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Table of Contents


Introduction

SCUD248 created and written by Rev Jeff Henderson
It's not like we mean to be this way. We are the way we are. I was born into it and all of the people I know were born into it. We didn't choose to be,
here,
now,
like this.

I was born in a SCUD medpod, just like all of my classmates. We were all born here. We know about the things above. We are taught from an early age that our communities started above, they decided to come below and we now must live with the understanding that we are, here for a purpose, to serve God now, the way he has created us.

This SCUD community was one of the first down here and we are leaders for the newcomers to follow. We must lead by deed and conviction.

Each day that passes the land dwellers gain knowledge of our existance. Each hour they draw closer to finding us. We are ready to embrace them as equals. yet they, I fear, can not understand the reasons for our living where we do.

Many of our teachers have compared us to the Amish of North America. We are similar yet we are here to learn and grow untill such time as God sets fourth for us to return above with the message of hope and forgiveness.

The hour draws near and we are eager to proclaim the good news that we have been given. We are in prayer and fast often for guidance when the time is upon us.

We will rise from these waters to bring life where death has deep roots. We await the opportunity to begin to shine as a light unto a world were darkness is thick. As salt comes from the sea, we will arise as salt unto the word.

Who will stand with us O Lord? Who will join hands to pull them from the pit of anguish? I know this. We will not stand alone. The spirit of the Living God dwells within us. He will give us strength when we feel like giving up. He will hold us firm when we are knocked from our footing.

To those that dwell above.
We are coming.
We do not come ALONE.


The History

By the 1940's, Human society had changed from what it was for most of recorded history. The world had begun to drift from Biblical instruction to become increasingly more secular. The acquisition of wealth became the primary driving force in the lives of many people. A great deal of emphasis was placed on the importance of social order and self-gratification. A small group of Christians and Messianic Jews began to meet for fellowship and prayer. During one of these meetings a discussion had begun which became their main focus from that day fourth.

Soon thereafter this group gathered a committee of scientists, politicians, teachers, lawyers, military officials, clergy and businessmen. This committee developed a plan to create Self Contained Underwater Dwellings. These SCUDs as they have come to be called were modular and broken up into smaller PODs that served a specific purpose. Connected together these PODs could form a SCUD community that could support a large population of residents. In September of 1947 the first SCUD community was launched in secret off the coast of Texas in the Gulf of Mexico.

The development and storage of Oxygen has become the primary source of currency use among SCUD members. Each community can extract Oxygen and fresh water from sea water. Pockets of Oxygen, Methane, Carbon Dioxide and other Natural Gases can be found randomly along the ocean floor.

As more SCUD communities were built a defense plan was implemented with the development of the United Federation of SCUDs which ratified it's constitution on April 20, 1958. The purpose of the UFS is the defense of SCUD communities and further development of new communities. SCUD members may choose to enlist in the UFS and many do. The reward for their sacrifice and service is dependent upon the General Council recommendation. The General Council is a group of elected officials represented by each community.

Currently SCUD communities are scattered throughout the oceans of the world mostly in deep trenches or hidden camouflaged as coral reefs. The largest of these communities is SCUD248 which is located in the Mid-Atlantic trench near a large grouping of Hydro Thermal vents that are being used as the primary source of power for most SCUD communities.

Although General Council leaders and UFS Command struggled for peace, small groups of traitors and pirates that have taken the name Lawless. These Lawless roam the ocean attacking and plundering UFS ships and SCUD Communities.


SCUD248 runs on the Dragon Knight game engine.
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Ship Classes

There are seven Ship classes in the game. The main differences between the classes are what Tactics you get access to, the speed with which you level up, and the amount of Hull Integrity/Military Intel/Stability/Maneuverability you gain per level. Below is a basic outline of each of the Ship classes. For more detailed information about the Ships, please view the Ranks table at the bottom of this page.

Intrepid
  • Fast level-ups
  • High Hull Integrity
  • High Military Intel
  • Low Stability
  • Low Maneuverability
  • 5 Repair Tactics
  • 5 Damage Tactics
  • 3 Disorient Tactics
  • 3 +defense Tactics
  • 0 +attack Tactics
Defiant
  • Medium level-ups
  • Medium Hull Integrity
  • Low Military Intel
  • High Stability
  • Low Maneuverability
  • 3 Repair Tactics
  • 3 Damage Tactics
  • 2 Disorient Tactics
  • 3 +defense Tactics
  • 3 +attack Tactics
Enterprise
  • Slow level-ups
  • Medium Hull Integrity
  • Medium Military Intel
  • Low Stability
  • High Maneuverability
  • 4 Repair Tactics
  • 4 Damage Tactics
  • 3 Disorient Tactics
  • 2 +defense Tactics
  • 2 +attack Tactics
Farragut
  • Medium level-ups
  • Medium Hull Integrity
  • Low Military Intel
  • High Stability
  • Low Maneuverability
  • 3 Repair Tactics
  • 3 Damage Tactics
  • 2 Disorient Tactics
  • 3 +defense Tactics
  • 3 +attack Tactics
Prometheus
  • Slow level-ups
  • Medium Hull Integrity
  • Medium Military Intel
  • Low Stability
  • High Maneuverability
  • 4 Repair Tactics
  • 4 Damage Tactics
  • 3 Disorient Tactics
  • 2 +defense Tactics
  • 2 +attack Tactics
Reliant
  • Fast level-ups
  • High Hull Integrity
  • High Military Intel
  • Low Stability
  • Low Maneuverability
  • 5 Repair Tactics
  • 5 Damage Tactics
  • 3 Disorient Tactics
  • 3 +defense Tactics
  • 0 +attack Tactics
Constellation
  • Fast level-ups
  • High Hull Integrity
  • High Military Intel
  • Low Stability
  • Low Maneuverability
  • 5 Repair Tactics
  • 5 Damage Tactics
  • 3 Disorient Tactics
  • 3 +defense Tactics
  • 0 +attack Tactics
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Ship Focus

There are six Ship focus types in the game. The main differences between the focus types are the amount of HI/MI/Stability/Maneuverability you have during game play. Below is a basic outline of each of the Ship focus type.

Security Science Medical Operations Engineering Mining
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Difficulty Ranks

SCUD248 includes the ability to play using one of three difficulty levels. All Lawless statistics in the game are set at a base number. However, using a difficulty multiplier, certain statistics are increased. The amount of Hull Integrity a Lawless has goes up, which means it will take longer to Disable. But the amount of experience and Oxygen you gain from Disabling it also goes up. So the game is a little bit harder, but it is also more rewarding. The following are the three difficulty levels and their statistic multiplier, which applies to the Lawless HI, experience drop, and Oxygen drop.
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UFS Fleet Ranks

SCUD248 includes the ability to attain Ranks within the UFS Fleet. When you reach the rank of Captain, you may manage your own SCUD community and command a fleet of ships.
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Playing The Game: In Community

When you begin a new game, the first thing you see is the Community screen. Commuinties serve eight primary functions: Repairing, Talking with Officers, Talking with Command, buying items, buying Vortex Jump Coordinates (VJC), try to open the storage locker, manageing your own scud community (Later), Sending/Getting Messages, and displaying game information.

To Repair yourself, click the link at the top of the Community screen. Each Community's Garage has a different price - some Commuinties are cheap, others are expensive. No matter what Community you're in, the Garages always serve the same function: they restore your current Hull Integrity, Military Intel, and Vortex Gas to their maximum amounts. You can also access your reserve O2 Tank. Out in the field, you are free to use Repairing Tactics to restore your Hull Integrity, but when you run low on Military Intel, the only way to restore them is at an Garage.

Buying weapons and armor is accomplished through the link. Not every item is available in every Community, so in order to get the most powerful items, you'll need to explore some of the outer Commuinties. Once you've clicked the link, you are presented with a list of items available in this Community's Armory. To the left of each item is an icon that represents its type: weapon, armor or shield. The amount of attack/defense power, as well as the item's price, are displayed to the right of the item name. You'll notice that some items have a red asterisk (*) next to their names. These are items that come with special attributes that modify other parts of your Ship profile. See the Items & Salvages table at the bottom of this page for more information about special items.

You can also click to get a VJC. Buying a VJC to a Community places the Community in your Vortex Jump box in the right status panel. Once you've purchased a Community's VJC, you can click its name from your Jump To box and you will jump to that Community. Jumping this way costs Vortex Gas, though, and you'll only be able to visit Commuinties if you have enough Vortex Gas.

The final function in Commuinties is displaying game information and statistics. This includes the latest news post made by the game administrator, a list of players who have been online recently, and the ComBox.

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Playing The Game: Exploring & Fighting

Once you're done in Community, you are free to start exploring the world. Use the compass buttons on the right status panel to move around. The game world is basically a big square, divided into four quadrants. Each quadrant is 250 spaces square. The first Community is usually located at (0N,0E). Click the North button from the first Community, and now you'll be at (1N,0E). Likewise, if you now click the West button, you'll be at (1N,1W). Lawless levels increase with every 5 spaces you move outward from (0N,0E).

While you're exploring, you will occasionally run into Lawless. As in pretty much any other RPG game, you and the Lawless take turns hitting each other in an attempt to reduce each other's Hull Integrity to zero. Once you run into a Lawless, the Exploring screen changes to the Fighting screen.

When a fight begins, you'll see the Lawless name and Hull Integrity, and the game will ask you for your first command. You then get to pick whether you want to fight, use a Tactic, or run away. Note, though, that sometimes the Lawless has the chance to hit you first.

The Fight button is pretty straightforward: you attack the Lawless, and the amount of damage dealt is based on your attack power and the Lawless armor. On top of that, there are two other things that can happen: an Excellent Hit, which doubles your total attack damage; and a Lawless dodge, which results in you doing no damage to the Lawless.

The Tactic button allows you to pick an available Tactic and Execute it. See the Tactics list at the bottom of this page for more information about Tactics.

Finally, there is the Run button, which lets you run away from a fight if the Lawless is too powerful. Be warned, though: it is possible for the Lawless to block you from running and attack you. So if your Hull Integrity is low, you may fare better by staying around Lawless that you know can't do much damage to you.

Once you've had your turn, the Lawless also gets his turn. It is also possible for you to dodge the Lawless attack and take no damage.

The end result of a fight is either you or the Lawless being knocked down to zero Hull Integrity. If you win, the Lawless dies and will give you a certain amount of experience and Oxygen. There is also a chance that the Lawless will have items to Salvage, which you can put into one of the three Bays to give you extra points in your Ship profile. If you lose and die, 1/4 of your Oxygen is taken away - however, you are given back some Hull Integrity to help you make it back to the Community (for example, if you don't have enough Oxygen to pay for the Garage, and need to Disable a couple low-level Lawless to get the Oxygen).

When the fight is over, you can continue exploring until you find another Lawless to beat into submission.

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Playing The Game: SCUDS, O2 Tank and Conflicts

You can manage a SCUD community of your own and plan conflicts against other player. Keep in mind that other players may also start conflicts with you.

You have an O2 Tank that works kind of like a bank. You can deposit Oxygen into it and come back to get it later.

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Playing The Game: Status Panels

There are two status panels on the game screen: left and right.

The right panel inclues your current location and play status (In Community, Exploring, Fighting), compass buttons for movement, and the Vortex Gas list for jumping between Commuinties. At the bottom of the right panel is also a list of game functions.

The right panel displays some Ship statistics, your inventory, and quick Tactics.

The Ship section shows the most important Ship statistics. It also displays the status bars for your current Hull Integrity, Military Intel and Vortex Gas. These status bars are colored either green, yellow or red depending on your current amount of each stat. There is also a link to pop up your list of extended statistics, which shows more detailed Ship information.

The Fast Tactics section lists any Repair Tactics you've learned. You may use these links any time you are in Community or exploring to Execute the Repair Tactic. These may not be used during fights, however - you have to use the Tactics box on the fight screen for that.
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Spoilers: Items & Salvages

Click here for the Items & Salvages spoiler page.

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Spoilers: Lawless

Click here for the Lawless spoiler page.

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Spoilers: Tactics

Click here for the Tactics spoiler page.

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Spoilers: Ranks

Click here for the Ranks spoiler page.

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Credits
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Please visit the following sites for more information:
Se7enet (Jamin's homepage)
Dragon Knight (official DK homepage)
Forums (official DK forums)

All original coding and graphics for the Dragon Knight game engine are © 2003-2005 by Jamin Seven.

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