Mission Preparation in MENACE
Today, we will cover the essentials of how to deploy your troops before taking on a combat mission in MENACE. Battles can be won and lost in deployment—that’s why mission preparation is a core element of the game.
Overview of the Battlefield
The first thing to do before playing any mission is to get an overview of the procedurally generated combat map. This is where all mission objectives are shown, including deployment zones and other vital areas.
The map provides an abstract view of the landscape, including structures, roads, and environmental features that must be considered when formulating a plan. Time of day and weather conditions are also displayed—nighttime combat, in particular, may require special preparation.
Assessing Enemy Intel
Enemy presence is also shown on the preparation map. Still, unlike topographic data, it’s more challenging to obtain real-time information on enemy movement and unit types.
This is why MENACE uses a slightly abstracted intelligence system, simulating orbital scans, intercepted radio traffic, satellite imagery, and intel from local sources. All of these combine into an intelligence rating. The higher the rating, the more likely it is to reveal additional information about enemy troops.
This can be essential, helping you plan for the presence of heavy weapons, vehicles, or special units.
Loadouts, Supply, and Squad Compositions
Once you’ve reviewed the mission and estimated the enemy presence, you can make informed choices about what gear to bring.
Each infantry squad can be equipped with squad weapons and a special weapon, along with body armor and accessories (depending on their armor type). But supplies are limited.
Each mission provides a Supply point limit—an abstraction covering ammunition, spares, and maintenance for deployed equipment. This limit also applies to vehicles, which consume more supply points than infantry.
It’s your responsibility as commander to decide how to spend supply points.
You’ll also choose how many squads to bring and which squad leaders to assign. Leaders may carry over injuries from previous missions, be affected by emotional states, or have perk combinations that make them better suited for certain operations.
Deploying Forces
The final step is deploying your squads and pilots.
The available deployment zone is shown on the combat map and varies based on mission type. Defending a settlement, conducting a patrol, or launching a base assault will each offer different layouts.
Some squad leaders have perks that extend the deployment zone—or even allow deployment behind enemy lines.
Engage, Explore, and Stay Informed
That's it for now! We'll see you next Friday.
You can find us on Discord, BlueSky, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Reddit for discussions, updates, and feedback. You can also subscribe to our monthly MENACE newsletter on our website — just scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2432860/MENACE/
And here are the recent prior Dev Diaries in case you've missed them:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/642433677808108044
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/515206275424846335
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2432860/announcements/detail/515205641165341679