Flags in the Dust (StarCraft campaign)
Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2022 6:26 am
INITIAL TESTS INDICATE...
THAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO EXPERIENCE...
"For God's sake, Commander, I asked you to keep an eye
on Dr. Martens, not to indulge his own whims."
- General Edmund Duke
18.2 MB
(MediaFire)
BACKGROUND INFO
The time frame of Flags in the Dust is set immediately after the events narrated in Shadow of the Xel'Naga by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta (in other words, roughly after the fall of the Overmind and before the arrival of the UED Fleet). Reading the aforementioned novel is not a strict prerequisite for playing this campaign, since the shared narrative elements are summarized in the mission briefings.
THE STORY
A Wraith squadron roars high in the fierce sky above Augustgrad as you prepare to board a small interplanetary shuttlecraft. As a Dominion high-ranking official, you hoped for a better accommodation, maybe a suite in a Behemoth-class Battlecruiser, but apparently there isn't much traffic to and from Landorin. Shading your eyes against the glare, you watch the Wraith formation disappear behind the massive structures located in the core of the city, grab your hand luggage, and head for the shuttle hatch. Competent hands guide you into your small but comfy stateroom, where you will spend the next twenty hours, such is the time needed to reach the godforsaken Outer Colony of Landorin. Diligently, you take some time to review your assignments: your task is to oversee the scientific research program of Epsilon Squadron and give assistance to their chief of staff, Dr. Philip Martens. According to the files in your possession, the Doctor had relocated his Squadron to the outlying planet of Landorin after having suffered a catastrophic defeat on Char at the hands of the Zerg, as a result of which their armored divisions were completely wiped out - the fact that Epsilon Squadron had armored divisions in the first place had always sounded strange to you, after all weren't those guys supposed to do science? Your rationality had always kicked in, telling you the harsh truth: apart from the upscale civilian lifestyle, every kind of activity in the Koprulu Sector demands for a hefty backup of weapons, just in case. As for the Doctor, he was a curious anomaly within the Terran Dominion because of his Confederate past - but then again, the same was for General Duke. However, while Duke had been somewhat coerced in joining the cause of Korhal, it was rumored that Martens had been personally appointed by Emperor Mengsk, who insisted for the renowned scientist to maintain his position at the head of Epsilon Squadron. Go figure, politics will always be weird. You close your eyes and smile at this thought. Eventually, you nod off to the low hypnotic hum of the shuttlecraft. "Scientific research, test tubes, sticky and disgusting samples, high-ranking nerds... man, this is going to be boring as hell", you mutter to yourself before falling asleep, completely unaware of the nightmare that is about to unfold on Landorin.
TECHNICAL INFO
Flags in the Dust was designed to be played with StarCraft 1.16.1: all visuals and text formatting are optimized for the native version. Compatibility with StarCraft Remastered is assured, even though some terrain features will not look as originally intended. It is very important to play this campaign in ORIGINAL mode, because the setting and gameplay mechanics don't call for Brood War units and technologies.
SCREENSHOTS
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It's show time for Epsilon Squadron
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The Doctor will see you now
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Such a bad boy
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Y'all need science
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Don't move, don't speak, even whisper
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This isn't going to end well
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Buckle up, it's gonna be a rough ride
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Close encounters of the spooky kind
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Yet another panic attack kicking in
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Kill 'em on sight, you'll be doing them a favor
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I'm not going to clean up this mess
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Heroes save the day with daring acts
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GET TO KNOW LANDORIN
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Semi-major axis: 1.19 AU
Eccentricity: 0.087
Orbital period: 486 d
Rotation period: 26h 18m
Equatorial diameter: 7650 km
Moons: 1 (Alterra)
Fourth planet in its system, Landorin orbits a K-type subgiant star. Its surface is covered for 80% by water, and most
of its landmasses are merged into a supercontinent. Geological activity is very low, with no active volcanoes present and
very few earthquakes detected: this suggests that plate tectonics might have come to a halt, and that the supercontinent
will never split up again. As one of the most outlying Terran colonies, Landorin played a minor strategic role during the
Guild Wars, when it was disputed between the Confederacy and the Kel-Morian Combine, and it was later absorbed by the
Terran Dominion. Landorin has one natural satellite, Alterra, which is remarkably large compared to its host planet.
NOTABLE PLACES
Port Yosemite
Situated at the mouth of the Albion river, the island city of Port Yosemite is the main settlement of
Landorin. With a population of about 175,000 representing 30% of the planet's inhabitants, Port Yosemite
is a growing community, and is colloquially referred to as ''The Biggest Little City in the Terran Dominion''.
The Outback
To the east of Port Yosemite lies the Outback, a sparsely populated area made up of grassy woodlands
and gravel plains that gradually blend with the much more arid Rabu Desert. The Outback is where Dr. Martens
and Epsilon Squadron have established their new research lab and headquarters.
Rabu Desert
Located further east from Port Yosemite and the Outback, this desert has long been the place where the criminals
of Landorin were exiled. This turned out to be a double-edged sword when those criminals banded together forming
organized gangs of marauders, but the recent arrival of Epsilon Squadron should keep them in line from now on.
Swamps of Tiglartanooga
This inhospitable swampland is an important physiographic region of Landorin. Its wetlands and flatlands are bounded
by prominent rocky ridges. Rainwater percolates down through the soil to replenish the local aquifer system,
the primary source of drinking water for the inhabitants of Port Yosemite.
High Karst Plateau
The northern portion of Landorin's supercontinent is dominated by these highlands, a harsh and unforgiving territory of
ancient mountains, some of which are over three billion years old. The sourhern foothills of the High Karst Plateau reach
as far as the area of Port Yosemite, and most of the materials used for constructing the city come from this region.
Rhanatoa Islands
The pride of Landorin's fledging tourism industry, this tropical archipelago offers lush vegetation, iconic sights,
crystal blue seawater, and radiant silica sand beaches. The Rhanatoa Islands are also marked as a resource-rich
area of Landorin, even though no effort has yet been made to tap such potential.
Katakis Space Station
A former strategic outpost during the Guild Wars, this space station has been restructured and modernized by Dr. Martens
and his crew to serve as a multi-purpose orbital facility. Highly modular in nature, it can be combined with auxiliary
space platforms. Among its many functions, the station serves as the central node for Landorin's satellite network.
FEATURES
ADVANCED TERRAIN - A huge amount of work went into map design and tile editing, in order to craft natural-looking landscapes and visually-appealing spots: the stunning sights of Landorin will remain in your mind for a long time.
DIVERSE GAMEPLAY - Flags in the Dust encompasses many gameplay styles, ranging from classic RTS, to micromanagement, hybrid melee, survival, stealth, boss fights, and more. All of this in just six action-packed scenarios.
AN IMMERSIVE STORYLINE - In line with my previous campaigns, the storyline is consistent with the SCBW canon, while still presenting original elements and nods to popular culture, with an emphasis on character portrayal, interaction and development. Engaging mission objectives both integrate and define the storyline, giving each scenario a unique feeling.
CHALLENGING BATTLES - Standard AI scripts, combined with variable, multi-layered forced attacks and scripted events, attack relentlessly, testing your reaction time, accuracy and adaptability. Blindly charging ahead will often result in disaster, as you are required to devise the appropriate strategy for each fight.
CREDITS
PLAYTESTERS: C(a)HeK, Jon Gunnar Olafsson, Luis Calderari, stalwart ghostess
TECHNICAL CONSULTANT: Luis Calderari
SFX ASSISTANT: stalwart ghostess
MUSIC COMPOSER: Yasuhisa Watanabe
SMOKE AND MIRRORS: Bik75
ORIGINAL ARTWORK: CreationKeeper
MAIN SPONSOR: Pr0doggo, the #1 Roverlisk chow!
QUALITY ASSURANCE: Adolf Hitler, Genghis Khan, Iosif Stalin, Nero, Saddam Hussein
Special greetings to City, David Kang, Eredalis, IlyaSnopchenko, JumpStart, Nekron, Omen, Stanislav Gavrilov, Zergy, Zincoshine
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