Iron Grip: The Oppression
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| Iron Grip: The Oppression | |
|---|---|
| Series | Half-Life |
| Engine | Source |
| Platforms | Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) | 2006 |
| Genre(s) | Strategy |
Iron Grip: The Oppression is a total conversion mod for Half-Life 2 (HL2). This military strategy game is set in the Iron Grip universe, with a focus on the art of guerrilla warfare. Combining elements from both first-person shooter (FPS) and real-time strategy (RTS) war games. A player faces the choice between one of two warring factions in this game — the Rahmos military or the Resistance. Taking command of the Rahmos offers the player a real-time strategy experience, usually played by a single person (or a very small number of players in large games). The Resistance side of this war game, involves co-operation between several players, each playing in the first-person shooter perspective, which has many similarities to the gameplay found in HL2.
Contents
Story
The game is set in the country of Kathos, the setting of the Iron Grip series. A foreign power known as the Sovereign Republic of Rahmos had originally invaded Kathos, under the leadership of Sovereign Marcus Mirrius. Mirrius intended to end a civil war that had been tearing Kathos apart for decades, before finally withdrawing Rahmosie troops, after he was satisfied that Kathos was once again at peace. However, Mirrius was found dead, murdered on his personal airship, shortly after the invasion had been declared successful. This cleared the way for the rather less benevolent Praetor Afrecus to take over the role of Rahmos Sovereign. Since then, the populace adverse to collaborationist nobles rule, formed a resistance movement collectively known as the Kathos Resistance Force. The rise of these partisans has prompted the Kathos Chancellor to take the matter into his own hands, by passing a Zero Tolerance Act, in an attempt to quell any murmurs of descent. Since the act, more and more Resistance cells and hideouts have been unearthed. When discovered, the partisans are willing to lay down their lives for an independent Kathos. It is these battles which the mod covers.
Gameplay
Iron Grip: The Oppression is known for its combination of teal-time strategy and first-person shooter elements.
The Rahmos Military
The RTS player or (few) players play the role of a Rahmos City Legion Officer, burdened with the task of crushing any Insurgency, started in one of the Rahmos cities. The Rahmos player builds and commands AI controlled NPCs to flush out and destroy Resistance cells (played by a larger number of human players who fight from a first person perspective in the traditional FPS fashion). The troops available to the Rahmos officer are chiefly conscripted from the brave Rahmosie young men, in their preparation for duty on the frontline. Despite their inexperience, the Rahmos City Legion have proven in the past, to be extremely versatile in urban combat, due to the strict and thorough training they receive. This teams objective is crystal clear- construct armies to hunt down Resistance players and capture the control points. This side also has one Officer Unit who must survive the assault. This unit provides its troops with moral support, key for victory on the battlefield. It is also much more effective in capturing the Resistance key location. The player can also choose switch to a more intense First-Person gaming experience. In which he or she directly controls the Officer. Should the RTS player's officer fall, that player loses the match.
The Resistance
The Opposing Team, called “The Resistance”, consists of a group of human players. Each player chooses a unique hero character with diverse personalities, weapons, and abilities to match. This team plays a full FPS game. Their favoured tactic is to implement a hit-and-run strategy, so as to create anarchy and derision, amongst the Rahmos forces. Their final goal is to kill the Rahmos officer leading the attack before the Rahmos officer manages to conquer all resistance key locations.
Gameplay variants include:
- Assassination - Resistance players must strive to kill the Rahmos General, while the Rahmos player attempts to capture three key locations.
- Hold - The Rahmos player has to capture three key locations within a certain time period and the Resistance must stop them at all costs.
- Control - Both sides fight for control of certain key locations on the map.
Since v1.3 mappers have been able to create custom conditions for their maps. This means that different forms of objective can in turn be created.
Characters
The game's site presents the player with ten characters on the resistance side and a further three infantry Rahmos unit types. The Rahmos soldiers exhibit many of the unified and identical features and characteristics, which are associated with a government army. However, the character of the Resistance is listed with his or her own biography and weaponry. The Rahmos soldiers have at their disposal far more reliable weapons and armoured vehicles, while the resistance use mostly home-made and innovative weaponry, although each character possess a larger variety of weaponry.
Weapons
The Rahmos soldiers favour different kinds of automatic weapons and grenades. While the Resistance rely heavily on all manner of home-made and stolen weapons, that range from simple knives and Molotov cocktails, to surplus and stolen military rifles and sophisticated anti-tank weapons.
Development
The game is developed by ISOTX, previously known for their "Mideast Crisis" mod for C&C Generals, and Crosus, the mod-management software, created by them. Iron Grip was released as an open beta on the 25th of September 2006 and is currently at release 1.33.
