Good day everyone, this week’s dev diary will be all about the last of the six factions; the Assembly.
Conceptualization:
With the step into sci-fi with Planetfall, we really wanted to explore a more robotic / cyborg focused faction. We wanted to keep a human element in it however, not creating the hive mind type feel of the Borg, or the enslavement and clear evilness of the Strogg. More like a faction of engineers and scientists who do not fear technology but rather embrace it with open arms, not even stopping to consider the question ‘Are we going too far?’.
A common thread in all the various faction designs in Planetfall is the concept of transcendence, of humans (and aliens!) transcending who they are, to become more, to become better. In the Assembly, this transcendence focuses on trans-humanistic beliefs, which relates to using technology to enhance human intellect and physiology, through the use of cybernetics and augmentation.
The Assembly lineup, click on the image for a the full size!
History:
All these high concepts are nice and all, but a faction needs a good story, a strong history that informs their actions, motivations, societal structure etc. to bring the whole of the design together.
The Assembly are a faction of former super soldiers created by the military branch of the Paragon Augmentations corporation on a remote black site planet called PRGN-X5 during the time of the Star Union.
After the Collapse, these super soldiers rose up and rebelled against the scientists and military controlling them, which started a long and dirty war that engulfed the planet. During this war, the vilest biological and nuclear weapons were deployed, which left both sides of the conflict diseased, scarred and ultimately, infertile.
Facing extermination, both sides started using any means necessary to survive and continue the war. They harvested organs from the dead and used scavenged augments and machinery to replace lost limbs. As they degenerated further, they were forced to grow replacement body parts and organs in cloning vats to keep renewing the remaining biological components of their bodies.
As the war raged on, both sides began looking more and more alike and a new type of human appeared, gradually absorbing the differences between the two sides until eventually they were one and the same, the Assembly.
The conflict that created them is at the core of the Assembly, and it fuels their believes that in any conflict, both sides need to destroy themselves in order to reassemble and become harmonious. They have deep-rooted beliefs that in order to achieve true harmony in the universe, it must first be taken apart and then reassembled.
Heroes:
The Assembly has a large freedom of form, which is represented in their heroes and commanders. Assembly can have a bit of a dark edge to them, but as with all factions, it’s up to the player to decide if they want to be a cruel, or benevolent, leader, and we have plenty of customization options to satisfy the accompanying visuals!
Will you take the Assembly down a dark path of destruction and reassembly? Or will you chose a more harmonious path?
Some of you might recognize the fair lady to the left here, the star of the Assembly Faction gameplay preview!
Cities:
Assembly cities are places of science and engineering. The Assembly are constantly innovating and chasing the perfect, most harmonious merger of technology and biology. In their cities they grow their replacement organs and body parts, and develop new cybernetic technologies to enhance themselves.
An Assembly harvesting tower for replacement body parts.
Some of the Tactical Map assets that can be found when engaged in combat on an Assembly colony, including a cheeky Vanguard Walker!
Technology:
The Assembly value research and science a great deal, after all half of their origin lies within scientists! Below is an excerpt of their early game tech tree, which mostly revolves around using advanced science to gain an edge, both economically and militarily. Below are some examples of research they unlock throughout the game.
A glimpse of the Assembly tech tree including their weapon groups; Firearms and Arc.
Doctrines:
The Assembly have strong doctrines that focus on scavenging from the battlefield, as well as strong military doctrines that boost your armies and clever ways to boost economy through your colonists. Below are some examples.
Assembly is all about the merging of biology and technology.
Units:
Assembly Gameplay:
The Assembly has a strong focus on research through their doctrines and their faction building Neural Interfacing Datacores, which gives them increased research from ruins on the world map. This research focus means they can quickly gain a technological advantage over other factions as the game goes on.
The Assembly doctrines such as Scavenging and Battlefield Autopsies can also give bonuses to fighting and defeating NPC’s and clearing structures on the world map. This, combined with their increased healing after successful combat by their Scavenge Spare Parts passive, an ability that every Assembly unit has, as well as strong support units such as the Reverse Engineer that can bring dead cyborg units back to life, makes them very strong at conquest and rapid expansion.
The Assembly uses a mix of Arc weaponry, which is lightning based attacks that are highly efficient against machines, and Firearms weaponry, which is a more general damage channel which is very good at staggering units and has powerful damaging operations. They are also one of the few factions that have access to strong melee mods in their main tech tree, like Shredder Claws, which increases melee damage done and has a chance to cause enemies to bleed, taking damage over time.
In combat, you will most likely be rushing forward with versatile melee forces, supported at range by artillery and infantry. The Assembly has a strong focus on melee, and this is where they truly shine. Factions that utilize a lot of shields for defense, and factions with a lot of mechanical units, will have a hard time dealing with a well-balanced Assembly army, since melee attacks bypass shields altogether, and Arc damage is devastating against mechanical units.
Being cyborgs, the Assembly have an inherent vulnerability, as they can be affected by most status effects that mechanical units can be affected by, as well as most status effects biological units can be affected by. To make up for this vulnerability somewhat, they have an increased natural resistance to all status effects. The melee focus of the Assembly can make them vulnerable against overwatch however, and they have less ranged and area of effect options then other factions. Their weapon technologies are the most limiting in switching damage type, so which Secret Tech you pair the Assembly with can be an important strategic choice.
I forgot to show this off on the Assembly gameplay stream, so to make up for it, here’s Azer Starg on the Assembly assault vehicle, the chopper!
Do you want more Assembly? Check out the Assembly Faction Spotlight and the Assembly Gameplay preview!
With the step into sci-fi with Planetfall, we really wanted to explore a more robotic / cyborg focused faction. We wanted to keep a human element in it however, not creating the hive mind type feel of the Borg, or the enslavement and clear evilness of the Strogg. More like a faction of engineers and scientists who do not fear technology but rather embrace it with open arms, not even stopping to consider the question ‘Are we going too far?’.
A common thread in all the various faction designs in Planetfall is the concept of transcendence, of humans (and aliens!) transcending who they are, to become more, to become better. In the Assembly, this transcendence focuses on trans-humanistic beliefs, which relates to using technology to enhance human intellect and physiology, through the use of cybernetics and augmentation.
The Assembly lineup, click on the image for a the full size!
History:
All these high concepts are nice and all, but a faction needs a good story, a strong history that informs their actions, motivations, societal structure etc. to bring the whole of the design together.
The Assembly are a faction of former super soldiers created by the military branch of the Paragon Augmentations corporation on a remote black site planet called PRGN-X5 during the time of the Star Union.
After the Collapse, these super soldiers rose up and rebelled against the scientists and military controlling them, which started a long and dirty war that engulfed the planet. During this war, the vilest biological and nuclear weapons were deployed, which left both sides of the conflict diseased, scarred and ultimately, infertile.
Facing extermination, both sides started using any means necessary to survive and continue the war. They harvested organs from the dead and used scavenged augments and machinery to replace lost limbs. As they degenerated further, they were forced to grow replacement body parts and organs in cloning vats to keep renewing the remaining biological components of their bodies.
As the war raged on, both sides began looking more and more alike and a new type of human appeared, gradually absorbing the differences between the two sides until eventually they were one and the same, the Assembly.
The conflict that created them is at the core of the Assembly, and it fuels their believes that in any conflict, both sides need to destroy themselves in order to reassemble and become harmonious. They have deep-rooted beliefs that in order to achieve true harmony in the universe, it must first be taken apart and then reassembled.
Heroes:
The Assembly has a large freedom of form, which is represented in their heroes and commanders. Assembly can have a bit of a dark edge to them, but as with all factions, it’s up to the player to decide if they want to be a cruel, or benevolent, leader, and we have plenty of customization options to satisfy the accompanying visuals!
Will you take the Assembly down a dark path of destruction and reassembly? Or will you chose a more harmonious path?
Some of you might recognize the fair lady to the left here, the star of the Assembly Faction gameplay preview!
Cities:
Assembly cities are places of science and engineering. The Assembly are constantly innovating and chasing the perfect, most harmonious merger of technology and biology. In their cities they grow their replacement organs and body parts, and develop new cybernetic technologies to enhance themselves.
An Assembly harvesting tower for replacement body parts.
Some of the Tactical Map assets that can be found when engaged in combat on an Assembly colony, including a cheeky Vanguard Walker!
Technology:
The Assembly value research and science a great deal, after all half of their origin lies within scientists! Below is an excerpt of their early game tech tree, which mostly revolves around using advanced science to gain an edge, both economically and militarily. Below are some examples of research they unlock throughout the game.
- Molecular Computing: Early game technology which unlocks the Ocular Implants mod which increases strategic map vision and critical hit chance for ranged units, as well as the Signal Shredding tactical operation, which sends a disruptive signal to a cyborg or mechanical unit, with a high chance to stun them, a very powerful operation to have access to this early!
- Adaptive Systems: Mid game technology which unlocks the Cloaking Implants mod for your units, granting them universal camouflage on the world map and making them harder to hit by overwatch in tactical combat, a must have for quick strike melee armies on the map! Additionally this technology unlocks two powerful tactical operations; the Linear Accelerator, allowing you to supercharge your units, granting them back their action points, and Deploy Constrictor, which is a powerful combat summon which can deal strong melee damage and constrict units, which locks them down completely, making them unable to do anything!
- System Reload: Late game technology which unlocks the powerful Reassembly Module, which grants the units strong regeneration in tactical combat, and if the unit should fall in battle, will reassemble the unit back to life at the end of battle, should you prove victorious. With this mod equipped, your units keep getting back up! As long as you win of course.. This technology also unlocks the Temporal disruption tactical operation, which disables some of the unit mods of enemy units for a few turns, which can give you a vital edge in battles!
Doctrines:
The Assembly have strong doctrines that focus on scavenging from the battlefield, as well as strong military doctrines that boost your armies and clever ways to boost economy through your colonists. Below are some examples.
- Battlefield Autopsies: Early game doctrine which grants research for each enemy unit killed after each successful battle, great for kick-starting research.
- Scavengers: Gain increased rewards from clearing structures on the world map.
- Connected Society: Jack into the brains of your colonists, and borrow some of their spare processing power, granting a boost to research. Let’s be honest, they probably weren’t using it anyways.
- Re-cycle of Life: Late game doctrine which focuses on the Assembly cycle of reassembly after destruction, granting all cyborg units a powerful morale bonus. Additionally, if units should fall, you gain a large boost energy back from them, allowing you to quickly recoup your losses.
Assembly is all about the merging of biology and technology.
Units:
The Assembly line-up is all cyborgs, they are unique in that their 'vehicles' are basically
- Inspector: The scouting unit of the Assembly, with three heads, these guys see everything! They can patch fellow cyborgs up with some quick and dirty battlefield repairs in combat.
- Scavengers: The mainline infantry unit of the Assembly, one of their arms is replaced with a shotgun, while the other has vicious claws they can use to rip apart enemy units in melee combat and heal themselves with the parts they tore off through their Assimilate ability.
- Electrocutioners: The Assembly's main ranged infantry. These guys launch lightning across the battlefield and have powerful ranged area of effect attacks, perfect for supporting your melee troops at range.
- Reverse Engineer: A staple in any well balanced Assembly army. Wielding an array of tools and weapons, they are very versatile. On top of a melee saw attack and an Arc blaster, they can bring dead cyborg units back to life, and create constructs that run into the enemy lines and self-destruct!
- Lightning Rider: The Assembly flying unit, A very powerful close ranged unit that can overcharge itself and deal massive Arc damage from above in a wide area of effect, a few of these can quickly turn the tide in any battle.
- Wrecker: One of the most iconic units of the Assembly line-up, the Wrecker is a force to be reckoned with. It has some of the most powerful melee abilities in the game and wrecks (heh) havoc on the battlefield when it gets close. Even death does not stop it, due to his unique Self-Reassembly ability, which allows it to piece itself together and come back to life in combat!
- Storm Wader: One of the naval units of the Assembly. This unit is capable of launching a barrage of lightning at their enemies, dealing heavy Arc damage at long range with strong area of effect options... And it looks super cool doing it.
- Reaver: The Assembly tier 4 unit exemplifies the core of Assembly beliefs, able to disassemble and reassemble itself at will. Taking a page directly from Dracula, the Reaver can disassemble itself into a swarm of cyborg bats, transforming the unit completely. In its Reaver form it has long range Arc attacks and powerful support abilities, and in its Swarm form it has devastating melee abilities, capable of transforming an enemy unit into a Assembly construct under your control.
The Assembly has a strong focus on research through their doctrines and their faction building Neural Interfacing Datacores, which gives them increased research from ruins on the world map. This research focus means they can quickly gain a technological advantage over other factions as the game goes on.
The Assembly doctrines such as Scavenging and Battlefield Autopsies can also give bonuses to fighting and defeating NPC’s and clearing structures on the world map. This, combined with their increased healing after successful combat by their Scavenge Spare Parts passive, an ability that every Assembly unit has, as well as strong support units such as the Reverse Engineer that can bring dead cyborg units back to life, makes them very strong at conquest and rapid expansion.
The Assembly uses a mix of Arc weaponry, which is lightning based attacks that are highly efficient against machines, and Firearms weaponry, which is a more general damage channel which is very good at staggering units and has powerful damaging operations. They are also one of the few factions that have access to strong melee mods in their main tech tree, like Shredder Claws, which increases melee damage done and has a chance to cause enemies to bleed, taking damage over time.
In combat, you will most likely be rushing forward with versatile melee forces, supported at range by artillery and infantry. The Assembly has a strong focus on melee, and this is where they truly shine. Factions that utilize a lot of shields for defense, and factions with a lot of mechanical units, will have a hard time dealing with a well-balanced Assembly army, since melee attacks bypass shields altogether, and Arc damage is devastating against mechanical units.
Being cyborgs, the Assembly have an inherent vulnerability, as they can be affected by most status effects that mechanical units can be affected by, as well as most status effects biological units can be affected by. To make up for this vulnerability somewhat, they have an increased natural resistance to all status effects. The melee focus of the Assembly can make them vulnerable against overwatch however, and they have less ranged and area of effect options then other factions. Their weapon technologies are the most limiting in switching damage type, so which Secret Tech you pair the Assembly with can be an important strategic choice.
Do you want more Assembly? Check out the Assembly Faction Spotlight and the Assembly Gameplay preview!
