src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/75409/preview">We
pride ourselves on being an intelligent species, but tell me this
– how intelligent can we be if we get shot over and over, and
keep going back for more? Human intellect aside, under controlled
circumstances, dying can be fun – as long as it’s
in a fast-paced action shooter, like the one released by Vogster
Entertainment,
called CrimeCraft.



CrimeCraft
isn’t your typical shooter. While there are
matches of variations on capture the flag and control points, among
other traditional shooter themes, the game offers much more. It has
taken a page from the MMOG book and added character advancement
including leveling, skills, quests (referred to as missions and jobs in
the game), crafting, guild-like gangs, and an in-game economy. So how
does it all mesh together, and is it done well?



I tried the game for the first time at a press event earlier this
month. Having never played the game, I had expected there to be a
little bit of a learning curve as I found my footing. I was pleasantly
surprised when I sat down, and after some quick instructions from the
Vogster crew on how to enter a match, the learning curve was minimal.
It plays like one would expect a shooter to play. And it looks like one
would expect a shooter to look, not being hindered by simplified
graphics that MMOGs need to consider. As the matches cap out at eight
players each, the game can be rendered beautifully and the gameplay is
smooth, quick and sharp.


style="width: 600px; height: 338px;" alt=""
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/75410">



At home though, I had a considerably different experience. The
performance was still very clean, but my troubles began when I
didn’t have a developer handy to guide me through the various
intricacies of the mechanics and interface. Granted, once in a match,
it’s pretty straight forward, and all the controls are as
intuitive as the next shooter game. It was actually getting into the
matches where I found my difficulty. The tutorial was there, but I
found it didn’t guide me through how to get into the matches
very well. The popup tips were somewhat useful, but there was a nagging
flashing “I” at the bottom of my screen that I
couldn’t, for the life of me, figure out how to click.
Eventually I drew on my knowledge of other shooter hybrids and hit the
tab key, which allowed me access to the rest of the interface.



The other issue I had as a newbie was trying to figure out how to
complete a mission that was in my journal. The mission was simple
enough – I needed to kill one rogue in a match. It told me in
which map to find them, but my frustration grew as when I found what I
thought was the
queue to enter the match, all I met were seasoned players of the game
who had no hesitations in popping a cap in my ass every 2.8 seconds.
There were no rogues, and no obvious way to complete my
mission.  My frustration levels grew rapidly with every death,
as I seemed to die almost as fast as I could respawn. No sir, I
didn’t feel welcome here at all. After about 30 minutes of
continuous death loops with no sign of the rogues I needed to kill, I
smashed the escape key on my keyboard and exited the game.



However, I was on a mission of my own, aside from rogues and elite
player sharpshooters. I wanted to experience the game as much as I
could in order to share those experiences with you, dear readers, so I
wasn’t going to give up that easily. After listening to a
couple of tracks of an old Yanni CD, I felt more centered. (In truth,
the CD annoyed me more than any game could, so I had a much better
perspective).


style="width: 600px; height: 338px;" alt=""
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/75411/preview">

I got back in game, this time determined not to log out until I found a
blasted rogue. I carefully went through all the components of the
interface, and sure enough, eventually found how to enter a PvE game
which was labeled as a Stockpile game. I entered the match, and
suddenly I felt vindicated. Not only were there computer controlled
rogues everywhere, but the only other players I encountered were
shooting with me, and not at me. This experience was much more in line
with a fun, memorable newbie experience, and after that little
discovery, I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of my play session, which
lasted several hours.



So, that’s the first experience in a nutshell. Do beware of
the learning curve when you start, but it is well worth taking some
time to figure it out, because the fun in the game is definitely there
once you end up in a scenario much more suited to a beginning player.



But how does all of this fit into the MMO aspect, you may ask. The
answer to that question is also what makes the game stand out.



As you complete missions and jobs, you’ll gain experience
like any MMOG. As you gain experience, your character will level up.
Levels don’t have a direct affect on a character, though. You
don’t gain more hit points, and a naked level 50 will be
identical to a naked level 1. The differences come in what’s
available to the player as they level. A higher level means access to
more skills, and weapons with more slots in which he or she can place
attachments. This can make a sizable difference on the battlefield as
weapons will be more responsive, do higher damage, fire faster and more
accurately the better the attachments that you have. Skills come in a
variety of flavors as well, allowing use of grenades, rocket launchers,
the ability to regenerate health and stamina, and even temporary
cloaking, making the player invisible for a short time. It’s
pretty clear how these advantages can sway the battle in your favor.



All in all, the game is a lot of fun once you have the basics figured
out. It can be played hardcore or casually, and offers a solid shooter
experience to either of those player types. So let’s talk a
bit more about what the Vogster team is doing now to get more players
in the game to try it out and have a lil’ bit o’
fun.


src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/75406/preview">The
game launched August 25th, and if player population is any
indication, it has not been picked up as well as it could have been.
You’ll quickly notice this yourself if you log in from day to
day, noticing that the player population on the one or two servers
listed at entry seem to always say “Low
Population.” You’ll also soon recognize that the
players you are playing with tend to be the same players as the day, or
week before. Opinions aside, what this tells me is that this game has
not yet taken off. Perhaps it’s due to the harsh experience
of the first-time player, or perhaps it’s due to a
proportionately new market segment.



Vogster Entertainment acknowledges that breaking into a market that has
yet to be explored has its challenges. Casey Dickinson, Senior
Marketing Manager elaborates.  “We knew that this
was going to be a game where value propositions were going to be tough.
It’s going to be tough to get people that are used to playing
shooters for free to pay for a box, and then pay for a sub. We knew
that was going to be a hurdle. So we’re addressing a lot of
that stuff.”



The team of 75 is entering the first stage of their plan this month to
increase the value of the game. October will see the first content
update and there are several changes and additions planned, not the
least of which is a change to the href="http://www.crimecraft.com/announcements/original-gangster-program-free-trial-announced">subscription
model. This new plan allows anyone to try the game and play
it as long as they like, free. A varied subscription plan is also now
available for $4.99 a month, in addition to a premium plan, which runs
at $9.99 per month. The difference between the three plans affects
which content can be accessed, how many skills a player can bring with
them into a fight, the level of customization available, and the rate
at which experience is earned. There are also advantages to buying the
box as opposed to the free download, and that equates to an included
three month premium subscription and a hoard of exclusive in-game items.



Further to an optional subscription, players can opt to buy gold bars,
which are used as the game’s microtransaction currency. With
gold bars, more customization options are open, including different
outfits and accessories, hair styles, and colors. All services
available through microtransactions are purely cosmetic, and will not
affect the player’s potency in the game. As an example, if
you find a cowboy hat that drops from one of the missions and has great
stats, but you prefer the look of your baseball cap, for about 25 cents
you can have the baseball cap take on the stats of the cowboy hat.



As for the rest of the planned content updates, soon players will see
an in game newspaper called the Sunrise City Times. This paper will
include gang achievements and player-generated content. Want to try
your hand at being a reporter or a writer? Now’s your chance!


style="width: 600px; height: 338px;" alt=""
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/75412/preview">



Several new NPCs are coming to the game as well, including celebrated
former UFC lightweight champion, Jens Pulver. “Lil
Evil” will be added into the game later this year as a
mission and job NPC. Additionally a Municipality Overseer will be added
to communicate more of the game’s story, which takes place
after an ecological disaster, forcing cities to build walls to keep
some semblance of order.



Gang hideouts will be expanded. Gangs can currently level up, making
more amenities available for their hideout, and this will be fleshed
out even more in upcoming content releases. Keep a lookout for bigger,
better cribs to hang out in with the rest of your gang. Gang webspace
is currently available, and gang forums are being looked at to be added
in the future.



Loot will be added to riot mode gameplay. Vogster analyzed that riots
haven’t been getting much attention from the players, so in
an effort to make them more appealing, they will become the only
PvP-type match where loot can drop.


There is no doubt, to me, about the enthusiasm and passion behind
CrimeCraft.
These guys love their game. You can feel this when you play
too, with some seriously cool skills and weapons. Apart from the brutal
new player experience, which again can be remedied simply enough with a
more intuitive tutorial, the only thing missing from the game to make
it an immediate contender is a healthy population.



Give it a try.
You’ve got nothing to lose when the free
trial opens up. And if I’m wrong, you can take a number to
shoot me in
the face.


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our CrimeCraft Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

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