Running with Rifles

Running With Rifles
Logo for Running with Rifles
Developer(s)	Modulaatio Games
Distributor(s)	Valve Corporation (Steam) Desura (Desura)
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux[1]
Release date(s)	April 2, 2015
Genre(s)	Action
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Distribution	Download

Running with Rifles (stylized RUNNING WITH RIFLES) is a top down, open world, tactical shooter game published and developed by Modulaatio Games.^[2] There are currently servers based in Europe and USA but according to the developer, "as long as the lag stays below 200ms the online game sessions seem very playable".^[3] The maps can be up to 1 kilometer large. The game was developed in Tampere, Finland by Pasi Kainiemi. Running with Rifles has a simplistic art style to allow it to run on most computers.^[4]

Gameplay

Running with Rifles is a top down, open world shooter where you take the role of a soldier during a war in multiple different maps.^[5] The game allows the player to play however they want, the war will rage on without the player being there. This allows for looting of enemies, flanking and sabotaging the enemies.^[2] As well as multiplayer, Running with Rifles also has a single-player campaign where there are a lot of levels. This game requires skills in more than one area as the player will need to flank, communicate, attack and defend simultaneously, sometimes. There are upgrades available as well, most being for protection. There are also vehicles located around the map. The open world mechanic gives the player the ability to run around and capture any point on the map at any time.^[4]

In Running with Rifles, the open world aspect allows multiple different playstyles and allows for lots of different opportunities and ways to attack. The player can slowly rank up until they have an entire fleet at their disposal. The game is described as a simple to jump into and play type of game and only takes a few hours to get used to the basic mechanics of the game and has been likened to Cannon Fodder.^[5] The single-player has the same structural play as the multi-player version so therefore the player can learn to play either one and then play the other one without issues.^[6]

Game modes

There are currently (as of update 1.01), 8 different types of game modes. They are; Team Elimination, Teddy Hunt, Classic, Deathmatch, Minimodes, Invasion, Quick Match and Dominance.

Team Elimination

As the name suggests, in Team Elimination, you are required to wipe out the entire other team to win. This is one of the newer game modes so there are bugs and can only be run via dedicated servers.

Teddy Hunt

Teddy Hunt is similar to Capture the Flag in the sense that you need to collect items to win. In Teddy Hunt special crates are scattered around the map and when broken, a teddy bear will be left remaining. To make your team get a point, these bears must be sold to the shop (armory) otherwise they're useless. The other team needs to try and stop you from doing this whilst trying to do it themselves. The crates will be protected by AI.

Classic

Classic is similar to Quick Match but with a few minor differences; such as you can only capture 1 base, map rotation and a timer is in play.

Deathmatch

Deathmatch is a PvP game mode where every kill the player gets is added to their score. The player with the most points by the end of the round wins.

Minimodes

Minimodes is like an all in one. In Minimodes there are lots of sub-stages that involve all the other gamemodes. For the match to work, there must be a minimum of 2 players at all time.

Invasion

In Invasion, the player is put onto the same faction as everyone else. This is a co-op gamemode where you must work together to complete the objectives. There are official servers that host this gamemode, unlike "Quick Match". In invasion, all XP and RP gains are reasonably slower than the other game modes.

Quick Match

Quick Match is the game mode that's meant to be the shortest in length. In Quick Match, stock weapons are unlocked automatically, the players rank can be set to anything and the player can join any faction they want before the game begins. There are no rules to what you cannot capture, so all capture points are capture-able immediately.

Dominance

Dominace is similar to both Classic and Quick Match combined. Dominance tries to focus more on the strategic side thus the player has to be more consistent and there's slower progression.

Maps

There are 11 maps as of update 1.01, they are; Moorland Trenches, Keepsake Bay, Old Fort Creek, Fridge Valley, Bootleg Islands, Rattlesnake Crescent, Power Junction, Vigil Island, Black Gold Estuary, Copehill Down, Frozen Canyon. There is 1 PvP map, (The) Islet of Eflen. This allows for diverse exploration and lots of different areas to visit.^[2]

Development

Modulaatio is a one-man independent development team ran by Pasi Kainiemi. He started developing Running with Rifles during 2011.^[7] The game left pre-alpha on July 18, 2011. The game was then updated ~2 times during alpha before continuing into beta on September 14, 2011 where it spent most of its life. In 2011 he made the game available for pre-order.^[8] In 2012 the first Linux port was made publicly available^[9] and the game was put on Steam Greenlight,^[10] where it was later accepted and put onto the Steam Store.^[11] Two new King of The Hill maps were added and a single-player Invasion mode was added/enhanced during 2013.^[12] In 2014 the game was released onto Steam's Early Access platform^[11] and the first Mac (OS X) port is made available.^[13] In 2015, on April 2, the game left Steam's Early Access/left beta and and was officially released.^[14]

Reception

GameSkinny writer, "Jonathan Green" gave the game an 8/10.^[15]
Mod Vive writer, "Logan Launer" said Running with Rifles is the best if you're looking for a smooth running game, but if you want shiny effects, you're better off playing Call of Duty.^[4]
Kotaku writer, "Kirk Hamilton" said the game is similar to Battlefield and Hotline Miami together.^[6]

References

External links

• Official website