Guide to Space Castle by Abra

Getting Started: If you have never played the game before, the idea is pretty simple. You are a space army commander, and your mission should you choose to accept it, is to set up a military base on an uncharted planet. As is to be expected, the planet is over run with creepy crawly aliens bent on your distruction.

Game controls: All game related features are controlled in the HUD(heads up display) which is located to the right of the play area. All chat/gui features are on the commands tab. All hosting features will be available to the games actual host and player 1. These are located under the host tab. There are 3 sections in the HUD: Commands, Units and Actions

Near the top of the screen, where it says commands, there are buttons, labeled with ?, X, x inside O, 3 arrows up, 1 arrow down.
-The ? is the help feature, it will turn yoour mouse pointer into a ? and help mode will be turned on. In help mode you will recieve information on anything you click on. To leave help mode, click the X.
-The X is the cancel button. You can alwayys return your pointer to normal by clicking cancel.
Note: Whenever you need to cancel your current mouse pointer, you can DOUBLE CLICK your next target, instead of clicking cancel
-Click the x inside O to go into sticky plaacement mode. In sticky placement mode, anytime you place units, you can continue to place them until you click cancel. Click the button again to cancel.
-The 3 arrows up is the upgrade button, cliick this then any unit in the right hand panel to upgrade that type of unit.
-The 1 arrow down is the ping button, and iis only usefull in multiplayer games. It can be used to draw your allies attention to a specific location on the map. Click the button, then anywhere on the map.

There are 2 other types of buttons, units, and actions.

Actions will only appear when a unit is selected. In order to select a unit, simply click it. All actions available to that unit will appear on the bottom right of the screen under Actions. For info on what actions there are, read the unit descriptions below.

Units appear under the heading Units, in the middle of the right hand panel. If a unit appears in color and you have enough diamonds to purchase it, simply click it, and place it on the map. If the unit is gray, it must first be unlocked. In order to unlock a unit, click upgrade and then the units portrait. It will cost diamonds, and often will take time to unlock.

Units: You have many options when choosing how to defend your base, you will need to use a strategic mix in order to be successful.
Tier 1:
Tier 1 consists of primary basic units that everyone must build, these units are unlocked for you
at the start of the game, and are inexpensive. Engineer:
This should be the first type of unit you make. This unit has the ability to mine diamonds,
which will enable you to purchase more units. Click an engineer, then A diamond mine, and he
will go to work earning you diamonds. He is very weak, semi-expensive and cannot attack, so must be defended
Soldier:
This is the only other unit available to you at the begining of the game. He is a hearty, ranged
damage dealer. He gains .5 attack per level, and is inexpensive to buy and upgrade.
Tier 2:
Tier 2 units require unlocking, but the unlocking is inexpensive and occurs immediately. These units
are slightly more expensive than tier 1. BeamSwordMan(BSM):
These experienced fighters do well in hand-to-hand combat. They have high hp, and can regenerate it slowly on thier own. They gain 1 attack per level and 30 hp.
Medic:
These medical proffessionals are excellent healers. They heal other non-mechanical units and themselves
during combat and after. They also have an upgradeable action mode that allows them to toggle between
curing poison and healing. The medic gains 1 pt of healing per level.
Tier 3:
Tier 3 consists of more technologically advanced units. These units require more time to upgrade, and are
more expensive that previous tiers.
Fighter:
Fighter jets are the masters of the sky. Thier strengths are mobility and flight. Due to the fact that
they are flying they can avoid damage from melee attackers. They have 2 unlockable abilities. One is
passive, missiles. Once upgraded, missiles allow fighters to permenantly do twice as much damage to
enemy air units. The other ability is shield. Shield may be activated once per fighter, every 100 seconds.
While the shield is active, the fighter is invulnerable to damage. Fighters gain 3 attack per level.
Saw:
Saws are unique in that they cannot be destroyed by enemies. The saw consists of a spinning blade, running
on a track underground that periodically surfaces damaging enemies. Saws gain 4 attack per level.
Sniper:
Snipers are a very strategic unit, thier placement is crucial. They can move quickly, have a long range and deal
large amounts of damage. Unfortunately they are best suited to firing at things, that aren't firing back.
They can take very few hits, and should be placed well behind the front lines. They have 1 unlockable mode
that can aid with this. Rail is mode in which the sniper uses a special weapon that allows them to fire
through walls. This weapon has a slower fire rate however, reducing the snipers fire rate by 50%.
Snipers gain 3 attack per level.
Tier 4:
Tier 4 is currently the most advanced tier. These units are extremely expensive, and have a long waiting
period before they are unlocked. They are worth the wait though, they are also the best units in the game
TechShip:
The tech ship has no offensive attack. It does have several modes that can be unlocked and enabled.
The tech ship has 1 initial ability, simular to a medic, it can be set to seek out and repair damaged
units, except a techship repairs mechanical units only. It also has 2 unlockable modes. Protect mode
can be toggled after it is unlocked, which causes it to cast a protection grid on defenders. This grid
protects the defender from all status effects. The other mode, illuminate, is a debuff that is cast on
enemies that are underground causing them to be attackable. Tech ships gain 5 repair per level.
Turret:
The turret is the ultimate air defense. It can only attack air units, but does large amounts of damage.
Turrets gain 10 attack per level.
Cannon:
The cannon is the opposite of the turret. It can only attack ground units, but also does large ammounts
of damage. Cannons gain 10 attack per level.

UPGRADING: When the game starts, the only units available to you are engineers and soldiers. To unlock additional units you must upgrade thier gray portraits in the right hand panel. Upgrading units you have already unlocked will increase the abilities of all units of that type that you purchase, and the ones already on the map. The upgrade cost for units that are unlocked is equal to the units price, but increases by 10% with each upgrade. The cost of unlocking a unit varies based on type and tier.

STATISTICS: Several statistics are displayed continuously during the game under the stats tab. These include portal(the amount of damage your portal can still take b4 it is destroyed), time(the amount of time you have survived thus far), phase(this is the current phase, during each phase a new enemy is introduced) and player info. More detailed player info can be obtained by gonig to the commands tab and using the show/hide player info panel. This feature allows you to track the upgrades and actions of any player, including yourself.

Strategy: Some general strategy ideas: Start in the center, near your portal and take the mines there. Build and expand your control of the map from there slowly taking more and more mines. The rate of expansion is crucial to success, expand to slowly and you will find yourself short on resources in the end of the game. Expand too quickly and you find yourself overrun early, or maybe spending more money than you are earning replacing units.
Multiplayer: Diversify completely, each choose a unit or pair of units and stick with it, only upgrading that unit. Never upgrade or buy units that your ally is upgrading unless it is an emergency. Don't claim areas, all spread evenly. Communicate.


Enemy GUIDE:
Velotite:
Velotites are low hp, fast melee fighters. They seldom pose a problem for players.
On the flip side of that however, is that they are supposed to be easy, you must hone your
strategy so that you lose few if any units to them. A few soldiers + medics will make this
possible, BSM will make it even easier.

Anthrotite:
Either Anthrotites or flangotites will come next. Anthrotites are non-flying ranged attackers.
Its probably goin to take more than medics and soldiers to defend against them. Recommended are: BSM, saws or cannons. Any 1 of those will be enough.

Flangotite:
Flangotites are flying melee attackers. Also, in most casese, they will only attack units that can
fight back. Soldiers and medics is actually your best bet. It will be helpful to have snipers or
turrets, but not completely necessary. If you do get snipers or turrets, be sure they are well behind
soldiers and medics, so that they don't get attacked.

Tortotite:
Tortotites or scorpotites will be next. The tortotites are high hp melee fighters. They will soak up
lots of damage, while anthrotites or scorpotites shoot from behind. They also hit fairly hard.
Recommended for them are soldiers or snipers, behind medics + BSM. Before they come it is recommended
that you set up a wall of BSM and medics, and have your ranged units shoot from behind it. Saws will
also be helpful. Canons are actually not very effective on the tortotites armor.

Scorpotites:
Scorpotites have a long range, and damage groups of defenders. They also poison the central target causing
it to slowly lose life. Upgrading your medics to cure poison, and setting a few of them to that mode will
help. As far as killing the scorpotites, the best units for the job are BSM, or saws, since thier slash attacks
are very effective on the scorpotites armor. Do to thier long range, there may be scorpotites bombarding
your front line that are out of range for your units. Creating BSM near them is usually very effective.
Enraged scorpotites can only be harmed by slash or burn attacks, which means only saws, BSM or cannons.

Gangotites:
Gangotites are large flying ranged attackers. Gangotites cannot hits other air units, so fighters take them
out very easily, especially with the missile upgrade. Railing snipers are also effective, since the gangotites
cannot attack over walls. They do large ammounts of damage so be sure your front line is prepared to withstand
thier attacks while the fighters, turrets or snipers eliminate them.

Visotites:
Visotites are small flying ranged attackers. They work well with gangotites, blinding all non-mechanical threats.
They will not attack units that cannot hit them. Blind reduces a units range to 1 for 20 seconds. Techships can
be used to counter the blind with protect. Fighters and turrets are good for killing them.

Milotites:
Milotites are burrowing melee fighters. They travel while underground periodically surfacing. They cannot be hit
while underground unless illuminated by a tech ship, which is a good thing to try to do. They are killed most easily by
cannons. They will not surface while beneath defenders, so be sure to allow them places to surface, so that you can
kill them when they do.

Quotites:
Quotites do not physically attack. The infect non-mechanical units with parasites, that kill the unit in 30 seconds.
Upon the units death a Magotite is spawned, a heavily armored weak melee enemy. Quotites also cover mechanical units
with acid, reducing thier armor to 0.

Abra's Early Game Strategy:
The first thing I do is build 2 engineers, and place them on the mines closest to the portal. Then I close all the gates and wait till I have enough diamonds to cover the third mine near the gate. Then asap, before I build any soldiers I take the mines on the bottom right and top right on the gray floor. Be sure to watch very carefully, if a velotite comes that will attack your outside engineers, place a soldier in front of him to take the hits, and hopefully kill the velotite. If some come from the other way, they will start banging on the gates, this is much better. Place a soldier or 2 close enough to shoot them, but far enough away that they will continue to attack the gate. Build 3 soldiers and a medic on the top and bottom near each outside engineer. If a gate breaks, you will need to get BSM and place him near the broken gate, close enough that no velotites will go inside, also place a medic to heal the BSM. Build your defenses so that you have 2 BSM on top and bottom, 1 near the gate, and 1 protecting from the other direction. Each BSm should have a medic right next to him to heal. Place 5-7 soldiers in the middle so that they are in range to help with attacks from either left or right, do this on both top and bottom. Add a few BSm and medic to each front line, and start to upgrade. This strategy should be accomplished before 200 seconds, and allows for only 2 protection points, yet 5 mines are held.

GOOD LUCK!

Thats all I have for now, check back for future updates.
Guide Written by: Abra