Frozen Synapse: Red Release And New Valley Reviews/Videos

[cupogoodness]

Originally posted: http://arcengames.blogspot.com/2012/05/frozen-synapse-red-release-and-new.html

Our good friends at Mode 7 Games have released the Red expansion for their tactical heaven Frozen Synapse. They've added co-op, and a new campaign, and a new multiplayer mode, and...well, a ton of good stuff. It's absolutely jam-packed, and does more than just slap a fresh coat of (red) paint on one of the better indie games in recent memory.

Red's available now both through Mode 7 themselves and on Steam (both offering 15% off during the first week of release). The base game is also 50% off through launch week.

In Arcen news, GameSpy included AI War on their 10 Great Co-Op RTS Games for Comp-Stomp Fun list, while A Valley Without Wind reviews and video coverage are still trickling in as well:

Gamebreaker -- Indie Spotlight: A Valley Without Wind

Vagary.tv -- Review: A Valley Without Wind (PC)

Game Side Story -- GameTest - A Valley Without Wind (French)

Let's Play A Valley Without Wind #1: Getting Started by Deihlanos

A Valley Without Wind Pt. 1 and Pt. 2 by 1331skippy1331

A Valley Without Wind 9 Part Series by izTheJack

A Valley Without Wind 7 Part Series by Lcron55

A Valley Without Wind [PC Gameplay] by SmugglerWeb (Finnish)

[Wingflier]

Thank you so much for this!

Frozen Synapse: Red OMG I can't wait to play with my friends <3

You rock man.

Also, on the topic of the top-10 co-op list by Gamespy - I'm rather disappointed.

I've played most of those games against the AI (in co-op as well), and I've consistently run into the same problems that caused Chris to make AI War in the first place.  For one thing, there's usually only 4 difficulties:  Easy, Medium, Hard, and Unfair.  Typically, the only differences between said difficulties are the amount of resources the AI gets.  Their behaviors are almost exactly the same throughout.  They become very predictable, very quickly.

Some games like SupCom 2, have a few different "AI Personalities", but even these become very easy to distinguish and counter once you've experienced them a few times. 

Out of ALL those games listed, AI War is the only game that has the depth, personality choices, and difficulty levels to make it so that the players involved can never become too comfortable with their enemy - and even make it impossible to win without even coming close to using the hardest settings.  Of course, AI War is also the only game in the list that's built from the ground up to be Co-op only (let's be honest, for most RTS games, player vs. AI is more of a training exercise or afterthought), so it makes sense that it excels in every area that those other AIs don't.

Either way, I'm just glad it made it on the list. 

Anyway, thanks again!  I can't wait to play Frozen Synapse Red with my friends.

[zoutzakje]

It makes me sad to see that none of the comments of the 10 games list were about AI war, as if nobody knows or wants to know about it. People still seem to prefer games with better graphics over games with better gameplay. If I want to enjoy some pretty environments I'll just go take a walk with my dog in the forest. Don't need games for that. Oh well, their loss.

and hmmm, frozen synapse... I have it in my steam list for quite some time, but up until now I have never felt like playing it. I'll go try it out.

[Wingflier]

I accidentally bought an extra copy of Frozen Synapse Red, does anybody want the extra?

[chemical_art]

Me me me!

Please.

[Wingflier]

Alright brony, PM me your Steam account.

[Wingflier]

It makes me sad to see that none of the comments of the 10 games list were about AI war, as if nobody knows or wants to know about it. People still seem to prefer games with better graphics over games with better gameplay. If I want to enjoy some pretty environments I'll just go take a walk with my dog in the forest. Don't need games for that. Oh well, their loss.

and hmmm, frozen synapse... I have it in my steam list for quite some time, but up until now I have never felt like playing it. I'll go try it out.

Don't even get me started on today's gamers.

You know, it used to be that game development was actually about making a quality game that was deep and required skill.  Nowadays it's all about instant gratification and attracting the largest audience possible.  Becoming mainstream is what killed the gaming world, which is why nowadays, indie companies are typically the only people still making quality games.

Of course I realize that a game can become too deep and complex for the average player, and deciding where to draw the line can be difficult; but the question you should be asking yourself is: "Is this too difficult for the average RTS player to handle?" - not "How can I tweak the mechanics of this game to reach the largest audience possible?".

The recent Diablo 3 release is a great example of this.  The developers literally said they didn't want to add anything that "might make players uninstall", so there are no penalties on death.  And to make it even more obvious that it's all about the money, there's no LAN support, and you're forced to play online - even in single player.

As soon as money becomes your primary focus, you have already ruined your game.  Catering your game towards the largest audience possible means turning it into the McDonald's of the gaming world.  Sure, it may be a tasty instant-gratification now, but it's going to give you a greasy, fat-induced heart attack in your later life.  I like to play mindless easy-to-learn games just as much as the next guy, but I at least try and temper those with deeper, more complex games as well.

I think the fact that games like AI War go so relatively unnoticed in today's gaming world speaks volumes about what it has become.  Twenty years ago, AI War wouldn't have been some obscure indie co-op game, it would have been hailed as a gift from the gods.

[zoutzakje]

couldn't agree with you more my friend. I enjoy mindless games as much as I enjoy deep and complex games. I at least give games that look somewhat less appealing a chance, unlike probably most other "gamers". Even my real life mates often disappoint me on this matter.
And I agree. If AI war as it is now would have been released 20 or even 10 years ago, people would still be talking about it and playing it today (and Chris would probably be filthy rich ).

[Wingflier]

Chris would be a god among men