Base Melees
This article covers the BaseMelees scenario folder for OpenClonk. Base melees are scenarios in which players or teams battle each other and try to destroy enemy bases. This type of scenario combines the game play elements of settlement and combat and is therefore considered a different from regular melees. Usually base melees start with a short phase of building up a settlement to produce weaponry and improve defensive strongholds. In contrast to regular settlement scenarios this is sped up by allowing team leaders to create a small start up settlement. Then teams usually deploy aggressive strategies to weaken opponents and their bases, in order to oppress their production. The game ends for a team when all base buildings are lost. This goal is called domination and a team has won when all enemy bases are destroyed.
Downloads
The stable version can be found on Lorry and should be compatible with the latest release of OpenClonk. A development version can be found on GitHub and this is always kept up to date with the OpenClonk master branch, for which playable snapshots are available.
Medals
All the base melees in the BaseMelees folder have the medal rule activated, which means that players can achieve medals for original or courageous actions.
Scenarios
The folder contains different scenarios based in different landscapes and suited for various team sizes. A list of the scenarios is provided here.
| Scenario | Nr. Teams | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ruby Lake | 2 | Two opposing kingdoms battle for the giant pillar of rubies in the middle of a lake between their castles. |
| Cliff Fight | 2 | Two teams have their bases on opposing cliffs, where in between there is a large body of water, providing an initial obstacle for attacks. |
| Skylands | 4 | Teams have a base on large sky islands with various smaller islands around for mining resources or expanding the base. |
| Labyrinth | 4 | An underground labyrinth constructed out of small caves and narrow paths. Teams have bases in larger caves and may find wealth in a large central gem reserve. |
Strategy
In contrast to regular melees, skill in controlling your clonks may not be playing the decisive role in which player wins a base melee round. Deploying the correct strategy tailored for the scenario and situation is more important. You need to find the right balance between gathering resources and production, building up defenses and attacking the opponent's base. In this section we discuss some general concepts regarding strategy. Advanced strategies per scenario can be found in the respective scenario articles and there is also an article on advanced strategies for base melees.
Secure Base
During the start of the round the team leader is able to place a small base consisting of a few production buildings and some materials. Be sure to use these materials immediately to construct items or defensive structures. Also dig out patches of material to allow the team leader to place the structures more strategically, for example a foundry underground near some ore. Always aim to build a few defensive measures to prevent enemies from directly walking into your base. Usually the terrain already provides obstacles which can be made harder by digging or placing defense towers, walls or basements. Also make sure the opponent has no direct access to any explosives in or near the base, most importantly dig out patches of firestone material nearby.
Managing Clunkers
Gold management is the next important item to watch. Since crew members respawn at base structures when sufficient clunkers are available, it is essential to have at least enough clunkers to support 2-3 respawns. Also be sure to expand your base beyond two flagpoles in case one or two get destroyed. If a team looses all its base structures it is eliminated! Excess clunkers can be used to buy equipment, resources or food at the base buildings. For every scenario the items one can buy at the base differs, so make sure you know what you need to produce and set up production chains if needed. For example in map with sky islands you might want a plane to attack enemies, only to find out later that you can't buy it. Constructing a full production chain amid intense attacks from opponents is next to impossible.
Planning Attacks
Once you have set up a defense and have produced weapons, it is time to attack. Always plan your attacks carefully, there is no point in attacking a base with only a sword. A sword is suited for killing clonks, not to destroy enemy base buildings or production lines. Also coordinate attacks with other players. If, for example, you decide to fly an airship to another base be sure to take some team members with you. Airships are expensive and fragile so you better make that probably single trip counts. If you decided to attack an enemy base with explosives and you stumble upon an enemy carrying a sword, you either run back or directly to the base. There is no point in engaging in a fight with that opponent since he has superior melee weapons and you only end up loosing your valuable explosives.
Optimal Attacks
When preparing and performing attacks, try to be decisive. A perfect attack inflicts maximal damage to the enemies base, production or crew. Remember that destroying a single base building might be much more valuable than killing a single clonk. A simple calculation shows that a clonk roughly costs 50 clunkers (25 for the clonk and maybe another 25 for what it is carrying). On the other hand, destroying a wind generator and a flagpole costs roughly the same, but might disrupt the production infrastructure and takes a lot of time to rebuild. Also try to coordinate attacks with team members, if an enemy has only two flagpoles left, it is essential to destroy them both at the same time, which probably requires two clonks with explosives.
More Information
This guide can only teach you so much and give some directions rather than tell you how to win a base melee round. So just try it out, have fun and improve yourself by playing. Also read the advanced strategies and the scenario specific strategies for more in-depth hints and tricks.
Development
Development of the BaseMelees scenario folder is done on GitHub. You can browse the source there, report bugs, or submit patches and contribute.