K240

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K240 is a strategy game for the Amiga home computer system developed by Gremlin Graphics Software Ltd (most recently Gremlin Interactive) in 1994.

Based in a sector of deep space called K240 in 2380, the idea is to build up bases on asteroids. Features of the game include:

6 different alien life-forms
8 different types of space craft
16 different types of ships weapons and shields
Over 40 styles of buildings to manipulate
10 missile types
Up to 24 asteroids to discover in each sector
Highly intelligent enemy colony polices and attack strategies
Fully definable asteroid field interface
Sophisticated digitised speech atmospheric sound effects
User configurable, icon-driven interface

Highlights of the game include creating your first fleet battleship and fitting an asteroid engine to maneuver your asteroid away from impact with another.

The game achieved a review score of 91% in popular Amiga magazine CU Amiga.

It is spiritual sequel to Utopia released for the Amiga and MS-DOS in 1991, and in turn has a spiritual sequel called Fragile Allegiance released for Windows 95 and MS-DOS in 1996 where the game-play is similar but the graphics and interface were improved for the PC hardware of the time.

Contents

1 Gaming Tips

1.1 Kll Hpp Qua (Easiest)
1.2 Lak Maj Traal (Easy)
1.3 Ax Zilanth (Moderate)
1.4 Tylaran (Moderate to hard)
1.5 Rigellian (Hard)
1.6 Swixarans (Hardest to Impossible)

2 External links

Gaming Tips

The Alien Policies are as follows:

Kll Hpp Qua (Easiest)

They are the easiest aliens to defeat in the game. Being insectoids, each colony contains a building called "Queen's Chambers" which triggers the death of the colony when destroyed.

Winning tips: To defeat them quickly, wait and build up until Empire's reinforcements, then quickly send masses of scouts to find them and send all the ships you have at their home asteroid. Their defenses and building hitpoints are completely insufficient to hold the initial ships at bay.

Lak Maj Traal (Easy)

They are few in population but stronger and dwell in very tough buildings called "bunkers". When they settle on an asteroid, they rig it with explosives and it is thus impossible to take back. If an opponent takes it back by wiping them out and trying to build its own colony, the asteroid automatically detonates itself by the time the first building is built. This destroys both the asteroid and everything in the immediate vicinity of it.

Winning tips: To defeat them quickly, wait and build up until Empire's reinforcements again. Prevent their expansion, and when possible confine them to their home asteroid. Since their colonies rig the asteroid they re built upon, these asteroids are effectively lost. They have strong turrets and their buildings are extremely tough armored, so wait until there is sufficient ground weapons at your disposal.

Ax Zilanth (Moderate)

Both their scoutships and combat eagles are of the standard kind, though armed with warp generators. Because of this, their ships are not shielded but instead turn invulnerable in 15 seconds intervals. The worst ability they have is to teleport their asteroids far away from you when they wish, making it quite difficult to find them again.

Winning tips: To defeat them quickly, build up vigorously as there are no more reinforcements. If you spot any enemy colonies, take it out quickly by using napalm missiles or attacking with fleets. In particular, try to take out the "Mass Displacement Pod" building which teleports the asteroid away when under pressure.

Tylaran (Moderate to hard)

Their asteroids deflect almost every spy satellite and missile launched at them. All of their bases have asteroid engines and they don't hesitate to use them when needed. They also send small fleets at every of your asteroids to torment your expansion and economy, but they don't like to use missiles. Build repair buildings to avoid nasty surprises and to avoid losing vital buildings. They like to use Static Inducers in their ships

Winning tips: To defeat them quickly, you must now turtle and avoid expansion without sufficient anti-ship defenses. Always focus to take out their deflection building, and try to afford a repair building blueprint in order to repair damage dealt by enemy ships.

The Deflection unit has a certain amount of rechargable energy in it. This energy is depleted when deflecting missiles to another asteroids (completely random, and strangely, after deflection their accuracy becomes 100%). Thus, to nuke the deflection unit, you would have to send a lot of small missiles (5 to 10) to deplete it, and then send anything from satellite to nuke, virus or mega-missile afterwards. They have very powerful turrets.

Rigellian (Hard)

Also a race in Fragile Allegiance, they have a crushing warp advantage as all of their ships carry warp generators without using hardpoints. They use every last feature to their advantage: missiles, satellites, and ships. Warning: In K240,your position is always known to them, and their sensors have three or four times the range of others'.

Winning tips: None yet.

Swixarans (Hardest to Impossible)

Their first asteroid is always invisible until all of their other bases are destroyed, cloaked by spacetime generators on other bases. They start the game with four other initially occupied asteroids under their control, all armed to the teeth with ships and missiles (at least 5 high yield missiles - Mega, Nuclear or Virus).

Their architecture is Zerg style, all organic buildings with living parts and functions, connected by nerve bundles to a central brain building. This is their weak spot - the destruction of the brain building (called "The Brain") means the entire colony dies, including orbiting Swixaran ships and spacedocks. The goal is clear: aim for the Brain building. To destroy the colony piecemeal is virtually impossible in any case, because a well-built Swixaran colony contains 4 anti-missile pods named Tentacular defender, these four together stopping a barrage of 10+ missiles simultaneously.

If you can afford it, twenty or more missiles with a Mega Missile launched a second afterwards is a risky but workable solution to a Swixaran base. Yet the easiest path is ramming with another of your base with an Asteroid engine,. Though the price is one of your bases for one of them, it is affordable with a 100.000 credit reward per Swixaran colony annihilated.

When all Time Space Generators on Swixaran bases are down, the main Asteroid becomes visible even when it is not on your sensors. The main base is virtually impregnable, containing 5 Tentacle defenders, 6-7 Turrets, and a colossal fleet orbiting it. By the time the base is revealed be aware that the enemy will launch its every last remaining missile to stop you. Once again, suicide ramming it with a small colony with engine is preferable. Also note that their fleets can teleport and cloak at will, so attacking with a small fleet to knock out the unusually quiet looking Swix' expansion is not a healthy idea.

Winning tips: Always have your bases tightly secured and armed to its teeth with anti missile pods and turrets. Leave power output to protected Solar Matrices. If you can afford a Turret Optimizer blueprint, buy it. Also stop enemy expansion at all costs, since once the Swixarans construct a colony, they don't spend money on them, which very easily leads to a cancer-like exponential growth pattern.

IF you manage to get rid of them, the Empress appoints you as the Governor of a cleared-out K240 sector with a bonus of 5 Million Credits. In short, you get a very comfortable retirement. Congratulations.

External links

[K240] at MobyGames
[Back2roots.org info page]

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