Dark Reign 2 is a 3D real-time strategy PC game released on June 30, 2000 by Activision and Pandemic Studios. Being a prequel to Dark Reign: The Future of War PC game,
Dark Reign 2's storyline focuses on what has come before the conflict
in the first Dark Reign. The game featured a Campaign Mode, online
Multiplayer, and an Instant Action mode.
Plot
The two opposing factions introduced in Dark Reign 2 are the Sprawlers (which later evolve to be the Freedom Guard faction of Dark Reign) and the Jovian Detention Authority a.k.a. JDA (which evolve to be the Imperium
faction). The two sides are caught up in a conflict spanning Earth's
26th (and final) century. In the Intro, a Sprawler Leader who interacts
with the player in the Sprawler campaign quotes:
The struggle between the Sprawlers and JDA is, at its heart, the struggle between authority and freedom, government
and proletariat. As the earth reeled into ecological collapse, the JDA
established large dome cities to protect the citizenry from the harsh
conditions outside. However, they left behind all those who would not
succumb to their dictatorial will: the Sprawlers. The disenfranchised
Sprawlers are thus left in the outside world, bathed in the harsh
conditions of a dying planet and fueled by the explosive rage of rebels
fighting for a free life under
the thumb of a cold overlord. Thus, the Sprawlers desperately fight to
break into the dome cities, while the JDA desperately sally out into
the decaying 'Sprawl' to keep them out and in a state of submission.
The player can choose to play either the Sprawlers or the JDA
campaigns, both with similarities and differences to the overall story.
If the player chooses the Sprawlers, he/she is referred to as "Sirdar",
a new member of the council agree to prove him/herself. If the player
chooses the JDA, he/she is a member of strike force,
guided by the JDA central AI, "CYGNET". Both sides are concerned with
the massive increase in seismic activity around the world which is
consuming it and each other. As the story progresses, both sides gain
access to new units and structures which the player will need to use in
order to proceed further and develop more powerful strategies.
Sprawler plot
The Sprawlers are running low on numbers and have been on the defensive
for a long time. The council heavily squabbles on going offensive or
staying defensive, noting they can't stay on the defensive forever.
Serdar begins by aiding them in a more important offensive than the
skirmishes of recent, hacking a communication centre feeding a city
zone JDA propaganda so that the Sprawlers can spread their own message.
They are the first to notice that seismic activity on Earth is
increasing on a global scale and taking advantage by making a strike on a
crippled base, bringing their first victory.
During the quake, they discover that the door seal
of Togra's shrine, the research lab of the great Togra himself, has
opened despite only being openable by Togra. According to legends, the
breaking of the seal signals the beginning of a chain of events. The
Serdar must then send forces through icey mountains to rescue the
Voodun high priest, Booda Shun, from JDA captivity and take him to the
shrine so he can examine the site.
After interpreting the site, Booda Shun brings disturbing news. The
breaking of the seal indicates that Earth's time is limited and "the
planet is rolling toward a catastrophic collapse", which will bring the
end of everything. During the previous mission, JDA forces were
snooping around the site, which indicates they may have find something
or are making plans. Serdar is ordered to hack into the nearby Cygnet
relay station to see what the JDA have in mind. After infiltrating the
station despite heavy resistance before and after, the station is
destroyed and the council reviews the information.
The plans reveal the JDA are relocating massive numbers of citizens to
the central dome. Activity in the area is increasing at phenomenal
rates. The purpose is clear. The JDA are preparing to evacuate Earth,
leaving the Sprawlers behind. The council is outraged. As one member
says, "First they ruin the planet and then they leave us to die with
it." He declares death to the JDA and asks whose with him. With this,
the whole council unites and puts their squabbling behind. But they find
that the dome could have been assaulted easily years ago. Because of
how much harder the direct way is to penetrate at the current time, they
find the only possible way through is along the coast, which passes through two sub-factions, known as the Breks and the Judas.
The Serdar is charged with leading the way. After securing the river
and earning the Breks trust, thanks to new aerial and water
technologies, they find the JDA have a secret weapons facility not far
ahead from intel by their new allies. A prototype mobile bomb sits
outside. Serdar, if careful, is able to make off with three copies of
the prototype, though only one is required. Then the sprawlers aid the
Judas in taking out JDA forces that are thinning their numbers, gaining
their trust.
With their forces built, the final missions involve storming the dome
and preventing the JDA from being able to evacuate. If successful, the
Sprawlers will become the dominant force and the JDA will be either
severely crippled or destroyed.
JDA plot
Activity in the city is going wild with sprawlers making regular skirmishes and setting up anti-air batteries that harass air traffic.
The situation in Sector 13 is the worse. After being shot down by one
of the batteries, Strike Force's first objective is to rescue a base
from destruction, push back Sprawler forces and clearing all the anti-air batteries in the area so that an air strike
can be performed on the Sprawler base. Along the way, the first
earthquake occurs, almost destroying the base Strike Force rescues.
In the next mission, the JDA also discover Togra's shrine has been damaged in the quake. They wish to investigate. Strike Force
captures a Voodun priest as a prisoner and force him to take them to
the shrine. But along the way, powerful Togran pylons prevent movement
up the hill without being destroyed. To deal with this, Strike Force
deploys aerial infantry to destroy two Togran power generators in order
to disable the pylons and proceed. At the site, they discover a
strange mobile artifact, which resembles an ancient slab on a hovering
platform. Cygnet indicates the higher up ranks wish to study the
artifact and orders Strike Force to evacuate the artficat to a transporter.
Shortly after, radio chatter shows the evacuation plans are in effect and
there is a state of panic. In one jungle area, a large JDA force is
evacuating without authorization and are primarily concerned with
themselves. Their plans make them abandon their post at a large powered
gate, which is meant to prevent hordes of Sprawlers from entering the
zone. Strike Force is sent in to deal with the cowards before they can
escape, which is followed by pushing back the Sprawlers and building
power generators on the gate, reactivating it. With the JDA's grip on
the sector regained, Strike Force is relocated.
It is at that time found that there are three Togran artifacts. Strike Force
is tasked with retrieving the second artifact hidden in a temple but
along the way, encounter heavy resistance with suicidal cultists of
unknown origin, as well as Baron Samedi's, traditionally a Sprawler
power from the Shrine. Despite this, Strike force is able to locate and
evacuate the artifact. Afterward, the challenge is on to find the
third. This is achieved by a large offensive in Arctic mountains to
capture Booda Shun, the Voodun High Priest, who reveals the location of
the third artifact. Hidden in a city sector, Strike Force must find it
before the Sprawlers do. The problem is not only pushing back the
Sprawlers, but taking punishment from the frequent earthquakes in the
zone.
Toward the end, the evacuation plan is in the final stages. However,
the JDA does not wish for the artifacts to be taken into the hands of
the Sprawlers, along with the Sprawlers leaving with them. They try to
destroy all three artifacts, but can't for three reasons. First, a large
destructive force is required to destroy them. Second, they have to be
destroyed at the same time. Finally, destroying the artifacts will
bring about the end of the world. During the final stage, as the last
JDA citizens are being evacuated, Cygnet requests that Strike Force
sacrifice themselves by remaining behind and destroying the artifacts,
achieving this by gathering them around a large number of atomic energy
plants before detonating them. It ends with the defeat of the
Sprawlers, the salvation of the JDA, the destruction of Earth and the
loss of Strike Force. This brings the JDA Campaign to a rather sad and abrupt end.
Multiplayer
The game contains multiplayer functionality, allowing up to 32 players
at once, featuring four 'rulesets"; Gluttony, Protect HQ, Blood Bath,
and Deathmatch. Blood Bath is a mode in which the first team to kill a
certain number of units wins. Protect HQ (by far the most used) is a
ruleset in which a player who loses his HQ for a certain period of time
(about three minutes) loses. Gluttony is a condition where the first
player to collect a certain amount of resources wins. Deathmatch is a
ruleset in which a player who loses all of his units is defeated.
Mods
Players are allowed to create custom mods for the game by making simple
configuration files and using the packaging software which can be
found on the original game CD.
The game has a built-in map editor and there are several tutorials available on the internet to create your own terrains.
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