THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF PROJECT: ELITE
Oct 23, 2018
The world we know is gone. It’s fallen into the hands of an invading alien force, and humanity is holding on by only a thin thread of hope. There are few brave enough, skilled enough, and foolhardy enough to take on this mission. If Project: ELITE fails, we all go down with it.

This sets the stage for one of the most exciting, innovative, and at times, stressful games in recent memory. Project: ELITE made a huge impact when it first hit Kickstarter in 2016. With its cooperative missions and real-time game action, players were thrust into a tense battle for survival with the entire human race hanging in the balance.

The Design and Development of Project: ELITE
“Project: ELITE was in development for about one and a half years, from conception to the first release of the game,” said Tsantilas. “The CMON edition has a lot of new content which was not included in the first version, content which we have been working on since 2017. We have also improved many aspects of the game. We’ve been working closely with the CMON development team and have perfected this content for the latest edition of Project: ELITE.”

Due to the real-time mechanics of the game, both Tsantilas and Kokkinis faced some interesting design challenges unique to this style of game.

“When you're developing a real-time game, you have to find that sweet spot where the game is simple, but also interesting,” explained Tsantilas. “It must be simple enough to be easy to play in real-time, but also interesting enough to keep the player involved. Personally, I think that one of the most successful elements of the game is that we made sure to give the players ‘time-outs’ between the 2-minute-rounds of explosive action. That gives them a chance to compose themselves and strategize for the next round.”

Despite being a game that relies heavily on a frantic, speedy mechanic, the designers didn’t want to leave out the theme. Project: ELITE is a game with a rich backstory and an almost cinematic feel to its presentation. They drew upon their love of science fiction movies and books to create the world the game is played in.

“The Alien universe definitely influenced the theme of the game. I'd also say Starship Troopers and Ender's Game certainly played a part in the conception of the theme.”

A huge factor in transporting players into this world was the new high-quality art and miniatures that are an expected element from any CMON title. Making players feel like they were in the middle of a desperate situation was a top priority for everyone on the project.

“Playing Project: ELITE feels like you're playing a video game or starring in a movie. The art and the miniatures play a very important role in the player's immersion,” said Tsantilas.

A constant theme throughout Project: ELITE is teamwork. You need to have it to survive different missions, and it was crucial in the design process as well.

“Me and Konstantinos have designed New Dawn together, and we will release another game later this year,” explained Tsantilos. “I think working on a project together with people makes game design way more fun, as long as you and your partners work well together. Good teamwork plays a big part in reaching a desirable result. That's exactly what's happened with me and Konstantinos. We ‘click’ and we work very well together, and that's what I think makes the end product so much more successful than if we had been working separately.”

Just like the design process, the missions in Project: ELITE are going to test the synergy level of your team.

“The missions are designed in such a way that teamwork and strategic planning are demanded of the players.” Little missteps can occur, and in the pressure of real-time, that’s when everything can go to hell. “Critical thinking is one of the first things to fall apart during the real-time phase of the game and it’s instead replaced by yelling and panic all around the table. But that is one of the things that make the game so enjoyable.”

Players familiar with the original edition will be happy to know that they are able to experience the same game as before. However, the CMON edition comes with some exciting new elements that will be revealed as the Kickstarter campaign continues.

Project: ELITE is all about coming together as a team to get the job done. From the original design partnership between Tsantilos and Kokkinis, to the work Artipia Games and CMON have done to update the game, to the teamwork you’re going to have to display to win a mission and keep hope alive for another day. You can choose to fight together as a unit, or die alone. The choice, and the fate of the world is up to you.

Although the Dreadspit seems to have a head, its primary sensory organ is the tentacular protrusion emerging from its digestive tract. #ProjectELITE will have to face this Alien Boss when the Kickstarter launches on October 30 at 3PM EST.

The Mindeater appears to be two beings: the outer “shell” of muscle, chitin, and cybernetic weapons, and the inner “core”, believed to be yet another merging of human and Proxie DNA. The beast may have been intended as a liaison between Terrans and Proxies, but any diplomatic overtures are now impossible, as if we would ever want to parlay with the invaders... In battle it is famous for coordinating Proxies with deadly efficiency.

The Thraex appears to “see” via vibrations in the air and ground. Smoke grenades, flashbangs, and other sensory-assault weapons appear to have little effect. It moves with remarkable speed for a creature its size, and its claws have been recorded slicing through even tank armor with ease. #ProjectELITE will have to face this Alien Boss when the Kickstarter launches on October 30 at 3PM EST.

NEWSTHE ALIEN BOSSES OF PROJECT: ELITE - THE HIERARCHY OF EVIL
THE ALIEN BOSSES OF PROJECT: ELITE - THE HIERARCHY OF EVIL
Oct 25, 2018
Ladies and gentlemen of the Committee, I want to once again thank you all for coming. I have gathered you together to halt the rumors about different strains of Proxie creatures being spotted among the rank-and-file Swarms we’ve talked about before.

Those rumors are true.

Calm down, please. We all knew this was inevitable and it is something that Project: ELITE has created contingency plans for. The Janusians are highly adept at creating hybrids between different creatures in their spawning vats. We have identified several distinct varieties. The troops out on the field denote them as Bosses and combat programs have been created for dealing with them. But in the interest of keeping the Committee fully informed as to the threat we face, I have put together a small presentation about the kinds of Bosses we’ve encountered so far. Note that the names used for these creatures are what the troops commonly call them. Please excuse the informality of them.

The Alien Bosses of Project: ELITE - The Hierarchy of Evil
Lights and first slide, please.

Starting out, we have the Searsting. It may well be the first attempt by Proxie scientists at merging their DNA with a Terran sample, in this case, a scorpion, obviously. Despite the many legs, the Searsting only moves at a jogging pace, but its stinger can puncture even the toughest body armor.

Next slide.

Here is the Naga. Its serpentine origins are obvious, but its other characteristics mark it as yet another human/animal/Proxie hybrid. While its speed is no greater than normal, its digestive system allows it to spew a unique slime that facilitates locomotion to traverse terrain unhindered.

Next slide, please. And I must warn you, the images continue to grow more disturbing, but please try and remain in the room. This is important.

Janusians have been kidnapping humans for their experiments for quite some time. Heaven help those that fall into their hands, as they may end up like this. The Reanimate Harrier variants appear to retain some knowledge from their former human brains, able to form simple words and sentences, which has a horribly disconcerting effect. Its third leg provides exceptional stability and speed. As with most lesser aliens, troops should gun them down at range.

Next slide.

Counselor, please remain seated.

This is the Gutslug. It received its designation from a field scientist that remarked that it resembled an intestinal parasite. Indeed, given the Proxie habit of utilizing Terrain samples for their horrific creations, it may well have been based on some Earthly creature caught alongside its human host.

Next slide, please.

The Janusians seem to be adapting to some of our tactics and are compensating for them. For example, the Thraex appears to “see” via vibrations in the air and ground. Smoke grenades, flashbangs, and other sensory-assault weapons appear to have little effect. It moves with remarkable speed for a creature its size, and its claws have been recorded slicing through even tank armor with ease.

Next slide, please.

Here we have the Dreadspit. Although it seems to have a head, its primary sensory organ is the tentacular protrusion emerging from its digestive tract. As one scientist put it, the beast is like “human and Proxie DNA put through a blender.” The results are a creature of minimal intelligence but armed with a potent caustic bile that it uses as a weapon on the field.

Next slide.

This is the Mindeater. It appears to be two beings: the outer “shell” of muscle, chitin, and cybernetic weapons, and the inner “core”, believed to be yet another merging of human and Proxie DNA. The beast may have been intended as a liaison between Terrans and Proxies, but any diplomatic overtures are now impossible, as if we would ever want to parlay with the invaders... In battle it is famous for coordinating Proxies with deadly efficiency.

Final slide, please.

Last of the variants for this presentation, we have the Ashar. While most Proxie soldiers are genetically designed for their specific role in the invasion, there is one strain of Janusian warrior that is vat-grown to be nothing less than a combat machine. The Ashar is armed with monomolecular-bladed gauntlets and plasma-particle pistols. Its entire existence is indiscriminate slaughter. Thankfully, we think the Ashar strain is difficult to successfully recreate for the Proxies, otherwise the ELITEs would suffer greatly on the front lines.

Lights, please.

As I said, I am here to dispel any rumors you might have heard. Yes, these aliens exist and we are fighting them out on the front lines as best we can. Only by learning more about them, studying their tactics, and discovering their weaknesses can we overcome them. Project: ELITE has the resources to deal with them, and I will keep you updated if any more alien variants are seen in the field.

Thank you.

Project: ELITE is coming to Kickstarter on October 30 at 3 PM EST.

I saw the prototype at essen Spiel yesterday. I can confirm there is a grid on the map. (an arrows for the alien's movement too)
The map as well as the player boards and minis looks real nice. The minis were resin prototypes but having a few CMON games in my collection I can imagine how the plastics will turn out.

My only complaint for this new version would be the lack of a campaign or story that links the missions. But that might be revealed in the near future. I'm a big fan of the original, but it kind of lost it's appeal after you won a mission type once on each map. Just raising the difficulty didn't make it attractive enough to replay it for my group.

One thing I noticed, was that heroes now have more life points (used to be 3 or 4). Now its 7 or 8, with dice locking after losing 3 and 6 live points lost. So I guess there have been some tweaks in difficulty overall, since you "need" more live points to have a chance at making it out alive.

 Gallahad wrote:
One of the things I liked about the main Zcide Invader aliens is that with the exception of the abominations, I felt like they had a coherent design and all shared some similar motifs.