There are five major factions present throughout the Warzone 2100 campaign. Each has it's own distinct style, both aesthetically and functionally, and are very different.
The Scavengers
Survivors of the Collapse, the Scavengers are just barely hanging on in the harsh desert environment of the Western Sector(formerly Arizona). Having fallen to barbarianism, and having fought wars over cans of dog food for the past 14 years, the arrival of the Project is not particularly good news for these guys. The New Paradigm takes advantage of this and provides weapons and supplies to the Scavengers in order to make them attack the Project.
With crude and primitive technology, the Scavengers fight using infantry on foot or with crude weapons fitted on improvised vehicles like jeeps and school buses. Although somewhat of a threat early on, the Scavengers become more and more of an ineffectual nuisance as time passes and technology advances.
The Scavengers appear in missions Alpha 1, Alpha 2, Alpha 3, Alpha 4, Alpha 5, Alpha 6, Alpha 8, Alpha 9, and Alpha 11. They operate in the Western Sector.
The Scavengers' livery is pink or cyan. Their vehicles do not use modular construction and are much smaller and weaker than Project vehicles, built on improvised civilian left-overs from before the Collapse and jury-rigged with weapons supplied by the New Paradigm.
Notable Units:
Scavenger Infantry - The weakest unit in the entire game, these are foot soldiers with rifles. They die in 1 or 2 machinegun hits and can even be run over. It sort of hurts to kill these guys.
Trike - A yellow three-wheeler with a light machinegun. The first enemy vehicle to appear.
Buggy - A small yellow buggy, the most common Scavenger vehicle. Armed with a light machinegun or mini-pod rockets.
Jeep - A small yellow jeep. Comes in machinegun and mini-rocket launcher variants.
Fire Engine - A red firetruck with a flamethrower mounted on it's roof. Oh, the irony. Also comes in a light cannon variant.
School Bus - A yellow school bus with a small cannon. The first cannon vehicle to appear.
The New Paradigm
The New Paradigm is a survivalist organization dedicated to creating a military state in the Western Sector. It has been active since the Collapse, and has been providing weapons to the Scavengers ever since the Project arrived, in an attempt to eliminate the Project from the Western Sector. At the time of their first major encounter with the Project in Alpha 5, they control superior technology, but not by much. They find the Synaptic Link technology before the Project, but the Project is eventually able to recover it from them and establishes technological superiority by Alpha 12.
After several major battles from missions Alpha 5 through Alpha 11, the Project finally launches a final attack against the New Paradigm in mission Alpha 12 and eliminates it, thereby securing the Western Sector and establishing 2 major bases in the sector. It is discovered that the New Paradigm's systems were infected with the NEXUS Intruder Virus, at which point NEXUS discovers the Project and declares it's hostility against it.
The New Paradigm appears in missions Alpha 2, Alpha 5, Alpha 6, Alpha 7, Alpha 8, Alpha 9, Alpha 10, Alpha 11 and Alpha 12. It operates in the Western Sector.
The New Paradigm's livery is orange. Their vehicle bodies are named after insects, and are fast and have high thermal armor, but low hitpoints and low kinetic armor.
Light Body - Bug
Medium Body - Scorpion
Heavy Body - Mantis
Notable Units:
Sensor Turret Bug Wheels - The New Paradigm scout buggy, used to scout, carry artifacts and direct artillery units.
Heavy Machinegun Bug Half-tracks - The New Paradigm light tank. Faster but less durable than it's Project equivalent.
Medium Cannon Scorpion Tracks - The New Paradigm medium tank. A common unit.
Heavy Cannon Mantis Tracks - The New Paradigm heavy tank. Their most powerful unit. Weaker than it's Project equivalent.
Mini-Rocket Artillery Bug Half-tracks - A small, fast and unusual unit that packs a surprisingly strong punch.
Lancer Scorpion Hover - The first hovertank encountered in the campaign. A high-speed hit-and-run unit.
The New Paradigm also uses Machinegunner, Heavy Gunner, Flamer and Lancer cyborgs.
The Collective
An organization operating in the Eastern Sector, little is known about the Collective. Although they are initially not hostile against Project Team Beta, they are more advanced than the Project. It is known that they work for NEXUS, referring to NEXUS as "the Machine". They eventually capture the Pre-Collapse Airbase in the Eastern Sector and obtain Vertical Take-Off and Landing(VTOL) aircraft technology well before the Project is able to do so. At some point, they become hostile towards the Project and launch an attack on Beta Base, nearly overwhelming the Project until the Commander of Team Alpha(the player) arrives and holds the fort.
The Project eventually goes on to launch a series of successful attacks against major high-tech Collective positions throughout the Eastern Sector, including the Pre-Collapse Airbase, the Nuclear Reactor, the Satellite Uplink Site and NASDA Central. NEXUS provides the Collective with technology, like Surface-to-Air Missiles(SAMs) and they maintain tech superiority over the Project, but are nevertheless driven back.
NEXUS, displeased with the Collective's performance, launches a nuclear-armed ballistic missile at Beta Base and tricks the Collective into launching an all-out assault against Beta Base at the same time. Although the Project is able to evacuate, the Collective is completely eradicated.
The Collective appears in missions Beta 1, Beta 2, Beta 3, Beta 4, Beta 5, Beta 6, Beta 7, Beta 8, Beta 9, Beta 10 and Beta 11. It operates in the Eastern Sector.
The Collective's livery is gray. Their vehicle bodies are named after big cats, and are tough in hitpoints and have high kinetic armor, but have low speed and low thermal armor.
Light Body - Leopard
Medium Body - Panther
Heavy Body - Tiger
Notable Units:
Command Turret Tiger Tracks - A very tough commander unit, this is the primary target of mission Beta 3. It is not unusual to see a player copy this design when the technology becomes available.
Heavy Cannon Tiger Tracks - The Collective heavy tank. More powerful than it's New Paradigm and Project equivalents. It is not unusual to see a player copy this design when the technology becomes available.
Lancer Leopard VTOL - The Collective VTOL strike fighter. Eventually gets upgraded with Tank Killer rockets. Operates in squadrons of 5.
HEAP Bomb Bay Panther VTOL - The Collective VTOL heavy bomber. Hideous, clumsy, and spectacularly slow.
Lancer Panther Hover - The Collective hovertank. Unsuited for heavy combat.
Panther Tracks - The Collective medium tank platform, with over a dozen variants, with all kinds of weapons. Includes Medium Cannon, Heavy Machinegun, Lancer, Truck, Hyper Velocity Cannon, Assault Cannon, Assault Gun, Tank Killer, Sensor Turret, Bombard, Cyclone Flak, Whirlwind AA, VTOL Strike Turret, Inferno and other odd variants.
The Collective also uses Machinegunner, Assault Gunner, Heavy Gunner, Lancer and Flamer cyborgs.
The Project
The Project started out as a group of citizens who fled Seattle early in 2086 during the Collapse. Many died of disease and starvation during the nuclear winter. Fighting off bands of marauders, the group headed for the Rocky Mountains, which they had heard to be relatively radiation-free. There, they found an abandoned underground base of the former U.S military. It's personnel were all dead, killed by any one of a number of virulent diseases. The group cracked the doors and cleared out the bodies inside.
They knew things would never be the same again, and were determined to build a new world on the ruins. They rebuilt the landing pads and brought the old systems back on line. After 14 years of preparation, they were finally ready to begin the Project.
After establishing a surface base in the Rocky Mountains, restoring 3 military Transports to full operational condition, and recovering Machinegun weapon technology, on July 4 2100, the Project sent out 3 expeditionary teams to specific regions of North America, termed as "sectors".
Team Alpha set out to search for artifacts of the Synaptic Link technology, believed to be housed in a Pre-Collapse structure in the Western Sector. Team Beta set out to search for artifacts of Vertical Take-Off and Landing(VTOL) aircraft technology, believed to be located at a Pre-Collapse Airbase in the Eastern Sector. Team Gamma set out for the Northern Sector; what they were searching for remains unclear.
Team Alpha would encounter the Scavengers and the New Paradigm, eventually defeating them and recovering Synaptic Link technology from the New Paradigm, and establishing 2 major bases in the Western Sector. Team Alpha would thus the first Project expeditionary team to fulfill it's primary objective.
Team Beta would encounter the better-equipped Collective, and would get nearly destroyed had it not been for reinforcements from Alpha Base and the Commander of Team Alpha assisting in the defense. VTOL aircraft technology is eventually found to be located at the Collective-held Pre-Collapse Airbase, which is captured in a major assault by Team Beta, thereby recovering that technology as well. Once the intentions of NEXUS and the Collective become clear, Team Beta sets about to hinder NEXUS' efforts in a series of successful attacks against the Collective's Nuclear Reactor, their Satellite Uplink Site, and NASDA Central.
This causes NEXUS to retaliate drastically by eradicating Alpha and Beta Bases with nuclear missiles, and eliminating the Collective as well in the process. Team Beta is able to evacuate to the Northern Sector, however.
Team Gamma spends a long time doing nothing at all. They encounter no hostiles and recover no artifacts, and just hang in the sidelines. That is, until it is discovered that the nuclear strikes on Alpha and Beta Bases originated from the Northern Sector. Team Gamma locates and assists in the destruction of NEXUS' nuclear ballistic missile silos, but NEXUS launches an attack on Gamma Base itself and successfully assimilates it, apparently eliminating Team Gamma. However, a few survivors escape and set up a base further south, turning over their leadership to the Commander of former teams Alpha and Beta(the player). With the appearance of the Laser Satellite threat, Team Gamma locates 3 anti-satellite missile silos, which, under the player's command, they capture and use to destroy the NASDA Laser Satellites.
The remaining combined forces of all 3 Project teams assembled in the Northern Sector launches a final attack against what remains of NEXUS, eventually eradicating all opposition and ending the war Dr. Reed had started. With the technology it had sought having been recovered, the Project sets about in building a new world from the ashes, a rise of human civilization once again.
The Project appears in all missions(obviously, it's the player's faction). It operates in the Western, Eastern and Northern Sectors and has it's main headquarters in the Rocky Mountains in former Colorado.
The Project's livery is green. Their vehicle bodies are named after snakes, and have moderate speed, moderate hitpoints, moderate kinetic armor, and low thermal armor.
Light Body - Viper
Medium Body - Cobra
Heavy Body - Python
Notable Units:
Truck - The basic construction unit. It remains completely useful all throughout the campaign.
Machinegun Viper Wheels - The Project's first combat unit, this is a little buggy strong enough to combat Scavengers, but not much else.
Heavy Machinegun Viper Half-tracks - The Project light tank, as of Alpha 5. Tougher than it's New Paradigm rival.
Medium Cannon Cobra Tracks - The Project medium tank. Used from missions Alpha 6 to Alpha 9 as a front-line combat unit. Also used by Team Gamma.
Heavy Cannon Python Tracks - The Project heavy tank. Stronger than it's New Paradigm equivalent, but weaker than it's Collective counterpart. The mainstay of Project ground forces in mission Alpha 12 and throughout the Beta Campaign. Appears again in mission Gamma 4.
