In this new series, I will cover Metaverse games and outline their community, mechanics and special features while giving my subjective opinion.
DRONE is a multiplayer shooting game where players fly drones around maps with the aim to kill enemy ones. It is free to download the demo, but I paid $20 for the full game. There are three main mechanics: Online multiplayer, Drone editor and the Arena editor (which is played separately to Drone at no extra cost). Keep in mind these features are works in progress.
PvP Multiplayer:
Each intense match covers a highly-detailed map designed by the game developers themselves. You have the option of two weapons, toggled by the scroll wheel, and can pick up boosters such as rockets and health packs. The two teams battle against each other in a bid to win more points than the opposing one.
As the game finishes, players then vote for the next map to be played and the match restarts. There is also an option to create a private match with friends (I may or may not host a tournament later down the line) and play on a private server.
A side of DRONE that I enjoy is its deep immersiveness. Because of the FOV and depth of field, I found myself tilting my head going around corners and making use of all the computer screen, something which many games lack. It requires concentration and keeps you active - which can get tiring and even jarring after a few games.
This part of DRONE gets a 4/5.
Drone Editor
Players have made fantastic use of the Drone Editor to create intricate models of either original designs or based on famous items, such as the Millenium Falcon shown above.
At first, I struggled to find my way around the builder, but after consulting the 'help' menu, managed to put together a drone myself. Here it is below: (please expand to get a better look)
And after discovering that the drone was airworthy, I naturally went to test-fly it but shortly after, realised I had built the whole thing backwards. Hang on.
It flies - surprisingly well. I'm very impressed with the ease of use for such a complicated-looking game and equally impressed with the level of detail, and the sheer number of assets available. The builder has a Kerbal Space Program feel, with each part having its own manufacturer and backstory.
Here is some footage I captured with my drone exploring one of the maps. (apologies for lag caused by screen recording software)
I give this feature a clear 5/5 as it is so easy to use for beginners with a plethora of building parts.
Arena Builder
After watching some Dev tutorials on the scenery editor and my previous drone design triumph, I was feeling confident with my building skills.
Here's the two-storey house I made:
You may think this little structure in the foreground took a couple of minutes to build. But no - I spent almost half an hour trying to work out the terraforming mechanics, tree placement and the odd floating wall pillars that kept appearing (seen below).
This part of the game scores the lowest for me. I found it extremely difficult to get assets on the same level as other ones, high pitched pings rang in my ears when I selected the wrong tool, and the labels for different modes constantly confused me.
I'm sure many will disagree with this, but the building tool needs lots of work and can only score a 2.5/5 on my scale.
Can you run this game on your Computer?
I reviewed this game on a high-end PC and achieved a stable 90 FPS (Frames Per Second) while playing on Maximum graphics settings with a 1440p 144Hz monitor (2K).
Here are my results for different settings and roughly what you'd get on different computers.
Quality | FPS on my PC | Low-End PC | Mid-Range PC | High-End PC |
Low | 150-190 | 70 | 100 | 200+ |
Medium | 130-160 | 50 | 85 | 180+ |
High | 95-105 | 35 | 60 | 120+ |
Very High | 90-95 | 25 | 50 | 100+ |
My recommendation is to try and find the sweet spot of just above 60FPS to allow for smooth gameplay - try turning on 'VSync'. Even on the low quality preset, the game looked very respectable - so don't feel obliged to increase the quality to sacrifice the game experience.
Conclusion
DRONE is an eye-pleasing, highly addictive game that encompasses not just PvP, but also design and architecture. I would highly recommend it - but as Shane said - don't buy it yet as Earth2 players will get it for free later down the line.
Overall score: 8/10
Toba, out.
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