Timelines boss + epic scenarios
This page catalogs the boss battles and epic set-piece scenarios — the largest individual Timelines scenarios with bespoke mechanics. These are the memorable showpiece scenarios that span 150KB+ each.
At a glance
Section titled “At a glance”| Scenario | Size | Module | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khaak Boss Battle | 258KB | scenario_khaak_boss_battle | Fight a Khaak Destroyer boss |
| M0 Boss Battle | 161KB | scenario_m0_boss_battle | M0 (mystery) boss |
| Presidents End | 192KB | scenario_presidents_end_1 | Stealth/assassination of a President |
| Tharkas Cascade | 203KB | scenario_tharkas_cascade | Tharka-themed cascade |
| Dragonfyre | 210KB | scenario_dragonfyre | ”Dragonfyre” mission with Warp/Regroup chapters |
| Transport Refugees | 694KB | scenario_transport_refugees | Refugee transport — largest individual scenario |
| Transport Refugees Engineer | 152KB | scenario_transport_refugees_engineer | Engineer-themed refugee variant |
| Transport Refugees Escort | 67KB | scenario_transport_refugees_escort | Escort-themed refugee variant |
Khaak Boss Battle
Section titled “Khaak Boss Battle”Script: scenario_khaak_boss_battle.xml (258KB)
Module: scenario_khaak_boss_battle
Mechanics
Section titled “Mechanics”A boss fight against a Khaak Destroyer. The destroyer has dedicated firing-pattern systems:
| Cue | Mechanic |
|---|---|
Khaak_Destroyer_Fire_Loop (0.1s polling) | Continuous firing loop |
Khaak_Destroyer_Fire_Pattern (instanced) | Scripted firing patterns |
Khaak_Destroyer_Cease_Fire (instanced) | Conditional cease-fire |
Background_Cues block | Background mechanics |
Ch1_Track_Cause_Of_Death_Ref (refs LIB_Scenario.Track_Cause_Of_Death) | Track what killed what |
Cut content
Section titled “Cut content”In the source there are commented-out cues — Shield Generator mechanics, Player Ship Damaged tracking, Player Dealt Hull Damage tracking. These were planned-but-cut features. They suggest the boss battle was designed to track player damage taken / dealt, but vanilla shipped without those sub-mechanics.
Mod conflict risks — Khaak Boss
Section titled “Mod conflict risks — Khaak Boss”- ❌ Mods that rebalance Khaak Destroyer affect difficulty
- ❌ Mods that change
LIB_Scenario.Track_Cause_Of_Deathbreak tracking - ⚠ Anti-Khaak mods trivialize the boss
M0 Boss Battle
Section titled “M0 Boss Battle”Script: scenario_m0_boss_battle.xml (161KB)
Module: scenario_m0_boss_battle
A boss fight against the M0 (an unknown / hidden / unique enemy). The “M0” designation suggests a Mark-0 or original/master enemy.
Mod conflict risks — M0 Boss
Section titled “Mod conflict risks — M0 Boss”- Standard combat-rebalance mod risks apply
Presidents End
Section titled “Presidents End”Script: scenario_presidents_end.xml (192KB)
Module: scenario_presidents_end_1
A stealth/assassination scenario — player infiltrates a presidential location. Features distinctive visual effects per room (VfxStartingRoom, VfxBridge, VfxCorridor1, VfxCorridor2, VfxBrig) and a run-blur mechanic when the player is running.
Mechanics
Section titled “Mechanics”| Cue | Mechanic |
|---|---|
Start_Fade_In | Cinematic fade-in |
VisualFx block | Per-room visual effects |
Run_Blur | Visual blur when running |
Player_Is_Running (50ms polling) | Detect running state |
The per-room VFX system is unique to this scenario — different visual effects in different interior rooms.
Mod conflict risks — Presidents End
Section titled “Mod conflict risks — Presidents End”- ❌ Mods that change spacesuit movement / running affect Run_Blur trigger
- ❌ VFX-overhaul mods can collide with room-specific VFX
- ⚠ Mods that change interior room mechanics affect the stealth flow
Tharkas Cascade
Section titled “Tharkas Cascade”Script: scenario_tharkas_cascade.xml (203KB) + scenario_tharkas_lib.xml (helper library)
Theme: Tharka’s Ravine themed cascade scenario
A Split-themed scenario named after Tharka’s Cascade (the Split waterfall metaphor / family ancestor theme).
Mod conflict risks — Tharkas Cascade
Section titled “Mod conflict risks — Tharkas Cascade”- ❌ Mods that change Split faction behavior affect scenario flavor
- ❌ Mods that change Tharka’s Ravine sectors affect scenario context
Dragonfyre
Section titled “Dragonfyre”Script: scenario_dragonfyre.xml (210KB)
Module: scenario_dragonfyre
A 2-chapter scenario:
| Chapter | DEBUG cue | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter 1 | DEBUG_Chapter_1_Warp_Dragonfyre_Proximity | Warp to Dragonfyre proximity |
| Chapter 2 | DEBUG_Chapter_2_Regroup_Fleet_Destroy_Enemies | Regroup fleet + destroy enemies |
| Outro | DEBUG_StartOutro | Begin scenario outro |
Mechanics
Section titled “Mechanics”| Cue | Mechanic |
|---|---|
Score_Enemy_Destroyed (instanced) | Score tracking — enemies destroyed |
Setup_Libraries → Call_Setup_Libraries | Standard scenario setup |
SetupMission | Mission setup |
The Score system suggests Dragonfyre has a competitive / leaderboard component — players compete on enemies-destroyed count.
Mod conflict risks — Dragonfyre
Section titled “Mod conflict risks — Dragonfyre”- ❌ Combat-rebalance mods affect score balance
- ❌ Fleet-management mod affects regroup mechanic
Transport Refugees
Section titled “Transport Refugees”Script: scenario_transport_refugees.xml (694KB — LARGEST individual Timelines scenario)
Module: scenario_transport_refugees
The Transport Refugees scenario is larger than most full DLC stories (694KB). Its companion scenarios _engineer (152KB) and _escort (67KB) add variant flavors.
Mechanics
Section titled “Mechanics”Vanilla code shows extensive DEBUG infrastructure:
| Cue | Purpose |
|---|---|
Debug_GetBestScores (namespace) | Get player’s best scores (debug introspection) |
Debug_GetPlayerRoomAndPosition (namespace) | Player room + position (debug) |
Debug_TestVideoCommWhileDocked | Test video comm while docked |
Debug_TestVideoCommWhileDocked_Docked (+ _Interval 5s instanced) | Periodic checks while docked |
Debug_PlayRaidersCutscene (+ _Timeout 5s checktime) | Debug: play raiders cutscene |
Debug_PlayStationDestructionCutscene (+ _Timeout 5s) | Debug: play station destruction cutscene |
Debug_PlayNPCsEmbarkedCutscene (+ _Timeout 5s) | Debug: play NPCs-embarked cutscene |
Scenario events implied
Section titled “Scenario events implied”The DEBUG cues reveal the scenario has these set-piece events:
- Raiders attack cutscene (
Debug_PlayRaidersCutscene) - Station destruction cutscene (
Debug_PlayStationDestructionCutscene) - NPCs embarked cutscene (
Debug_PlayNPCsEmbarkedCutscene)
Plus score tracking (player has “best scores” to retrieve).
The scenario is deeply cinematic — players transport refugees through a hostile environment, with set-piece cutscenes triggered by milestones.
Refugee Engineer + Escort variants
Section titled “Refugee Engineer + Escort variants”scenario_transport_refugees_engineer.xml— engineer-themed variant (player as engineer)scenario_transport_refugees_escort.xml— escort-themed variant (player as escort)
These provide replay variety on the same refugee theme.
Mod conflict risks — Refugees
Section titled “Mod conflict risks — Refugees”- ❌ Mods that change video comm mechanics while docked break debug test (and possibly live mechanic)
- ❌ Mods that disable cutscene system break key cutscenes
- ❌ Mods that change refugee NPC categories affect spawning
- ⚠ Score-tracking mods can collide with leaderboard system
Common patterns across boss + epic scenarios
Section titled “Common patterns across boss + epic scenarios”| Pattern | Usage |
|---|---|
Setup_Libraries → Call_Setup_Libraries | Standard initialization |
Background_Cues block | Backgound mechanics running in parallel |
LIB_Scenario.Track_Cause_Of_Death | Track what killed what (cause-of-death attribution) |
| Per-room VFX | Distinct visual effects in different interior rooms (Presidents End) |
| Score tracking | Leaderboard scores (Dragonfyre, Refugees) |
| Fire patterns | Scripted enemy firing patterns (Khaak Boss) |
| DEBUG chapter skips | DEBUG_Chapter_N_* cues for vanilla testing |
Code references
Section titled “Code references”| Concern | Cue |
|---|---|
| Khaak Destroyer firing | Khaak_Destroyer_Fire_Loop (0.1s) + _Fire_Pattern |
| Cause-of-death tracking | LIB_Scenario.Track_Cause_Of_Death |
| Presidents End VFX | VisualFx block + Run_Blur |
| Presidents End running detection | Player_Is_Running (50ms polling) |
| Dragonfyre score | Score_Enemy_Destroyed (instanced) |
| Refugee debug infrastructure | Debug_GetBestScores, etc. (in scenario_transport_refugees.xml) |
| Refugee cutscenes | Debug_PlayRaidersCutscene, etc. |
Related
Section titled “Related”- Timelines arcs overview
- Scenario Hub — orchestrator
- Scenarios catalog — other 20+ scenarios
- Research + Epilogue — research arc + ending
- Wiki: DLC handling — Timelines required
The boss + epic Timelines scenarios are the DLC’s showpieces — single scenarios bigger than entire base game arcs. Khaak Boss firing patterns, Refugee cutscene set-pieces, Presidents End per-room VFX — your mod’s interference with any of these breaks a memorable Timelines moment.