Scavenger Faction

Screenshots

Technology

Much of the early Scavenger technology began life in the hands of the Marauders, led by Lord Humungus. After the Scavengers defeated Humungous, Wez, his second-in-command, joined the Scavengers and gave them plans for Marauder technology.

The Scavengers are also extremely resourceful and despite having few or no research labs they are able to find imaginative ways to cause death and destruction with only the most basic materials and tools to work with.

However, in the early missions of The Project's first Campaign, Team Alpha realise that the Scavengers have gained access to advanced military technologies such as cannons and rockets. It is later discovered that a survivalist faction known as the New Paradigm have secretly been supplying the Scavengers with the advanced military technology.

Scavenger Buildings

The Scavengers aren't the best building designers in the world. As far as they are concerned, if it has a roof and something that holds that roof several feet above the ground, it's a job well done.

Common construction materials include bald tires, wood, corrugated steel, tarpaulin, bear hides and lots of nails. They will often set-up camps near pre-Collapse buildings, particularly log cabins, warehouses and cranes.

Oil Derrick

Scavengers love gasoline! Without it they would have no fuel for their battlefield vehicles.

Sensor Tower

Surely this is just a humble sensor tower like any other?

We shall see...

Petrol Station

You'll see Scavengers paying regular visits to their local Petrol Station for fuel and repairs.

As well as supplying much needed gasoline to their battlefield armaments, the station's shop serves a wide range of hot and cold snacks, sewing kits, tasty beverages and barbecue coals. Barbecue coals are in high demand as they leave a better taste, compared to flamer gel, when cooking roadkill.

Gasoline Refinery

While these buildings may seem inferior in every way to the Power Generators used by all other factions, they are surprisingly effective. That's because they're not actually generating power...

Unlike other factions, who use power for everything from vehicle production to building construction, the Scavengers only need to convert oil in to gasoline for vehicle fuel and flamer gel, and their gasoline refineries are very efficient at that task.

Chop Shop

What many other factions refer to as a "Vehicle Factory" is little more than a large chop shop where Scavenger mechanics (any bloke with a welding kit and a hammer) assemble random parts of abandoned pre-Collapse vehicles to form weaponised battlefield monstrosities.

Many former Wezzers (see later) work in the chop shops, unable to return to the battlefield due to their injuries. Often, vehicles are traded for crutches and bandages. Rumours suggest that the last of the V8 Interceptors can be found somewhere in a Scavenger chop shop, where it awaits a suitable owner since its purchase on eBay in the times before the The Collapse.

Airfields

Home of the Scavenger Gyro's, all Scavenger "Choppers" are built here. The tower, designed by the Gyro Captain himself, has no windows thus allowing a man inside to lick his thumb and stick it outside to see which way the wind is blowing. Often, large piles of lingerie catalogues can be found inside the tower, a sure sign that the Gyro Captain has been there.

Unlike other factions, that invest in complex military VTOL technology, Scavenger airfields are quick to build and require no upgrades. They are able to cheaply produce Choppers, gaining the Scavengers an early air superiority in any conflict.

Scavenger Defence Structures

Machine Gun Bunker

The humble MG Bunker was one of the Scavengers first innovations in defence structures. Built in the holes left by abandoned long-drop outdoor toilets, the bunkers are big enough for several men with machine guns and enough ammunition and dog food to last several days at a time.

To protect the soldiers, a corrugated steel roof is carefully placed on to several piles of bricks (or bald tires if there are no bricks). The bunker roofs are so close to the ground that often enemy tanks won't realise that the bunker is there until they drive over them, causing the roof to collapse and killing everyone inside.

Cannon Tower

The Cannon Tower is one of the more extravagant, if somewhat unstable, Scavenger defences. At the top of the tower there is a fairly hefty cannon which can slowly manually rotated and titled to face in the rough direction of incoming enemy troops.

It is reported that the recoil of the cannon causes structural damage to the tower and although no tower has yet collapsed, it's only a matter of time before one does. Furthermore, its somewhat of a struggle to get cannon rounds up to the cannon, particularly in the heat of battle, which suitably explains the slow firing rate of the cannon.

Flamer Tower

The Scavengers prefer to use flame throwers mounted on vehicles so they can start fires in a wider variety of places. However, they realised fire would be an effective deterrent against Marauders and other unwanted guests so they came up with this novel Flamer Tower design.

Having mounted all their flame thrower hardware on road warrior vehicles, once again the Scavengers were faced with an innovate-or-don't-set-fire-to-stuff situation. As you might expect, they innovated rather than face the alternative. The flamer tower contains a cabin at the top that is just big enough for a circus fire eater to stand in. He sits patiently with a mount full of gasoline and a box of matches – when an enemy approaches, he lights a match and spits burning gasoline in their general direction. Due to the height of the tower and physics, from his location he is able to spit fire for quite a distance, often hitting the enemy before they drive in to the base of the tower.

Rocket Pit

Despite it's close proximity to the ground, the Scavenger Rocket Pit is surprisingly effective due to his relatively high rate of fire. It can repeatedly pummel enemy tanks, and even small mounds of earth that get in the way, until the tank either gets bored or blows up.

The rocket pit is protected by a wall of tires, because enemy machine gun rounds will bounce off the tires, obviously.

Strike Pit

Named after the "Sttttrrrrrrriiike!" shouted by it's operators on a successful hit, this defence is designed to take out enemy tanks.

By using a weapon that's actually designed to take out tanks, this pit is very effective at doing its job. Quite where the Scavengers get their supply of anti-tank rockets from is mystery.

Mortar Pit

As it's name suggests, the mortar pit is a pit that has a mortar in it. Like the other pits, the weapon is protected by a wall of tires and any other material that was lying around at the time of construction.

The mortar has a good range, particularly with sensor trucks helping with targeting (see later), and can fire over over structures and even the entire Scavenger camp to reach a target. Occasionally, however, a mortar round will land inside the Scavenger camp causing devastating damage to one or more tarpaulin sheets.

Pigeon Shooter

It's rumoured that Lord Humungus himself came up with this idea, and Wez (see later) introduced the Scavengers to this stunning piece of air-defence technology.

This anti-aircraft emplacement is constructed by assembling several double-barrel shotguns on a trellis which can be rotated to target all the guns at the same time. Wooden poles are placed across the triggers, allowing operators to shoot all the guns at the same time. This launches a cloud of lead shot in to the skies, causing numerous dents and scratches to paint work on any aircraft in it's path. After repeated impacts, aircraft will start to suffer severe damage and, weighed down by lead shot, will crash in to the ground.

In peace time, the pigeon shooter lives up to it's name and is widely used to put food on the table. Pigeon brings a welcome relief to the monotony of the Scavengers normal diet of tinned dog food.

Communication Issues

Due to somewhat chaotic communication systems employed by the Scavengers, including homing pigeons and messages in bottles, construction orders can sometimes get misinterpreted, sometimes with stunning results as this reconnaissance video shows:

Scavenger Units

Scavenger vehicles, often referred to as "Road Warriors" because they can drive on roads and have warriors in them, are weak – they have almost no armour and sub-standard weapons. However, they are very power-efficient and can be produced in large numbers very quickly.

A convoy of Scavenger vehicles can quickly overwhelm an enemy outpost. Due to the lack of armour, the vehicles are generally faster than enemy counterparts and can suddenly appear out of nowhere when you least expect it.

Wezzers

Wez was second-in-command to Lord Humungus, part of a gang of marauders that tried, and failed, to capture a Scavenger gasoline resource. Despite being a brutal biker, Wez was unable to beat the Scavengers and, after suffering near-fatal injuries at their hands, decided to join them.

Wez revels in death and destruction and is virtually fearless, living only for battle. So impressed were the Scavengers at Wez's relentless blood lust, they set up the Scavenger light infantry, the "Wezzers", and armed them with with CO₂-powered Nordenfelt guns.

Unable to find a supplier for military uniforms in the post-Collapse wilderness, the Scavengers adopted Wez's hair style (a red mohawk) as their uniform, resulting in their infantry looking like an army of Wez clones.

Proposed design for Scavenger infantry.

To this day Wez still personally headbutts every recruit on their graduation from Camp Wez, the infantry training corps. They then travel to the local barbers to get their "Wez-cut" and proudly boasting their new red mohawk they charge in to the battlefield to wreak death and destruction on anyone that might have a gasoline pump (and everyone else too, just in case).

Digger Cabins

A cross between a digger and a porta-cabin, these are a popular choice for building construction.

Early prototypes of the vehicle were not particularly successful, as can be seen in this compelling documentary:

Investigations revealed that the mechanical machinery used to control the digger arm was grossly underpowered and very rusty. So, in a stroke of genius, the Scavengers removed it completely and instead filled the cabin with Wez-rejects who pull on ropes that actuate the digger arm. While this might at first sound like an insane idea, it actually resulted in one of the most power-efficient and reliable construction technologies on the battlefield.

Due to the speed at which digger cabins can be built, sometimes replacing the porta-cabin component with a garden shed, they are often the first construction vehicles to be seen on the battlefield, sometimes even building derricks and petrol stations inside enemy bases while the enemy are still building their factories and research labs.

Excavators

Every so often, the Scavengers will find an old excavator at an abandoned building site or quarry.

After bashing the rust of with a hammer and installing a beer dispenser, these excavators become highly efficient construction machines.

Trikes

The smallest of all the road warrior vehicles, in size and number of wheels, the Trike is a small, nimble irritation for any enemy faction.

A machine gun is mounted on the roll cage allowing the driver to attack targets in almost any direction, however several drivers have been so busy shooting at something behind them that they've driven in to mountains and sustained serious injuries to their Trike and also died in the process.

Humungus Buggies

Despite their name, these are actually smaller than a Jeep and are based on a modified Dune Buggy. Based closely on the design of the personal transport of Lord Humungus of the Marauders, this is another technological masterpiece brought to the Scavengers by Wez.

Mounted with a front-facing machine gun, the Humungus also features slots where pole-mounted civilians can be installed as a human meat shield to protect the driver. Sadly, most civilians have fled the warzone thus leaving the driver dangerously exposed to enemy fire.

Jeeps

Jeeps are a popular choice amongst Scavenger road warriors as they offer a relatively comfortable drive whilst destroying stuff.

They are often found mounted with a machine gun or rocket launcher. While easily damaged, it is believed that the Jeeps make use of components from salvaged Toyota Hilux's, widely regarded as the most durable vehicle in any warzone, and for this reason you are likely to see lots of them on the battlefield.

Tractors

Due to their slow speed, tractors are rarely seen on the battlefield. However, due to radiation poisoning of farm land, there's not much else to do with them so why not use them as cannon fodder?

For their size, the tractors can carry lots of gasoline and thus make excellent platforms for flame throwers if there are no Fire Engines or Articulated Lorries available (see later).

Ice Cream Vans

Ice cream vans make an ideal platform for mortars. While they are bombarding enemy structures from a safe distance, they can serve refreshing ice cream to Wez-clones returning form a hard-days slaughter on the battlefield.

Due to their on-board refrigeration units, they are also an ideal platform for flame throwers. The on-board crew remain cool in their climate-controlled environment whilst setting fire to everything on the battlefield around them.

Nothing strikes fear in to the hearts of enemy soldiers like the playful music of an approaching ice cream flame thrower van.

School Bus

With all schools being destroyed by intercontinental ballistic nuclear missiles during The Collapse, the Scavengers quickly found alternate uses for these vehicles.

Unemployed school teachers are often found manning the weapons, usually a cannon or anti-tank rocket, releasing years of anger and frustration on the battlefield. Furthermore, recent satisfaction surveys show that the bus drivers are delighted with their new role as road warriors, so really it's a win win situation for everyone.

Fire Engines

Fire engine are one of the most versatile battlefield weapon platforms available to the Scavengers.

By filling the water chambers with gasoline, the fire engines can quickly be converted in to mobile flame throwers, thus making them true "fire" engines. This is indeed the most common armament used on this chassis. Due to their excellent suspension and stabiliser pads, fire engines are also an ideal platform for large cannons and rockets.

Articulated Lorries

Articulated lorries are probably the most devastating weapons in the Scavengers arsenal due to having ample room for weapon mounts and making a beeping sound when they are reversing.

Having been used to transport various consumer goods to supermarkets before the Collapse, the trailers are now put to a far better use – carrying three devastating weapons in to the battlefield in one of the following cofigurations:

• Flame thrower, Rocket, Anti-tank Rocket
• Cannon, Rocket, Rocket

These configurations can deliver painful death to just about anything that gets within range of the artic'.

NEXUS Tanks

This is by far the most unusual and technologically advanced vehicle owned by the Scavengers - a modified NEXUS Link turret on a tracked tank body. It is not clear where the Scavengers got this technology from. While it would seem logical that NEXUS or some other faction gave it to them, this does not appear to be the case.

Of all the factions, Scavengers are the least likely to be affected by the NEXUS Intruder Program due to their low tech, computer-free approach to warfare. It is believed that at some point the Scavengers were attacked by a NEXUS Link turret, but being low-tech were unaffected by it. It is likely that they immediately started hitting it with hammers until the turret broke free and then reverse-engineered the technology and found a way to mass produce it. It would appear that the main component of the turret they developed is derived from the transformer of a power substation, which would explain all the wires wrapped around it.

On occasion, the Scavengers will produce several NEXUS tanks and use them to steal vehicles form their enemy, often targeting lonesome construction trucks separated from the herd whilst building remote oil derricks.

Gyro-choppers

Armed with up to three machine guns or a mini-pod rocket launcher, Scavenger Choppers are an aerial menace to be reckoned with.

Designed by the Gyro Captain after the destruction of his Gyrocopter (pictured above), these aircraft are loosely based on the design of a pre-Collapse Chopper. However, the Scavengers lack the required parts for mass production so had to improvise. The cockpit is actually a lorry cabin, the fuel chambers are made from industrial cooking oil barrels and the engine is housed in a modified cargo container to protect it from enemy air defences. Most impressive of all, the rotors are comprised of sections of combine harvester blades, bashed straight with a hammer and then welded together, which is the real reason why these contraptions are referred to as "choppers".

Scavenger Sensor Myth

Many factions assume that Scavengers have mastered the art of sensor technology, after all Scavengers make extensive use of them – on towers, school busses and, on some rare occasions in the past, even sensor trikes have been observed.

However, this is a complete misinterpretation of Scavenger vehicle observation reports. What looks like a sensor dish is actually a parabolic loud speaker connected to a microphone in the cabin of the vehicle, where a man with binoculars shouts out descriptions of everything he can see whilst narrowly avoiding driving in to a tree. Because he's so busy looking through his binoculars, whilst at the same time trying not to crash in to something, he has no idea where his fellow warriors are. It's for this reason that the speaker mounted on top of the vehicle rotates to broadcast his observations in all directions, in the hope that someone will hear him and do something useful.

Despite this low-tech approach to target designation, it's surprisingly effective:

Sensor: "There's an enemy building of some sort in front of me!"

Mortar Ice Cream Van: "Woohoo! Let's cause some destruction!"

Sensor: "You missed! Aim left a bit!"

Mortar Ice Cream Van: <aims to its left>

Sensor: "No, your other left!"

Mortar Ice Cream Van: <aims to its right>

Sensor: "Aim up a bit. Up a bit more... Down a bit..."

Wezzer: "Good morning, it's a lovely sunny day, eh? Can I have a Mr. Whippy, two lollies and '99, please?"

Mortar Ice Cream Van: "Certainly sir, would you like sprinkles and raspberry sauce on your '99?"

Sensor: "Stop serving ice cream and destroy that damn building already!"

Wezzer: "Yes, and can I have a half a flake in it too please."

Mortar Ice Cream Van: "There you go sir, have a nice day maiming people."

Due to their rows of seats and windows, school busses are now the vehicle of choice for "sensors" (a term that actually refers to the people holding binoculars). This enables sensors to safely observe the battlefield whilst the bus driver deals with obstacle avoidance.

Inspiration

The Scavenger faction takes inspiration primarily from Mad Max 2 - The Road Warrior:

Concept Sketches by Pumpkin Studios show designs that look like they are straight from Mad Max, complete with "stuff":

 

However, due to the limitations of 3D graphics back in 1999 when the game was released, the units that made it in to the game were somewhat more basic in design.

Relics

Rman Virgil worked on a project several years ago that aimed to give Scavengers custom base walls made from Cargo Containers.