Hello fellow game designers! This is my first submission to ludum dare, and I have to say I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out! The game is a tile-based building game where you try to gain as much money (or last as long) as possible. By expanding your mining network, you will gain more money to help you expand further. However, the machines you take advantage of also cause pollution, and this has very negative effects on the environment. This comes in the form of tornadoes that will come and destroy your mining network.

See how long you can last before the tornadoes destroy your empire!

About the Game

Apocalypse Corp was inspired by 2D tile-based builder games and the clicker mechanic from cookie clicker. By combining the two, I hoped to achieve a unique experience where you looked to improve click efficiency while also having to think strategically about building placement. The storms in the game were an extra addition that I hoped would fit nicely with the theme of the contest: the more you have the worse it gets. The announcement of this theme spawned the idea of having pollution as a byproduct of building that would make the experience more difficult.

How to Play

On the title screen of the game, there is a quick slideshow of a tutorial that briefly explains concepts within the game. Here I'll go into a bit more detail. The purpose of the game is to last as long as possible, build the largest grid, make the most money, and/or get the highest pollution level you can before you succumb to the incoming onslaught of storms. Once you lose your central power plant, the game is over and you lose.

Buildings

The power plant is the most important structure in the game. You cannot build any more and if it gets destroyed you lose. You generate power for your grid by clicking the power plant. This sends a "surge" of power that allows for certain buildings to perform their given function.

The conduit is responsible for carrying power to any of your structures. ANY BUILDING MUST BE ADJACENT TO EITHER A CONDUIT OR THE POWER PLANT IN ORDER TO WORK! Choose carefully where these are positioned! Try not to block in your conduit network with buildings! You need to be able to expand your conduit network further out to power buildings that are farther away.

The miner is the way you make money (thus granting the ability to buy more structures) in this game. When this building receives a surge of power, you will make $1. It also produces pollution at the same time which will cause larger storms.

The heat laser is your means of defense against the storm. A pulse from the power plant will "charge" the laser. A laser must have enough power charged up to fire at nearby storms. Each click generates 2 power (max 100) and each shot by a laser takes 20 power. The laser cooldown is 3 seconds.

The last and most expensive structure is the surger. This will automatically pulse every 2 seconds as a way to automate your power grid.

Controls

*Buidling:*

Select a building to build using the buttons on the UI or one of the hotkeys (see below) Click the space on the map where you want the building (you must have enough cash for this operation to succeed)

*Camera:*

You can use your mouse's scroll wheel to zoom in and out.

Moving your mouse to the edge of the screen will translate the camera laterally.

*HotKeys:*

[ 1 ] - select a conduit for building

[ 2 ] - select a miner for building

[ 3 ] - select a heat laser for building

[ 4 ] - select a surger for building

[ D ] - destroy the selected building (DO NOT CLICK THIS WITH THE POWER PLANT SELECTED OR YOU WILL LOSE)

[ LEFTSHIFT ] - When building, holding left shift will let you place multiple of the selected building