// KOTAKU — GAMING
Steam’s Latest Super Hit Is A Massive 100-Player Warzone Simulator Fueled By Cash That Has Me Hooked
Let me tell you a story about Wardogs. It’s a little long, but I think it demonstrates the vibes and feel of this game. Keep in mind that this event isn’t anything out of the ordinary for Wardogs. It’s the kind of thing I experienced all the time in this newly released MMO FPS blowing up on Steam with over 300k concurrent players.
I was riding shotgun on an ATV with a random person. We were speeding through the woods. I could hear gunshots in the distance. That was our destination. War. But before we could get there, my driver screwed up a jump and we got stuck on a log. After trying to dislodge the ATV, we gave up and, luckily, flagged down a supply truck heading to our FOB about a kilometer away. The driver stopped, laughed at our situation, and gave us a ride into the war zone. We chatted about how close the battle was, and he said all he’d done this match was drive supplies from HQ to our smaller base out on the frontline.
Soon we arrived at our base and I spotted over a dozen soldiers buzzing about behind large walls of concrete and steel. The truck pulled up to the gate and stopped as the driver shouted out for someone to open the way forward. A moment later, a man with a British accent hopped over the player-constructed wall and opened up the big gate, letting us (and the valuable supplies we were carrying) into the base. Inside, I could hear a radio playing music. People were chatting as they grabbed supplies from the vehicle. I got out of the truck and tipped my driver for the ride. He turned around and drove off. Someone in the base had told him we needed more ammo, and so off he went to make another supply run.
My AK-47 and I made our way to the far side of the base to find more player-created walls and barriers. Suddenly, gunshots cracked the air. Two players dropped. I crawled over to one and helped him back up. I got a $100 tip for doing so. A moment later, two enemy players squeezed through a gap in the makeshift outer wall of the base. I used my last mag to drop them both before getting downed by a sniper I didn’t even see. As I was lying on the ground, a player dragged me away, and I could hear him talking to someone else. “Shit, we need more men over here and higher walls!” The other player agreed. I was revived and grabbed some bullets from the men I’d killed, then found a safe spot behind the wall to watch for more intruders.
The match I had joined wouldn’t end for another hour. This is Wardogs. It’s great. It’s also not going to be for everyone, but for those who crave a massive military shooter that plays as easily as modern Battlefield but with more tactical options, a slower pace, and moments of quiet, this might be the game you’ve been looking for. Wardogs will make the hours fly by before you suddenly realize it’s 3:00 in the morning.
Wardogs is a 100-player milsim shooter built around three teams of mercs trying to hold a zone located inside a massive map. What makes Wardogs different from many other games of this type is the economy.
Holding the control zone, killing players, healing others, building walls, and doing other assorted actions that help your team or hurt the enemy awards you with in-game cash. This cash is then used to buy weapons, gear, and other useful items like health kits each time you spawn. You can also use cash to tip people in your game. For example, if someone heals you, you can tip them with a quick button press. If a heli pilot gives you a ride and doesn’t get you killed, you can tip them after hopping out. And if you get downed, you can tip people for getting you back up.
What this all means is that every time you spawn into a Wardogs match, you want to make sure you make more money than you spent to buy your gear and guns. A little ticker in the upper right of the screen lets you know when your life has become profitable.
That might sound stressful, but really, making money in Wardogs isn’t that hard as long as you’re a team player. You don’t even need to get kills