Gundam Japanese robots trash Tokyo in Bootfighter Windom XP
Kevin Spiess - Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 | 10:58AM (PST)
Cool free game features robots fighting, with online multi-player
You may remember the Capcom arcade game called Gundam Versus Gundam (or Armored Core). The game had a really simple premise: two robots square off in a arena, and try to decimate each other. You had swords. You had laser beams. Missiles. All the useful armaments that you'd expect a giant, 30 foot robot would be carrying. It was a pretty fun game.
Well now somebody has made a game just like that, but thankfully, it runs on Windows, so you won't have to lug a giant arcade cabinet around anymore. The game is called Bootfighter Windom XP SP2, and it was a made earlier this year in Japanese, but now some dedicated gamers have translated it into English.
Some of the game's features: first off, its completely free. It has online multiplayer. You can customize your robots to some extent (even adding your own voices and such). Like all good Japanese robots, you can turn yourself into a plane. You can also play in team versus team mode, challenging multi-mechs to battles, including AI-controlled warships and stuff.
If you feel up to it, make your own server, and post the IP down here. From what I've read there are not too many servers active.
The man behind this game is a Japanese gamer-hero named Y. Kamada. He also goes by the initials YSK, when he is keeping a low profile. The original Japanese page for the game is over here, and the translated version is found over here at mirror moon, which is a great site that has more translated games worth checking out.
Here's some bits of the README below:
=============================================================================== % Game Description =============================================================================== Choose various mechs, defeat your enemies, and aim for the highest score. Enjoy fighting others online as well.
=============================================================================== % System Requirements =============================================================================== CPU Over Pentium III 1GHz RAM Over 256MB Graphics Card VRAM64M DirectX9.0 Sound Card DirectX9.0
=============================================================================== % About Net Play =============================================================================== If you wish to set up a server at home, please open TCP ports 2123~2128 and 3123~3128.*
If one person lags, everyone lags.
Please adjust settings during game startup so the game functions smoothly.
*Note: Run Server.EXE to set up the game server itself.
It's funny how lazy bums like the folks behind the Gundam Universe Quake III mod have taken several years to do very little outside of tinkering with models, and just a few others with more dedication can spit out something like this in more than half of the time.
It's not the greatest looking game in the world, but as far as free online mech gaming (let alone anything Gundam-ish), the only other out there is Exteel, which I've just heard about a week ago. (gotta try that one too)
Bootfighter has no gimmicks though, as most free online games do. (Such as item shops and such)
Off to spread the word. Maybe get an online speed test going.
Gundam forum is pretty dead, so no bites yet. The game itself is nothing too special, but it still fun, free, and a very tiny download (something around 70MB for the two files needed). It looks very PS1 in design, but with new age shader features and blow-uppable (my word) buildings. The only thing that seems problematic is the targeting feature, which cycles targets. Since it's based on the Gundam VS games designs, it is autolocked and cameralocked on the enemy. Multiple enemies will be hard to see and can blindside you.
It's windows based, even the mechs are named after windows operating systems (hence SP-2 in the title).
Oh, side note: the sound effects suck. I'm going to try to sample some ripped gundam series sound effects, or borrow some from other games, just so it sounds a bit cleaner. I had ripped about 100 something gun sounds from various Ps2 fps games for use with mods for soldat a while back. Can just as easily use some of those.
this is pretty cool, but i would really like them to make a new Zone of the enders, they were what gundam games should have been! but i look forward to this one none the less
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System requirements are nice and low.
Not much into mecha, free or not...
But still, pretty cool, especially considering it is free...