Age of Chivalry
Monday, September 7th, 2009Age of Chivalry is an awesomely different multiplayer game and not just because of the ironic title (chivalry being the second-last thing you’d expect on an online server short of a bored cheerleading squad). And King Arthur never declaimed “Advance o’er yonder point, thou fags!” It’s entirely different from every other source engine entertainment out there, because it’s got more melee than Smash Bros Brawl.
In most first person shooters a few desperate swings of your melee weapon fills in the few seconds between running out of ammunition and respawning. But the brilliant (and even-more-brilliantly-named) Team Chivalry have invented a whole new mode of melee combat. It makes use of classes, range, and flanking for a different death-dealing experience. A stamina bar promotes tactics (and eliminates the frantic flail-fest most crowbar-wielders will remember). It’s also free, so you’re only possible reason for not playing is “I don’t want to explode enemies heads with a warhammer.” Assuming you’re not that kind of wimp here are a few hints for your first Age of Chivalry server experience.
According to most movies life expectancy in the Middle Ages was about five seconds, and Age of Chivalry accurately recreates that (at least for beginners). It’s very different to anything you’ve ever played, and as a labor of love it has a lot of detail, a lot of work, but very little explanation of what you’re meant to be doing. Your first few games will see you spending longer in the dirt than actually battling but fight through the frustration and you’ll find a rewarding combat experience. Pass the time by trying out different classes so that you’ll at least know what to do when you get the chance.
The game is all about working with others, but not to the team-degree of Team Fortress 2. Running off on your own will make you feel a daring hero for a minute, then like a pincushion for about ten seconds, then like someone waiting to respawn for an agonizing eternity. Your health and stamina (ability to attack and defend) are constantly regenerating so it makes real sense to back off when you’re in trouble, letting your equally-tired opponent run into a fresh friend out to save your bacon. And hopefully not doing the same.
As a free Steam server mod there’s really no excuse not to play. Wildly different to every other “slightly differently painted gun” games out there it rewards patience and adaptation with some genuinely fun close combat and an actual, factual recorded stat called “Head Explodies” If that (and the not entirely unrelated ability to run around waving a giant warhammer) don’t convince you, you’re medically unconvincable and just wasted both of our time.