Army Men: RTS
Encyclopedia
Army Men: RTS is a game in the Army Men
video game series. It is a real time strategy game. The game includes 15 campaign missions, 8 "special operation" missions and 8 "great battles" missions. The game revolves around collecting resources (Plastic & Electricity) and using it to build structures and troops while fighting the tan army. Each structure/soldier requires a certain amount of resources. The game is heavily based on the movie "Apocalypse Now
", as the player has to hunt down an insane colonel. It is the final game released by 3DO
in the series.
Army Men: RTSs gameplay requires the acquisition and control of two resources; plastic
and electricity
, which are necessary to construct combat units and buildings. Plastic, which is required for all normal units, is taken from everyday objects, including Frisbee
s, dog bowls, and toy
s. Additionally, whenever a unit or structure is destroyed, a chunk of plastic worth a fraction of its initial cost appears where it was destroyed. Plastic is 'harvested' by Dump Trucks. Electricity, which is required for vehicles and Radio operator equipment, is drawn from electrical objects, such as batteries, toasters, and walkie-talkie
s. A particular structure, the Resource Depot, must be built to collect the resources gathered by the Dump Trucks.
Players use their resources to construct buildings and units. Since both factions have access to the same buildings and units neither side has an innate advantage over the other. Some buildings construct new units while others provide defense for a base. The production buildings can be upgraded to produce better units. Units are either infantry or vehicles. Infantry troops are cheap to produce but are not as tough, while vehicles tend to be costly. Vehicles range from passive (dump trucks and base-building bulldozers) to aggressive (tanks and half-tracks) to defensive (mine layers) to suicidal Dum-dums, robots armed with firecrackers). Aside from grunts and grenadiers, infantry units have a special task; minesweepers clear out traps, snipers are potent anti-infantry units, and mortar men can annihilate buildings from afar.
Due to the nature of each unit, players must be able to counter whatever they are facing. A group of snipers could wipe out a force of grunts with ease, but the same group of snipers would be helpless against a half-track. Countering the half-track with a tank would leave a weakness to choppers. Players must balance both the relative strengths and weaknesses of their forces and their opponent's forces with the cost of producing the units.
Level balance can be changed by other factors. Power-ups, which can improve the speed, health, or damage of whichever side finds them first, cause a disparity between the sides. Heroes, powerful versions of the regular infantry, can cause great damage before being destroyed. Insects, chiefly ants, act as free units for whichever side is allied with them. The secondary objectives of single player missions often deal with one of these things.
, the insane Colonel Blintz of the Green army has turned Tan and taken a house, and the soldiers under his command, with him. Sarge is called by Colonel Grimm to take it back. He leads the Green Army in breaking though the Tan defenses.
Sarge is accompanied by various members of Bravo Company, who secure the front yard, destroy a garden light, and lead an assault on the Tan held front door only to find it locked. Grimm contacts Sarge via radio, and tells him they can enter the house though a basement window. After destroying a base by the window Sarge and the heroes jump down into the basement.
Once in the Basement Sarge, Riff, Scorch, Hoover, Thick, and a newcomer Bullseye travel through the basement fighting ants. Grimm contacts Sarge; telling him Blintz has sent bombers to kill them. They make it to the stairs and into the kitchen before the bombers arrive. In the kitchen, Sarge oversees the rebuilding of a Green base under the table, and destroys anti-air emplacements before being airlifted to the counter-top. He then leads the Green Army in an attack on a factory Blintz built in the sink before moving into the living room.
Here, the heroes secure a PlayStation 2 which the Tan were using as an energy source. Blintz contacts them via the living room television and tells Sarge they are nothing but playthings. Blintz destroys the PlayStation 2 in a bombing run. Bravo Company then moves to the foot of the stairs, where they build another base and escort plastic villagers to safety across the living room.
Sarge and the heroes climb the stairs where they make their way across a bathroom sink whilst being ruthlessly pursued by ants. They jump from the sink only to be captured upon entering the next room. Only Hoover manages to evade capture, and assists the Green Army in building a base and assaulting the Tan to free the heroes.
Bravo Company makes it into the attic, and destroys a model train bridge Blintz is using to transport resources into his base for his army. They make their way farther into the attic to find Vikki is already there, having hitched a ride with the air cavalry. She tells them about a train they can take farther into the attic, and the heroes fight their way to the train. Sarge discovers the tan are holding the ant queen, which explains why they were only attacking the Green Army. Sarge can chose whether or not to free her; either way, the Green fight their way to Blintz's main base. Here, Blintz barricades himself in his fortress, and the Green Army must flush him out. In the final cut scene, Sarge peels the tan off Blintz personally, and Grimm congratulates him via radio, promising "cake and ice cream."
or through a direct connection between players. Most people are part of a Clan when using Gamespy Arcade. Gameranger and hamachi can be used instead.
Army Men
Army Men is a series of video games developed by 3DO and Global Star Software. It is based on various conflicts between four kinds of plastic army men, distinguished by their color: the Green, the Tan, the Blue, and the Grey. Two other factions, the Red and the Orange, as well as a much smaller...
video game series. It is a real time strategy game. The game includes 15 campaign missions, 8 "special operation" missions and 8 "great battles" missions. The game revolves around collecting resources (Plastic & Electricity) and using it to build structures and troops while fighting the tan army. Each structure/soldier requires a certain amount of resources. The game is heavily based on the movie "Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
", as the player has to hunt down an insane colonel. It is the final game released by 3DO
The 3DO Company
The 3DO Company , also known as 3DO , was a video game company...
in the series.
Gameplay
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
and electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
, which are necessary to construct combat units and buildings. Plastic, which is required for all normal units, is taken from everyday objects, including Frisbee
Frisbee
A flying disc is a disc-shaped glider that is generally plastic and roughly in diameter, with a lip. The shape of the disc, an airfoil in cross-section, allows it to fly by generating lift as it moves through the air while rotating....
s, dog bowls, and toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
s. Additionally, whenever a unit or structure is destroyed, a chunk of plastic worth a fraction of its initial cost appears where it was destroyed. Plastic is 'harvested' by Dump Trucks. Electricity, which is required for vehicles and Radio operator equipment, is drawn from electrical objects, such as batteries, toasters, and walkie-talkie
Walkie-talkie
A walkie-talkie is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Donald L. Hings, radio engineer Alfred J. Gross, and engineering teams at Motorola...
s. A particular structure, the Resource Depot, must be built to collect the resources gathered by the Dump Trucks.
Players use their resources to construct buildings and units. Since both factions have access to the same buildings and units neither side has an innate advantage over the other. Some buildings construct new units while others provide defense for a base. The production buildings can be upgraded to produce better units. Units are either infantry or vehicles. Infantry troops are cheap to produce but are not as tough, while vehicles tend to be costly. Vehicles range from passive (dump trucks and base-building bulldozers) to aggressive (tanks and half-tracks) to defensive (mine layers) to suicidal Dum-dums, robots armed with firecrackers). Aside from grunts and grenadiers, infantry units have a special task; minesweepers clear out traps, snipers are potent anti-infantry units, and mortar men can annihilate buildings from afar.
Due to the nature of each unit, players must be able to counter whatever they are facing. A group of snipers could wipe out a force of grunts with ease, but the same group of snipers would be helpless against a half-track. Countering the half-track with a tank would leave a weakness to choppers. Players must balance both the relative strengths and weaknesses of their forces and their opponent's forces with the cost of producing the units.
Level balance can be changed by other factors. Power-ups, which can improve the speed, health, or damage of whichever side finds them first, cause a disparity between the sides. Heroes, powerful versions of the regular infantry, can cause great damage before being destroyed. Insects, chiefly ants, act as free units for whichever side is allied with them. The secondary objectives of single player missions often deal with one of these things.
Plot
Similarly to a plot point of game's precursor, Army Men IIArmy Men II
Army Men II, released in 1999 is the second game in the long running Army Men video game franchise from The 3DO Company and a direct sequel to 1998s Army Men. The game differs from the first one in that it has battles in both the "real world" and the "plastic world." It is also the first to...
, the insane Colonel Blintz of the Green army has turned Tan and taken a house, and the soldiers under his command, with him. Sarge is called by Colonel Grimm to take it back. He leads the Green Army in breaking though the Tan defenses.
Sarge is accompanied by various members of Bravo Company, who secure the front yard, destroy a garden light, and lead an assault on the Tan held front door only to find it locked. Grimm contacts Sarge via radio, and tells him they can enter the house though a basement window. After destroying a base by the window Sarge and the heroes jump down into the basement.
Once in the Basement Sarge, Riff, Scorch, Hoover, Thick, and a newcomer Bullseye travel through the basement fighting ants. Grimm contacts Sarge; telling him Blintz has sent bombers to kill them. They make it to the stairs and into the kitchen before the bombers arrive. In the kitchen, Sarge oversees the rebuilding of a Green base under the table, and destroys anti-air emplacements before being airlifted to the counter-top. He then leads the Green Army in an attack on a factory Blintz built in the sink before moving into the living room.
Here, the heroes secure a PlayStation 2 which the Tan were using as an energy source. Blintz contacts them via the living room television and tells Sarge they are nothing but playthings. Blintz destroys the PlayStation 2 in a bombing run. Bravo Company then moves to the foot of the stairs, where they build another base and escort plastic villagers to safety across the living room.
Sarge and the heroes climb the stairs where they make their way across a bathroom sink whilst being ruthlessly pursued by ants. They jump from the sink only to be captured upon entering the next room. Only Hoover manages to evade capture, and assists the Green Army in building a base and assaulting the Tan to free the heroes.
Bravo Company makes it into the attic, and destroys a model train bridge Blintz is using to transport resources into his base for his army. They make their way farther into the attic to find Vikki is already there, having hitched a ride with the air cavalry. She tells them about a train they can take farther into the attic, and the heroes fight their way to the train. Sarge discovers the tan are holding the ant queen, which explains why they were only attacking the Green Army. Sarge can chose whether or not to free her; either way, the Green fight their way to Blintz's main base. Here, Blintz barricades himself in his fortress, and the Green Army must flush him out. In the final cut scene, Sarge peels the tan off Blintz personally, and Grimm congratulates him via radio, promising "cake and ice cream."
Multiplayer
The Windows version of Army Men: RTS allows for multiplayer with up to eight people. A copy of GameSpy Arcade was bundled with the game. Players can team up in multiplayer matches, or the battle can be a free-for-all. Victory occurs when the opposing side has no Headquarters and cannot build one in three minutes. Aside from GameSpy Arcade, connections can be made on a LANLocal area network
A local area network is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building...
or through a direct connection between players. Most people are part of a Clan when using Gamespy Arcade. Gameranger and hamachi can be used instead.