I decided on a whim to enter The Guardian Gameblog’s “Rough Guide to Videogames” competition, and I actually won one of the prizes! I decided to not to a typical “guide”, but a classified report on Hydro. Since they couldn’t include all my snapshots from the game (with real letters on them and everything!), I decided it’d be worth posting here.
June 1968 declassified US Government Intelligence Report
Area codename: HYDRO
REF: ZYZZY/01304
Located in the Nevada desert, the Alpha Electric Dam (Fig. 001) powering the local farms is the front for a Builders League United (“BLU”) run intelligence gathering facility (Fig. 005) located in the engineering area, where the vast majority of the hydroelectric power goes to BLU radar operation (Fig. 002).
Reliable Excavation Demolition (“RED”) instituted a underground base (Fig. 006) hidden at the main entrance used to stage a take over the facility. RED had previously detected BLU's spying activities, and so tunnelled a secret entrance without their knowledge to counterspy before attacking the facility outright.
Constant fighting to take control of the entire facility took place once RED attacked half the facility, the Dam (Fig. 001) and Radar (Fig. 002), cutting off the main entrance to the facility in the process. BLU retained control over the Turbines (Fig. 003) and engineering area (Fig. 004).
Special security doors (Fig. 007) were put into action by BLU to stop RED's access to all areas apart from ones BLU wanted to retake, although they also stop their own movements. Access to each of RED or BLU's hardened bunker facilities is only allowed once the rest of the facility is taken due to the power required from the Dam to force open the entrances to the intelligence bunkers (Fig. 005, 006). Even once the facility controlled, reinforcements from the opposing side airdropped in to retake half the facility again, restarting the battle afresh.
The entire facility was finally destroyed when the Dam was blown in a espionage activity by both RED and BLU personnel simultaneously (Fig. 008) leaving the area flooded (Fig. 009).
Intelligence pictures obtained from BLU and RED agencies, contracts SPY/083875 and SPY/083876.
Hope it sums up well the general feel of the map, since it hasn’t got much “backstory”, and obviously nothing to interact with as such in it, I made up what I felt was right. 🙂
That somehow reminds me of the intro movies from each level in TF2. Also, I really liked the Builders League United and Reliable Excavation Demolition part! You were allot more thorough than the other guides with a game that, as you pointed out, offers little if any backstory, way to go!
Oh, and let me know if the book is any good, k?
I’ll put a short review on my site I think, so I’ll let you know when that’s up 🙂