So Jaykul throws this link at me in IRC (which he is often wont to do). weewar.com. So I go check it out… and it’s pretty fun.

turn-based strategy game Weewar is a turn-based strategy game in which you control army units in an effort to eliminate the enemy before you are eliminated. The playing area is comprised of hexes (common to strategy games). The units range from light “troopers” to heavy tanks and artillery. Units are categorized into infantry and vehicles, and your strategy must take into account how well (or poorly) each unit attacks and defends against these two types. Each unit has differing attack and defense strength. Terrain types further adjust attack and defense.

needs polish Now, Weewar still needs a lot of polish, but this is implicitly disclaimed by the fact that you have to request an account by filling out a form on the site. They responded rather quickly to my request (within 24 hours).

It’s difficult for me not to compare this game to Battle for Wesnoth, another turn-based strategy game which I have a fair amount of experience in. Wesnoth is a lot more refined and balanced, but that is because it is far more mature. Wesnoth has many tiny (but meaningful) gameplay features and details which the Weewar developers would do well to imitate, or at least consider. For example, Wesnoth gives full visual feedback for every instance of combat, an issue I raised in the Weewar forums.

It’s easy to find players to play with because the game is popular enough that there are always a few dozen active players online at any given time. many active players You just pick out some random names of players who have declared themselves available for play, then start up a game and invite them to it.

Game play can be relatively rapid when two experienced players are going at it, but one of the great aspects about Weewar is that you can “pause” a game when one player has to leave. When it comes time for a departed player to take his turn, the game does not time out, nor does the browser window have to be kept open. The player simply comes back to the game whenever it is convenient for him, and finishes his turn. This could could be anywhere from hours to days later, and might even be from a different computer! Afterward, the game waits on the next player after that, who may be online at that moment, but doesn’t have to be — the game always waits for absent players. play at your own pace Game state is preserved entirely on-server, so players can play their turns as often as they want, whether in real time (you can watch your opponents while they move their units around and attack), every few hours, or one turn a day. E-mail alerts can be sent for those long, drawn-out games.

You don’t have to be watching your browser (or even have it open) while your opponents take their turns. Just use the replay feature, which lets you view the most recent turn, to see what your opponents did while you were away. Also, games are retained in an archive, and other people can replay entire battles. Spectators can also go to an active game’s unique URL and watch live as the war rages.

works in Firefox The game is basically unplayable in Opera, my browser of choice. But at least it works fine in Firefox, so I play in that browser. Here’s to hoping they’ll support Opera soon!

forum, blog, wiki Weewar has a forum/group setup at Tangler.com, a Javascript-bloated Web 2.0 discussion/forum site. There is also a Weewar blog, as well as a recently-born Weewar wiki which helps a little bit in filling in the void in documentation. The game is generating a lot of talk in the blogosphere.

Overall, Weewar is a very fun game, and anyone who has played Wesnoth or other turn-based, tile-based strategy games should enjoy it. It strikes a satisfying balance between complexity and simplicity. They just need to work on game balance and other usability issues. I expect that improvements in these areas will come with time as more beta testers keep churning out the games and providing feedback. The game seems to be very actively developed right now (there was some downtime for updates just yesterday), and the developers respond to feedback and participate in discussions.

Weewar looks great so far, and I’m eager to see it develop and mature. Go check it out!