Yearly Archives: 2014

Robocraft Early Look

By Jordan Hall (ApocaRUFF)

 

 

Robocraft is an up-and-coming vehicular-combat shooter. The game is being developed using the Unity Engine, and is brought to us by the indie Freejam Games based out of the United Kingdom. “Build. Drive. Fight” is the game’s catchphrase and it has often been described as Minecraft meets World of Tanks. As that suggests, the game offers unparalleled vehicle customization along with intense and tactical combat similar to what you find in games like World of Tanks. Since it became available for play back in 2013, it has grown a massive following and often has over sixteen-thousand players online at any one time.

 

 

Building Your Robot

The biggest attention grabber Robocraft has is the ability to craft your own vehicle, called Robots. You start out with three already-built robots which cover the basic design concepts. They teach you some good design tips, but also allow you to jump straight into the game’s combat. Of course they also offer the opportunity to begin customizing the pre-existing designs rather than starting from scratch. Needless to say, that’s a great way to learn the ins-and-outs of Robocraft design!

Robocraft Garage

One thing you will notice right away is the massive tech tree. I was quite impressed when I first pressed T and saw all the progression options available to me. As you play, you will gain tech points that can be spent on this tree. However, there are ten different levels or types of experience you can get, and what experience you get is dependent on the current tech level of your robot. The method to raising your robot’s tech level is to simply add equipment and blocks of a higher tech level to it.

 

Robocraft TechTree

This tree is large, and has plenty of branches.

 

When I say that there’s a ton of freedom in building your robot, I mean it. Of course, you’re limited to a few rudimentary shapes, but you can do a lot with them. I’ve seen everything from giant flying swastika that would make the space nazis living on the dark side of the moon proud, to some incredible looking tanks with enough fire power to obliterate almost anything. Personally, I’ve used my incredible design abilities to write messages to my would-be killers.

Robocraft Peace

 

Combat

Combat in Robocraft is both simple and complex. Like just about every game ever made, you can go hardcore and min-max yourself into perfection, or just casually play it for some good ole’ fun. The game is played in the third-person, and there are currently three types of weapon – SMGs (close-to-medium ranged), Launchers (Artillery), and lasers (snipers). Right now, you can only have one type of weapon on your bot – so if you put an SMG on it, all your other weapons must be SMGs – but I have hopes that’ll change in the future and the developers will include weapon-groups.

 

Robocraft Combat

I know it’s hard to translate this into screenshot, but the combat is quite intense.

 

Right now there seems to be one game type with a few maps. The game type is “capture the base” where your goal is to either capture the enemy base before they capture yours, or destroy all the players on the opposing team. The maps available are pretty nice. They’re compact enough to have action happen frequently, but big enough for tactics and strategy to come into play. And allow scum-bag snipers to hit you from across the map…

Robocraft Map

I have to say the different weapons were pleasant to use. I found the SMGs to be my favorite, and I ended up using them on most of my robots. The fairly quick fire-rate and decent damage was a great mix with my “run-and-gun” style of play. Because of this, I often found myself building robots with wide, flat tops so I could fit a ton of guns on it and get a nice 360-degree fire range. Launchers and lasers, while they do a lot more damage per shot, do take a decent amount of time to recharge or reload, meaning your shots have to count so you won’t be moving around as much.

 

Robocraft Weapons

My current ship, loaded with SMGs and armor.

 

 

Progression

As I mentioned, there is a massive Tech Tree in the game. I can only imagine that it’ll continue to grow. Early on the progression feels quite fast, as you’ll have enough tech points and Robot Points to upgrade quickly. However, as you might expect, things slow down the further along you get. That brings us to the game’s currency, Robot Points (RP). They’re what you use to repair your bot after a battle and purchase new blocks and equipment.

 

Robocraft RP

As you can see, there is an RP cost to repair your robot after a fight.

 

The blocks themselves are sort of cheap, but for things like guns, you may need to play several games just to afford one. After a match, all your damage has to be repaired using the RP which can sometimes end up cutting your reward in half. Truthfully, I got frustrated a few times at how the RP was holding me back from getting the equipment I wanted. But it’s not too much of a deal, as usually two or three games will give you enough to purchase at least one of anything. And, like I said, most of the blocks are quite cheap – it’s just the equipment like wheels and guns that can be costly.

Robocraft Block Depot

 

 

The Graphics

Robocraft is somewhere between minimalist and “freaking awesome” when it comes to graphics. The robots are kind of simple – like I said they’re made up of simple shapes. But the textures in the game are superb. So far, the maps have a beautiful design to them. You get the impression that someone spent a decent amount of time on them. My favorite map has to be the one with the ice lake/river, as I love ice drifting.

Robocraft Graphics

Generally, as you progress through the tech levels the equipment you gain access to looks grander. A lot of it also gets bigger. This to help promote bigger robots in the later tech levels. A tech level one bot is like an ant compared to some tech level tens. Also, the color of the armor is dependent on its tech level. This is a bit unfortunate, as I’m sure I’m not the only one who would enjoy the ability to paint my robot how I like.

 

Graphics2

I wonder how, or if, they will moderate ship designs?

 

 

Current State of the Game: Great

Robocraft has a lot going for it. It’s got some great customization, fun combat, and superb graphics. The fact that it’s become quite popular since its inclusion in Steam is a testament to how great the game is shaping up to be. It’s the perfect blend of creativity and destruction, something few games achieve. It’s always refreshing when a game like this pops up amongst the storm of sub-par games that come out each year. I definitely suggest you head over to Steam and pick up Robocraft – it’s free and fun!

 

Want to see the game in action? Catch our First Look video at MMOHuts!

RoboCraftFirstLook

Demon Crusade: Now in open beta

Demon Crusade

NGames today announced its turn-based adventure MMORPG, Demon Crusade, is now open to all players. Drawing on rich mythologies from both Chinese and Western traditions, Demon Crusade is set in a in a land in crisis after the disappearance of the Devil King. Players embark on a journey through Devil Land as they strive to protect the Demon Temple from destruction.

To celebrate its official move into open beta, players in Demon Crusade can now also earn in-game packs by reaching certain milestones. These packs will give free players plenty of premium items for cumulatively consuming and topping up crystals, and from August 14th through the 20th, players in Treasury, Hunting, Loop Quest and Devil King Instances may receive random drops of special gifts that can be redeemed for cool in-game items.

Demon Crusade features three character classes: the fierce Warrior, agile Gunner or wise Mage. Each class comes with unique attributes, abilities and gear, and complex class features encourage players of different types to team up and tackle challenges together. Players will be able to recruit souls to act as their own servants, explore ancient ruins to unlock miracles, steal Golden Apples from friends, and even challenge the Devil King himself!

For more info, visit http://demon.game321.com

IL-2 Sturmovik: Early access now available on Steam

Strumovik

1C Game Studios is excited to announce that IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad early access program has launched on Steam today.

IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad is available in two editions, Standard and Premium, for the price of $54.99 and $94.99 correspondingly.

IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad is a combat flight simulation dedicated to the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the most decisive and fierce battles on the Eastern Front in WWII. This new project from 1С Game Studios represents the next generation of combat flight simulations with the latest development technologies – from a new higher level of physics modeling, damage modeling and aerodynamics to modern modes of gameplay with detailed, immersive environments.

IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad is scheduled to be released in September 2014.

For more info, visit http://store.steampowered.com/app/307960

2K Unveils WWE® SuperCard for Mobile Devices

2K

2K today announced the larger-than-life, action-packed entertainment of WWE has arrived on mobile devices with WWE® SuperCard, a brand new collectible card game. WWE SuperCard is available now for download on the App Store for iOS devices, including the iPhone®, iPad® and iPod touch®, as well as the Google Play Store and Amazon Appstore for Android™ devices.

WWE SuperCard challenges players to build teams of WWE Superstars, Divas and Legends, train them to their full potential, battle in various match types and test their luck in high stakes tournament action. Featuring more than 400 cards in active play, with each card representing one of seven different rarity levels, WWE SuperCard delivers an extensive array of collectible content with high replay value. In addition, WWE SuperCard enables players to enhance their experience through the purchase of individual card packs.

“WWE SuperCard represents a great opportunity to extend the WWE 2K brand by delivering unique and power-packed mobile entertainment experiences,” said Chris Snyder, Vice President of Marketing at 2K. “Get ready to experience WWE card battles on your favorite mobile device – anywhere and at any time.”

For more info, visit https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wwe-supercard/id775402833?ls=1&mt=8

World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor coming November 13th

World of Warcraft

Beyond the Dark Portal, the clash of iron echoes as two worlds brace for war. At a live event in Los Angeles and simulcast at the gamescom trade fair and around the world, Blizzard Entertainment today announced that Warlords of Draenor™, the fifth expansion to its acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft®, will be unleashed on November 13, 2014. On that day, players worldwide will begin their march into the perilous wilds of Draenor to face the fury of Grommash Hellscream’s merciless Iron Horde.

During the previous event, Blizzard also unveiled the opening cinematic for the expansion, which depicts a pivotal moment in Warcraft history and sets the stage for the coming war. In addition, the company premiered the first episode of Lords of War, a new animated lore miniseries that introduces players to characters central to the expansion’s story—starting with the twisted tale of Kargath Bladefist, legendary leader of the Shattered Hand orc clan. Both videos are available to view now at www.worldofwarcraft.com, and new Lords of War episodes will debut there in the weeks ahead.

“Players will encounter an epic cast of legendary characters and a huge amount of content to explore in Warlords of Draenor,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “The countdown to the arrival of one of the greatest threats in Warcraft history has begun. We can’t wait to send everyone through the Dark Portal this November.”

Warlords of Draenor adds a world’s worth of exciting new content for World of Warcraft players to discover. As Azeroth’s displaced heroes venture across Draenor, they’ll build and manage a mighty Garrison, a customizable fortress that grows with them on their journey; delve into otherworldly draenei temples and clash in the heart of hostile orc clans’ territory; fight the opposing faction for control of Ashran, a huge and dynamic PvP zone featuring a variety of personal and cooperative objectives; and take on a wide array of Dungeons, Raids, Battlegrounds, Challenge Modes, and more. No matter what kind of content you enjoy, your legend is waiting to be forged on Draenor.

For more info, visit www.warlords.com

Zombies Monsters Robots: New updates coming soon

ZMR

En Masse Entertainment, a player driven publisher focused on delivering great games and exceptional service, is pleased to announce that the successful North America open beta launch of Zombies Monsters Robots (ZMR) is just the beginning of what’s to come for the over-the-top, anything goes, co-op, third-person shooter for PC.

Following the release of the Mercs vs. Monsters update, which allows players to become one of over 20 enemies throughout a new PvP mode – and the debut of the Mummy See Mummy Doom update, which introduced six new maps with new enemies, bosses, guns, gear, and Blood Diamonds – a competitive mode where players race to kill opponents and collect diamonds to win – players can look forward to even more large scale content updates as they KILL EVERY THING.

For more info, visit www.playzmr.com