So what are the plans for this series' universe?

[Goatmanpig]

I know we have three games across two genres, twin stick and real time tactical/w coop (I think that's what it's called at least). Do the devs feel like branching out more, do you think the devs should branch out more, and how do you think they should branch out

[Kill with Fire]

Given the post-game setup after the MERCs DLC and the standard campaign's ending cinematics, it looks like it'll be more of the same in terms of gameplay, potentially expanding the strategy layer in singleplayer, and maybe integration with it on the tactical/in-game maps for multiplayer/skirmish.

[Odzianna]

I would absolutely love a rts, maybe in the same vein like Company of heroes, where you have squads that you can equip individually. Reclaiming Mars will surely take a while, but maybe some day we can return to earth... I would really like to see how a STROL-planet looks like

[Datau]

I’d like to see the strategy layer expanded.

IIRC, it is stated in the MERCs DLC that Mars will be engulfed by the Red Storm in about one year. Mankind must then get back on Earth as soon as possible, before they remain stuck on Mars with no hope to survive.

We’d then have two main battlefronts.

Mars is where all your resources are produced at the start, and where all your population lives. It comes already built with a decent amount of mid-level outposts, bunkers, laboratories, assorted production buildings and launch pads. The catch is, as the Red Storm advances, you will inexorably lose all of your infrastructure to the storm. It then becomes a race to evacuate as many people as possible back to Earth, before Mars becomes unfit for human life.

Earth is completely uninhabited at the start, but it is also where your population must eventually migrate to. Due to the decades of abandonment, Earth has no infrastructure whatsoever, so anything you’ll need to operate there will have to be built up from scratch. Of course, Strol will also be much more aggressive on Earth than it is on Mars.

In summation: the early game begins on Mars. You have a short window before the Red Storm becomes unmanageable, and you must use it to gather soldiers, tech and resources for Earthfall. Early game ends once you have established your first colony on Earth.

Mid game is when your frontier settlements start to fall from the Red Storm. The main colonies (Arcadia, Noachis,...) can still hold, but it is only a matter of time before they are destroyed as well. Build additional colonies on Earth, expand them with infrastructure and transfer your population there to maintain your income. Mid game ends once your last major colony has been evacuated.

By the end game, Mars will be completely uninhabitable, but if you have handled the evacuation well then you’ll have a strong powerhouse on Earth. Simply finish the last few missions to win the campaign.

[Odzianna]

Well, I haven't played the campaigns, buuut... fighting against a entire planet full of STROL, with the planet itself probably a STROL by now sounds a lot harder than managing the storm. Mankind already managed to install these anti storm shields and domes, so surely it would be easier to handle the storm and develop shields on a bigger scale?

Sounds a lot easier than actually trying to get close, land and establish a base on a planet that wants to kill you... :D

[Kill with Fire]

In-lore, there have been expeditions to Earth to recover samples of the Virus, some of which are implied to last for a decent while in MERCs DLC, along with it not literally being all STROL in another MERCs line implying the continued existence of bananas in STROL regions, and the first expedition is described in the Insurgents DLC document blurb as being mostly silent and uneventful, although these are less full scale migrations and small-scale covert ops. The ending cutscene for the MERCs DLC also shows an earth that is partially green, implying the continued existence of plant life and the non-dominance of the planet with active STROL mutants, although it could also be a lazy dev team making an earth model.

As for continued existence on Mars, it has been confirmed by two scientific/smart types in the campaigns that Mars is doomed due to the intensifying storms, and given the new storms introduced with the MERCs DLC, which are capable of stripping flesh from mutants and sanding power-armor to dust, it is likely that the storms are even more hazardous to civilian life and more importantly the logistics required to support human civilization, although the possibility of human life on Mars is possible due to the Howell-Barrex bunkers, a more detailed explanation of how they might survive can be found in the Howell-Barrex campaign. The anti-storm measures humanity has also tends to be very limited, either in being capable of being overwhelmed by increasing storm levels and only having a limited effect for the anti-storm pylons that gives an energy shield on activation, or being limited to a relatively small space for the MERCs large base prefab.

There is also Lunar, aka the moon, for a forward base, as explained in the MERCs DLC, although the same DLC tells us that an Overlord is on its way to Earth. Depending on your choices, there is also the Founder's arc, which might provide support in the future, although probably not. The good ending being canon implies that the Founder's Arc is alive however.

Overall, it is more likely to try to reclaim Earth from STROL than to try to fight against the overwhelming force of nature that is the Red Solstice. STROL at least you can shoot effectively, in that if you shoot them they die.

[Odzianna]

Well, in that case I more than welcome a new game that leads us back to earth. I guess, you could easily make a few games out of this... maybe even a horror game? :D There are certainly enough creepy enemies and environments for that