NEOBOLO

About NeoBolo

What is Bolo?

Bolo was a pioneering networked tank game created by Stuart Cheshire for the Macintosh in 1993. It featured real-time multiplayer over AppleTalk networks with up to 16 players competing to capture pillboxes and bases across a tile-based battlefield. The game was famous for its strategic depth, builder NPCs, and intense multiplayer battles.

NeoBolo

NeoBolo is a faithful recreation built with Bevy 0.18 (a modern Rust game engine) running entirely in the browser via WebAssembly. It features 6 AI opponents with distinct personalities, 195+ gameplay features, and WebRTC multiplayer support via GGRS rollback netcode.

Game Mechanics

Pillboxes

Static defenses that auto-fire at nearby tanks. Destroy them with shells, then drive over to capture. Your builder can repair destroyed pillboxes.

Bases

Refueling stations that restore HP, shells, and mines. Drive nearby to capture. First tank to reach an unowned base claims it.

Builder

A little NPC you spawn with B key. Walks toward your crosshairs and repairs terrain: paves grass to road, builds walls, drains swamps, and repairs pillboxes.

Mines

Hidden explosives placed behind your tank. Enemy mines are invisible until you're within 60px. Deal 5 damage on detonation.

Terrain

Roads are fast, forests are slow and provide concealment, swamps are very slow, water requires a boat. Shells clear forests and destroy buildings.

Combat

Rear hits deal double damage (CRITICAL!). Low HP gives a speed boost. Kill streaks trigger announcements. First to 20 kills wins the round.

Controls

MouseAim turret direction
Left Click / SpaceFire shell (hold for auto-fire)
E / W / Arrow UpDrive forward
D / Arrow DownReverse
S / Arrow LeftTurn left
F / Arrow RightTurn right
M / Right-clickLay mine
BSpawn builder NPC
TabToggle scoreboard
+ / -Zoom in/out
Scroll wheelZoom in/out
RRestart after victory

AI Personalities

[AGG] Aggressive - Charges enemies, fires fast, low accuracy. Rushes when high HP.
[DEF] Defensive - Patrols territory, captures pillboxes, accurate shots. Longer powerup detection range.
[FLK] Flanker - Approaches at 45-degree angles, places mines strategically, strafes more. Genuine flanking behavior.

Tech Stack

Engine: Bevy 0.18.1
Language: Rust (stable)
Platform: WebAssembly
Tilemap: bevy_ecs_tilemap 0.18
Netcode: GGRS rollback
Transport: WebRTC (matchbox)
Server: Loco.rs 0.16
Database: SQLite
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