Savage: The Battle for Newerth

Last updated
Savage: The Battle for Newerth
Savage The Battle for Newerth box 2003.jpg
Developer(s) S2 Games
The Newerth Community
Platform(s) Windows
Linux
Mac OS X
ReleaseSeptember 9, 2003
Genre(s) Real-time strategy
first-person shooter
Mode(s) Multiplayer

Savage: The Battle for Newerth is a 2003 video game combining aspects of the real-time strategy and first-person shooter genres, developed by S2 Games. [1] It takes place in a science fantasy distant future when mankind has rebuilt society after the apocalypse, but is threatened by intelligent beasts led by a sorceress.

Contents

Gameplay

Savage is a solely online game, as it does not include a single-player mode. Each match takes place on a map of varying size. A single match has two or more teams, which can be either human or beasts (most maps have one human team and one beast team, but any configuration is possible). The goal of the game is to destroy the primary enemy structure — the "Stronghold" for the human race, or the "Lair" for the beast race. Each team has one commander, who plays the game like a real-time strategy (RTS), and additional players, who play the game like a first / third person shooter / Hack and slash. [2] [3] The human team is better at defense and ranged combat, while the beast team is better at offense and melee combat.[ citation needed ] A lot of gameplay is based on melee combat, which is notoriously hard to master and very different from most games. [4]

A commander is responsible for directing his team, constructing buildings and researching technology. [5] The commander is capable of creating a maximum of ten workers, which are NPCs that are fully controlled by the commander. These workers can be commanded to construct and repair buildings, mine resources and even attack other players or NPCs. Commanders can also issue these commands to the players on their team, allowing the commander to coordinate team movements and attacks. [2] Players can also receive buffs from the commander once the technology tree has been sufficiently developed. When a match starts, players may request to act as the commander. Depending on the game server's settings, they may either be promoted immediately, or the team must vote on the request. A match cannot start until both teams have a commander, although commanders may quit the game after the match has started.

The other 1 to 127 players on the team are the field players, that receive orders from the commander, which appear as visual waypoints. They can be ordered to attack enemies, mine resources, or construct buildings, although there is no penalty for ignoring orders. Some players can be promoted to the rank of "Officer" by their commander, which allows them to issue similar orders to other players on the team. Officers also grant a passive healing bonus to teammates around them. When a field player is killed, they are presented with the option to purchase units and weapons before spawning. The units and weapons that are available are determined by the commander's development of the technology tree and the amount of gold the player has (although players can request items from the commander if they don't have enough gold). Gold is obtained by killing Players, NPCs, and damaging enemy buildings.[ citation needed ]

Release

The game was released in 2003, was turned freeware on September 1, 2006, [6] and its source code was made available to the public. S2 Games have discontinued the game since, but its community continued developing it. [7]

Developed by a team at Newerth.com with S2 Games' support, XR was the most widely used continuation of Savage. It includes all improvements contributed by the Savage Full Enhancement mod, and adds better player models, new animations, new music, an additional 500 props for map designers, a reworked GUI and better support for mods, among other features. [8] [9] Unlike the original Savage, XR is not open-source due to concerns about cheating, which has been a problem in the past for open-sourced versions of the game. [10]

The official Savage XR website, Newerth.com, was closed down in 2022 but the community continues developing the game. [11]

Reception

Eurogamer awarded Savage 8 out of 10, criticizing technical glitches and the lack of any introductory tutorials, but highlighting the RTS-style gameplay aspects, accommodation for a wide range of player styles and good looking graphics. [14]

It won the 2004 Seumas McNally Grand Prize for best indie game.

See also

Related Research Articles

Metroid is an action-adventure game franchise created by Nintendo. The player controls the bounty hunter Samus Aran, who protects the galaxy from Space Pirates and other malevolent forces and their attempts to harness the power of the parasitic Metroid creatures.

<i>X-Men Legends</i> 2004 video game

X-Men Legends is an action role-playing video game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It was released on the GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles in 2004. Barking Lizards Technologies developed the N-Gage port of the game, which was released in early 2005. Players can play as one of fifteen X-Men characters, with the ability to switch between four computer- or human-controlled characters at any time.

Super Smash Bros. is a crossover fighting game series published by Nintendo. The series was created by Masahiro Sakurai, who has directed every game in the series. The series is known for its unique gameplay objective which differs from that of traditional fighters, in that the aim is to increase damage counters and knock opponents off the stage instead of depleting life bars.

<i>Hunter: The Reckoning – Redeemer</i> 2003 hack-and-slash video game

Hunter: The Reckoning – Redeemer is a 2003 hack-and-slash shooter video game developed by High Voltage Software and published by Vivendi Universal Games for the Xbox. It is based on the tabletop role-playing game Hunter: The Reckoning, and is part of the larger World of Darkness series. It is the third Hunter video game, following Hunter: The Reckoning (2002) and Wayward (2003).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S2 Games</span> American video game developer

S2 Games was a video game development company which was founded by Marc "Maliken" DeForest, Jesse Hayes, and Sam McGrath, based in Rohnert Park, California. They also had a development location in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

<i>Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings</i> 2007 video game

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings is a real-time tactical role-playing game developed by Think & Feel and Square Enix and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS. It is a stand-alone title related to the 2006 PlayStation 2 role-playing video game Final Fantasy XII.

<i>Savage 2: A Tortured Soul</i> 2008 video game

Savage 2: A Tortured Soul is a fantasy and science fiction themed video game that combines elements of the first-person shooter, real-time strategy, and action role-playing game genres. It is developed and published by S2 Games. It is the sequel to Savage: The Battle for Newerth and was officially released on January 16, 2008. On December 9, 2008 S2 Games announced that the game was officially freeware, with a paid "Premium Account" option that expanded certain aspects of the game.

<i>Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Dark Crusade</i> 2006 video game

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Dark Crusade is the second expansion to the real-time strategy video game Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War developed by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ. Based on Games Workshop's tabletop wargame, Warhammer 40,000, Dark Crusade was released on October 9, 2006. The expansion features two new races, the Tau Empire and the Necrons. Including the Imperial Guard from Dawn of War's first expansion pack Winter Assault, a total of seven playable races in this expansion.

<i>G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero</i> (video game) 1985 video game

G. I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a 1985 action shoot 'em up video game. It was developed and published by Epyx for the Apple II and Commodore 64.

<i>All Star Pro-Wrestling</i> 2000 video game

All Star Pro-Wrestling is a Japan-exclusive professional wrestling video game developed and published by Square on June 8, 2000 for the PlayStation 2. It was the first wrestling game published on this platform.

<i>Super Smash Bros. Melee</i> 2001 video game

Super Smash Bros. Melee is a 2001 crossover fighting video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the second installment in the Super Smash Bros. series. It features characters from Nintendo video game franchises such as Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Star Fox and Pokémon, and Donkey Kong among others. The stages and gameplay modes reference or take designs from these franchises as well.

<i>Pokémon Rumble</i> 2009 video game

Pokémon Rumble is a beat 'em up video game in the Pokémon series for WiiWare developed by Ambrella and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo.

<i>Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force</i> 2000 first-person shooter video game based on the Star Trek series

Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force is a first-person shooter video game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. The game was originally released on September 15, 2000 for Windows and Mac OS. A port for Mac OS developed by Westlake Interactive and published by Aspyr Media was released on November 20, 2002. Elite Force was ported to the PlayStation 2 by Pipe Dream Interactive and published by Majesco Entertainment on December 11, 2001.

<i>Heroes of Newerth</i> Multiplayer online battle arena video game

Heroes of Newerth (HoN) was a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game originally developed by S2 Games for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. The game idea was derived from the Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne custom map Defense of the Ancients and was S2 Games' first MOBA title. The game was released on May 12, 2010, and re-released as a free-to-play game on July 29, 2011. On May 5, 2015, Heroes of Newerth development duties passed to Frostburn Studios, with the development team moving over to the new company. The service ceased operations on June 20, 2022, but the game is still playable with the community's support.

<i>The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim</i> 2011 video game

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fifth main installment in The Elder Scrolls series, following The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006), and was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on November 11, 2011.

<i>Infinity Blade</i> 2010 video game

Infinity Blade was an action role-playing game developed by Chair Entertainment and Epic Games and released through the Apple App Store on December 9, 2010. It was the first iOS video game to run on the Unreal Engine. In the game, the unnamed player character fights a series of one-on-one battles in a derelict castle to face the immortal God King. When in battle, players swipe the screen to attack and parry, and tap the screen to dodge and block enemy attacks. Upon defeat, the player restarts the game as the character's descendant with the same items and experience level.

<i>Strife</i> (2015 video game) Multiplayer online battle arena video game

Strife was a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game developed by S2 Games. This is S2 Games' second MOBA game aimed to a more casual player base than Heroes of Newerth, most notably incorporating various gameplay elements that focus on heavily reducing player toxicity and introducing persistent mechanics outside of the arena, including Pets and Crafting. The game uses an engine called Kodiak which is based on the Heroes of Newerth with some improvements on lighting and physics.

<i>Dragons Prophet</i> 2013 video game

Dragon's Prophet was a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Taiwanese developer Runewaker Entertainment. After going through an open beta phase, the game was officially launched in September 2013. The game client was free to download, and no monthly subscription fee was required as the service was funded by real money transactions. On October 5, 2015 Sony Online Entertainment announced that they would cease operation of the North American servers on November 16, 2015. European and Taiwanese publishers continuing operations until May, 2020, when servers were shut down worldwide.

<i>Bloodborne</i> 2015 video game

Bloodborne is a 2015 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. Bloodborne follows the player's character, a Hunter, through the decrepit Gothic, Victorian-era–inspired city of Yharnam, whose inhabitants are afflicted with a blood-borne disease which transforms the residents, called Yharnamites, into horrific beasts. Attempting to find the source of the plague, the player's character unravels the city's mysteries while fighting beasts and cosmic beings.

References

  1. ↑ "Savage slips to July - PC News at Gamespot". CNET Networks. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
  2. 1 2 "IGN: Savage: The Battle for Newerth Preview". IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 5, 2002. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
  3. ↑ "Savage Updated Preview". CNET Networks. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
  4. ↑ "How melee works". Archived from the original on 2013-02-15. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  5. ↑ "IGN: A Savage Game". IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 22, 2002. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
  6. ↑ "linuX-gamers.net - Savage: The Battle for Newerth now Freeware". linux-Gamers. Archived from the original on June 8, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
  7. ↑ "Newerth Savage XR - About us". Newerth.com. Archived from the original on 2016-07-28. Retrieved 2016-07-21. In 2007 Newerth.com acquired the source code for Savage: The battle for Newerth and announced its continued development with the implementation of new features and content into the game via a patch named XR, incorporating previous community modifications.
  8. ↑ "Newerth.com - What is the community patch Savage XR?". Archived from the original on 2012-09-22. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  9. ↑ "Savage XR 1.0 Released - Full Details". 2012-09-17. Archived from the original on 2012-09-22. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  10. ↑ "Why isn't Savage XR open-source?". Archived from the original on 2015-05-01. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
  11. ↑ "Newerth.com Has Closed Down". Newerth.com. 2022-08-30. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  12. ↑ "Savage: The Battle for Newerth for PC". GameRankings . CBS Interactive . Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Savage: The Battle for Newerth for PC Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  14. 1 2 Bramwell, Tom (February 17, 2004). "Savage: The Battle for Newerth". Eurogamer . Gamer Network . Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  15. ↑ Kasavin, Greg (September 26, 2003). "Savage: The Battle for Newerth Review". GameSpot . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 29, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  16. ↑ Butts, Steve (September 12, 2003). "Savage: The Battle for Newerth Review". IGN . Ziff Davis . Retrieved June 6, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.