Hey, Crewmates!

We are ecstatic to announce that Badlands Crew is out now! Strap yourselves in and prepare for a chaotic ride into the lawless Badlands. A wasteland of opportunity awaits you. It’s time to build your very own Battle Wagon swarming with weapons - select, name and train your crew members, and tactically challenge enemy factions in the unforgiving Badlands.

We started Runner Duck as just two people at the very end of 2016, releasing Bomber Crew on a tight schedule only 10 months later. It really means a lot that people have enjoyed our games enough that we've been able to carry on making them, now as a team of four.

Badlands Crew takes the game further than ever before - bigger and bolder with more gameplay and creative possibilities, and just far more ambitious. However, in other ways, Badlands Crew takes us back to our roots with Bomber Crew, with it being so direct and visceral in its action. It has been a long road, and the biggest learning experience of our game development careers building Badlands Crew to be such a large, expansive game. We're really proud of what we've put together, and how the game has ended up!

We are excited about the game's release today, and we hope you are too. Thank you for all your support over the past 8 year. Remember, it really help us out if you leave a review and let us know what you think of the game!

- Jon, Dave, Joe and Greg (Runner Duck)

If you already own Bomber Crew, Space crew, or both, take advantage of an extra stacking discount available via the exclusive Steam bundles below. Less money, more explosions!

Check out the list of bundles on the store page now to see how much you can save. Less money, more explosions!

https://sp.zhabite.com/steamstore/bundle/53054/Runner_Duck_Crew_Trilogy/

https://sp.zhabite.com/steamstore/bundle/53052/Bomber_Crew__Badlands_Crew/

https://sp.zhabite.com/steamstore/bundle/53053/Space_Crew__Badlands_Crew/

We can’t wait to hear of your epic expeditions and the chaotic moments you’re going to experience. Make sure to join our Discord channel here[discord.com] to share your outrageous Battle Wagons, brilliant Crew compositions and gorgeous screenshots using the in-game Photo Mode. We also have dedicated spaces for feedback and player guides. This will act as the hub for all things Badlands.

Finally, thank you all for being a part of this journey with us. From Bomber Crew to Space Crew to right here, right now! Get out there and raise hell, crewmates!

Curve Games & Runner Duck.

Hello! It’s Jon from Runner Duck here. Badlands Crew is out next week, 28th April! Thank you for all your support so far. It’s been a big project for us, and we’re really excited that you’ll all finally be able to play it!

As it’s now close to the game’s release, I thought we should write a different kind of news post, and give you a few little tips and tricks which will help you out along your way in the Badlands.

One of the new features in Badlands Crew is the middle-click shortcut menu. With a crew member selected, middle click somewhere on the screen. The shortcut popup menu will appear. It has shortcuts for common actions, such as sending crew to other stations, attacking enemy boarders, or repairing broken systems. This is a great way to quickly do common actions (e.g. sending a crew member to a rejuvenator to heal, or quickly sending someone to repair the engine).

The middle-click shortcut menuThis works especially well for Badlands Crew, as unlike our previous games, your vehicle may have multiple rejuvenators, and loads of turrets. Don’t forget to try it out, and hopefully it’ll bring your command of your crew to a new level!

We’ve had a lot of back and forth on what the default keyboard controls should be. We’ve set them to what we think will be the most consistent throughout the title, and give you the best chance of survival long-term. However, some players will probably prefer to remap their vehicle nudge/speed adjustment inputs to WASD. This is fine! Please do this if you find it easier or more natural.

The control rebinding optionsControl rebinding options can be found in the options menu. There are also options for axis inversion.

Things can get intense quickly in the Badlands. If things aren’t going so well, you can use ‘Slow Time’ to give yourself a bit of time to get all your problems sorted. By default ‘Slow Time’ is bound to the Shift key.

The ‘Slow Time’ shortcut (Top-Left Corner of the UI)Don’t forget to use ‘Slow Time’ - it really can give you the time you need to save your crew and your Battle Wagon.

There’s nothing worse than running out of fuel in the middle of the Badlands. I would recommend adding an ‘auxiliary fuel tank’ to your vehicle as soon as you unlock it. As the game progresses, and you are able to, I’d recommend adding a couple more!

An auxiliary fuel tank being added to a vehicle in the garageDon’t get eaten by a sandworm. If your vehicle sits idle for too long, there’s a chance a sandworm will snap it up. Repair your engine, get someone in the driving seat, and get moving!

A sandworm about to eat a Battle WagonIf you start seeing a sandworm rising up from the ground around you… stay calm, and try to escape through the gaps!

If you’re not using your crew’s Abilities, you’re not getting the most out of them! It can be easy to forget you have them in the heat of battle, so use ‘Slow Time’ too if you need to! Using your crew’s Abilities strategically can make the difference between success and failure!

The ‘Swerve’ ability being usedIf things are intense, get your driver to use ‘Swerve’ - enemies will have a harder time aiming at you, and this can buy you some time…

There’s loads to discover in the Badlands. Crew at your Command Station can be used to spot Optional Objectives. Of course, be careful not to get in over your head - if you’re low on fuel, or your crew are in poor health, then perhaps it’s best to stay on mission!

A cache bunker containing some blueprintsFinding relics around the Badlands will reward you with additional Blueprints, giving you more options for your Battle Wagon and your crew’s gear.

If it looks like you’re not going to get back to base in one piece, but you want to save some of your crew: use an Escape Device. It’s not always worth battling on - escape, and live to fight another day! Unlike Bomber Crew, crewmates who use an Escape Device will always survive (however, they may not always return to base instantly, and might need to be rescued in a subsequent mission).

An escape device on a Battle WagonUpgrading your Crew & Garage facilities will lessen the blow of losing your crew or vehicle, so it’s definitely a good idea to remember to do this.

Upgrading Crew Facilities You can upgrade your Crew facilities to increase the starting level of new recruits.
You can also upgrade your Garage facilities so that more of your Battle Wagon is salvaged (for free) when it is lost.

There’s even more to learn than I’ve written here… but hopefully these tips will help you get off to a good start! The Badlands is a dangerous place. You will lose crewmates, you will fail missions… but I hope that ultimately you will triumph. We’re all looking forward to the game’s launch on Monday. See you then!

– Jon, Dave, Joe, Greg (Runner Duck)