Astroscape

"Warring worlds. Only one choice. What will you choose?"

Astroscape is a science fantasy military action game developed by Team ASTRO and published by Velvetsoft, combining 4X, grand and real-time strategy genres, taking inspiration from other games such as Warcraft, Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War, Stellaris, Spore- specifically the Civilization and Space Ages, and especially Starcraft.

It was initially released on March 27, 2017 on Japan and Southeast Asia territory, before being released globally on November 26 of the same year by Velvetsoft.

The game revolves around the warring races in the fictitional Jaeger galaxy, as well as its neighbors, the Milky Way and the Andromeda.

After a few months of its release, expansion packs were released in conjunction of a major update, Update 2.5 which introduced the Race Creator- which supports custom resources and textures- and a sub-campaign for the Dominion and Nerridian Scourge. The update also added the Race Evolution, Trait and Technology bars in-game which can be modified freely, taking inspiration from Polytopia, Stellaris and Spore.

A year later, the third expansion pack was released in conjunction of the game's global launch anniversary, named 'Return of the Aasoid ' which introduced the robonoid race, the Aasoid. The expansion pack also introduced new racial units to the races' already abundant unit pool, as well as introducing space exploration and warfare.

Synopsis
The Silver Alliance- the combined forces of the Dominion, Zen'grai and the Vasaals- battles against the terrifying Nerridian Scourge in the Third Mortal War. Suffering major casualties and setbacks, the Alliance struggles to battle the ever-growing plague that threatens to consume the galaxy if left undefeated.

Story Mode
The main plotline for the game. Each race- factions included- has a campaign of their own, except fot the Nerridian Scourge and Sty'xi. Each campaign would have 20 chapters at most, and 12 chapters at minimum. Completion of the game's whole storyline by completing all races awards the player with an additional race, the Aaseri, and a campaign of their own, serving as the epilogue of the Third Mortal War.

Custom Campaign
Players can import custom campaigns from downloading them from the game's official website, specifically under the Custom tab. There are 3 pre-installed custom campaigns at default, and the player can choose to install more to their liking.

Random Skirmish
After a 10-15 minute queue, the player is matched against another player through the internet with their selected pre-installed or custom map. These skirmishes usually last for 20-30 minutes at most according to the races selected by both players.

Custom Skirmish
Custom Skirmish does not queue, but instead encourages players to invite their friends to a friendly or competitive match. These custom skirmishes can use pre-installed or custom maps, as with the Random Skirmish. Cheats are enabled in this gamemode, but only if toggled usable by the host of the match.

Arcade
Arcade is a collection of player-created maps published onto the Arcade's pool of maps, often containing minigames and gameplay that strays away from the original's gameplay. Arcade is officially supported by the development team, and they regularly publish a custom map every 4 weeks.

Dominion
The Dominion of Humanity, the Terran Dominion, or simply called the Dominion, is the forces of humanity in the Milky Way united by the All-Emperor, Dominic Lucius Sabio. They essentially have no religion, but zealously praise and worship the All-Emperor, creating their own religion, Dominican-Empirical. This race has balanced focus on all its units, but its champion units are one of the best among the rest.

Factions
The Dominion of Humanity's forces, using firepower and potent explosives as their main weapons in battle. They have balanced and modest units that are easily produced en masse. This faction specializes in macro battles with their early scout units as well as units that infiltrate backlines of enemy forces. The Rebel Syndicate is an B-class threat to the Dominion of Humanity, referring to the population that have rebelled against the Dominion opposition, abhorring their ways in treating citizens, but often seen as terrorists. They specialize in strategies involving stealth, their units and buildings are permanently cloaked until attacked. A faction created by the Dominion to specifically counter the artillery creatures of the Nerridian Swarm. They have supreme firepower and area of effect abilities that outclasses every other race unit in terms of raw power, but its units are often extremely costly to produce.
 * Terran Dominion
 * Psi-Ghost Syndicate
 * Heavy Arm Corps

Zen'grai
The Zen'grai are an intergalactic humanoid species with the ability to manipulate psi. They discovered magecraft in the ancient times, which is used until today. They, along with the Scourge, were created by an unknown species of Precursors during ancient times to research psi and biology of living organisms. They are completely able to go toe-to-toe with the Dominion and Vasaals late game, and utilize psi in numerous forms to wreak havoc on enemy lines.

Factions
The Strar'cax worship the twin Zen'grai gods Sh'mael and Cruhx zealously, destroying any enemy in the way of their fate. They have powerful infantry-caster hybrid units as well as siege machines, but their champion units shine the most. Vacren are distant descendants of the Vhisnu, the forbidden offspring of the Zen'grai and Angels. Using divine magic as their main power, the Vacren sustains themselves with their support units while still having powerful backline and auxilliary units. The Ael'styx serve no Zen'grai god, causing them to be exiled and banished from the rest of the Zen'grai race. Allying with the eldritch Voidborne, they return to enact vengeance to those who have banished them from their homeworld. They have powerful vanguards and its assassin units excel in cleaning out squishy units.
 * Authority of Strar'cax
 * Vacren
 * Ael'styx

Vasaals
The Vasaals are an intergalactic mamalian species with superior technological discoveries and developments than any other races in Jaeger. They were the first to successfully create a Warp Drive, but accidentally ripped the seal over the Twisted Nether in their first attempt to use it, summoning an ancient threat known as the Voidborne in the process. The Vasaals are technologically superior than any other race in the Jaeger galaxy, but that alone is their downfall.

Factions
The Vasaals' species, the Kats, use their technological advancements to their disposal, creating efficient but high-cost gizmos and war machines in battle. Their technology is far superior than other races, but that alone is their weakness. The Kats need to research all of their technologies before becoming relevant in skirmishes. The Shad'dai are neutral robonoids created by the Vasaals to purify and cleanse worlds infested by the Nerridian Swarm with no hopes of reclaiming the world. They lied dormant in the mechanical world of Skadi, before being reawakened to fight the swarm. They have units specifically purposed to combat the Swarm.
 * Kats
 * Shad'dai

Aaseri
The Aaseri, dubbed as the Escensia- meaning 'caretaker' in High Zen'grai language- are a species of celestial beings hailing from the astral plane, slumbering within the living worlds in the Jaeger and Andromeda galaxies. They were awakened once the threat of the Nerridian Scourge had been known to the galaxy, allying with the Silver Alliance to defeat and drive away the Scourge once and for all. They have low-cost, low train duration units that wreaks havoc on early to mid game, and ends threats early on with their champion units which are unlocked early on.

Factions
The caretakers of the universe, the Aaseri purify Nerridian corruption with powerful auxilliary, specialty and champion units specifically purposed to combat the threat created by them. They can also choose to support allies in their battle with their unique and supportive tools in battle.
 * Escensia

Nerrids
The Nerridian Scourge, Eternal Swarm, or simply the Nerrids are an exogalactic species of space-faring insectoids with the objective to hunt and assimilate. They are the most powerful threat the Silver Alliance had faced in their history, devouring worlds and in extension, living worlds in their crazed hunt for biomass for them to feed in and create new battle strains for war. They are created alongside the Zen'grai by an ancient species of Precursors. Nerrids are effective early and late game due to their low cost, low training suicidal units that can be easily replaced and produce especially dangerous strains that can turn the tides of war.

Factions
The Nerridian Scourge devours every world in its presence, earning an SS-class threat rank from the Dominion High Authority. Fitting as devourers of the galaxy, they have easily-disposable units that overwhelms enemies in large numbers, accompanied by even more dangerous battle strains. An arachnid swarm created by the Nerridian to battle the Zen'grai and their spellcasters. They cast web and inject potent poison onto enemies or intercept enemies from casting their abilities. They have relatively disposable units, but their children take some time to hatch.
 * Nerridian Scourge
 * Widowmaker Brood

Sty'xi
The Sty'xi- meaning 'dark children' in High Zen'grai language- otherwise called as the Voidborne, are dark horrors hailing from the Twisted Nether, beloved children of the Void Gods that almost brought upon the end of the Jaeger galaxy. The purest manifestations of malignant Void in the physical plane, the Voidborne wreak endless darkness upon their foes they prove to be worthy in battle. They have recently allied with the Ael'styx against the Silver Alliance.

Factions
Children of the Twisted Nether, the Voidborne enacts endless pain and despair upon enemy foes with their tortorous and wicked spells. They have anticasters, eldritch abominations and dark champions purposed for widespread destruction.
 * Voidborne

Aasoid
The Aasoid, also known as the Travellers, are a space-faring species of robotic androids created by the very same Precursors that created the Nerrids and Zen'grai, tasked to research and watch over the two races' development and skirmishes over the centuries. The Aasoid at first ignored the threat the Scourge posed to the universe, but realized it only after the Nerridian Swarm had ravaged the Andromeda's neigbouring galaxy, Janus in its endless hunger. Violating the mission their masters had given them long ago, they band with the Silver Alliance to end the Nerridian threat once and for all. The race has excruciatingly weak ground units but their aerocraft units are superior among the rest. Only available after purchasing downloading the Return of the Aasoid expansion pack, which automatically installs itself in the game as of patch 2.3.45.1.

Factions
Robotic androids created by the advanced Precursors that created the Zen'grai and the Scourge, they violate the last directive of their masters to prevent a class-3 extinction event in multiple galaxies caused by the endless hunger of the Nerrids. They have weak ground units, but have superior spatial warfare assets.
 * Travellers

Terms
The Ancient Star is an ancient, living star created by the heavenly celestials before their ascension to the astral plane. It safeguards the integrity of the universe and is located at the heart of Jaeger galaxy, protected by the Iridiscent. The Angels are extradimensional beings hailing from another universe, who are revered as divine beings in the Jaeger galaxy. Mistaken to be from the Ascension plane, some Angels were tangled in a cosmic singularity and was thus sent to this universe. They mainly acted as protectors of the universe before sending and entrusting some of the Aaseri to the physical plane to protect the universe from the future threat of the Nerridian Swarm, an event they have foreseen. The last known sighting of an Angel was on 1 PMW, approximately 350 years ago. The Astral Plane is the place outside the physical boundaries of existence, divided into many parts: Lower Heaven, Higher Heaven, Lower Celestial, Higher Celestial, Lower Nirvana, Higher Nirvana and Ascension, each with their own nations and locations. The Astral Plane is mainly populated by heavenly entities and celestials who transcend into a higher state of life without breaking the rules of the Counter-Force. These celestials can enter and exit the astral plane at will. Mortal individuals who are blessed with the power to enter the astral plane are called wanderers. The Counter-Force is a primordial element enacting the balance between good and evil, order and chaos, light and void. The Counter-Force destroys anything and everything in its way of balance through the Elementals, ancient beings of primordial elemental power. The Counter-Force chases after entities who break the laws of the universe, and erases them from existence, even their soul would not survive into the astral plane. Entities created within the Astral Plane or the Twisting Nether have natural immunity from the Counter-Force. Light- known as brilliance and order, is the embodiment of the purities and holy forces referred by the Counter-Force. Its counterpart is void, and while they are contradictory in nature, one cannot exist without the other. The Light is the manifestation of blind truth, seeking only one path possible. Primordial light flows outside of the physical borders of existence, endlessly cleansing the void's impurities along its flow. Light isn't necessarily only good and benevolent. Magecraft is the artificial form of True Magic, a concept that is almost impossible to attain. It was discovered after psi was discovered. Through thorough research, some have hypothesized that this concept was attained through miraculous or supernatural means, and used through it. Magecraft is associated with manipulation of certain elements and otherworldly abilities. Practitioners of magecraft are known as magecrafters. Magic, fully known as the Mystery or True Magic, is a fundamental element in the universe, which paved the creation of psi, which is also known as mana. Magic is the sliver of power that come in many forms with its origins unknown, apart from the fact that it was created alongside other primordial elements. Practitioners of true magic are extremely rare, only 14 individuals are identified to as magi over the past thousand years. The Mortal Wars is a series of galactic-spanning skirmishes of the Silver Alliance against the Nerridian Scourge, as well as the monstrous abominations from the Twisted Nether. The First was won by the Alliance through the Zen'grai's strategic attack on the Scourge's hiveship Kraken. The Second was won by the Nerridian through their victory over Gussius Prime and assimilation of the living world Azran. The Third is currently ongoing. The Old Gods are abominations tracing back from the time of the Precursors, being one of the first to be created for the race that would be now called the Nerridian Swarm. They are free from the will of the Neomind, shackled and cursed by the Aaseri to sleep within living worlds to contain their threat to the universe. One of them, Bi'x, was recently awakened and released from its icy slumber from Cria. Psi- otherwise named as mana or soul- is an element of the universe, one of the primoridal ones at that. It can be described as a paranormal, ethereal, spirit-like energy that flows through every living being. Individuals gifted with psionic manipulation are referred to as synths, psykers, psychics or telepaths. Void- known as darkness and discord, is the embodiment of all impurities and dark forces referred by the Counter-Force. Its counterpart is light, and while they are contradictory in nature, one cannot exist without the other. The Void is the manifestation of the real truth, and seeks as many paths as possible. Primordial void flows outside of the physical borders of existence, endlessly defying light along its flow. Void isn't necessarily only evil and malicious.
 * Ancient Star
 * Angels
 * Astral Plane
 * Counter-Force
 * Light
 * Magecraft
 * Magic
 * Mortal War
 * Old Gods
 * Psi
 * Void

Reception
Astroscape was pre-ordered 60,000 times by patrons before its launch in Japan and SEA territory. Astroscape was widely known for its vast gameplay mechanics, content and rewards it offers to players, claiming critical acclaim and positive reviews from critics and fans alike though it was criticized for its overall plot and races offered, with critics claiming that both elements were extremely similar to the races of Warcraft, Starcraft and Warhammer series. It was termed remarkable for mixing numerous strategy genres and created the game's concept and gameplay mechanics beautifully polished and complete. As said by numerous fans, the game is somewhat hard and risky, but also fun and enjoyable at the same time. It gained a 91% score on GameRankings, while scoring an 88 on Metacritic. It subsequently became the highest-rated Velvetsoft game, surpassing Crossover Galactic Arena that was before it, until the release of Runia: The Heart of Magic a year later.