Combat Arms
| Combat Arms | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Doobic Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Nexon |
| Series | 1 |
| Engine | Lithtech |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Combat Arms is a free-to-play multiplayer first-person shooter developed by South Korea based developer Doobic Studios and published by Nexon[1].
History
The closed beta started on May 30, 2008 exclusively through FilePlanet and ran for one week. It ended on June 6th.[2] This beta was limited to users from North America, South America and Oceania. In the closed beta, 4 maps and 30 weapons were available. On June 26, Combat Arms went into in Pre-Open Beta Phase, whereby the game was open to the public, but it was still being tested and changed to prepare for Open Beta.[3] Pre-Open Beta was also limited to users from North America, South America and Oceania. The Official Launch of Combat Arms started on July 11, 2008. On the 8th of August 2008, Nexon announced[4] that a Combat Arms service shall be started by Nexon Europe, for European Players. On 25 September 2008, the Combat Arms Europe Teaser website[5] was activated by Nexon Europe.
Gameplay
Combat Arms is entirely a multiplayer game with no single-player mode, and contains 4 game modes: Elimination (Team Deathmatch), One Man Army (Deathmatch), Search & Destroy (Bomb mode), and Capture the Flag, and as of now consists of 9 maps: Warhead (factory), Pump Jack (oil station), Snow Valley, (a missile launch site in the middle of snow-covered mountains), Gray Hammer (power station), Junk Flea (desert junkyard), Cold Seed (snow-covered mine), Two Towers (communications tower), Brushwood (a small jungle map, with a down plane hideout), and Sand Hog (unknown map coming october 16th). Size is also important to the players of the game. Warhead (Medium), Pump Jack (Large), Snow Valley (Large), Gray Hammer (Medium), Junk Flea (Extra Small), Cold Seed (Small), Two Towers (Large), Brushwood (Small). Sandhog, the unkown map, is bigger than Snow Valley, which is the game's largest stage. Nexon also plans to add a single-player, campaign game type. Players who start a room, (known as the Room Moderator/Master) are able to choose the map, game mode, set score and time limits, and controls the weapons other players can use or not use, (for example, Melee only, or No sniper rifles allowed). Players are able to obtain in-game money known as gear points (GP) and experience after a match, allowing them to rank up and buy new weapons and equipment, such as armor, uniforms, and backpacks for their persistent characters. There is a rental system of equipment instead of actual purchases of the weapons and gear. The rental periods are 1 day, 7 days, 30 days, and 90 days, each rental period costing more in-game money. This rental period has caused much criticism to the game as players are upset that they cannot own weapons that they buy forever and that they have to keep playing to make up for the GP they used to purchase weapons and gear. The game design was based on a game known as Heat Project, a game made in Korea.[6] The game also uses a customizations system where players can buy silencers, larger magazines, and different types of scopes. Added quite recently, Nexon allowed Nexon Cash Cards to be redeemed for weapons and other virtual items in the "black market"; before, weapons could only be purchased through Gear points only. In the "black market", you can use Nexon Cash to buy mercenaries, player and clan reset stat cards, and an emblem for your clan.
Maps & Plot
Combat Arms has ten maps, each in a variety of different environments, like desert, snow, jungle and urban. The maps "Cold Seed" and "Snow Valley" are in a snowy environment, while "Pump Jack" and "Junk Flea" are desert. "WarHead", "Gray Hammer", and "Two Towers" are urban, and "Brushwood" is in a thick jungle. The latest map to be released is "Sand Hog". Another stage to be released in the future is "Rattlesnake", which has a similar look as Brushwood. All the stages have their own location in the world, due to the wide range of environments. In the map "Cold Seed", a mine named Oskrov is mentioned on the loading screen, suggesting it is in Russia. There is no specific plot to the game, other than that there is a war going on, involving terrorists. There are only a couple mentions of a faction, the United Alliance, in the map "Pump Jack" and "Two Towers" loading screen. Each of the loading screens display a hint to the player, such as mentioning various game controls.
References
- ^ "Combat Arms Explored". IGN. 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Nexon Announces Combat Arms Open Beta". Kotaku. 2008-02-23. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Welcome to Pre-Open Beta". 2008-06-26. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Nexon Announces Combat Arms Europe". 2008-08-08. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Combat Arms Europe". 2008-09-25. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Combat Arms Explored". IGN. 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)