I understand this game can be a bit overwhelming for new players, so here's a quick little guide to help you get started!
You can test things out solo (or with a friend) by creating a game and typing "-disable victory" during the intro sequence.
IF YOU ARE HUMAN
1. First of all, get inside if you are out in the open. The planet's surface is very hot and will deplete your heat shield (energy.) Once you run out of energy you will begin to take damage. Being in a cool location like a building or vehicle will avoid this problem.
2. Equip yourself! Find a weapon cache and try out the different weapons. My personal favorite is the shotgun, but you may like the flamethrower if you're facing a horde of infested civilians. Also be on the lookout for supply caches and utility caches for other valuable pieces of equipment.
3. To modify your inventory, open it up! Press Numpad 1 with your Personnel selected to view your inventory. Right click on an item to move or drop it.
4. To use expendable items like grenades, shields, or fusion bombs, open up your Quick Inventory by pressing F.
5. Usually your objective will be to get off of the planet before the alien consumes you. To do this, start at the mine. You'll need to harvest minerals to build the Emergency Beacon Kit. To harvest, destroy the rich mineral fields located inside the mine and carry the crystals back to the Kit Factory. There's a platform there where you can drop the minerals. Then go to the Kit Factory control and select "Process." This will convert the crystals into a usable resource.
6. From there, follow the objectives to complete the mission!
IF YOU ARE THE ALIEN
1. Hide your identity! You're very weak at the beginning of the game, so if people know you're the alien you will lose the element of surprise.
2. Lay eggs in hidden places! Put them somewhere that people are unlikely to go. If your eggs die, you take damage and gain Evo more slowly.
3. Once you have enough Evo (minerals) evolve into a stronger form.
4. Try to stop the humans from completing their objectives! The longer they stay on the planet, the more likely you are to win.
General tips:
- Alien infection is a debuff that persists until the carrier dies or the infection is removed using a Genetic Reconstructor. To infect someone, simply attack them. Infection stacks with each hit, so the more hits your target takes the more damage they take from infection.
- Humans, find someone to trust and stick together! The alien is strong, but a pack of humans working together is a force to be reckoned with.
- Solace shields prevent fusion bombs from killing you, so make sure you carry some! The shotgun's Ballistic Shield has a similar effect.
Hope that helps. If anyone has questions feel free to post them here and I will provide answers :)
As always, you can find this game on the NA server by searching for Malum Ruina. In Europe, search for Malum Ruina EU. Good hunting!
My only concern that players who need to read this (first timers who just started the game) won't read this.. cause they're in game getting confused and leaving cause nothing happens. I wish that you would create an in-game tutoral movie. If I remember you have some short of main menu before players start playing. In there put a warning that game may last up to 30 minutes and it would be advisable to spend 2 minutes watching tutorial. In that movie cycle different scenes graphically displayng tips, this way players will familiarize themsalfes with game before even playing it.
I realize that not everyone will watch it, but those who don't watch tutorial, don't read, and leave games when confused .. thoose folks are better off playing nexus wars =).
The intro scene only lasts about 10 seconds, so I'm not sure I'd be able to give much info there without being overbearing. There is an intro sequence to introduce new players to the game concept, but I find most new people type -skip anyway because they're too impatient. That's what makes this a niche type of game, because the people who want to take the time to learn it will generally become frequent players and the people who are too impatient will complain that it's too complicated and quit.
Granted, it is rather complicated, but that only makes it more competitive ;)
Malum Ruina Beginner's Guide
I understand this game can be a bit overwhelming for new players, so here's a quick little guide to help you get started!
You can test things out solo (or with a friend) by creating a game and typing "-disable victory" during the intro sequence.
IF YOU ARE HUMAN
1. First of all, get inside if you are out in the open. The planet's surface is very hot and will deplete your heat shield (energy.) Once you run out of energy you will begin to take damage. Being in a cool location like a building or vehicle will avoid this problem.
2. Equip yourself! Find a weapon cache and try out the different weapons. My personal favorite is the shotgun, but you may like the flamethrower if you're facing a horde of infested civilians. Also be on the lookout for supply caches and utility caches for other valuable pieces of equipment.
3. To modify your inventory, open it up! Press Numpad 1 with your Personnel selected to view your inventory. Right click on an item to move or drop it.
4. To use expendable items like grenades, shields, or fusion bombs, open up your Quick Inventory by pressing F.
5. Usually your objective will be to get off of the planet before the alien consumes you. To do this, start at the mine. You'll need to harvest minerals to build the Emergency Beacon Kit. To harvest, destroy the rich mineral fields located inside the mine and carry the crystals back to the Kit Factory. There's a platform there where you can drop the minerals. Then go to the Kit Factory control and select "Process." This will convert the crystals into a usable resource.
6. From there, follow the objectives to complete the mission!
IF YOU ARE THE ALIEN
1. Hide your identity! You're very weak at the beginning of the game, so if people know you're the alien you will lose the element of surprise.
2. Lay eggs in hidden places! Put them somewhere that people are unlikely to go. If your eggs die, you take damage and gain Evo more slowly.
3. Once you have enough Evo (minerals) evolve into a stronger form.
4. Try to stop the humans from completing their objectives! The longer they stay on the planet, the more likely you are to win.
General tips:
- Alien infection is a debuff that persists until the carrier dies or the infection is removed using a Genetic Reconstructor. To infect someone, simply attack them. Infection stacks with each hit, so the more hits your target takes the more damage they take from infection.
- Humans, find someone to trust and stick together! The alien is strong, but a pack of humans working together is a force to be reckoned with.
- Solace shields prevent fusion bombs from killing you, so make sure you carry some! The shotgun's Ballistic Shield has a similar effect.
Hope that helps. If anyone has questions feel free to post them here and I will provide answers :)
As always, you can find this game on the NA server by searching for Malum Ruina. In Europe, search for Malum Ruina EU. Good hunting!
Thanks for posting this.
My only concern that players who need to read this (first timers who just started the game) won't read this.. cause they're in game getting confused and leaving cause nothing happens. I wish that you would create an in-game tutoral movie. If I remember you have some short of main menu before players start playing. In there put a warning that game may last up to 30 minutes and it would be advisable to spend 2 minutes watching tutorial. In that movie cycle different scenes graphically displayng tips, this way players will familiarize themsalfes with game before even playing it.
I realize that not everyone will watch it, but those who don't watch tutorial, don't read, and leave games when confused .. thoose folks are better off playing nexus wars =).
The intro scene only lasts about 10 seconds, so I'm not sure I'd be able to give much info there without being overbearing. There is an intro sequence to introduce new players to the game concept, but I find most new people type -skip anyway because they're too impatient. That's what makes this a niche type of game, because the people who want to take the time to learn it will generally become frequent players and the people who are too impatient will complain that it's too complicated and quit.
Granted, it is rather complicated, but that only makes it more competitive ;)
You should add hints that pop up during gameplay but aren't intrusive. Then create an option to turn it off if you want.