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Exteel

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Exteel
Exteel logo mini.png‎
Developer(s)NCsoft
Publisher(s)NCsoft
Designer(s)Shin, Young Taek
EngineUnreal Engine 2.0
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
ReleaseSouth Korea December 4, 2007
United States December 4, 2007
Genre(s)Third-person Shooter, Massively Multiplayer Online
Mode(s)Multi-player

Exteel is a third-person shooter/MMO game published by the Korean game company NCsoft, and developed by NCsoft's E & G Studios.

In Exteel, players control giant customized mechs called Mechanaughts (much like the mechs seen in Virtual On and Armored Core with gameplay similar to GunZ: The Duel) into combat against other online players or against computer controlled enemies (as in Last Stand battle mode), though the game does not have a PvE part. The game features fully customizable mechs, as well as a variety of gameplay modes.

The game was released on December 4, 2007.[1] The game is free to download and play has a micropayment system through the acquisition of NCcoins, the virtual currency of NCSoft which allows allows players to purchase exclusive in-game weapons, skills, and parts.

Gameplay

When a player first begins to play "Exteel", they are given a basic, low-level mechanaught free of charge which they begin their careers off of. Through play, they will acquire credits which can be used for purchasing future upgrades, repairs, weapons, and Skills. [2] The player is given the choice to equip various weapons such as swords, spears, shields, SMGs, shotguns, rifles, and hand-held/portable rocket launchers (shoot solid slug projectiles) & cannons (self-guiding explosive or energy round).[3] to fully customize their Mechnaught. Similarly, all mechanaughts can be customized for different levels of armor, speed, and heat reduction according to the player's preferences by swapping out the head, core (torso), booster (backpack jump/thruster unit), arms, and legs. Paint colors can also be purchased for limited time (usually 30 days before expiration). Complete pre-arranged mechanaught "sets" (minus customized boosters and weapon arrangements) can be purchased with different playing values.

There are three classes of mechanaught to choose from in the game- Light (little armor and poor heat reduction, but greater speed), Standard (better armor & heat reduction, but slower speeds), and Heavy (thick armor & greater heat reduction, but poor speed). All parts of a mechanaught are based around these classes, with some being more balanced for one type than another.

Using specific types of weapon pairings, players can then purchase Skills- powerful attacks which can confuse and overwhelm opponents with their speed and fury. Skilled attacks are dependent on how many Skill Points (SP) a player has, and can only be used a limited number of times in a single match. Skills will expire after 30 days of play (not based on calender days), and will then need to be purchased again to continue their use. When using a Skill, a player's mechanaught will be momentarily invulnerable until the attack is finished. Also, when a melee-range Skilled attack involving physical contact is used (with a sword, shield, and/or spear), the victim's mechanaught cannot be controlled by the player until the attack has ended.

The gameplay is all about fast-paced action. There are 5 gameplay modes available, with a maximum of 16 players (eight per side) at any time, though lower numbers can be set beforehand. If a player's mechanaught is defeated, they can come back ("spawn") at no expense to their credits within a few seconds. However, their number of defeats in any match will appear on their record. All games are limited by a timer, which runs no longer than 12 minutes, and can be adjusted for shorter times.

Modes of Play

Most matches center around specified markers in the battlefield map called "aerogates". These are points of occupation that must be defended against for a positive outcome. An invading player can merely step onto one to begin a capture process which will take several seconds. (Multiple allied players standing on a single aerogate will decrease the amount of time it takes to capture.)

Around most aerogates will also be a small number (usually 1 - 2) of healing pads which will restore the health points (HP) of a player's mechanaught. However, healing pads have both a limited time of use for the allied side, and need time to restore themselves before they can be used again. Enemy players cannot utilize allied healing pads unless they capture the associated aerogate first.

Death Match

A free-for-all, no holds barred fight to the end where players go solo against everyone else in the match. Aerogates and healing pads are not involved here.

Team Death Match

Called "Team DM", it is the same as above, but you are paired up with teammates for group battles. Aerogates and healing pads are not involved here.

Territory Control

In "Territory Control", the main objective is to capture neutral and enemy aerogates. Every team has a main aerogate which is heavily defended, called a base. Capturing the opposing team's base results in victory regardless of the number of aerogates in control. However, in the event that the timer runs out without either team losing a base, the team with the most number of aerogates under their control would win.

Capture the Flag

Called CTF, players are split into two teams. Similar to Territory Control, but the aerogates don't count, they are just places to spawn. Also an added objective of making it to the enemy team's base, stealing their flag and run back to you own base. You have to have your own flag and your enemy's flag at your base to score 1 point. If both teams have the same number of points the match ends in a draw. The team with most points win. If a player holding a flag is destroyed, the flag is automatically restored to the opponents side after 10 seconds; the exception is, an allied player can grab the stranded flag before this happens.

Unlike Territory Control, the number of aerogates occupied does not determine the winning team. In other words, if your flag is taken, your team have to try and get their flag back.

When a player scores a point, it appears on the back of their mechanaught everyone to see, and will half the Maximum EN of the flag runner.

Last Stand

Players are lumped into one team (which can go up to 8), and they fight together to destroy large numbers of computer-controlled drone mechanaughts. The drones appear in large groups at one location near the allied aerogates. The allies' objective is to defend the aerogates against these assaults. If one aerogate is captured by the drones, the game will end early. The resistance and number of drones appearing at once can be increased only according to the difficulty level set by the master of the room before a game is started. The higher the difficulty level is set (ranging from 1 to 5), the higher score their is with each drone kill for the player(s).

An enemy base is created in an isolated location. This base is very heavily guarded against by drones and difficult to reach by any other avenues. Once the guarding drones are defeated, players can then engage the 'boss' structure: a glowing sphere atop a small pedestal.

The allied team must split up in order to engage the enemy base, while others must remain behind to continue guarding the aerogates from repeated drones. Destroying the base will not affect the rate of appearance or number of drones appearing in an assault. However, it will provide a bonus score to all players (even if they didn't participate in the raid).

  • The 'boss', Dudley Annihilator, is both more resistant to attack than drones, and fires an all-range energy grenade weapon which can easily destroy player mechanaughts within a few hits. This weapon is guided, and can follow player's movements once fired within its range. (I.e, if a player leaves its firing range, they will still be hit, even if dodging.)

For both Territory Control and Capture the Flag, stationary drone mechanaughts with powerful long-range siege cannons or rockets will appear to automatically defend allied aerogates. If an aerogate is captured, the drones' allegiance will also switch. Unlike the drones in Last Stand, however, these have better armor, requiring more hits for a single drone. If destroyed, a drone will automatically re-spawn after a few seconds. If an aerogate is neutral (i.e. has not been fully captured), no guarding drones will appear.

References