Specific improvements in technology, both digital and physical, have an impact on our increasingly amazing world as it grows. Blockchain technology, Cryptocurrency, and NFTs have sparked tremendous interest in the financial sector due to their accessibility and simplicity of use to many individuals, granting them the opportunity to invest and earn income. Video games, since their first creation, have come so far in terms of their development, as new video games keep pushing the envelope in terms of immersion, graphics, and mechanics that have reached a level of realism that is indistinguishable from reality and digital while still accessible from the most powerful PC to the most basic of smartphones.
Despite the level of distinctions between these two technological developments, blockchain technology and gaming are emerging as new waves and products in the gaming industry and community as technology advances, emerging as GameFi or crypto gaming. A significant example of such is the development of Spider Tanks.
Spider Tanks is a fast-paced PVP brawler game with exciting tank fighting in multiple settings. Tanks can be customized by players with different bodies, armaments, and abilities, allowing for various playstyles. The game features a variety of modes, ranging from furious Team Deathmatch and King of the Hill to one-of-a-kind challenges like Chicken Chaser and Poultry Pusher. Diverse terrain provides strategic chances, while free-to-play tank options and armaments keep gameplay interesting. Spider Tanks delivers an exciting and diverse gameplay experience for casual and competitive gamers, with 20 unique learning abilities and the opportunity to play solo or with others.
What is Spider Tank?
Spider Tanks is an exhilarating PVP brawler that revolves around epic tank battles developed by an independent game development studio known as Gala Games and Gamedia. Similar to games such as World of Tanks, War Robots, Warthunder, Tanki Online, and possibly Crossout. The game allows the players to create vehicles based on various bodies, weapons, and abilities to suit their playing style. After the player has completed their vehicle, it can engage in different game modes, such as the classic Team Deathmatch and King of the Hill, to unconventional challenges like Chicken Chaser and Poultry Pusher, ensuring there’s something for every player.
Various maps offer strategic advantages and pitfalls to make the game more dynamic and engaging, adding depth to the gameplay. Also, Spider Tanks provides a range of free-to-play tank options and frequently rotating weapons, encouraging players to engage in experimentation and adaptability.
Players can also fine-tune their tactics and strategies based on 20 unique abilities, such as buffing their tank, deploying turrets, healing teammates, or unleashing powerful area-of-effect attacks. Spider Tanks offers a dynamic and accessible gaming experience suitable for casual gamers and competitive enthusiasts through solo playthroughs or cooperative gameplay with friends.
Development of Spider Tank
The development of Spider Tanks began in the early 2010s when a few innovative and passionate developers joined together to make the vision of an exciting and accessible PVP tank battle game real. Over time, developers from Gala Games and Gamedia persevered until they could manifest their vision by facing numerous challenges and iterations.
The game’s development method prioritized community feedback and player participation, with regular updates and enhancements depending on user feedback. Gala Games and Gamedia intended to design a game appealing to many players by providing competitive and leisurely gaming experiences.
Spider Tanks’ journey from concept to completion demonstrated the development team’s passion and inventiveness, culminating in its release to the gaming marketplace. The developers’ dedication to providing compelling gameplay, extensive customization possibilities, and an ever-changing gaming experience has contributed to the game’s popularity and longevity in the gaming industry.
Gameplay
As mentioned before, Spider Tanks is built on the theme of vehicle-based combat similar to games such as World of Tanks, War Robots, Warthunder, Tanki Online, and possibly Crossout. But rather than copying these games at face value, Spider Tanks is built upon the successes and innovation of each by implementing exciting gameplay features that make it a standout multiplayer tank combat game.
Varied Game Modes
Spider Tanks offers diverse game modes to cater to different player preferences. These include Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill, Chicken Chaser, Kill Confirmed, Capture the Flag, and Poultry Pusher. Each mode presents a unique challenge and strategy, from pure carnage in Team Deathmatch to the whimsical chaos of Chicken Chaser.
- Team Deathmatch: In this classic mode, the objective is straightforward – the player must eliminate the opponent/s more times than the opponent eliminates the player. It’s a pure test of combat skills and teamwork.
- King of the Hill: Teams must compete to control a central Control Point. Holding the point earns points over time, and the team with the most significant control after the timer wins. It promotes fierce close-quarters combat and clever placement.
- Chicken Chaser: A lighthearted mode in which players must collect golden chickens spread over the map. Points are awarded for depositing these birds into specific barrels.
- Kills Confirmed: Teams score by collecting eggs dropped when opposing tanks are destroyed rather than raw kills. This game pushes players to concentrate on both eliminating opponents and obtaining eggs.
- Capture the Flag: Teams battle to capture and hold a golden bird for the most prolonged period of time during the match. It combines offensive and defensive components in a fast-paced mode.
- Poultry Pusher: In this game mode, the player must transport a big poultry payload to a specific location while stopping the opposition side from doing the same. Coordination and strategy are required to move the chicken properly.
- Exhibition mode: A non-competitive mode for friendly encounters and practice. It allows players to experiment with team tactics and compositions without harming their combat ratings.
- Shooting Range: An important practice mode in which players can try out different tank bodies, guns, colors, and powers. It’s convenient for novice players who want to fine-tune their skills and preferences.
- Survival: The player can also compete in 1v1 engagements against AI-controlled foes, which allows the player to test their tank’s durability and combat skills. It offers a more challenging environment than the Shooting Range.
Customization
Similar to the game Crossout, Players can customize their tanks with a variety of different bodies, guns, and abilities. This flexibility extends to gameplay, with options ranging from agile hit-and-run tactics to fully armored tank configurations. This allows the players to customize their own vehicles based on what they want or on their own play style.
Players are also able to equip two of twenty different abilities, including boosts, turrets, healing, drones, and area-of-effect skills. Choosing the appropriate combination of skills is critical for success because it significantly impacts a tank’s performance and role in the squad.
Multiplayer Battles
Spider Tanks focuses mainly on multiplayer Player vs. Player (PvP) warfare, where players can compete in challenging 3v3 games that promote collaboration, coordination, and strategic planning. This allows players the option to utilize their skills with the skills of other players. At the same time, this keeps the game more engaging, as the devs have no need to generate a high-quality AI that adapts to the player’s skills, but rather, as the player’s rank increases, they will also face players of the same rank.
Map Variety
The game has several maps, each with its layout and environmental characteristics. Some maps provide tactical benefits such as shelter and chokepoints, but others emphasize open expanses for fast tank battles. The variety of maps keeps the game more engaging and not so repetitive for the players. At the same time, these maps have certain locations that can be exploited by a certain play style.
Options for Free-to-Play
Spider Tanks is a free-to-play game that gives users access to a variety of tank hulls and armaments that are periodically cycled. This accessibility means that players can enjoy the game without making a financial commitment right away, and at the same time, being free-to-play grants a large number of potential players a chance to play the game.
While Spider Tanks is free to play, users can gain honor, points, and Silk (in-game currency) by engaging in Battle Matchmaking. Winning teams gain additional tokens, increasing the reward system and boosting competitive play.
Regular game updates
Gala Games and Gamedia developers actively connect with the player community, regularly issuing updates, balance modifications, and new content. This dedication to constant improvement makes the gameplay exciting and dynamic.
Economy and Token
Despite the game being free-to-play, Spider Tanks implements blockchain technology in its in-game economic system. This then allows the players to play and earn tokens, specifically Silk, which is the primary in-game currency. These tokens play a crucial role in the game’s progression and customization. The NFTs in Spider Tanks are depicted as “Tank Body” and “Tank Weapon,” which can be combined to become a “Hero Tank.”
Like traditional and tank-based combat games, Players can earn Silk by accumulating honor and points converted into Silk. Regardless of whether the player loses or wins, they still gain Silk, but more can be achieved if players can win matches, contribute significantly, and get more tank kills than other players.
In the game, the Silk token serves multiple purposes. For one, it allows the players to purchase new parts such as tank bodies, weapons, colors, and abilities, expanding their customization options. This is particularly important for enhancing gameplay and tailoring tanks to individual playstyles.
Furthermore, Silk adds a dynamic element to the game’s economy by allowing players to create customized builds. Players can choose between the “Earning” mode, in which they use their own builds and have a chance to win additional Silk, and the “Non-Earning” option, in which they are allocated randomly generated builds, but only the winning team earns tokens. This option adds a degree of strategy and risk to the gameplay experience, making economic decisions a part of the gameplay experience.
Pros, cons, and criticisms against Spider Tanks
Like many current games of both cryptogames and traditional games, Spider Tanks has its fair share of pros and cons for players and criticisms towards conventional elements in the game and its implementation of blockchain and cryptocurrency systems.
Pros and Cons of playing Spider Tanks
For one, Spider Tanks grants the player a variety of game modes, which cater to the type of play style the player would like to engage. Whether the player prefers to engage in intense and traditional team deathmatches, strategic king-of-the-hill battles, or quirky modes like Chicken Chaser, there’s something for many players. This also makes the game more varied and exciting in the long term. Similar to Tank battle games, Spider Tanks allows its player to personalize their tanks with various bodies, weapons, abilities, and colors, contributing to the game’s depth and replayability. Also, the fast-paced battles are adrenaline-pumping and require both skill and strategy. Combining tank movement, weapon choice, and ability management keeps players engaged. Lastly, the Silk token system adds an absorbing economic layer to the game, allowing players to take risks for higher rewards or play it safely.
Despite the positive aspects of Spider Tanks, players must also acknowledge that the game has cons. For one, Matchmaking can sometimes lead to unbalanced teams, making matches less enjoyable for newcomers and experienced players. Lastly, the variety of game modes and other elements means that Spider Tanks has a learning curve. New players may find competing against veterans who have unlocked powerful tanks and abilities challenging.
Criticism against Spider Tanks
Although these cons are necessary for the game to exist, other criticisms can still be solved for the game to go forward.
For one, despite the variety of game modes and maps, players have made it known that there is still a need for map variety to keep the game and its gameplay fresh. Second, with the game being an online multiplayer, Spider Tanks may occasionally suffer server-related problems, impacting the overall gaming experience. Lastly, despite the game being free-to-play, there are elements of micro-transactions implemented in the game, which might compel players to spend real money on in-game purchases to access additional tanks, weapons, or cosmetics. Despite the purpose of such implementation being so that the game and its developers can earn income, this element can create Pay-to-Win concerns, which will always lead to an uneven playing field between players.
Conclusion
Overall, Spider Tanks is an exciting blockchain multiplayer game that is built on the vision of a dedicated team and gameplay mechanics such as tank warfare and customization options. Over the years, the game has further developed, offering various gameplay modes, from traditional team deathmatches to comedic modes like Chicken Chaser, and a customization system that allows players to fine-tune their tanks, creating unique playstyles and strategies. However, the game also has its fair share of issues, such as microtransactions and the lack of more varied maps. Despite these issues, Spider Tanks’ engaging battles, economic system, and continuous development efforts by the dedicated development team make it an enticing option for those seeking intense online tank combat. The game’s future is positive due to its developer’s dedication to game development and maturity through player feedback and fine-tuning, which has kept the game’s place as a competitive and enjoyable title in the realm of multiplayer games.
