Tactical Troops: Anthracite Shift is a science-fiction game of tactics and dexterity.
Command a small troop of elite soldiers, exploring an unknown planet using advanced teleportation technology and take over priceless resources!
Explore and fight your way through a sublime and dangerous planet, far away from the debris of a destroyed Earth. All within a detailed and atmospheric world of hand-drawn 2d graphics and dynamic shadows!
Fun fact: TT: AS was a proof of concept for techniques used in our AI technology Grail
Gridless Tactics
Every single movement takes place in a grid-less tactical environment. Plan your strategy and move your troops with freedom: attack on an open field or from a hidden corner. Take cover behind rocks and trees or ambush the enemy from inside buildings and bunkers.
Teleporters
Teleporters add a whole new dimension to tactical combat thinking, and they are a permanent challenge to a Commander’s mind. Not only can you teleport your units, but also your bullets and grenades. You can plan ambushes from the other side of the map and even use teleporters as shields!
Diverse AI Behaviors
Fight against clever and diverse enemies powered by Grail – an AI engine developed in-house. Different enemy types think in unique ways. Animals behave predictably, always rushing at you with all they have, while humanoid opponents actively avoid your traps and set their own. Stay on your toes and devise your own strategies to defeat each opponent.
Story-rich single player campaign
Explore the beauty and the dangers of planet Anthracite by leading your troops through 41 missions of a story-rich singleplayer campaign with about 30 hours of gameplay. Fight various enemy types including menacing local fauna, Bullets bandits, autonomous robots and well equipped ACP soldiers.
Hot-seat and online multiplayer
Play against a friend or a challenging AI opponent in online multiplayer or the touchingly nostalgic hot-seat mode. In the Domination mode you need to control 2 out of 3 control points for two turns in a row. In the Devastator mode you need to destroy 5 enemy generators before losing your own. Of course, eliminating all your enemy’s units is always a good choice. Reach the top of the rankings using your skills and strategy.
Hand-Drawn graphics
Beautiful 2D graphics, meticulously drawn by hand, work in unison with the game’s 3D low-poly environment. Varied scenery and dynamic shadows liven up the world for an even more engaging experience.
Make good use of teleporters that play an important role for both the story and the gameplay. They add new tactical options – transporting troops around the battlefield, shifting fired rounds or thrown grenades and can be used as cover.
Multitude of destruction tools
There are over 30 weapons divided into 7 different classes. Every weapon manufacturer has a unique quirk that allows for interesting ways to enhance your tactical gameplay experience. There are also 7 gadget types at your disposal. Study the briefing, choose your equipment and outsmart your enemies.
Distinctive unit classes
Compile a team of 4 that fits your playstyle. Hit them hard with heavies that dominate the playground, bet on a quick team composed of scouts and assault specialists or go tactical with all unit types complemented with the invaluable support class.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN
TACTICAL TROOPS: ANTHRACITE SHIFT
Grail’s blackboard-based multiagent system allowed for a creation of a modular, layered AI architecture, each layer utilizing a different reasoning algorithm. We used Utility AI for high-level goal assignment and Simulated Games (Monte Carlo Tree Search on simplified game representation) for devising plans that take those goals into account. This approach allows AI agents to coordinate their actions in complex and diverse game scenarios, like different environment types (open / closed maps) and a wide range of equipment.
