Battle Mines is set in a satirical post-apocalyptic steampunk universe. Players each control an empire, and vie against the world and each other for success. Win conditions are largely self-imposed and can fluctuate from military conquest, to espionage, to tech research over a matter of minutes or months. Players choose their own methods for achieving these goals. Player interactions, be they trading or skirmishes, set the tone for the local and global environment. Uranium is enriched and fired from cannons! Monuments a kilometer high emerge from the desert! Doomsday devices are unleashed on the world, ICBMs hurtle across the skies, the horsemen of the apocalypse mow down entire empires, but take heart: Progress can always be made by the shrewd player.
A major focus of gameplay is the player’s city, a collection of buildings that augment the powers of players’ eponymous battle mines, enormous land cruisers with guns and drilling equipment. Buildings in the city are a primary source of new materials, which are the currency for most activities in the game. Play consists of 5-10 minute sessions 1-3 times per day, where players spend away their accumulated inventory and assess their situation. Player interaction is for the most part asynchronous. The player is buffered from the larger MMO universe by an immediate map of 16 players to interact with, but global matters also have plenty of impact.
