GameZone
Exclusive: Auto Assault Mutant Walkthrough
NCsoft,
Net Devil give a birds-eye view of the life of a mutant in the upcoming MMO
With the
launch of the massively multiplayer online title Auto Assault a little over four
months out, more information about this vehicle-oriented MMO is beginning to
leak out of developer Net Devil’s headquarters. In the game, players explore a
post-apocalyptic world in customized cars, motorcycles, and semis. Humans,
Mutants, and Biomeks battle each other for control of the world. But as in most
MMOs, everyone has a story, and Net Devil has been kind enough to release an
exclusive-to-GameZone walkthrough of the life of a mutant.
Here is that
story:
A Mutant
Survives: The Way of the Champion in Auto Assault
Already 15
of the Bear Clan initiates had failed these early tests and the Rites of
Initiation. Magnus had spied INC air lifts transporting their wrecked vehicles
across the Tierra Roja Dam and the Proving Grounds, offering stark reminders of
the price of failure for the Chosen. As a representative of the Bear Clan, a
Champion, Magnus was bound to become a front-line warrior for his race, one that
would do mortal battle against the hated Biomeks and treacherous Humans. The
tasks that lay before him in the Proving Grounds were long and dangerous, but if
he could not succeed here, how would he be able to fight for the Chosen in the
battlefields to come? He would not fail. There was no other alternative.
Traveling
the Paths to become an Initiate
Magnus had
already navigated the Path of the Warrior in his T100 Crash, traveling through
the paths around Tierra Roja Dam where the Blood had infused nearly everything
in a beautiful, glowing green. He had not known of any other place so in tune
with the Mutant people, the Chosen. Magnus undertook several tests from the
various clans, the final being a brutal contest known as “The Way of the
Champion” between himself and the Champion Guajardo.
Tierra
Roja Dam
The
one-on-one battle was somewhat brief. Magnus had shown he had more than enough
skill and ability to defeat Guajardo. However, before they could talk further,
the evil Humans had attacked in force. They destroyed part of the local
facilities with beams from the sky, and Human infantry suddenly swarmed the
area. Together, Magnus and Guajardo had thwarted the attack, but the ease with
which the Humans could attack so close to the Chosen’s holy areas troubled
Magnus.
Soon he made
his way to the Proving Grounds through the Champion’s Gate, a dark, windy land
bordered by tall mountains of rock, the bowl within containing a mixture of tall
sand dunes rolling hills and the ancient ruins of an old city. Only some areas
here and there had undergone The Change like Blood Lake; the stark contrast
between the luscious green of the Dam and the bleak grays of the Proving Grounds
was startling. This land is where he will show himself worthy and earn the
Apprentice Mark. The Rites of Initiation were one thing, but this felt so
much more real – he could sense the danger all around him.
The
Mutant camp in the Northern Escarpment
His initial
contact in the Proving Grounds was Champion Sharon, up on the Northern
Escarpment. Magnus found her atop a plateau of rock where the Chosen maintained
a huddle of buildings, mostly housing for the Mutants that guide the four clans
through the Proving Grounds, repair facilities, and a goods merchant. Other
members of the clans were also present, trickling down from Tocado and beyond
with an assortment of jobs, tasks, and assignments for apprentices to do – some
trivial, others not. It was tradition.
“This place
is dangerous, not for the meek,” Sharon started. The wind and dust had
momentarily subsided, allowing Magnus to see nearly all the way across the
desert to the mesas and strange rock formations beyond. “You’ve already shown
some fortitude, fending off that Human raiding party near the Dam. That was
nothing compared to what you’ll encounter here.”
“What do you
mean?” Magnus asked.
“Bring up
the map in your T100,” Sharon ordered. Valuable data and information had been
uploaded into the onboard computer and the Proving Grounds map came up without a
hitch. Sharon pointed to the northeastern corner of the map. “We’re up along
here on the eastern side of the Northern Escarpment. We’ve built some small
facilities here and there along the Escarpment should you need repairs or trade
goods. It’s not Tocado, but there are resources enough for you to survive.”
Magnus was
nodding his head, but Sharon was growing impatient. Other Mutants were milling
around, more new arrivals. “Look, I don’t have time to give you the grand tour
and time is short. My old instructor used to tell me the best way to learn a
place is to explore it yourself. This will be the perfect opportunity. If you
make it back in one piece, I’ll fill in the gaps.”
“I’ll do
whatever you want,” Magnus blurted out. At this point, he just wanted to do
something, anything. Waiting around was not in his blood.
“The Humans
that attacked you were a raiding party that came from a base here in the Proving
Grounds,” Sharon stated. “There isn’t enough collective firepower or spiritual
capability to wipe them out right now. Everyone here is – no pun intended – too
green. But you can still get at them, teach them a lesson.”
Magnus found
himself ready. “How do I find them?”
“The
coordinates have been uploaded to your nav computer,” Sharon said. “Just follow
the waypoints and you’ll get there eventually. Don’t be afraid to look around.
As long as your map is up and functioning, you can’t get lost. If you run into
trouble, remember INC is just a call away.”
4 –
Crossing the wrecked bridge – maybe not a great idea.
Magnus
roared off in a cloud of dust, headed south along an old road. He passed the
welcomed sight of Blood Lake, situated near the East Wall. It was a huge crater
lake filled with Blood, the wonderful substance that served as the catalyst for
the Chosen. There seemed to be a bridge that crossed the lake, but Magnus
thought better of crossing it. Wild Xosage plants grew in hearty abundance in
this area. The Chosen often used domesticated strains of the species as the
basis for their repair facilities, but the untamed version out here could be
carnivorous.
Then Magnus
drove onto the Dune Sea. The name was very apt as he found himself driving
through massive sand dunes threatening to swallow him whole. It would have been
almost tranquil except for the fact that the Pikes and the Humans were engaged
in a ferocious running battle in the peaks and valleys. Blue shafts of light
emanated down from the sky, indicating where infantry pods were landing and
deploying. Pike Dusters and Human Raiding Buggies battled each other in clouds
of swirling sand and dust. Occasionally a swarm of crawlers, mutated bug-like
creatures, would get caught up in the struggle. It was a completely open
battlefield.
Human
infantry pods were deploying everywhere!
Plowing into
the battle, Magnus quickly dispatched some of the Humans by simply running them
over. He saw a Raiding Buggy coast over a dune on fire and locked on with his
Vulcan, detonating the Buggy in a bright explosion. His T100 was already taking
a beating and it was time to get out of there. He saw the Human encampment to
the southeast – a camp with several buildings and shield walls – but stood well
clear, instead moving south into the area identified by the navigation map as
the Pike Lands.
Stumbling
into the Pike camp.
That was a
mistake. Nestled within a series of strange towers and arch-like formations of
rock, Magnus had stumbled upon an established, fortified Pike mining camp. From
what he remembered, the Pikes were a leftover tribe of people who came to
believe some nonsense about their God being trapped in rock and how they were
trying to dig him out. This was obviously one of those camps. The Pikes would
guard it with excessive zealotry and reckless abandon. They came at Magnus with
mining picks, bottled combustibles, even boxes of explosives. The red INC button
beckoned. Not yet.
Magnus spun
out of there and headed roughly north by northwest, passing a tall, imposing
flattop mountain called Mesa Roja. It looked like there was a path leading up to
the top that wound around the mountain, but he was in no mood to take it just
yet. He passed the western edges of the Dune Sea and the entrance to the Crawler
Caves. He had seen more than enough crawlers already and opted to steer into the
remains of Tierra Roja, a set of dilapidated buildings and ancient structures
currently inhabited by the Scavs. These Scavs were another one of the leftover
tribes that based their existence solely on scavenging the remains of others.
They didn’t like intruders either, jealously guarding their loot with their
lives. Magnus would have been happy to accommodate these dregs of the wastelands
as he relieved them of their greedy existences, but he was in a hurry now.
The
Tierra Roja Oil Fields
Tearing out
of the confusing maze of roads and buildings, Magnus passed a series of
buildings and oil fields, still chugging after all these years. The Scavs were
here too, maintaining the derricks and pumps, burning off the excess amounts in
huge pools of oil. Magnus carved a path through the fields, blasting anything
and everything in his way. Again, the INC button beckoned, but he stoically
resisted the urge. His T100 had nearly had it; the Scavs had set it on fire
several times already in their relentless attacks. The fumes and stink burned
his nose and eyes as he pressed on.
Shedding a
stream of black smoke and broken bits of armor, Magnus got himself out of the
oil fields, drove through a river of Blood, and finally caught the welcomed
sight of a Mutant camp abutted against the Northern Escarpment. He had survived
his first test in the Proving Grounds.
