There are certain subjects that one expects to discuss in the rarefied echelon of game production. Player models. Weapons. Particle effects and complex shaders. Lofty, technical, intricate issues – humble props would not normally be featured in such glorified company.

However, as it happens, props are probably the single most important element of any level. Sure, each Nuclear Dawn stage is loaded with effects, scripts, particles and animations – but underneath it all, supporting the illusions of prettiness, are good old props.

In game-making terms, just as in movies, a prop is a supporting model: the lonely table in the corner of the room, the broken-down vehicle just out of your sight, the humble empty bottle of water on the floor. A few well designed and expertly conceived props can make or break the sense of immersion and realism of any scene or level.

In Nuclear Dawn, commanders are elected players whose task it is to manage and develop their faction’s war machine, from the home base to the outposts that guard important strategic elements, down to the supply routes that deliver key equipment to the troops in the field.

In order to carry out their tasks efficiently, they have at their disposal a wide range of different building types and structures, each of which can be upgraded in various ways, or powered up with special annexes that extend base functionality, to better bring pain to their enemies. For peace, of course.

Without a doubt, the most important building in a faction’s base is the Bunker. Heavily armoured and connected with flying nano cameras that give the a floating bird’s eye view of the battlefield, the Bunker is the one building that cannot be replaced or built anywhere else, which makes it the primary goal of every Nuclear Dawn battle.

Diametrically opposed to the Empire in both world view and technology is the Consortium of Free States, the blues in Nuclear Dawn. While imperial commanders build hive bases, the Consortium commander wages advanced guerrilla warfare on a scale that only Nuclear Dawn can provide.

The basic base building paradigm remains the same: everything has to be powered, in order to work at least. Consortium buildings are powered by short range wireless technology, which means that being within action range of a blue power source will be enough to get buildings going.

Consortium commanders, unlike their imperial counterparts, are free to set up base just about anywhere in the level that can accommodate their structures. Blue structures are produced in self-assembling, nanotech-powered crates that are then delivered to the field by special vehicles.