 |
— |
1 |
cheapest unit -- profit is capped at +4 ...he loses 1 health unit a day,
so he'll produce for 2 weeks if left alone |
Farmer
|
30 |
3 |
40 |
— |
1 |
cheap unit with steady revenue |
Workshop
|
250 |
4 |
70 |
— |
2 |
has
slightly better hardiness-to-price ratio than Factory and is a
lot quicker to erect |
Factory
|
500 |
10 |
127 |
— |
5 |
hardy unit, and better payoff-to-price ratio than Workshop;
of course it's a long wait while it's constructed |
Saboteur
|
90 |
2 |
50 |
3 |
— |
he goes after enemy Factories, Workshops and Guardhouses |
Warrior
|
120 |
2 |
60 |
6 |
— |
he attacks enemy Warriors, Saboteurs, Gold Diggers and Farmers
|
Guardhouse
|
300 |
5 |
100 |
3
(per sq.) |
— |
expensive but robust, its force exerts over a 5-block radius,
engaging Warriors, Saboteurs, Gold Diggers and Farmers
|
|
Guardhouse range:
Daily, it exerts 3 units
of force against each enemy-occupied square in its range, 108 grid
squares
|
|
Some gameplay tips:
-
At the onset of each new level, inspect the readouts showing your's and your enemy's monetary resources, and plan your strategy accordingly -- initial funding and revenue can vary
-
Watch what your computer opponent selects for his upcoming purchase, and consider how that will impact your own plans
-
Gold Diggers don't turn a profit unless they survive 11 to 14 days, so deploy them where they'll likely be unhampered; but cash flow will sometimes be more crucial than profit
- Diversionary tactic: deploy a Warrior or Saboteur to a key spot to sidetrack advancing enemy
|
requires screen size set to 1024 x 768, or bigger
..or here to download the game for offline play
Zip archive: extract contents, then double-click "Start Papalot"
Copyright © 2006 Pavel Richter, All rights reserved
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 28 March 2007 )
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