World War 3 alpha test friv game impressions

Shooter with modern methods of warfare World War 3 has gained a second wind and is already at the stage of "veteran" alpha test. The developers managed to improve something, something had to be abolished, and some problems never went away. Let's talk briefly and to the point.

The Farm 51 team, which distinguished itself in its time by creating the original NecroVisioN and not so long ago finally released a very entertaining Chernobylite , has somehow not worked out with the large-scale network shooter World War 3.

A few years ago, even before the appearance of their Chernobyl horror movie, the project was in early access on Steam , but neither optimization nor gameplay pleased the players, and despite a number of interesting decisions, the quality of performance could not compete with Call of Duty or Battlefield.

Last spring, the Russian company Friv2Online entered into a partnership with colleagues from Poland to provide The Farm 51 with the resources necessary to complete and improve World War 3, and at the same time become a global publisher of a military shooter .

So that players could feel the updated alpha version and formulate feedback, a test was initiated, in which I also had the opportunity to participate. And, frankly, the feeling of the game left ambiguous.

First, in a nutshell, let's clarify what World War 3 is in general. The project is a team (and now quite casual ) shooter in which players fight for supremacy on two currently available maps: right under the walls of the Kremlin in Moscow and on the territory of Polyarny. There are also two modes so far: the classic elimination battle and the capture of points.

In the course are technology, modern gadgets and the most advanced weapons. The class system allows you to customize the fighter's equipment to your liking, and the power-up system allows you to provide the soldier with tactical skills and additional vehicles.

“And why is this friv game then remarkable against the background of the same “Battles”?”, You ask. But there are still differences, both in a favorable direction for World War 3, and vice versa. On the positive side - the prospect of meticulously and in detail setting up guns, up to the ability to change some modules right in battle.

There are twelve classes of fighters in World War 3, and each of them has two types of weapons, basic and additional equipment, such as sets with first-aid kits and cartridges, grenades and mines, as well as a backpack stuffed with modules, pyrotechnics and other useful things .

You pick up magazines , sights, additional ammo, change the configuration of the barrels, and as you develop, you get more and more options for modifying and customizing equipment. In this regard, World War 3 is more like some kind of Escape from Tarkov or Ghost Recon Wildlands - the scope is huge.

With amplifications, it comes out a little more modest, but even here there is where to roam. Moreover, the gains are not tied to the class. The game offers six unique sets and another six custom ones . Each of them includes three player-selected skills with different point costs that fighters receive for completing objectives in battle.

Among the reinforcements there are tanks , and armored vehicles, and UAV-target designators, and artillery mounts. There are pinpoint airstrikes, there are jammers and drones to eliminate enemy groups entrenched in the target area, and much more, bringing amazing tactical variety to the friv game.

The developers took care of a convenient communication system between allies with the ability to request ammunition or a first-aid kit from a neighbor, and made it possible to “rise” near any of the members of the group, if he is not pressed by fire. But all this splendor, unfortunately, is still broken by the gameplay flaws of World War 3.

Among the most unpleasant moments: terrible, completely implausible transport physics and outdated animations (both movements and interactions with weapons). Sounds in World War 3 are also a problem: it is impossible to make out where the fire is coming from, enemies and allies run almost silently, and shots and explosions sound unnatural.

With explosions in World War 3, in general, everything is very bad. A grenade explosion is some kind of poor spark, a drone explosion is an incomprehensible flash, an airstrike is just black smoke in the areas where the projectile falls. There is no feeling that you are in the epicenter of large-scale hostilities due to the lack of at least some sane special effects.

If in the same indie shooter Squad the artillery rumbles and is animated in such a way that you want to jump under the table and start praying, then here you may not even notice that you are in a bombing zone.

Another weak link in World War 3 is the poor visuals . Models of soldiers and weapons look amazing, but the environment is the opposite - flat, with the simplest cardboard textures, "soapy" reflections and such a sad design (and color scheme) of the cards that the eye simply has nothing to catch on.

Back in 2018 , after the appearance of World War 3 on a large playground, the project seemed very promising to me. The Farm 51 has a lot of great ideas, but they seem to be very lacking in experience with network projects, which is why for one interesting solution there are several unsuccessful ones.

There is some hope that in collaboration with Friv2Online, the project will still be polished to a sane state, but if the game remains at the level that was demonstrated at the alpha test, even in the free-to-play format it will hardly interest military connoisseurs for a long time shooters.