



The Final Countdown: Guncraft


Posted by: David Sanchez

Fans of first-person shooters are often restricted to playing on developer-created maps that, while fun and interesting, eventually become predictable. Guncraft from developer Exato Games Studio looks to remedy that by allowing players to build their own battlefields, each one custom designed with its own features and elements. Think of it as online FPS action mixed with Minecraft, and you've got a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Set to launch this week on Steam, the upcoming voxel-based shooter will provide you with the tools to both build and blast to your heart's content. Let's take a look at some of the game's biggest features as we make The Final Countdown.

You build the levels

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There's something innately satisfying about being able to build a battlefield from the ground up. Some folks just have that creative itch, and Guncraft encourages creativity with its many building tools, allowing players to really go to town. Speaking of towns, if you want to create one, you definitely can. Guncraft lets you do anything from creating a small, enclosed space to a daunting, open battleground.

If you're one of those types who likes paying tribute to your favorite video games, movies, and TV shows, you can most certainly do that. It probably won't be long before we see levels based on Zelda, Halo, and other favorites, and it'll be a riot seeing if folks recreate popular maps from the Call of Duty and Battlefield franchises. Seriously, voxel versions of stages in those games could be golden.

Download levels and do what you want with them

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So many games put restrictions on downloading user-generated content. Sure, these games let you import levels and have fun playing on them, but you're usually not allowed to mess with pre-made works. Guncraft doesn't enforce those restrictions, so if you want to use the Voxel Importer to download stages and then tweak them up a bit, you can do just that.

You can do as little or as much as you want to a user-created stage. If you just want to infuse a bit of personality and add a few structures and vehicles here and there, you're welcome to do so. That said, if you really want to take a map and put your very own spin on it, you're free to completely overhaul the darn thing.

Oh, sure, why not import Minecraft levels?

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If you've seen some rad stuff in Minecraft (and let's face it, you have), you'll be able to import these creations into Guncraft, because why not? Speaking with publisher Reverb, I was told that the levels will be downloaded and then appropriately fitted to be compatible with Guncraft. So remember that recreation of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in Minecraft? Yeah, get ready to tear sh*t up all over Hyrule.

You can also build guns, because of course you can

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Okay, this is getting insane. Then again, isn't that the whole point? The Gunsmithing tool in Guncraft is yet another way to add your very own flair to the game. You can literally create any type of gun you want as far as appearance is concerned. Want to make a giant cat gun? Go for it! It'll look like your hand is up a feline's ass, but that's kind of okay (maybe). Perhaps you'd rather build something that looks like an arm cannon. Of course you can do that, and hell, you won't look like a feline-loving pervert. The size and design of your custom guns is left entirely up to you.

In addition to the look of the guns, it's also up to you to decide what type of weapons you put together. You can select from multiple archetypes and utilize machine guns, assault rifles, shotguns, and so on. You also set the stats, so you can focus on the exact type of weapon your character will wield. Oh, and if the hand-up-a-cat's-ass thing is still freaking you out, you can determine how your character holds the gun.

Stream the destruction on Twitch

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One of the biggest features previously announced for Guncraft was the integration. This is exactly what it sounds like, giving players the opportunity to livestream their battles and share the destruction as it happens. The best part about this whole deal is that there's no extra equipment required, so you can get to streaming with no hassle.

Guncraft has been in beta for quite some time now, but the official launch is just around the corner. Watch out for the game when it lands on Steam this week on August 9.


Tags: Guncraft, Reverb Publishing, Steam, Exato Games Studio

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