Car Wars roleplaying game ported online

[Skyceman]

If you ever played the old PnP table-top Car Wars game back in the 80's then you may like this. It's a game called Darkwind. It's more for the strategic gamer who enjoys turn detail and being able to think more rather then pure reflexes like most games today. I compare it to what it feels like playing a board game with friends but without all the nuances and calculations to bog it down. If you decide to check it out, look me up in game chat. It's also free to play:

Darkwind is a turn-based, 3D persistent-world multiplayer wargame set in the near future, which combines the depth of detail inherent in turn-based games, with long-term strategic elements that keep the challenge going for months/years. The game is staged on a sparsely populated continent, one of the few surviving areas of civilisation. The focus of the game is on vehicular combat - cars with guns - both in the wilderness and in manmade arenas and racing circuits. Gameplay is split between a web interface (for strategic management) and a 3D interface which supports Windows and Mac OSX (for control of your characters and vehicles during a combat or race).

Website: http://www.dark-wind.com/

Screens:



Gameplay trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5sCHEi3uuE (remember its turn-based)

[OutOfTheCube]

That looks pretty lame.

I think someone made an awesome version of this and called it Twisted Metal Black.

[Skyceman]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

That looks pretty lame.

I think someone made an awesome version of this and called it Twisted Metal Black.

Yah apples and oranges comparison though. If you'd read my post above you would have understood that. I said "It's more for the strategic gamer who enjoys turn detail and being able to think more rather then pure reflexes like most games today". Twisted Metal, as you mentioned, was an action game and relied on "pure reflexes". Don't be fooled by graphics alone to judge a game. Some of the best games I've ever played were not always the best looking.

[Super-Rye]

The way I see it you can't make a twisted metal wannabe and make it different by making it turned based and it still be a lot of fun, and I love turn based games. I'll give it a shot but I just don't see it.

[Skyceman]

Originally Posted by Super-Rye

The way I see it you can't make a twisted metal wannabe and make it different by making it turned based and it still be a lot of fun, and I love turn based games. I'll give it a shot but I just don't see it.

Firstly, it's not a Twisted Metal wannabe. If anything, Twisted Metal is a recreation of a table-top game called Car Wars that was turn-based in the first place. The themes are similar but they are completely different games.

Anyways, I didn't post it here to debate the merits of why a turn-based game isn't as good as Twisted Metal. If you like it great, if not fine. It's not for everyone. Personally, I'm having a mega-blast playing it which is why I wanted to share it here.

You can run arena events to earn cash or take to the highways where you can encounter anything. I just came back from what they call "scouts". This is where players head off together to scout for other gangs roaming the highways. If you're outing is successful meaning you manage to demoralise or kill the gang off in the encounter, you all get to salvage parts of the cars to sell or use to modify your own vehicles. You also need to train your gang members to become better. You can also buy your own compound or join others. The other aspect of the game is the sim-style where it can take hours or even days to do things like order a new vehicle or get it repaired or modified. Some gang members can be badly injured and need to be hopsitalized for some time to recover. Merely scratching the surface.

[Rathji]

SO what is your User ID so I can enter it for the referal?

[OutOfTheCube]

Originally Posted by Skyceman

Yah apples and oranges comparison though. If you'd read my post above you would have understood that. I said "It's more for the strategic gamer who enjoys turn detail and being able to think more rather then pure reflexes like most games today". Twisted Metal, as you mentioned, was an action game and relied on "pure reflexes". Don't be fooled by graphics alone to judge a game. Some of the best games I've ever played were not always the best looking.

Well then why wouldn't you play something like Civilization or Final Fantasy? I loves me a good turn-based strategy RPG or sim game, this just seems kinda lame.

It just seems like silly design to make a car game where you don't actually drive the cars. And have turn-based battles with little flamethrowers on the side.

[Rathji]

There are many turn based browser games on the web. Most suck, but occasionally you run across one that is worth playing.

Playing FF or Civ can be fun, but multiplayer games have elements that neither can fully duplicate, and that is the reason why games like WoW and its predecessors and decendents have been successful.

[Skyceman]

Originally Posted by Rathji

SO what is your User ID so I can enter it for the referal?

Look me up in-game chat as my username is "skyce (MFP Recruits)" and you don't have use me as a referral but if you really want it its 9762.

[Skyceman]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

Well then why wouldn't you play something like Civilization or Final Fantasy? I loves me a good turn-based strategy RPG or sim game, this just seems kinda lame.

It just seems like silly design to make a car game where you don't actually drive the cars. And have turn-based battles with little flamethrowers on the side.

As I said to each his own. I love the theme for one so that's partly why. Secondly, you have to be a real turn-based lover. Jagged Alliance is a very similar design to this game except Darkwind has more depth and Jagged Alliance was a single-player while Darkwind is an online multiplayer. If you like that style then you may like this.

[Skyceman]

Originally Posted by Rathji

There are many turn based browser games on the web. Most suck, but occasionally you run across one that is worth playing.

Playing FF or Civ can be fun, but multiplayer games have elements that neither can fully duplicate, and that is the reason why games like WoW and its predecessors and decendents have been successful.

I played Wow for some time awhiile back but it was too much of a time sink for me having a wife and 2 young kids. Darkwind is time-friendly as alot of the things you do are done outside the actual game.

Here's a cut from the main website on what makes it unique:

What makes this game unique?


These are the central concepts in Darkwind that make the game unique:

• The real-world time scale means that you can only conduct a limited amount of gameplay each week. This makes Darkwind uniquely suitable for people who like competitive online games but don't have 15 hours per day to devote to them. Just 3 or 4 hours of gameplay per week is sufficient for competitive play. Character development is based around real world training time, not in-game macro-ing.
• The long term gameplay ethos is further enhanced by the fact that it takes real-world time to carry out travel and activities. It typically takes several days to travel between towns - this makes trade a meaningful activity that takes some effort. The detailed and finely tuned economic model has long-term cycles based on population, demand, and piracy. Strategic gameplay is promoted. Building camps and fortifications, healing wounds, fixing and upgrading vehicles all take real-world time to complete.
• Much of the strategic gameplay consists of offline planning - since you have enough time to consider and reconsider your actions. Players continually think about and revise their strategies while going about their everyday lives. This 'offline' nature, paradoxically, makes the game a more immersive experience rather than less.
• The turn-based combat system based on highly detailed rules promotes genuine strategy of play, and doesn't degrade into a 'fastest mouse clicker' competition unlike many RTS games. The combat system in Darkwind suits 'multi-tasking' players who may get interrupted while playing. You can turn your attention away and not expect to get slaughtered for it. Time-outs further enhance this concept.
• Death is more than a minor inconvenience - when a character dies, they're dead. Permanently. We believe that many current online roleplaying games are ruined by the fact that death is merely a temporary setback for a character. In Darkwind, since you control a gang of characters, you can still maintain your assets when a character dies, but you will lose the months/years of skills and experience that they have. With death being permanent, a new dynamic is created, whereby courage becomes a true, and probably rare, asset. Play strategy and political intrigue take on a deadly new importance.
• Scheduling of PvP battles and Autoduel events - further enhancing the concept of the 'lifestyle-friendly' competitive RPG. You can sign up for autoduel leagues that suit your schedule, and your PvP battles are conducted at mutually acceptable times. Since they are scheduled, battles and autoduel events can be spectated by other players.
• Persistent NPC gangs with colourful backgrounds whose skills develop in the same way as player characters. These gangs are controlled at various times by AI or by gamemasters (GMs).
• Anytime strategic play - you can log into Darkwind anyime during a journey, which may mean anytime within a period of several days, whenever it suits you. You play out your battles and wilderness encounters with NPC gangs when it suits you.

[OutOfTheCube]

Ah, now THAT sounds interesting. One of the big beefs I had with WoW was the massive time commitment you had to make, and in individual sittings. Like, some quests would be massive, six hour playtime things that you couldn't leave. I consider myself a hardcore gamer, but I can rarely sit and play a game for more than two hours at a time, let alone something as monotonous as WoW.

I still think I'll pass (I've got lots to play right now and I'd probly lose interest in it) but it sounds like it has some interesting ideas. The only thing I don't like is permanent death. I can just see investing a dozen hours into a character only to have him killed by some over-powered guy, getting pissed and never playing again.

Still, the whole 'long-term travel' thing is neat. Taking several days to travel between towns and such. The whole setting up of an economic system. Cool ideas they got there.

[Skyceman]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

The only thing I don't like is permanent death. I can just see investing a dozen hours into a character only to have him killed by some over-powered guy, getting pissed and never playing again.

Still, the whole 'long-term travel' thing is neat. Taking several days to travel between towns and such. The whole setting up of an economic system. Cool ideas they got there.

Actually that's the cool part, Cube, you are the gang so YOU never die. Your characters are the ones that can die. They are recruited from the local tavern in each town. You can have as many characters as you can afford to (yes you even have to feed and house them). When they die, and sometimes they will its a stinger - especially if they are one of your vets but it does add a great degree of immersion to it. It adds that fear factor to the game where you don't know what can happen on any given night. I tell you its a refreshing change for me after having just gone through a lack lustre subscription to the multi-million dollar budgetted Age of Conan - what a let down.

Anyways, about recruitment, this is kinda how it works. Let's say you need a new gunner, so you ask that you're looking for one. You then get a short list of NPC's who claim they have the skills you're looking for (kinda like a job interview where you never really know what people say they can do). From there you pick one and commit and then are able to see that NPC's actual skills. Some are exactly what you needed while others end up being mechanics or drivers, or something else entirely at which time you show them the door. The cost is free once a week to recruit but if you need to do it more often you have to pay a finders fee each time. Some even have addictions to drugs or alcohol or even bouts of psychotic behaviour. These ones with "issues" can can fly off the handle right in the middle of an encounter and flee from the vehicle as they have a courage level and if the battle is going in a bad direction they can quit on you fast. The attention to detail is amazing.

Anyways, as you can see I'm enjoying it. It's a real throw back to the old PnP days where guys got together to play. If you decide to give it a go look me up or ask in chat as most will be happy to answer your questions.

[FanIn80]

Hey I remember playing Car Wars back in the day. I had paper maps and little cardboard vehicle markers etc. Was a blast!

Also played RIFTS alot. I think I actually liked RIFTS better than D&D.

[Skyceman]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Hey I remember playing Car Wars back in the day. I had paper maps and little cardboard vehicle markers etc. Was a blast!

Yah was a great game! I remember one of my buddies setup the entire Midville maps in his basement - it was HUGE. I still have those books kicking around.

Also played RIFTS alot. I think I actually liked RIFTS better than D&D.

Never played RIFTS but heard it was a favorite for many. Was it similar to D&D medieval themes?