FRONTIER WAR

Cinderfall Expanse · Skirmish Deployment

Mission

You command the Aurora Expedition against the Rust Legion. Both sides drop on opposite corners of an uncharted frontier world rich in Aetherium. Harvest it, build a war machine, and destroy every enemy Headquarters. Lose all of your own Headquarters and the expedition is wiped out. Extra Headquarters double as resource drop-offs — expansions are worth defending.

Controls

L-click / drag	Select unit or group (Shift adds)
R-click	Move · Attack · Gather · Return cargo — contextual
A / M	Attack-move / Move, then click ground
S / H	Stop · Hold position
Ctrl+1…9	Set control group · 1…9 recalls it
WASD / arrows	Camera pan (also screen-edge)
Q / E · wheel	Rotate camera · zoom
Middle-drag	Pan · hold Shift to rotate
Esc / P	Pause · F1 help · F10 mute

The Escalation

1. Keep Prospector workers mining — Aetherium is finite and nearby nodes run dry.
2. Build Supply Relays for population room (supply is reusable capacity, not a spent resource — queue as many as you can afford).
3. Barracks → Laboratory → Factory / Airfield unlocks heavier hardware and upgrades.
4. Expand to contested nodes with a second Headquarters; forward production wins wars.
5. Scout the black — the enemy base, routes and riches are hidden until seen.

Field Manual · Counters

Unit	Role	Weak to
Reaver KIN	Fast melee brawler	Heavy armor, air
Lancer PUL	Ranged, hits air & armour	Reavers that close, air
Aegis BLS	Heavy tank, shreds infantry	Lancers, swarms
Skimmer KIN	Flying, best anti-air	Lancers, turrets

Kinetic shreds light targets and aircraft · Blast crushes infantry and structures · Pulse defeats heavy armour. Light / Heavy / Air armour categories really change the fight.

Single-player skirmish · procedural audio · no external assets · 5–10 minute match

PAUSED

Simulation halted. The Legion is halted with it.

VICTORY

FIELD MANUAL

Objective

Destroy every enemy Headquarters to win. If all of yours fall, you lose. Headquarters are also your resource drop-off, so expansions are both economy and victory.

Economy

Select Prospectors and right-click a glowing Aetherium node. They mine, haul and deposit at a Headquarters. Nodes are finite — nearby ones deplete, so expand outward.

Supply

Every unit reserves supply when queued. Supply Relays add +12 capacity each and can be built endlessly — supply is reusable capacity, never consumed. If a Relay dies while a unit is training, production pauses until you rebuild capacity; existing units are never deleted. Cancelling anything refunds 100%.

Building

Select a worker → command card → choose a structure → click the ground. Green preview is valid. You may only build on explored, unobstructed ground. A worker must be free to start construction; several structures can be built at once by different workers.

Production

Each facility has its own queue and rally point (right-click the ground while the building is selected). Multiple barracks mean multiple units at a time.

Camera

WASD / arrows pan, Q/E rotate, wheel zooms, middle-drag pans (Shift+middle-drag rotates), clicking the minimap jumps the camera, right-clicking it issues a move order.

Orders

Left-click selects, drag a box for groups, Shift adds. Right-click is contextual: enemy → attack, node → gather, own drop-off → return, otherwise move. A attack-move, M move, S stop, H hold. Hold means "do not chase". Ctrl+1…9 sets groups, 1…9 selects, pressing twice centres the camera.

Fog of War

Black = unexplored. Dim = explored but not currently seen. Bright = in sight. Enemy units vanish when out of sight; enemy buildings you have seen linger as faint silhouettes until you look again. Moving the camera reveals nothing — only your forces do.

Counters

Damage	Best vs	Poor vs
Kinetic	Light, Air	Heavy
Blast	Light, structures	Air
Pulse	Heavy, Air	Light

Anti-air: Lancer, Skimmer, Sentry Turret. Reavers and Aegis cannot target aircraft.

Performance

Hundreds of units are fully simulated. If the battle grows enormous, zoom out — the renderer batches everything into a handful of draw calls.