If, like me, you’re too garbage at coding to get anyplace in Exapunks (gained’t cease me from making an attempt although), however love the thought of programming a swarm of robotic minions to do your bidding, then Gladiabots may be for you. Released into early entry on Steam right this moment, it’s a sport about utilizing visible flowcharts to program the AI of a workforce of closely armed robots. Your purpose: Either blow up the enemy workforce, or play a profitable spherical of ball-dunking sports activities in amidst the hail of gunfire. The future feels like such a enjoyable place.
While the considered programming AI could also be daunting, Gladiabots doesn’t pressure you to sweat the main points. By utilizing easy, visible instructions like ‘approach closest enemy’ and ‘fire at X range’, you construct up easy conditional chains of actions that play out from left to proper, if a number of are in parallel. It feels easy at first, however you’re quickly juggling a number of unit varieties and aims, all of the whereas making your AI versatile sufficient to adapt to altering conditions. It’s initially accessible, however unfurls into one thing very advanced when you begin taking part in cyber-sportsball.
The present early entry model of Gladiabots feels ‘complete’ already, from what I’ve performed to date. There’s a tutorial and 60 solo missions, plus full asynchronous on-line play. Once you’ve programmed your finest AI workforce, you may problem others to matches. If your workforce wins, you stand up the ranks, and other people can problem your uploaded squad – it’s a bit Gratuitous Space Battles in construction. Over the subsequent 3-6 months (as developer GFX47 estimates), co-op multiplayer, new sport mechanics, playmodes and AI parameters can be added to the combination, fleshing it out extra.
Gladiabots is out now on Steam and Itch for £12.14/€13.49/$13.49.
