History VideoGame / HardTruckApocalypse

[[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture 13 August 2234]], its your birthday today. Your (foster) father, Peter, thinks that you're old enough to be a trucker. He gives you his truck as a birthday present and sets you off on your first adventure alone into the dangerous world, which is just a short trip to a neighbouring town and back. However, your birthday couldn't be any more bleak, [[DownerBeginning as upon your return you find your hometown razed to the ground and Peter dying from his injuries]]. In his last moments, Peter reminds you that you're just an adopted son and that your biological father, famous explorer, close friend, inventor of the masks and [[MessianicArchetype somewhat messianic figure]] Ivan Go, might still be alive. He tells you to meet up with one of Ivan's close associates, [[AwesomeMcCoolName Ben]] [[CoolOldGuy Throttle]], who may be able to help you find your long lost father. You also develop a [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge thirst for revenge]] and desire to get back on whoever was responsible for the destruction of your hometown and the death of Peter. From here on, you set off on a long journey to avenge Peter, find your biological father, discover your true self and ultimately the truth behind the calamity that has since turned the Earth into a DeathWorld.

* ArmorPiercingAttack: Piercing weapons (e.g [[MoreDakka machineguns]]) can rapidly wear down cabin and body armor, increasingly able to hit the chassis directly as they grow weaker. Energy weapons (e.g [[FrickinLaserBeams lasers]]) on the other hand, directly hit the chassis, [[NoSell completely ignoring cabin and body armor]]. They can OneHitKill enemies that will otherwise take ages to destroy using other weapon types.

* [[ABoyAndHisX A Boy And His]] BigBadassRig

Nevertheless, a standalone expansion ''Rise of Clans'' (''Meridian 113'') was made. This time, it shifted the focus from a young boy in search of his father in post-apocalyptic Europe to a lone vagrant in the dystopian wastelands of North America who is on a quest to find the mythical city of Edmonton. Probably due to ''Hard Truck Apocalypse'''s unsuccessful outing in America, this expansion was a case of NoExportForYou until the game's {{Steam}} release in 2014.

In an unspecified time in human history, [[ApocalypseHow a catastrophic crash]] destroyed much of the Earth. The crash of an unidentified object condemned the planet's atmosphere to become poisonous forever, killing off those who breath it. Species began to die out (save for plants, which continued to thrive on), until someone invented special masks which would allow humans to breath again. Ever since then, humanity continued to live on. The masks, due to their rather eerie plain looks, are mostly identical to each other. This lead to humanity being much more united. They still formed separate clans though, with them making a living via primitive ways such as farming, trading, manufacturing, repairing old scraps, etc. Perhaps the most desired job is being a trucker, as you get to travel the world, meet new people, hang out in new towns to trade and take jobs. However, this new lifestyle never changed the fact that HumansAreBastards, and many still choose to make a living by killing and stealing or [[ForTheEvulz wrecking havoc in the name of fun]].

** A rather jarring case of stupidity is how enemies will use long ranged missiles in ''close quarters''. You can simply lock them into a circle and fire away while they desperately try to lock on you and fail to hit you everytime (unless they are dangerously close to you).
* {{BFG}}: The more powerful weapons tend to be gigantic, often mounted ontop of truck bodies.

* MightyGlacier: The Belaz is the largest truck, having massive carrying capacity, a lot of armor and a large fuel capacity. It is however slow and most of it's cabins and bodies provide few weapon hardpoints, resulting in poor firepower. (This is a bit misleading, however, since with the right selection of parts and upgrades Belaz can outrace any other truck in the game. Similarly, it can be armed quite impressively, although Peacemaker will still outgun it with proper outfitting.)

''Hard Truck Apocalypse'' (also known as ''Ex Machina'' in Russia) is a unique blend of metal-crunching VehicularCombat and story-driven RolePlayingGame developed by Targem Games (who later made the ''{{Carmageddon}}''-esque ''Armageddon Riders'' / ''Clutch'' and the sequel to the Codemasters classic ''1nsane'') and published by Buka Entertainment, released in Russia on 8 December 2005. The game plays like your standard RPG: the player travels around from town to town while gaining coins from jobs and selling items which can be used to by upgrades and groceries and regularly encounter monsters (or in this case, bandits in [[WeaponizedCar weaponized cars]]). The game was a huge hit in Russia, being awarded "Best Game Design" by the Russian Game Developers Conference and some others by the press. It was exported to North America on 19 June 2006, though the reception was entirely the opposite, with big name gaming sites like Gamespot and IGN giving it bad ratings due to unimaginative missions, awkward controls, bad voice acting and repetition.

Nevertheless, a standalone expansion ''Rise of Clans'' (''Meridian 113'') was made. This time, it shifted the focus from a young boy in search of his father in post-apocalyptic Europe to a lone vagrant in the dystopian wastelands of North America who is on a quest to find the mythical city of Edmonton. Probably due to ''Hard Truck Apocalypse'''s unsuccessful outing in America, this expansion was a NoExportForYou. Which is funny considering the new story takes place in America...

* AntiClimaxBoss: [[spoiler:The Oracle]] is a joke of a boss fight. While he has a lot of health, he does nothing more than shoot missiles at you, drops at least three Battle Drones on to the field and just hovers above you in circles. By now you should have a fully upgraded Peacemaker which can withstand everything he and his drones hit you with. Also the missile launchers are his only weapons. Missile launchers are [[CripplingOverspecialisation ammo dependent]]...

''Hard Truck Apocalypse'' (also known as ''Ex Machina'' in Russia) is a unique blend of metal-crunching VehicularCombat and story-driven RolePlayingGame developed by Targem Games (who later made the ''{{Carmageddon}}''-esque ''Armageddon Riders'' / ''Clutch'' and the sequel to the Codemasters classic ''1nsane'') and published by Buka Entertainment, released in Russia on 8 December 2005. The game plays like your standard RPG: the player travels around from town to town while gaining coins from jobs and selling items which can be used to by upgrades and groceries and regularly encounter monsters (or in this case, bandits in [[WeaponizedCar weaponized cars]]). The game was a huge hit in Russia, being awarded "Best Game Design" by the Russian Game Developers Conference and some others by the press. It was exported to North America on 19 June 2006, though the reception was entirely the opposite, with big name gaming sites like Gamespot and IGN giving it bad ratings due to unimaginative missions, awkward controls, bad voice acting and just plain dull.

[[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture 13 August 2234]], its your birthday today. Your (foster) father, Peter, thinks that you're old enough to be a trucker. He gives you his truck as a birthday present and sets you off on your first adventure alone into the dangerous world, which is just a short trip to a neighbouring town and back. However, your birthday couldn't be any more bleak, [[DownerBeginning as upon your return you find your hometown razed to the ground and Peter dying from his injuries]]. In his last moments, Peter reminds you that you're just an adopted son and that your biological father, famous explorer, close friend, inventor of the masks and [[TheMessiah somewhat messianic figure]] Ivan Go, might still be alive. He tells you to meet up with one of Ivan's close associates, [[AwesomeMcCoolName Ben]] [[CoolOldGuy Throttle]], who may be able to help you find your long lost father. You also develop a [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge thirst for revenge]] and desire to get back on whoever was responsible for the destruction of your hometown and the death of Peter. From here on, you set off on a long journey to avenge Peter, find your biological father, discover your true self and ultimately the truth behind the calamity that has since turned the Earth into a DeathWorld.

* MightyGlacier: The Belaz is the largest truck, having massive carrying capacity, a lot of armor and a large fuel capacity. It is however slow and most of it's cabins and bodies provide few weapon hardpoints, resulting in poor firepower.

!!Tropes:

Nevertheless, a standalone expansion ''Rise of the Clans'' (''Meridian 113'') was made. This time, it shifted the focus from a young boy in search of his father in post-apocalyptic Europe to a lone vagrant in the dystopian wastelands of North America who is on a quest to find the mythical city of Edmonton. Probably due to ''Hard Truck Apocalypse'''s unsuccessful outing in America, this expansion was a NoExportForYou. Which is funny considering the new story takes place in America...

* AscendedExtra: A number of "{{Mook}}" vehicles in the first game are made drivable in ''Rise of the Clans''. Your character even starts with a Scout, a buggy mainly used by enemies and [[{{NPC}} NPCs]], instead of the Van.

* CriticalHit: Introduced in ''Rise of the Clans'', destroying the enemy vehicle's fuel tanks and ammo racks will cause it [[EveryCarIsAPinto explode catastrophically]].

* JackOfAllStats: The Ural is fast, tough, affordable and has the most diverse collection of cabins and bodies which offer multiple weapon hardpoints and large carrying capacity respectively.

[[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture 13 August 2234]], its your birthday today. Your (foster) father, Peter, thinks that you're old enough to be a trucker. He gives you his truck as a birthday present and sets you off on your first adventure alone into the dangerous world, which is just a short trip to a neighbouring town and back. However, your birthday couldn't be any more bleak, [[DownerBeginning as upon your return you find your hometown razed to the ground and Peter dying from his injuries]]. In his last moments, Peter reminds you that you're just an adopted son and that your biological father, famous explorer, close friend and [[TheMessiah somewhat messianic figure]] Ivan Go, might still be alive. He tells you to meet up with one of Ivan's close associates, [[AwesomeMcCoolName Ben]] [[CoolOldGuy Throttle]], who may be able to help you find your long lost father. You also develop a [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge thirst for revenge]] and desire to get back on whoever was responsible for the destruction of your hometown and the death of Peter. From here on, you set off on a long journey to avenge Peter, find your biological father, discover your true self and ultimately the truth behind the calamity that has since turned the Earth into a DeathWorld.

* ArtificialStupidity: The only way enemies attack is by driving straight at you while firing all their weapons. They'll even try to climb up steep slopes in orderr to get you. They will however lock you into a circle when they get close enough.

* ColonyDrop: The cause of the apocalypse.

* JackOfAllStats: The Ural is fast, tough, affordable and it's cabins and bodies offer multiple weapon hardpoints and large carrying capacity respectively.
* MightyGlacier: The Belaz is the largest truck, having massive carrying capacity, a lot of armor and a large fuel capacity. It is however slow and most of it's cabins and bodies provide few weapon hardpoints, resulting in poor firepower.
* MacrossMissileMassacre: With the right cabins and bodies, you can outfit your truck with '''lots''' of missile launchers. They can then be grouped together, allowing you to fire them off ''all at once''. Of course the fun ends when you [[OhCrap run out of ammo]], leaving you either unarmed or reduced to using a pea shooter...
* SniperRifle: Sniper ''cannon'' to be exact. Cannons like the Rapier have long range and are very accurate. Good for taking out enemy barricades.

''Hard Truck Apocalypse'' (also known as ''Ex Machina'' in Russia) is a unique blend of metal-crunching VehicularCombat and story-driven RolePlayingGame developed by Targem Games (who later made the ''{{Carmageddon}}''-esque ''Armageddon Riders'' / ''Clutch'' and the sequel to the Codemasters classic ''1nsane'') and published by Buka Entertainment, released in Russia on 8 December 2005. The game plays like your standard RPG: the player travels around from town to town while gaining coins from jobs and selling items which can be used to by upgrades and groceries and regularly encounter monsters (or in this case, bandits in [[WeaponizedCars weaponized cars]]). The game was a huge hit in Russia, being awarded "Best Game Design" by the Russian Game Developers Conference and some others by the press. It was exported to North America on 19 June 2006, though the reception was entirely the opposite, with big name gaming sites like Gamespot and IGN giving it bad ratings due to unimaginative missions, awkward controls, bad voice acting and just plain dull.

* ApocalypseHow: Class 5. The aftermath is a Class 3; the poisoned atmosphere killed of all life except plants and humans who wore masks.
* ArmorPiercingAttack: Piercing weapons (e.g [[MoreDakka machineguns]]) can rapidly wear down cabin and body armor, increasingly able to hit the chassis directly as they grow weaker. Energy weapons (e.g [[FrickinLaserBeams lasers]]) on the other hand, directly hit the chassis of a truck, [[NoSell completely ignoring cabin and body armor]]. They can OneHitKill enemies that will otherwise take ages to destroy using other weapon types.
* ArtificialStupidity: The only way enemies attack is by driving straight at you while firing all their weapons. They'll even try to climb up steep slopes in other to get you. They will however lock you into a circle when they get close enough.

* BodyArmorAsHitpoints: Averted. The Cabin and Body armour protects your truck's chassis. The weaker they get (from taking enemy fire), the more likely enemy projectiles can directly hit the chassis.

* JackOfAllStats: The Ural is fast, tough, affordable and it's cabin and body parts offer multiple weapon hardpoints and large carrying capacity respectively.
* MightyGlacier: The Belaz is the largest truck, having massive carrying capacity, a lot of armor and a large fuel capacity. It is however slow and most of it's cabin and body parts provide few weapon hardpoints, resulting in poor firepower.