Monthly Archives: October 2013
War of the Vikings – First Impressions
The brehon handed him a hilted weapon,
a rare and ancient sword named Hrunting.
The iron blade with its ill-boding patterns
had been tempered in blood. It had never failed
the hand of anyone who hefted it in battle,
anyone who had fought and faced the worst
in the gap of danger. This was not the first time
it had been called to perform heroic feats.
– Beowulf
Devleoper: Fat Shark
Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Author: Jim Zabek
Vikings. What more needs to be said? Traders, raiders, and explorers, for over 300 years they dominated Europe’s imagination, if not their lands. Vikings have always laid a small claim to wargamers’ hearts, and with the heart-pounding new series on the History Channel, Vikings have made a resurgence into mainstream pop culture. Developer Fatshark didn’t miss a beat. Their action game of medieval combat, War of the Roses, grabbed the attention of Grogheads and we stormed into their servers in search of a great game of swordplay. Undaunted, Fatshark considered their next move and (to them) it was obvious: Vikings.
A few weeks ago I interviewed Fatshark’s Gordon Van Dyke and asked him about how the game was developing. Now with early access to the game I’ve managed to get some time behind the keyboard and mouse and see how the game plays myself. I wasn’t disappointed.
For gamers not familiar with first-person medieval action games, their mechanics can be deceptively simple. The player moves his avatar using the standard WASD keys. Moving the mouse changes the view – akin to turning your head or body. Left mouse clicking and dragging in a direction creates a sword thrust. A right mouse click either parries or brings up a shield, depending on the equipment. Using a bow isn’t much more complicated. Right clicking draws the bowstring. Left mouse clicking releases the arrow. As in real life you won’t be able to hold the bowstring for long and after a few seconds if you don’t fire, your avatar will tire and relax his drawn bow to rest.
Yeah, that’s me. Dead. Again.
As with War of the Roses, players have the opportunity to attempt to bandage themselves up and partially heal. They also have the opportunity to attempt to revive fallen comrades or finish off wounded rivals. I say “attempt” because in most cases the action doesn’t quit. You don’t get any “time outs” and while you’re trying to pull off one of these actions, opponents will find you easy prey.
A Civilization V AAR – XX
Just one question: Why doesn’t a computer game have the invention of computer games as a technological advance to research?
Brant Guillory, 3 October, 2013
Click images to enlarge
Plinking Barbarians
And if you look to the right, you’ll see I’m still finding ruins.
Hey, look!
Ruins!
