Humanity survived.
Peace did not.
The year is 2042. The AI wars are over. The Singularities have been defeated.
Nations have fractured into fortress cities, fighting over the resources left behind. Beneath their streets, hidden installations guard the most feared relic of the AI wars: the Phase Lance.
Built by the machines, the Phase Lance fires a phase-shifted neutron beam through the Earth itself, releasing its destructive energy at the chosen target. Mountains, oceans and armour offer no protection. A base can survive only while its location remains unknown.
The wars left most surveillance satellites as orbital debris. A handful remain operational, but securing a scan consumes precious resources. Their brief glimpses must be earned and used wisely.
Intelligence is human again: operatives behind enemy lines, intercepted transmissions and reports smuggled out of fortified cities. A landmark. A historical reference. A fragment of local knowledge. Enough, perhaps, to find a hidden weapon.
You command one of these installations. Piece together the reports, scan for signs of the enemy and calculate your shot.
Strike before they find you. But be warned: every miss leaves a trace, and every surge of power risks giving you away.
Take command
Your installation remains hidden beneath the city. Beyond it, rival Phase Lances are waiting to fire. Your operatives send intelligence from behind enemy lines. The surviving satellites offer brief windows of reconnaissance. Use both to locate the enemy before your own position is exposed.
Follow the intelligence
Your operatives pass you fragments of intelligence from cities concealing enemy installations. An intercepted transmission might mention a landmark, a historical event or a detail of local culture. Each report brings you closer to a location.
The first report is free. If the lead is unclear, request further intelligence. Each target has three reports, progressing from hard to medium to easy. Earlier reports remain available as you build the picture.
Additional intelligence reduces the target’s point value. You decide when you know enough to fire.
Locate the target
Identifying the city is only part of the operation. You must place it on the globe.
Drag to rotate Earth and scroll or pinch to zoom. Tap or click your suspected location to set the projected exit point. The Phase Lance fires from your base, through the planet, towards that position.
There is no countdown. Take time to assess the intelligence and check your aim.
Task a surviving satellite
When intelligence is incomplete, satellite reconnaissance can narrow the search.
Choose an area to scan. The satellite reveals terrain beneath the fog and searches for enemy signals. Stronger readings suggest you are closing in; a quiet patch may mean the installation lies beyond the scanned area.
A scan provides evidence, not an exact target marker. Each scan costs points, but does not increase enemy detection.
Prepare the Phase Lance
Open the strike review to inspect your firing solution. The amber footprint shows the blast area. The enemy installation must fall inside it to be neutralised.
Choose how much power to commit.
- Precision
A narrow, controlled discharge. Best used when the target’s location is clear.
No weapon-point cost. A hit adds no detection; a miss adds one detection step.
- Overcharge
An amplified discharge with twice the standard blast radius. Greater coverage comes with a stronger signature.
Costs 150 points and adds one detection step whenever fired. A miss adds a second detection step.
- Core Strike
The Lance’s maximum discharge, with up to four times the standard blast radius. Available once per operation, and only while your base has not yet been located.
Costs 350 points. The shot resolves before your position is exposed, whether it hits or misses. Your next miss will be lethal.
Weapon costs apply to every shot fired. Every miss costs an additional 200 points. Higher power widens the blast; the shot still follows your chosen aim.
Protect your position
Enemy listening stations are searching for your signature. Every miss leaves a trace. Higher-power discharges expose more of your position, even when they strike their target.
The detection meter tracks their progress:
Undetected → Signal intercepted → Position narrowed → Base located
Once your base is located, another miss triggers a lethal counterstrike. Overcharge can cross the detection limit even on a hit, so check the warning before firing.
Neutralising an installation does not erase the traces you have already left. Detection carries across the operation. Further intel and satellite scans remain available without increasing it.
Destroy the final enemy installation and the operation succeeds. If another installation survives when lethal retaliation is triggered, your base is destroyed and the operation ends. Points earned from neutralised targets remain yours.
Make every strike count
Each installation begins with 1,000 potential points. Intelligence, reconnaissance, weapon power and missed shots reduce that value.
| Action | Points deducted |
|---|---|
| Opening hard intel | Free |
| Medium intel | 100 |
| Easy intel | 150 |
| Satellite scan | 100 |
| Precision shot | Free |
| Overcharge shot | 150 |
| Core Strike shot | 350 |
| Any missed shot | An additional 200 |
Neutralise an installation to bank its remaining value. Every neutralised target earns at least 100 points. Installations left standing earn nothing.
Your Score shows points already secured. Target value shows what the current installation is worth.
Results are compared by targets neutralised first, then score. Complete the mission; use your resources carefully.
The Daily Hunt
A new operation is issued each day. Every player faces the same targets and starting intelligence.
Your progress is saved as you play, allowing you to return to an unfinished operation. Each daily operation has one saved attempt. Finishing an operation counts as that UTC day’s play, even if you started it earlier. The next operation arrives at 00:00 UTC the following day.
At the end of the operation, copy your report to share your score and targets neutralised. Locations and intelligence stay out of the report, leaving the next commander to uncover them.
Planet imagery: NASA Earth Observatory, Blue Marble. Geography: Natural Earth. Country facts: mledoze/countries, ODbL-1.0. Asset sources · Country facts licence.