



There's nothing like an open forum for trash talk and public humiliation.
For those of you that aren't aware, me and Steerpike are currently playing the Beta of Frozen Synapse, a multiplayer tactical squad based shooter by Mode 7 Games. The game is turn based and can be played in short bursts so if you're constantly wrangling with time and have trouble fitting in competitive play then it's a really convenient way of scratching that multiplayer itch without dissolving an afternoon. Depending on the game type, you take it in turns planning a set of movements for your squad in a bid to take out your enemy. When you're happy with your plan you 'prime' it ie. commit the turn to the Grand Server where all the games played in Frozen Synapse are stored. When your opponent has primed their turn the outcome is calculated then the next turn is ready to be planned and primed. This continues until only one squad remains. We've not played all the game types yet but so far I've been having a blast. I can't speak for Steerpike. He might be crying himself to sleep over his incompetence.
So far we've played a single game and it lasted about fifteen in-game seconds with Steerpike biting the dust in three turns. One of the great features of Frozen Synapse is the ability to create YouTube videos within the game so that your prowess/ineptitude can be shown to the whole world, but more specifically embedded in this thread right here.
Game 1: Gregg B (green) vs. Steerpike (red) – Best viewed fullscreen in 720p.



Lewis is a wuss, he needs to man up and get trash talking.
Seriously though, aside from the odd and sometimes temperamental interface I'm really enjoying it. Its just like the original Rainbow Six with the planning stage at the beginning of a mission, only multiplayer. I'm not sure how long the appeal will last but I'm amazed at how compulsive such a simple idea is.
By the way, I think that Lewis B the Girly Man is wanting to play this with somebody, so speak up if you're interested. The beta comes with an extra copy to give to a friend when you pre-order it so if you were to split it it would be about £8.50/$13 each which is very reasonable for such a unique (and unobtrusive) game. Not to mention you could compete with me and shoot at Steerpike like he were a sand bag.
There are some great videos here explaining the game's different modes and the gameplay basics.


@Gregg, it's hard to get a handle on the strategic nuances of this game when Steerpike was dead and the video over before I even got it expanded to fullscreen. What was it that allowed you to run rampant ruin over his flippantly footnoted footmen? Simply breathing?
My Dark Souls single player sensibilities are protected by a +10 GfWL Firewall of Ineptitude



To be honest, the videos are pretty lousy at getting across the nuances of the gameplay. In 720p you can see some of the manoeuvres but it's still very bitty, and short. That game is the shortest I've had yet but I put that down to me and Steerpike being new to it. Having said this, even the other games I've played that have lasted twice as long are hard to digest as a video in one viewing because there's simply too much going on at the same time and at such a distance.
When you're playing or even looking over a player's shoulder (as my brother did mine last weekend) you can see how much goes into each individual squad member's movements each turn. It's very tight and meticulous and in truth, as the orchestrator, a joy to watch back as your squad moves perfectly in unison (or not), taking out the other squad efficiently (or not). Mapping out each little detail takes a good few minutes per squad member possibly amounting to a good 5-10 minutes per turn and when all's said and done a typical game only lasts under a minute in real-time.
I'd recommend checking out the link above to get a good idea of the tactical edge that Frozen Synapse offers.




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