Ex Machina (Hard Truck Apocalypse)

Ex Machina is a Russian video game developed by Targem Games and published by Buka. Combines the features of a car simulator, arcade and RPG. Published in the West under the title Hard Truck: Apocalypse. In Russia, the game received many awards at exhibitions, high ratings in gaming magazines and websites. In the West, the game was received much cooler.The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in which, in order to survive, people are forced to wear masks on their faces, as the air has become unbreathable. People live in a world where an armored truck becomes the only hope for survival.

In 2011, a UFO falls to the ground, which, as it turned out much later, was intended to study the Sun. During the study, scientists find in it and open a sealed container, as a result of which global atmospheric poisoning occurs. Animals and insects were the first to die, then vegetation began to die, after - people ...

Nothing is known for certain about the time that has passed since the catastrophe until the current game time. Mankind survived only thanks to protective masks. The name of the inventor of these masks has not been preserved. All people, young and old, wear masks, and the brave souls who tried to take them off in the open air have disappeared. People settled in new towns and villages away from the old cities that became mass graves. The main occupation of people was agriculture, the search for working equipment and the design of new ones, as well as trade. There were also those who decided that the right of the strong decides everything...

The main character of the game is a young man, the son of a famous traveler and seeker of lost technologies, Ivan Goh. Ivan was involved in most of the new-"old" technological breakthroughs that led to the current level of civilization - the rediscovery of radio, electrical and radio electronics, as well as many other things that are so familiar. Ivan Goh disappeared after another expedition, and it is not known for certain where he went.

Traveling between different settlements of the game world, the main character is trying to find out who killed his adoptive father and burned down his native village. Gradually moving along the storyline, he learns many details from the life of his father and the history of the disaster. The game has two storylines, mostly different, but the ultimate goal is the same: to find out the cause of the disaster and help the remnants of humanity.

The game is an arcade car simulator. The player controls a truck equipped with various types of weapons. Vehicle control is similar to most modern first-person shooters, in which the player can use various military equipment: vision and fire control (rotation of turrets) is carried out with the mouse, while movement control is carried out using the keyboard (the default is the classic combination of WASD). Trucks are conditionally divided into a cab and a body, each of which can be replaced with more advanced models. As the player progresses, new truck models become available, differing in overall structural strength, engine power, fuel volume, space for cargo in the body, as well as a place for installing additional modules in the cab, and the number and size of weapon installation points.

The types of cabs and bodies are also different, and as the player progresses, new types of truck parts open up, sometimes significantly changing the appearance and number of weapons installed.

Modules installed in cabs increase the performance of various types of weapons and improve the performance of trucks.

The player can almost freely move around the game world, finding various settlements and locations that are important to the story, or added for side quests. For orientation in space, the player has access to a map of the area in the interface, which opens as he explores the game world. The game world is divided into segments, transition zones (roads) are used to move between them.

As you drive through the game world, the truck consumes fuel. After running out of fuel, the car will continue to drive, but at a very low speed, which is extremely dangerous when meeting with the enemy - the ability to maneuver will deteriorate sharply.

Trucks available to the player:

1. Van is the starting model that the player starts with. A small truck with a small body, weak engine and low durability. Only 1 small gun can be mounted on the cab.
2. Molokovoz is a more advanced model, the margin of safety is almost twice as high as that of a van, a much more spacious body. In the original modification, you can install only 1 small gun on the body, in the most advanced modification - 1 small gun on the cab and 1 medium gun on the body. The prototype was the English all-wheel drive truck Matador, and there are also some similarities with the GAZ-66.
3. Ural is the most balanced truck, quite fast and durable. The increase in strength is small compared to the milk tanker, but higher resistance to damage. In the original modification, you can install 1 small gun and 1 medium gun, in subsequent modifications you can install up to 3 medium and 1 large gun, side mounts for rocket launchers or other special weapons (and 3 medium guns). The prototype is an all-wheel drive three-axle truck "Ural".
4. Belaz is large and clumsy, but very durable and roomy. And an incredibly expensive truck. In the original modification - 1 small and 1 medium gun, the modifications significantly expand the arsenal. The exact prototype is unknown, probably parts of several models of BelAZ trucks and special vehicles based on them were used.
5. The peacemaker is a three-axle special all-terrain vehicle, the initial set of weapons is not impressive - 2 medium guns, but in the most advanced version - 2 medium, 2 large guns and side slots for special weapons. The largest margin of safety and fuel, the greatest resistance to damage of all types. The most likely prototype is a special chassis (BAZ-5921) used for various missile systems.

Towns and settlements contain markets where the player can sell and buy goods, modules, and weapons. There are also workshops in the cities where the player can repair and refuel the truck. Armament also has its own margin of safety, and when it is exhausted, it ceases to function. Weapons that are not mounted on a truck and located in the back also receive damage, but are not repaired by default. To do this, it must be installed on a truck. Also in the city there is a tavern (bar, saloon, etc.), where you can get a story or side quest. Occasionally, characters come across who, for a small fee, can give (im)useful advice or tell a little story. In some cities there are special zones (like the Museum in Minino), where the player also receives side or main quests.

Also in the game world there are settlements where it is impossible to trade or there is no bar. A special type of settlement is located along the main roads (and not only) gas stations where you can repair and refuel a truck, but there is no bar and market.

All settlements and gas stations can be the end points of quests for the delivery of goods and escort.

Weapons are represented by three classes - firearms (machine guns, shotguns and small-caliber guns are separated separately), energy weapons (lasers, plasma guns) and rocket and artillery (large-caliber guns, rocket launchers, mortars). A weapon is characterized by its damage type, absolute value, rate of fire, range, and ammo capacity. Some weapons have limited ammo that must be replenished in cities and towns. The damage dealt by the weapon depends on the resistance of the truck parts to the corresponding type of damage (small arms, explosion, energy). Each of the parts has its own resistance value. Armament has different sizes (small, medium, large and special two types). You can install weapons only on the attachment point of the corresponding type on the truck. Accordingly, a small weapon cannot be mounted on a medium mount, and a medium weapon cannot be mounted on a large one. Trucks of different types, depending on the type of body and cab, can have from 1 to 6 mounts for installing different types of weapons and devices.

On some truck bodies there are nodes for attaching side weapons (as a rule, these are rocket launchers), as well as for special attachments (accelerator, oil sprayer, nail spreader, minelayer).

Weapons can be divided into groups controlled by different keys, there are 6 groups in total, which can be reassigned while moving around the game world, as well as in the workshop.

The weapon is guided by a crosshair that constantly follows the camera. It is important to take into account that some attachment points have a limited sector of fire, and accordingly maneuver in battle.

When aiming at a target, the following characteristics are indicated: name, belonging to a group, attitude towards the player (friend / foe, neutral ones are also considered friendly), strength, resistance to various types of damage. In the presence of missile weapons, a target lock indicator appears, after filling the target is highlighted in orange, and the missiles will follow the target, even if the missile launchers are deployed in the other direction.

It is not worth attacking friendly targets - you can set up an entire group against yourself, which will lead to a ban on the player's entry into the cities of this group, and the city's defenses will attack the player without warning, like all oncoming trucks of the group. This can lead to difficulties in completing story missions, up to the impossibility of completing them (the game may end in this case). Particular caution should be exercised in the desert segment - there, when approaching cities, opponents at some point become friendly targets, and if they are attacked at that moment, the grouping already becomes permanently hostile. In turn, the defense structures of cities and trucks of friendly factions will assist in the destruction of opponents. The negative point in this case is that opponents usually transfer fire to defensive structures and can destroy them. The strength of protective structures is not restored over time, destroyed protective structures are also not restored.

The default enemies are groups of bandits who attack the player themselves. Trucks and cars of bandits regularly appear in the game world in the immediate vicinity of the player (at a distance of up to 500 m) or in story locations. In some segments of the game world, specific groups of opponents appear. Opponents usually use trucks, but often move in converted cars, armored all-terrain vehicles, wheeled combat vehicles with rocket launchers, multi-axle tractors with weapons and graders. These machines are not available for purchase.

It is these opponents, who regularly appear in the game world, that pose the greatest danger, because when a player is detected, they continue to follow him and try to destroy his truck. You can destroy them with return fire, break away from them (but this requires a truck with a powerful engine or an accelerator), or drive around, noticing from afar (in this case, the bandits will not attack the player and disappear after some time). The worst option is if it was not possible to destroy (break away) from one group of opponents and at the same time another group of bandits appears along the way. This situation can lead to the death of the player. The number, power of weapons and types of bandits' trucks depend on the selected difficulty level, as well as on the number and types of weapons on the player's truck. The greatest danger is

After the destruction of the opponents, there are boxes with supplies, in which the weapons of the truck are randomly left, as well as some cargo. In some segments of the game world, you can find quite expensive goods in such trophy boxes.

The trading system in the game is quite simple. There are several types of cargo, some of which are produced in cities (mainly firewood, rarely scrap metal or other more valuable cargo) and settlements (mainly potatoes). Some cargo (and weapons) are found in supply boxes in different parts of the game world. At the initial stages, they can be a good help in replenishing the player's budget.

Goods that a city or settlement does not produce can be sold at a fairly high cost, but as the goods are accumulated, their purchase price also decreases. Therefore, it may be necessary to go a long way to the settlement, where the goods can be sold at a higher price. The cost and quantity of goods is recorded after visiting the market, in the future they can be viewed in the corresponding section of information about the city on the map (to do this, you need to fix information about goods in any city on the map tab in the game menu).

There are many factions in the game world, which operate mainly within one or two sectors of the game world. There are also some that are found throughout the game, such as "Adventurers", "Farmers' Union" and "Scientists". The belonging of the characters to a particular group is reflected on the trucks in the form of an emblem and the name of the group. By default, the player belongs to the Farmers' Union faction, and the corresponding insignia remain on his truck throughout the game, even after joining (according to the plot - purely temporary) to some groups in confrontation with others.

However, there are a number of inaccuracies. So, on many enemy trucks there are emblems of the "Alfran" group, although they actually belong to the "Vagabonds" or "Brigade" groups (by default, bandit groups).

The player cannot change the faction, except to temporarily join some factions in a war with others. Many groups, despite the player's contribution to solving their problems, do not offer to join their ranks.

Crossout --> The well known universe of Hard Truck Apocalypse expanded with its spiritual heir post-apocalyptic free-to-play MMO-action game Crossout, also developed by Targem Games in cooperation with Gaijin Entertainment.

Crossout is set in 2047 after a mysterious viral epidemic known as the ‘Crossout’ which has laid waste to most of the population on Earth. The road warriors that survived must now battle for precious resources using deadly vehicles crafted from millions of possible permutations (body shape, armor, weapons, support systems and cosmetic enhancements).[3]

Crossout is available on PC, Steam, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.