Asynchronous coop games?
Armand
Armand
Armand
Alatar
http://www.heromages.com/game/
Armand
Oooh, Looks interedting. I'll try the Flash version first before buying!
http://www.heromages.com/game/
Armand
Alatar
Neil O'Loughlin
I've not had a chance to check it out on PC, nor does it look like I will any time soon. Might just dump the full £2 on it if you think its worth giving a shot.
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Alatar
I know its not Co-Op, but this looks like a nice Async game, and its free
RAD Soldiers
RAD Soldiers is a turn-based, squad combat strategy game with explosions, 3D scenery and luxuriously moustachioed soldiers that you can dress as Frankenstein’s monster. Set in present day London, the game posits that, should giant rockets fall from the heavens and crash-land near my flat, teams of red and blue mercenaries will take to streets with a collection of oversized weaponry and silly outfits – all vying to stand near the smoking bombs for a slightly longer time than the mercs in a different colour uniform.
Gameplay
RAD Soldiers action takes place across a number of innocuous London locales, where two teams of mercenaries battle to control the mysterious and excellently named McGuffin Rockets. Play consists of moving your team of mercs about the battlefield, ducking behind cover, and using guns, baseball bats and a variety of special abilities to eliminate or hold off the other team long enough to score an area control victory.
As an old-school turn-based strategy fan, its pleasing to see that the team at Warchest have bucked the current trend and eschewed the move-and-shoot-or-special-power mechanic in favour of the more traditional action points system, with each merc having an amount of energy that they can spend every turn. This allows for a smarter and more nuanced level of tactics that’s really pleasing for the armchair general in me.
RAD soldiers draws liberally from the traditions of tabletop wargaming and never is this clearer than in the pre-skirmish set up. Before the game begins, a maximum points allowance is decided and the players then select their squad from the mercs available in their barracks and equip them. In a low points game, do you risk only taking your elite commando unit armed to the teeth or should you get all Stalingrad and send in poorly trained and lightly equipped cannon fodder?
While there is a single player challenge mode, the meat of the action is in the robust multiplayer. Finding a game is made really easy, enabling you to matchmake with a stranger or, through GameCenter or Facebook, connect with friends in moments. Following games like Hero Academy, turns take place in a streamlined play-by-email style, allowing players to compete as casually as fits their schedule. This feature feels extremely tight, and makes getting into a game as pain-free as possible.
Implementation
Like many of the higher budget iPad games, RAD Soldiers is based on the free-to-play model. While it is entirely possible to play the game without spending any pennies, much of the content sits behind a series of microtransaction fences and the in-game currency deliberately doesn’t amass fast enough to purchase any of the really cool toys.
And that’s totally fine.
Complaints against free-to-play tend to fall into two churches, either expressing frustration at constant pleas that the player buy something JUST PLEASE BUY SOMETHING, or that free-to-play usually means pay-to-win. RAD Soldiers minimises the first of these issues by smoothly integrating the shop into the design of the menus, making the player aware that they can always purchase a new hat or two, but without feeling that the game is desperately trying to flog you stolen perfume from a briefcase. Warchest have also have done a pretty decent job of avoiding monetising victory, following models like Planetside 2 and making paid for content a horizontal progression, with purchases unlocking a broader variety of options instead of necessarily better ones.
If there is a flaw is this particular example of the free-to-play model, it’s that the majority of the paid-for content isn’t a compelling enough purchase. There’s no question that the game is enjoyable and attractive, but I’m just not sure that the characters or extra guns make me want to spend money on them. It’s tricky to articulate the issue. The characters are highly stylised, in a style that strongly brings to mind Team Fortress 2, and each of them comes with a really charming flavour text, but as soon as you get into the battle, the mercs really don’t seem to carry their personalities well enough.
That said, RAD Soldiers really delivers on the expansion packs. At present they’ve released two, one of which consists fully of single player challenges, the second containing more challenges and, more importantly, more maps. Over the next few months Warchest plan to release more of these expansions, containing more maps, more challenges and – most importantly – more game modes.
Verdict
RAD Soldiers is a very solid turn-based strategy, perfectly built for online multiplayer and making full use of the iPad platform. Carrying the characterisation into the gameplay would not only improve the player experience, but also make play purchasing more likely.
Neil O'Loughlin
Looks like Frozen Synapes meets TF2...will give it a look when I get home.
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Armand
had a look at RAD Solider last night...has the type of F2P I totally despise. It’s a shame because visually its great and the gameplay is pretty good\solid. But with so much stuff behind expensive pay walls I’m totally put off.
Alatar
Armand
Hm,, the review said that none of it was Pay 2 Win and that it was perfectly playable for free?
Alatar
Anyway, Racer Feud is an IOS implementation of Formula De. Its all about choosing the correct dice (or gears) an conserving your tires, engine, brakes and bodywork. You need to stop at least once in each corner or risk spinning out or crashing. Its an async game and you can play for free ad supported, or buy the game for .89c. Extra tracks cost more money.
http://lindapp.se/racerfeud/rules/
Armand
Alatar
Just bumping a few iOS Async games for Eoin's benefit:
Hero Academy - Free, but extra teams are 1.79 each
Players: Martin, Neil, Jono, Planeit
https://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/hero-academy/id488156323?mt=8
Trivie - Free, but extra categories cost points, which can be bought also
Players: Martin, Eoin
https://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/trivie-battle-of-wits!/id510337121?mt=8
A Brief History of the World - €3.59
Players: Just me so far :)
A bit like a cross between Risk and Civ
https://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/a-brief-history-of-the-world/id490152130?mt=8
Tigris and Euphrates - €4.49
Players: Martin, Planeit
Really good boardgame implementation
https://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/reiner-knizias-tigris-euphrates/id471458190?mt=8
Ticket to Ride Pocket - €1.79
Players: Martin, Planeit, Jono, Neil?
https://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/ticket-to-ride-pocket/id471857988?mt=8
Carcassonne - €8.99
One of the most expensive games on the App Store, but brilliant
Players: Martin, Planeit
https://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/carcassonne/id375295479?mt=8
Bookworm Heroes - Free, with in App purchases, but not needed
Players: Martin, Planeit, Duck
https://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/bookworm-heroes/id567254043?mt=8
Feel free to add more!
Armand
On Friday, 13 September 2013 15:02:12 UTC+1, Alatar wrote:
Tigris and Euphrates - €4.49
Players: Martin, Planeit
Really good boardgame implementation
https://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/reiner-knizias-tigris-euphrates/id471458190?mt=8
Ticket to Ride Pocket - €1.79
Players: Martin, Planeit, Jono, Neil?
https://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/ticket-to-ride-pocket/id471857988?mt=8