Managing Your Base!
Welcome, Commander. So you want to know a bit more about your duties as a Cubed Commander? Weren't you listening during basic training? NO? There was none you say? Well, I suppose I better give you a bit more info on your job requirements then...
First off ignore the uniform, it's a bit dated but unfortunately, Rufus the tailor we hired (Budget cuts) only had blue in stock at the time. Anyways, let's not digress.
Cubed Commander Job Specifications
As a Cubed Commander of the twenty-second Battalion of the Royal Army of the Imperfect Cube, you are required to recruit, train, feed, discipline and provide medical services (yes, this is unfortunately required) for your own Army (ours really but hey).
WARNING! If you even think about taking your Staff and building your own private Military nation, we will not hesitate to bring about legal proceedings.... The Inner Hell debacle will not be repeated.
Your Outer Base (Or whatever your wish to call it) has 6 Primary types of Platform (Weapons, Defense, Engineering, Research, Intel, and Medical) and 5 Facilities (Prison, Infirmary, Graveyard, Kitchen and Waiting Facilities). You can build new Primary Platforms to help you boost the corresponding Primary Base Stat. Facilities can be upgraded to accommodate more staff and are Primarily Staff accommodation Facilities when they are not being useful in one of the Primaries (Yes, a grave is technically the ultimate accommodation right?). More about that later.
Since you managed to get on the wrong side of General Donald Pliskin, you have been given an abandoned Oil Rig to serve as your Base (Other options, if you had kept your mouth shut, included a private Island Paradise...off the west coast of Alaska). You will get used to it. At least you can get some fishing in right? Wrong! You will have zero leave if you read your contract carefully. But you could always get one of your Staff to do it for you! Lucky them!
Each Platform/Facility has its own function in the successful running of your Base. Here is a List of Platform types along with a brief overview of their functions.
You can upgrade all Primary Platforms to increase Base limitations and research new Tech to make your life and the lives of your Staff easier on the Battlefield. Higher Level Bases are pretty hectic, so you better hire a janitor or two!
Let's take a look at what each Primary Platform does in your Base.
Weapons Platform
These are where your Lethal Force "accessories" are made and maintained. I'm afraid I have been instructed not to divulge exact specifications of what is manufactured here (as you have yet to sign your NDA), but trust me, it's all very LA LI LU LE LO. Assign staff to this platform to increase weapon development speed and the Level of the Platform. Higher levels unlock new Weapon Blueprints and enhancements to current unit's weapons and damage.
Defense Platform
These are where your Non-Lethal "accessories" are made and maintained as well as technology for keeping your units in battle while taking minimal damage (or at least that is the ideal outcome). Sometimes, just killing other soldiers or destroying units in battle is not the most effective way of completing missions. Higher levels of this Platform will give you access to pacification tech as well as salvage abilities. Assign staff to this platform to increase weapon development speed and the Level of the Platform. Higher levels unlock new Weapon Blueprints and enhancements to current unit's weapons and damage.
Engineering Platform
Want to build some new kickass Vehicles or manufacture a new more efficient toaster? Then Engineering is where you want to go. Assign staff to this Platform to increase the speed of development and the level of the Platform. Higher levels unlock new Unit Blueprints and enhancements to current units.
Research Platform
These are where you can research new technologies that will allow you to increase your Staff defense capabilities on the battlefield. You can also research technologies that will unlock new units, weapons, and abilities for development in other platforms. Some of these abilities can change the gameplay options available to you unlocking new strategies you can use during Missions. Assign staff to this Platform to increase the speed of Research and the level of the Platform. Higher levels give you the ability to develop new cutting edge technologies that will give your Staff a strategic edge on the Battlefield.
Intel Platform
Ever wonder how your units disperse those Thick Clouds over the Battlefield? It a combination of pilot skill, vehicle piloted and intel generation in your Outer Base. Actually, staff all possess a base perception stat which is then boosted by a vision stat for the vehicle he/she is piloting. If your Intel Platform is at high enough level you can also unlock temporary boosts to vision ranges of all staff piloting vehicles or on foot, and even reveal enemy locations or key objectives at the start of missions. Assign staff to this Platform to increase the speed of Intel gathering and the level of the Platform. Higher levels unlock new Intel Tech Blueprints and enhancements to current unit's vision.
Medical Platform
Assign staff to this Platform to increase the effectiveness of the Infirmary and the level of the Platform. Higher levels unlock new Medical abilities and enhancements to unit's base HP. This platform can also be used to develop non-Lethal "accessories" for use in stealthy recruitment missions on the battlefield.
Now let's get onto your available Facilities, Commander.
Infirmary Facility
When your staff members are injured in battle, they will need to recover in the Infirmary. Depending on how badly damaged they are, they will have to spend more time in order to fully recover. As with the Primary platforms, this one also has a limited number of staff members it can accommodate at once. If your Infirmary is full and a staff member is injured in battle, then they will die on that battlefield (sent directly to the Graveyard for processing). You can avoid this by leveling up the Facility.
Prison Facility
So, yes we do have a bit of a discipline problem at times, I admit. No need to worry Commander, you have your own prison/interrogation facility. Sometimes, when you drag an enemy combatant kicking and screaming as a prisoner off the battlefield, they don't like it. So you can also use this Facility to "accommodate" them until they are in a more agreeable and compliant state (NDA prevents me from discussing methods used in more detail).
Graveyard Facility
OK, so ya, it is not really a place where we bury our dead, that would make no sense in the middle of the Ocean. This is more of a Morgue mixed with a commemorated graveyard where graves are kept for each of your lost staff (RIP Flaccid Eel...sniff).
Kitchen Facility
Well yes, you do need to feed your staff, unless you are not expecting them to survive very long. Either way, it makes you look bad if you fill up your graveyard too quickly. Oh yes, you also might want to look out for mutiny and possible crucifixion by your own staff if you don't feed them properly. The Kitchen is our solution to these unfortunate risks. Assign staff to the Kitchen Facility in order to produce more food. The Base food stat should be at least equal to the number of Staff you have in your Base, or your Staff Morale will decline. Low Staff morale will increase the number of staff naturally requiring medical attention (for depression, flu etc), riots among staff, and sometimes they might decide to take a permanent nap with the fishes if you are not careful.
Waiting Room Facility
Well, we have to put them somewhere other than the Infirmary or Prison Facilities when you can't decide what to do with your newest recruits (you've gotta work on that indecisive nature of yours Commander). All your staff, when they are first recruited, will be placed in the Waiting room and given a nice cup of tea and a couple of Digestive biscuits/rations. Don't worry you can kick their butts out of your Army at any time from the Staff Management menu! Although if they are past their probation period, you may have to pay them a severance package (maybe sending them on a suicide mission might be cheaper? I mean a nice holiday in the...strike that from the record please).
You can access your Base Builder from the Main Base Manager menu in game (Before missions) along with Tech trees for all research categories unlocked by platforms. Assigning staff to a Platform is possible from the Staff Management Section.
Upgrading your Base
So you want to leave your own dirty mark on this Base eh? Well, you can do that by adding new platforms by expending precious resources that are found on the Battlefield! From each Main Platform, you can add a new Platform of the same type to any of its 6 vacant neighbors. You can also destroy unwanted platforms when needed. Adding new platforms levels up the Primary Platform rank for that type of Platform. As mentioned earlier, When your Primary Platforms will allow you to access new blueprints and develop new tech for use in Missions.
So that's your debriefing on the functions of each of your base Platforms and Facilities, Commander. You should probably read about Staff management in our next Article...
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