Darkwind: War on Wheels launches Factions and Squad Combat Leagues
Darkwind, the multiplayer on-line turn based strategy war game continues to receive positive media reviews in both indie and mainstream press. The latest features to the game are Factions and Squad Combat Leagues which offer a completely new dimension to the game with an emphasis on consensual PvP play.
The game design team have created a system of inter-related Factions, including major factions such as the Merchants and the Anarchists, as well as minor ones such as the Mutants and the Evan Reds. Players’ in-game actions will now have consequences in terms of how members of these factions will treat them, as well as how the towns themselves will perceive their gang in terms of fame and reputation. In-game consequences will be far-reaching: will an arena gang adhere to your resignation or try to kill you? Will a town provide protection for you if you’re fleeing from a pursuing enemy – or will they hate you to such a degree that they actually mobilise the local Militia to attack you as you arrive?
An entirely new style of league has been added to the game, with an emphasis on consensual PvP action. The Squad Combat Leagues are conducted between player-run teams, and are organised into 5 divisions. Each team competes in one combat per week. After each season, the top three teams in each division are promoted while the bottom three are relegated. Unique prizes are offered for these leagues, including camp production bonuses and top-tier character training.
“We are very pleased by the enthusiastic feedback the new features are receiving from players” game creator Sam Redfern commented. “Additionally it is a great achievement to receive positive reviews in the mainstream media as well as the indie media. The full-page review with a very positive 80% overall score in the UK edition of the world’s number one PC Gamer Magazine shows that main-stream reviewers are open-minded enough to recognise a top-quality indie game when they see it.”
Additional recent features to the game include mutant characters who tend to be stronger and faster than ‘norms’, yet they suffer from aging effects faster. The addition of mutants also ties in with the factions system, which provides a more subtle social model than a ‘good versus bad’ system.
Psionic powers have also been implemented, allowing the lucky few who possess these post-apocalyptic skills to perform a variety of mind-control and telekinetic effects.
The in-game tutorial has been totally overhauled so for any players who found Darkwind to be confusing the first time around, please stop by and have a go at the new tutorial, which will get you driving and shooting in no time.
On-demand races, deathraces and arena combats can now be launched straight from the game lobby. These are ‘proper’ funded events, which will let your gang earn prize money and gain skills – so no more waiting around for the next event to spawn if you’re a new player who hasn’t yet ventured into the wilderness.
