SwampMeister Games
← Terrible Forest Management

Press kit

Everything you need to write about Terrible Forest Management. All assets here are free to use in coverage, videos and streams. Need something else, a playtest key or an interview? Email info@swampmeistergames.com.

Short description

Terrible Forest Management is a family-friendly PvP firefighting party game for up to 8 players. Cheerful firefighting Hose-Bots battle mischievous flamethrowing Firebugs over a burning low-poly island: douse the flames or fan them, haul wood to hold camps, call in Water Bombers and Meteor Showers, and knock out the other team's supply.

Long description

In the age of drones and droids, humanity finally admitted it was terrible at forest management — so it handed the job to the Hose-Bots: cheerful little firefighting robots with a water tank on their back and a hose they're way too proud of. Then a shadowy crew hacked half the fleet, swapping hoses for flamethrowers and good intentions for chaos.

Hose-Bots: Cheerful little firefighting robots with a water tank on their back and a hose they're way too proud of. They douse flames, coat the woods in pink slurry, and hunt down sneaky Firebugs. Win by soaking the Firebugs' fuel tanks until they've got nothing left to burn with.

Firebugs: Half the fleet got hacked, and these bots traded their hoses for flamethrowers and their good intentions for mischief. They spark wildfires, slick the ground with accelerant, and sneak around the Hose-Bots. Win by toasting the Hose-Bots' water towers so they can't refill.

Matches run six quick rounds with a halftime side swap, so everyone plays both teams. Between rounds, players draft upgrade cards. The fire itself is a third player, spreading by embers across dry grass and trees and fizzling on paths, sand and wet ground, so every match burns differently.

Key features

  • Fire that actually spreads. Burning ground throws glowing embers. Dry grass and trees catch easily, paths and sand almost never, and wet or slurry-coated ground fights back. Every match burns differently.
  • Squads of friends. Up to 8 players. Queue as a party and stay on the same team all match. The current playtest runs 2v2.
  • Proximity voice chat. Talk to anyone nearby, or use your team radio from anywhere on the map. Yes, the enemy can hear you whispering behind that tree.
  • Upgrade drafts. Between rounds, everyone picks an upgrade for the side they'll play next. Stack them up and build your bot your way.
  • Gadgets and grenades. Crack open chests for Drain grenades that empty enemy tanks, EMPs that zap every robot nearby (friends included), and more.
  • Play with bots, too. No crew online? Bot Match fills both teams with bots for a full offline match, 1v1 to 4v4. Mouse or controller, your call.

Trailer

Download the playtest trailer (MP4, 720p, 1:24)  ·  Watch or embed it on YouTube

Screenshots

1600×900 WebP. Click to download. Need a different format or full 1080p? Just ask.

  • A bareheaded Firebug robot and a Hose-Bot in a blue fire helmet stand side by side on a jungle path A Firebug and a Hose-Bot, sizing each other up before the round starts.
  • A blue Hose-Bot blasts a stream of water from its arm cannon into an orange blaze Arm cannons put the hose right where it belongs.
  • A Water Bomber plane flies low over the island, dumping water onto a burning hillside Hold a camp and your team can call in the Water Bomber.
  • A Hose-Bot in a fire helmet tows a wheeled blue water tank hosed to its cannon Reservoir Masters tow a supply cart that keeps the whole squad topped up.
  • A Firebug in a red hat walks away from the camera, a striped fuel tank on its back Firebugs carry a fuel pack with its own little gauge window.
  • A Firebug with a red brimmed hat and a Hose-Bot in a fire helmet, both in steel gray with team-colored trim Steel-gray robots with team colors on the shoulders, belt, knees and feet.
  • A blue Hose-Bot in a fire helmet with a gold shield stands among palm trees The Fire Helmet, in team colors with a gold shield.
  • Close-up of a Hose-Bot wearing a blue fire helmet with a gold badge Every Hose-Bot gets a proper fire helmet.
  • A robot wearing a white space helmet with a red stripe and a little antenna The Space Helmet. Because why not.
  • A bareheaded Firebug robot with a red fuel canister on its back Firebugs keep it simple: fuel on the back, flame on the arm.
  • Looking down a steep mountain face as a tiny Hose-Bot sprays water up the rock Water, slurry and flame splash off mountainsides and bridges right where they hit.
  • A blue Hose-Bot plants its feet on a grassy slope Robots plant their feet on hills and bumps instead of floating over them.
  • The Locker menu open on the Cannon tab, a robot showing off a yellow Hazard cannon skin The Locker's Cannon tab: Charcoal, Team Colors, Gold Plate and Hazard.
  • Close-up of a robot's arm cannon painted in shiny Gold Plate Gold Plate cannon skin, for the bot who has everything.
  • The Locker menu open on the Head tab next to a robot on a grassy hill Pick a body, a helmet, a badge and a decal in the Locker.
  • A top-down view of a robot in a blue fire helmet inside the Locker Spin, tilt and zoom your robot all the way to top-down.
  • Detail of a robot's hose running from its backpack into a brass water cannon The hose plugs right into the fitting on the cannon.
  • The main menu: a Hose-Bot on a hillside next to Play and Locker buttons and a party list The home screen, with your party and a live count of droids online.
  • The main menu with the Bot Match panel open: pick a side and a team size from 1v1 to 4v4 Bot Match: a full match against bots, offline, 1v1 to 4v4.
  • The upgrade draft screen offering three cards, with a gold knockout-bonus banner saying pick 2 of 3 Knockouts earn your team bonus picks in the upgrade draft.
  • A Hose-Bot sprays water at Firebugs, each with a health bar and a purple stealth bar over its head Enemy health bars, plus the purple stealth bar your Snitch Beam drains.
  • A Firebug blasts a burst of flame straight at a Hose-Bot in a blue fire helmet The flamethrower hits Hose-Bots directly now, out to about 13 meters.
  • The full island map with no fog, teammates and enemies shown as colored dots No more fog: the map shows the whole island and everyone on it.
  • A long winding trail of accelerant bursts into flame across a grassy hillside Accelerant is gasoline: light one end and the whole trail goes up.
  • A Firebug carrying a load of wood and stone walks past two big red fuel tanks Haul wood and stone together, as much as you can carry. Just don't expect to run.
  • The Water Bomber flies over the whole island, dropping a line of water across the fire The Water Bomber now flies coast to coast.
  • A Hose-Bot named Cohere Bear sprays a stream of water across a hillside Bots have names now. Meet Cohere Bear.
  • Seen from above, bots scatter out of a strike warning circle on a forest path Bots see a strike coming and scatter.
  • The main menu with a robot in a space helmet and a small speech-bubble feedback button in the corner The feedback button lives in the bottom-left corner of the main menu.
  • The Send Feedback popup with Bug, Idea and Other options and a message box Report a bug or pitch an idea, with your game log attached.

Logos & key art

  • Logo (transparent) Logo (transparent) · 1000×416
  • Key art — vertical Key art — vertical · 1000×1200
  • Key art — banner Key art — banner · 2400×800
  • Capsule Capsule · 1232×706
  • Wide hero Wide hero · 2400×775
  • Studio logo Studio logo · 1024×1024

About SwampMeister Games

SwampMeister Games is an independent game studio making bright, goofy games you play with your friends. Terrible Forest Management is its first game, built in the open with a live Steam playtest and frequent updates. Read the patch notes.