Nearly a year ago, a little Korean gaming company called Nexon created a new FPS game with one intent: make it awesome, and free. In the beginning, things were basic: A couple of maps, limited characters, and a base set of weapons. The real kicker that got people into the Combat Arms community was one little word “Free”. That’s right, Combat Arms is completely, totally, 100% free.
Now, the first thing that came to mind when I first heard about Combat Arms was simple: Well, if it’s free, it’s probably not very good. I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. From the first time I signed on and joined battle, I was impressed with the attention to detail and almost utter lack of flaws (glitches, slowdowns, etc). As time went on, the experience only got better. New maps, additional character updates, new weapons, and more. Additionally, it seemed that their anti-hacking measures (HackShield) were doing a fantastic job. I played for more than 3 months before I came across my first hacker.
So, how does it work?
There are plenty of similarities between Combat Arms and its non-free cousins: You install a game client, register your account, and play on servers which provide different game modes and maps for free. Just like the Battlefield series, Call of Duty, and all the others. The main difference is that the Combat Arms client is also free, where the others all maintain a price. Additionally, Combat Arms does not (at this time) maintain single-player, co-op, or LAN modes.
This freedom does, however, carry with it a few burdens.
The aforementioned lack of a single-player mode. When I first started playing Battlefield 2 (my first real combat FPS after Counter Strike, which I hadn’t played in a few years at that time), I spent many hours in the single-player mode learning the ropes of the game, how to get around maps, how to work the vehicles, etc. It took me a solid month of playing individually before I ventured out into the real world with other players. Someone new to online FPS gaming might have a little trouble getting acclimated at first. Fortunately, this is mitigated by the server structure, where a few of the play locations are restricted to un-ranked and new players. This helps keep someone from feeling overwhelmed while they try to get their bearings in a new play structure.
The lack of a co-op and LAN mode make it a little more difficult to get in and play with your friends exclusively. This is made a little simpler by the ability to create your own channels and password-protect them to restrict membership. This is not something new to the online FPS world, but it was nice that they included it even in a free environment.
No built-in VoIP. This is not a huge issue in the PC space, but all of you chatty XBL players might find this a bit frustrating. Personally, neither I nor anyone I’ve played with to-date has really had an issue with this.
Small maps, and no vehicles. Since the game is free on all fronts, it’s expected that there will be some things that just aren’t there when compared to the big players. Truth be told, vehicles and large maps are very difficult things to maintain and keep track of, and require a lot of development and server horsepower. Several of the maps in Combat Arms are very small, making for some intense fighting and high scores, which increases the excitement in my mind. The largest map is currently about 2/3 the size of the average BF2 map, so crossing the entire field of play on foot doesn’t feel like it takes forever.
Sounds pretty cool, but what makes Combat Arms unique?
Something that Combat Arms shares with some MMORPGs, actually, is the ability to buy “Nexon Points” using real money which can be applied to your character in the game. Fortunately for people who can’t/don’t want to spend money to play the game, the items you buy are purely aesthetic, and can’t help you play the game better. This allows everyone to play the game based on their skill, rather than simply by who has the most cash on the server.
While many would, and do, complain that the inability to run one’s own servers in the Combat Arms environment, I find that it really helps to keep the environment stable. Since Nexon maintains strict control over the server environment, the possibilities for hacking and malicious behavior are greatly reduced. Additionally, some of the pitfalls that come with individuals running servers (network drops, shoddy admin practices, etc) are eliminated, creating an overall stability that some of the other games can’t guarantee.
The other major difference is that upgrades are temporary. Game Points, which are separate from Nexon Points, are earned through game play. Kills, captures, defenses, etc all gain you progress toward your rank, and also apply to your points bank, which can then be used to purchase your upgrades. You have the option of ‘renting’ a weapon or accessory for 1, 7, 30, or 90 days, with each rental period having an associated cost. The longer term you rent for, the less you pay per day for the rental. Additionally, ranking up earns you bonus game points, which allow you to keep renting.
The biggest benefit I have seen with Combat Arms, however, is the way in which the client handles older/less powerful hardware. The client (mostly) automatically detects your hardware configuration and adjusts itself to provide you with the best gaming experience. This is not just an adjustment of quality and detail settings. Computers with lower-end graphics hardware can play Combat Arms quite well, and compete with players that carry some of the best gear. In fact, my own brother-in-law could (before my beautiful HD 4670 was put in place) quite handily kick my butt with a 4-year-old Intel GMA graphics chipset (against my reasonably powerful SLi 7600GS cards).
Overall
So, if you haven’t had a chance to check out Combat Arms yet, head over to Nexon and get yourself hooked up. I think you’ll find it a fun and rewarding experience, and all for the cost of… nothing.
3 Comments