TerraScape: Breakdown Velocity

TerraScape: Breakdown Velocity is an arcade-style third-person shooter game that can be best described as a clone of and/or tribute to Terminal Velocity. The player controls a futuristic aircraft viewed from behind, flying over open terrain and attacked by hostile ground and air forces from all sides. Similar to Terminal Velocity, destroyed enemy structures and vehicles sometimes drop various powerups like weapon ammo or shield recharge. All in-game objects are rendered in true 3D. There is no first-person view, and the game can be only controlled with the keyboard.

The background story paints a rather typical picture of mankind's dystopian future. The year is 2503 A.D., and global pollution has forced the Earth's population into overcrowded megacities ruled by fascist corporations. As national governments fail, the only force that tries to maintain world peace and order is a global military alliance known as "The Initiative".

The plot begins as the Corporates launch simultaneous nuclear attacks at the world's major cities, and the Initiative mounts an aerial counter-strike. The player takes on the role of Shara O'Neal, the Initiative's best pilot, at the helm of their advanced fighter craft called the Avatar. Standing against overwhelming odds, Shara and the Avatar are the key piece in the new global war for the fate of the free world.

The single-player campaign is split into missions with various objectives. Each mission is introduced by a briefing with a short description of targets and enemy types that populate the level, very similar to Terminal Velocity. As the mission starts, the player is free to explore the map, with all objects marked on a tactical radar display. Initially, the Avatar is armed only with the default weak but fast-firing weapon with unlimited ammo, with more powerful weapons salvageable from wreckage of enemy structures and vehicles. Enemy fliers and ground vehicles hunt the player until the mission is complete, again like in Terminal Velocity.

TerraScape: Breakdown Velocity was written in QuickBasic and released as freeware. The source code of the game is also available.