Moonscape Dev Diaries #4: Rovers on a Moon Full of Possibilities
Updated: May 6, 2022
Welcome back to the stellar world of Moonscape! This is Dev Diary #4 and we are about to take a deep dive into rovers, the dynamic, multi-purpose vehicles you will use to explore the surface on your way to total Moon domination!
*Note: This is a work in progress. The final version may differ from current projections.
As the name implies, Rovers are lunar vehicles controlled by you, the player. These can be used to move around in the map, to attack enemies that stand in your way, and more. Moonscape contains several types of rovers, but only one can be equipped at a time.
Rovers are used in the following situations:
- Exploring the map: Move your Rover across the surface of the moon, hunting for resources while defeating the alien menace. You will also find rival and ally players' cities dotted along the treacherous expanse.
- Attacking aliens: In the wake of a failed attempt at terraforming the moon, alien invaders occupied the barren satellite. These ferocious creatures can now appear anywhere in the map, and have an appetite for destruction. They are more than capable of destroying your Rover, and have a tendency to fiercely protect resource points of great quality. Use the Rovers to enter battle mode and send then to Oblivion. It may be difficult but don’t panic if your rover is destroyed. It will just need some time to repair itself, and return to full usage.
- Attacking enemy cities: Enter the cities of your rivals and destroy their buildings for precious loot. When you enter Attack mode inside a city, the skirmish will commence. Use the Rover to attack buildings, while avoiding the city defenses. Similar to the alien battle system, if your rover is destroyed, you will need to wait for the repairing cooldown in order to be able to get all its functions again. But fortunately you won’t lose the rover.
- Resources: When you find an attractive resource point, you can use your rover to deploy an excavator and start extracting resources. In order to obtain such resources, you must return to the excavation site in your rover and retrieve what is already extracted.
As mentioned, there will be initially 8 types of rovers. The difference between each one is their aptitude for one or more skill. One rover, for example, will be faster than the others by default. We will explore skills and aptitudes in a later diary entry.
You may be wondering how to get your hands on your very own Rover. Inside a section of the game called Space Hub you will find the Garage section, where you can equip rovers. There, click on the rover you want to check, and the text will tell you what you need to do in order to obtain it.
One of the most interesting aspects of Moonscape is the ability to export and import rovers as NFTs, which can then be traded on the open market. You will be able to mint the rovers you obtained in the game, to trade or sell, or buy Rover NFT from others and import to the game, being able to use that Rover immediately. All the skills upgraded on the rover will remain when a NFT is minted or imported!
We hope this entry of the Moonscape dev diaries has been eye opening for you! What are you most excited to do with your Rover? Let us know what you are most excited about and we’ll see you next week!