Laser Squad Singleplayer Campaign

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https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6053

page to load mod (Singleplayer Campaign)
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/37227/ZX-Spectrum/Laser_Squad_Singleplayer_Campaign

page to load original game (Laser Squad)
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/2813/ZX-Spectrum/Laser_Squad


Singleplayer campaign is not a new game but a new mode for 128k game Laser Squad by Julian Gollop.

This document covers only information about singleplayer campaign changes compared to original Laser Squad. You can download detailed L.S. manual from original game info page.

You play with the ordinary L.S. rules and game mechanics but your squad is the same for all 3 missions. That makes some game aspects easier (credits) but other aspects more hard (unit health).

Game is harder because all units loose their health when they are wounded and can not be cured between scenarios. Dead units are excluded for remaining missions so you start with smaller squad. Enemy gets victory points at the mission start for your absent units. That is caused by game victory calculation routine. It requires 100 victory points to end mission, and so computer earns those VP at the mission start.

Game is easier because you start next mission with all weapons and armour your squad had at the end of previous mission. So this is a way to save creds especially for higher difficulty levels i.e. weapon and armour cost nothing at the next mission if unit had those items at the previous mission end. Primed grenades are the exception because they just explode when you return to HQ base. You can save only grenades that were not primed yet.

Weapon ammo is the same value it was at the mission end i.e. auto-gun will have 8 shots if it fired 12 of 20 shots during previous mission. It is good idea to load weapon at the end of mission instead of wasting action points at the start of next mission.

Unit's armour damage remains the same manner as with weapon ammo. You will probably choose to equip unit with new armour because of significant damage current armour has. But poor armour will give at least some poor protection to unit compared to no armour at all if you have not enough credits to change armour.

All current unit armour protection values are displayed at the bottom row of the units equipment screen (front, back, side). Value on the left side is actual unit health. These values should help you to choose required armour level for unit.

You should select zero armour protection to play next mission with old armour. Armour values 1-4 work as usual and unit will be equiped with armour of required protection level. Unit has no ability to 'drop' armour because level 0 will not change armour and leave unit's old one. So you can only select armour level 1 if unit is already armoured and you want to get armour with less weight.

Unit get no credits for weapon or armour it had at the mission end. But you can not get any credits if you 'change' those things. You just drop weapon and ammo from previous mission but not sell them.

Select 6 from scenario choice screen to start campaign. A message "mission complete" appers after you win and next mission will be loaded. You will play ordinary separated scenario if you select 1-3, that will return after ending to scenario choice screen the same manner original L.S. does. The order of missions in campaign is 1-3-2 instead of 1-2-3; that is not a bug (mission Moonbase assault will be last in campaign).

Each mission difficulty level is selected separately, so you can play mission 1 with level 4, mission 2 with level 7 and then mission 3 with level 1. This gives you chance to finish campaigh even in case your squad damage is too high. Or it gives you other ability to select level 1 for mission 1 but continue with level 7 for missions 2-3.

The game progress is saved after mission is succesfully completed. You can restart missions 2-3 if you select 7 from scenario choice screen (continue campaign). Those slots are saved at the moment mission is completed but before next mission is started. This gives chance to select new armour and weapon if you failed at missions 2-3. One slot from 'continue campaign' screen is used to load interrupted game before mission or scenario is finished. This slot can be used both with campaign missions and separate scenarios.

Save menu appears after each turn. You can abandon game (exit to scenario selection screen), save game to tape or save to RAM. Saved to RAM state can be loaded from 'continue campaign' screen.

Additional save menu is displayed if you load any state from 'continue campaign' screen. This gives you chance to save state to tape in case you use real hardware and not emulator. Both save types - usual L.S. saves and campaign progress saves are loaded when you select 5 from scenario choice screen.