5 The thinking man's fix for car racing
First off let me start by saying I prefer my MMORPGs to be sandbox and thinking-style. I love
EVE. I think web based games like Pardus are great. And Darkwind is no different from these games.
An unpolished gem at worst, but at best, it is the only game you can find in the market that is…like that. The MMORPG market is saturated with Everquest and WOW clones, and few actually dare to carve a niche of their own, to dare to stray the mainstream path and do something different.
Not Darkwind though. It is an amalgamation of many different types of games, yet it retains its own distinct style. It is, at its core, a strategy game, but at the same time it has RPG elements and racing elements.
Want to be a trading gang? Go right ahead, you can even put up notices on the forums to ask for escorts. Or want to be a bounty hunter? Sure why not! Or a pirate maybe?
Granted, these are basic elements in sandbox games, but there’s more to Darkwind’s architecture. The “sandbox” mode of it isn’t just a gimmick – it is the game itself. What you see is what you get, and what you do affects the game as a whole. If there are too many bounty hunters, pirate activity dwindles; and vice versa.
The physics in the game…by Crom, these are amazing. Combat/racing is turn based, meaning everyone will plan the move for the car, then end turn and watch the action roll out. While it sounds boring on paper, when you are in a race or deathrace, “exciting” is an understatement to describe it. You can literally feel the cars crashing, sliding and shooting. Every impact, every blow to your driver/car – you will feel the pain. The vehicles are controlled by many different factors – velocity, turning momentum, driver skill, terrain etc. It all comes down and churns out into a very smooth experience. You will really feel that great sense of achievement when you’re going head on with someone else in a race, and you win the race just by that small little margin. To date, no MMORPG has given me that sense of satisfaction yet.
If you’re an action junkie, there’s no guarantee you’ll like it, but who knows? I like first person shooters, I like RTS games, I like old school RPGs, hell I play practically every genre besides sports. I do consider myself an action junkie, but I still consider Darkwind a cult classic in years to come. So, don’t be scared off by “turn based driving” – stick with it a while, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised by it.
5 CW Table-toppers rejoice!
First off…if you are looking for an
FPS apocalyptic car game…look elsewhere; nothing in this game is ‘twitch-n-shoot’ for you
ADD/Redbully crowd.
Darkwind: War on Wheels is a TURN BASED, persistent world styled after the Steve Jackson table top game; Car Wars. You begin ‘life’ in the aftermath of a solar event as the Gang Leader of your own band of misfits and malingerers ( recruited in the Somerset tavern ).
Play is ‘free’ to start, allowing participation in arena and track events using supplied, generically designed vehicles in various venues: pure racing events ( where death is still possible ), Arena Combats ( multiple vehicles per side ) where the risk steps up a bit; to full-on Death Races! Get a handle on racing before attempting a Death Race and then, on your first, join one with single machine gun vehicles; your chances of surviving are much better!
You can play to your heart’s content in this style, but FULL enjoyment of the game will cost you about $6 USD a month, with a 3-month minimum subscription standard. So, be ready to shell out a mere $20 USD for three months of fun. As a subscriber, you now have the options of: Vehicle ownership; buy ’em, steal ’em, heck, rent ’em…then get out into the wastelands with some friends ( HIGHLY recommended for newbies ) or go out by yourself and die horribly in seconds.
Participating in the player-driven economy; owning camps capable of producing ‘rare’ equipment and vehicles and the ability to hoard equipment and vehicles in your very own Town Lock-ups also becomes available with subscription.
The game provides extensive Wiki entries on gameplay and the mechanics of the ‘stuff’ in the game. I highly recommend reading as much of this as you can stomach…the info’ is very valuable for surviving in the wastes.
New players can sign up right away for the “Driving School,” which takes you step-by-step through vehicle control and interaction with the controls ( mouse and keyboard ).
The world of Darkwind is a PERSISTENT one…that means, what you do today has lasting effects on your gang! DEATH of gangers is commonplace, especially amongst new players; so don’t get frustrated! There are always new gangers ( the lying basturds ) ready to join up at the local tavern. Your initial gangers are free: after that, a ‘small’ recruitment fee is required for each new ganger. If you wait 5 days to recruit a ganger, that ganger is FREE, also, and has the added benefits of ( usually ) better attributes, longer life ( although you may shorten that ) and the ability to advance further in skill development than regularly recruited gangers.
Once you have your gangers, are subscribed and have a decent handle on maneuvering the vehicles: it’s time for vehicle design!
There are a goodly number of varying chassis; each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Once obtained, YOU choose engines, weapons, driver and gunner positions, ammunition and cargo loads, tires, paint schemes and customization! Weapons span good old rams up to uber-rare Lasers and Radar-guided missiles!
Then, you decide how to run your gang and what to do. There are no set ‘good’ or ‘evil’ ratings: your actions decide your FAME and REPUTATION, based on how you play!
Actual gameplay consists of entering a pre-designed race/arena event or death race, using pre-designed vehicles, participating in leagues ( from on-foot ganger arena events with real weapons or paintball guns! ), ‘ladder’ competitions that provide valuable prizes to the top finishers, or going out scouting the wastelands…looking for the dreaded pirate gangs trolling the lanes between cities looking for ripe plunder…or joing their ranks and hunting the trade caravans that move daily between the towns ferrying equipment and basic necessities of life!
Player interaction with NPC traders and pirates has REAL effects on the towns in Darkwind. Bang on the pirates long and hard enough, and better equipment and more of it appears in the town shops.
Join the crazed denizens and hunt down traders and watch food and water get expensive ( yes, you must provide both for your gangers! ) and equipment in the town shops becomes scarce!
Get successful hunting pirates and watch the ‘heavy hitters’ start showing up when you go out into the wastelands looking for bad guys!
Smack down enough trader caravans and Bounty Hunters start jumping you!
Additionally…players can hire Bounty Hunters to smack down other players!
P-v-P is varied and always fun; from one on one encounters to camp attacks by multiple live players on both sides of the fight!
The game’s designer is also a player and trolls the forums and main chat room. Many game improvements have come from his manic interaction with his subscribers. A Rules Council made up of elected subscribers reviews and makes suggestions for game improvement based on subscriber contributions to the forums and in the chat rooms.
This game is STOOPID addictive! The combats consist of a decision-making period; vehicle speed and path, acceleration or braking and firing instructions are given here ( timed ) and then a turn execution, which moves each vehicle and carries out any firing actions ( or collisions…or explosions…or…well…! ).
Players can participate in the economy several ways: utilizing the marketplaces in each town or actually transporting goods and equipment in their own vehicles from town to town for sale in the markets or to the NPC facilities. The forums also contain a seperate ‘marketplace’ where many deals are struck! YOU are the only limit to expanding your gang in Darkwind.
This game was designed and implemented by ONE person and so is constantly being tweaked. The UI is not super fast ( think, 2-3 seconds to accomplish a task ) but is not ungainly in the least. It is browser-based, so 2-3 mouse clicks might be required to accomplish something. The designer is constantly upgrading the UI.
The main Chat Room is where all the pre-game activity takes place and wasteland scouts are announced and organized between multiple players. The ‘oldsters’ of the game are VERY willing to help new players, from giving advice, monetary boosts, equipment gifts and taking new players out into the wastes to participate in the combats there. Players of Darkwind: War on Wheels live all over the real world globe, from South America, to Europe, Australia and, of course, the states…so there are always other players online ready to join you in the wastes for some death and mayhem!
Scouting the wastelands gains salvage and new vehicles for your lock-ups or provides same for sale to other players or NPC’s, gaining in-game cash for your gang. I highly recommend going along on any Mega-Scout you can join!
Gangers gain skills in a large number of areas from everything they participate in, gaining skill ‘perks’ as they progress through their lifetimes. Gangers do die of old age, although the wastelands usually claim them first! Your gangers can become addicted to drugs and alcohol if they become disheartened ( low fame and reputation ) or you cannot provide food and water for them each week!
A week of real time equals a month of game time; so gangers recruited in their teens could ‘live’ in gametime for up to 8-10 realtime years!
The game only continues to improve, thanks to the game’s designer and the dedicated LARGE player base ( some of who help with the code! ).
I highly recommend checking out Darkwind: War on Wheels. And yes, it CAN be played at work!! ( and is! a lot! )
5
Having been a subscriber to Darkwind since Feb 2007, I can say with certainty that you will
NOT find a more addictive online game than Darkwind!
From my first race in 2007 to the present, Darkwind has grown far beyond my personal expectations of the game. I NEVER expected to be held by a game this long! Even my PS2 does not get as much game play as Darkwind does in my house!
Most of the descriptions you can read here of the game are accurate and to the point so I won’t bore the readers with a long-winded hype description of a game you SHOULD try for yourself!
In ALL online communities you will find griefers of all kinds and Darkwind is no different. The only difference is that the ones that DO show up in the Darkwind Lobby or forums don’t last long because we as a community are more mature than they are and we know what they are up to and as such they get tired of debating losing verbal battles against our community of well schooled, well spoken individuals!
One player said it quite succinctly….
“It’s easy to win a war of wits with an unarmed opponent!”
Read all you can about Darkwind and make your own decision whether this game is for you. I’m sure you’ll find the “Pros” will outweigh any “Cons” you may have read on any review post.
“Your scouting event is about to start, did you remember reloads?”
The community of Darkwind awaits you!
1 Horribly misguided.
Over 20,00 people have registered and tried the game. Some guestimated 1500 people have paid for full content.Yet darkwind has only retained about a dozen players. Why? Darkwind is the creators hobby, not his job despite the 30,000 us dollars he has made. He caters exclusivly to the inner circle of the 12 or so completely irrational players. Neither the creator or the 12 players seem to know anything about cars, guns, math, critical thinking and most importantly gaming. Seems like I’m bitter? Look for yourself. These guys are class A idiots and thier forum says it all. The idea of this game is what I have been dreaming about forever. I gave it more than a fair try, over a year. At first playable though simplistic, eventually completely unbalanced and off course due to the absolutly insane demands of the 12 crazy players.
If you like roleplaying in forums,endless time sinks and spoiled children who
WILL take thier toy home if you dont play the way they want you to, this is the place for you.
If you are a gamer or know anything at all about the genre, cars, guns, economics, or social interaction with other human beings. This is
NOT the place for you.
edit I would like to add that despite the above claims of over 190+ subscribers they could only muster 13 votes for rating and only 6 cared enough to post a review. Yes they have the money from the other 170+ people currently “active”. The truth though is that those 170+ have already quit and moved on. Just like the other 1500+ people who have payed and then almost immedietly quit. As soon as they realize that the content they just paid for is only really available to the “Dirty Dozen”, they leave. Easy money.
