A massive-multiplayer business strategy game, Initiative: Red Dawn tasks the player with a lofty, eccentric goal: reach Mars and establish a colony. The catch is that everyone else is trying to beat you to it. Taking place during the present, and inspired by the research done by NASA and SpaceX, you’ll need to learn to play with others in order to reach the red planet.
To establish a colony on Mars, you’ll first need to build a base on Earth. Starting with $100 million, you’ll need to construct buildings that will aid you in the race. Corporate buildings handle resource purchases, corporate security and the hiring of workers, called Talents. However, Talents are shared among the server, so act quick, or the good ones will disappear. Other buildings include research, operations, manufacturing and recreation. All of these are vital to reaching Mars.
The key to reaching Mars, however, is rockets. Your rockets need to be capable enough to first establish a space station, then a moon colony and finally the colony on Mars. Research, development and operations are all essential to crafting a working rocket. Knowing what engine to use, what fuel needs to be burned and what the rocket is going to carry all ties into whether or not each launch will be successful. Putting more capable Talents into research and development can provide yield more fruitful results, such has more efficient fuel, or lighter cargo.
The biggest draw to Initiative: Red Dawn is the simultaneous multiplayer. Everyone else playing is also trying to reach their colony on Mars. You can choose to work together with other players and establish what is called a “holding,” or can play against them, simply trying to build and launch faster than anyone else. How you choose to play with others is up to you.
Sign-up for the alpha on the game’s website.
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