(This page is for information about getting started after downloading and installing the game, and assumes you are already able to start the game and see the main menu.)
When you start the game you'll start in the offline part of the game interface.
There's some stuff you can do here, such as playing through the Neon Swarm tutorial, but to play multiplayer games you''ll need to connect to the server.
Information about setting up credentials for this can be found on the Credential Setup page.
The online part of the game user interface is organised into a set of tabbed pages that you can move between by clicking on different tabs at the top of the scren.
As a first step, you may want to change your name, as seen by other players in the lobby, using the 'Name change' tab.
You can then create a game room and start a game through the 'Rooms and players' tab.
Create a game room by clicking the 'Create a game room' button, in 'Rooms and players'.
This will take you to a page where you can set up the details of the game to be played, such as the type of game, map to play on, and so on. When you are happy with the settings, click 'Create room' to go ahead and create the game room (which will then become visible to other players).
For multiplayer games, only one player needs to create a room. Other players can then join this room ('Join this room' on the room card).
After creating or joining a game, you'll be taken to a 'Game Room' page where you can see a list of the players currently in the room, on the left, and some information about the game settings on the right.
Players can choose their 'slot' in a game, if desired, otherwise this defaults to assigning slots in the order players are listed. (Slots determine things like player start position, in the game, and each have an associated colour. In team games, your slot also determines which team you are on.)
All players in a game room need to click to indicate they are ready, and then the host (player at the top of the players in room list) can start the game.
Neon Swarm is based on the "Lemmings" classic video game.
(For comparison you can find emulated versions of the original in various places, such as here.)
The goal in Neon Swarm is to get your swarmers from a start position to an exit location.
You can't control the swarmer movement directly, but you can give your swarmers order, such as to build bridges, or dig through the landscape.
For some maps, play is all against all, and other maps have team assignments. There are also some coop challenges that can be played single player or as part of a team.
When there are team assignments, this will be specified in the game details (shown on the right hand side when a game is clicked in the server overview page, and in the details shown on the right of the game room page).
The team (or player) who got the most swarmers into their exit when the game time expires is the winner!
Middle Mouse + Drag: Pan the view around
Mouse Wheel: Zoom in and out
WASD Keys: Alternative camera movement
Q and E Keys: Alternative zoom controls
Click order in bar: Select an order from the top bar
Function Keys: Quick-select orders
Click near lemming: Give the selected order
Left/Right Arrow: Hold to set directional filter
Up Arrow: Hold to apply orders with 'on blocked' trigger
Down Arrow: Hold to apply orders with 'on about to fall' trigger
Left/Right Arrow: Hold the opposite direction to current direction filter for 'on turned' trigger
F11: Toggle fullscreen/windowed mode
The goal in Neon Swarm is stay alive as long as possible.
(If multiple players survive until game time runs out, the player with the highest amount of remaining hit points wins.)
The team (or player) who got the most swarmers into their exit when the game time expires is the winner!
A: Rotate ship anticlockwise
D: Rotate ship clockwise
W: Thrust
S: Brakes
Mouse Wheel: Zoom in and out
Q and E Keys: Alternative zoom controls
L: Attempt to obtain target lock
Space: Fire a missile at locked target
F11: Toggle fullscreen/windowed mode