World of Guns: a game about us
If I tell you that there is a video game where you can disassemble and reassemble more than 247 weapons, to visualize their operation, all in 3 dimensions and in free-access, you will probably tell me: no way! And yet, yes, this game has been around since 2014. It is available on iOS, Android and PC. Let’s take a tour of this great tool that for us, is the game from “Noble Empire”.
Genesis
For starters, let’s make clear that this article is neither a “product placement” nor a “partnership”: I chose to talk about this game, because this one, as you will see, has had a real influence on my technical instruction. The article was made with the watchful eye of the creators of the game, who answered all of my questions and to whom I addressed, before publication – by correction – the proof of this article. And I have, of course, taken into account all their remarks. That said, it is a work carried out freely, for and against the accused: I would not have published it under any kind of constraint… It’s not my type!
The story begins in Ukraine in 2008. There was an economic crisis at the time that led to the closure of many companies, including video game development companies. It was people from one of these closed companies who decided to study the possibility of continuing their activity independently. Their choice fell on the realization of a game for the operating system iOS, used on the very popular Iphone and Ipad. After various prospections, it was thanks to the viewing of a Glock disassembly video made for professional use, that Valerii Z. and Viacheslav K. had the idea of creating a game of disassembly and reassembly about firearms. And yet none of the protagonists of this story had the slightest gun base! It is therefore only armed with the Internet and without any weapons physically available that this incredible adventure began. After a colossal amount of work in research and development, “Gun Disassembly 3D” was launched in 2010. While the hype from Counter-Strike was still on (for those not quite so familiar with the video game sector, it is a game that has literally pushed the first-person shooter genre on the forefront of the mainstream stage), 5 very popular weapons were chosen for this first launch: the Colt 1911, the SIG P228, the Desert Eagle (obviously!), the Beretta 92FS and the Glock 17 … For those wondering what it looked like, here’s a quick overview:
Then the AK-47 (second type, please!) and the UZI were released. The success being at the rendezvous, the team decided to invest their earnings in the development of the game. The number of models therefore increased… And with this increase, the difficulties that go hand in hand: more modeling, more technical subtleties, more learning… and always more work! And obviously, with learning, awareness of the mistakes made… And the fixes that went with it: more work! The growing success allowed the game to emerge on computer. “World of Guns – Gun Disassembly” – WoG for friends – will be launched on Steam (one of the largest distribution platforms for digital video games) on May 21st, 2014. Obviously, the title echoes other video games major successes such as “World of Warcraft” (“WoW” for friends) or “World of Tank” (“WoT”, for friends) and clearly, the marketing idea (because it takes what it takes in this sick sad world) was excellent! If the first reviews on its computer version were mixed, a lot of work with the community was done to correct the errors of its youth. On a personal note, it was during this development phase that we had our first contact with the game team, more specifically with Valerii. If our first exchanges were around the “Gameplay” (and more particularly for those interested in such topics, on December 4th, 2014, through the Steam forum of the game, around the “Accelerator”), we quickly made our knowledge and resources available to the team (material, through pictures and video, and technical through many exchanges!) to make new models. We thus contributed to the documentation allowing – among other resources – the realization of some models such as the Bergmann-Bayard Model 1910 and PSM pistols, the Galil ARM assault rifleAn assault rifle is a weapon defined by the use of an "inter... More, the Ultimax 100 and PK machine guns, the pistol key (whose article by Gilles Sigro is here!)… and FG-42 Type G. During a stay in France, we even shared together a nice shooting session, in the blessed time when this type of activities was not totally subjected to legislation… Other times, other customs. The attacks of 2015 had not yet plunged our country into an additional layer of darkness.
And our participation is just one of many… but above all only a tiny part of the work accomplished! It is on the strength of this work and the resulting evolutions that at the time of writing, the game has about 18,000 reviews (including mine) on the Steam platform, with an overall “very positive” evaluation: 83% positive reviews. More than 100,000 players log in every week. It is therefore available on iOS, Android and PC, with currently, 247 weapons available, 16 “Premium” models and 10 shooting ranges (Pic.01)! We will now move on to detail all this.
An encyclopedic and competitive puzzle game
The game is a “puzzle game”, in the sense that the disassembly and reassembly of a weapon, especially on a digital medium that frees itself from the necessary tools and some kind of dexterity, can be similar to a puzzle. It contains – for those eager to learn – a notion of competition between players: the disassembly / reassembly operations are timed, and several charts display the best scores. Finally, a very “old school” vibe, which is reminiscent of arcades for the most senile of us … But scoring is by no means an imperative aspect of the game: everyone can play it as they see fit. Each weapon is discovered by means of a “tutorial” of field strip, then advanced disassembly / assembly, and finally through the operation of the weapon (Pics.02 to 05). For us, this last mode called “Operation” is clearly the masterpiece part of the game, and this without devaluing the rest: we played a lot on what constitutes the heart of the game, that is to say the operations of disassembly / reassembly. But in the “Operation” mode, you can see how the weapon works, hiding the parts you want, giving yourself an “X-ray” view and sometimes a sectional view and scrolling through time to your liking (Pics.06 to 10). Discovering this mode, for me, it was a kid’s dream, (yes … I really dreamed of this during my teenage years… Doctor, what is wrong with me?) which had just been fulfilled… The same emotion as the day when I shot the PPS-43 for the first time (it was my ultimate unicorn!)! It should be noted that this mode was, according to the creators of the game, the most difficult to create: absent from the first versions of “Gun Disassembly 3D“, it was created at the request of players. As already mentioned, the team is always very attentive to the requests of its community.
Once this learning part is over, the game can carry on: in the real “puzzle” mode (Pic.11). So, we disassemble and reassemble, without help, piles of weapons. To break the monotony of basic disassembly / reassembly (in real life, I must admit I never get tired of it but hey…), the formula comes in three modes:
- The normal mode, called “Game”: the actions of disassembly / reassembly follow an order (sometimes by subset). In order to earn more points, it is possible to get achievements: no errors in the chronological selection, actions carried out calmly (as in real life!), speed, acceleration bonus, daily ranking. In the end, the score is calculated based on the overall speed and achievements obtained.
- The “Super Game” mode: it basically uses the same formula as the “Game” mode but with a very small detail: not even the slightest mistake is allowed! Any error in chronological choice immediately results in the end of the game.
- The “Hardcore” mode: it still uses the formula of the “Game” mode, but here too, a difference: it is possible to disassemble several parts / sets simultaneously! So, the game is much faster.
Each mode has its own charts. Better than writings, you will find at the end of the article links to try the “Operation” mode, without even installing anything on your computer or phone support!
Finally, there is a “Paint” mode, which allows the most creative among us to customize the weapons from a graphic point of view… and to play using the fruit of this creation (Pics.12 and 13). If this mode clearly does not have our favor (… I’m not really an artist…), we are clearly not representative of the entire population and the craze around “Skins” in video games (but also customs in real actually…) is there to confirm that this mode is acclaimed by many players. The Steam Community Hub on this game will not make us lie about it! Finally, it is also necessary to mention here that the creators of the game provide players with beautiful “artworks” for many playable models (Pics.14 and 18).
To diversify the experience, the team also proposed some “Premium” models: vehicles, civilian or military, but also… skeletons (Pics.19 to 23)! Personally, we dream of a range of functional combustion engines… But we may be a little greedy! In the same spirit, 10 shooting ranges allow the firing of certain weapons: we will return to this subject at the end of the article.
The economical format of the game is a “free-to-play“, that is to say a game you play for free, but on which it is possible to buy a certain number of things. Thus, if the “normal” progression of the game (i.e., the unlocking of a new model in the progress tree) is done through the gain of “experience points” (XP) and “credits” in each game without spending any copeck, it is possible to unlock the models instantly through purchases. Several offers exist. We can only recommend the purchase of the “Guns Full Access”, which unlocks all the models of weapons currently in the catalog but also those to come… Because yes, the team has not abandoned the game since its launch and very regularly, new models are released. There is also a “cosmetic” offer, well known to video game players, which allows you to increase your palette, in the “Paint” mode.
So, is this only a video game?
Yes, it is a game, but above all, clearly one of the most complete and effective documentary sources on weapons technology that we know of, if not the most effective. Its creators refer to their game as ” the ultimate 3D firearm encyclopedia and competitive game”. Personally, we talk about this game after really having gone through it in any length conceivable: we are almost at 100% progress… really being stuck only on one “Premium” model… You will find out which one by browsing the pictures in this article!
Is this source perfect? None are! Even the LAI Publications website is not (crazy ain’t it?… Obviously, it’s second degree!). Are there any errors? Obviously, as on any support, especially as rich in references (as a reminder there are 247 weapons in game at the time of writing). The more content, the greater the probability of errors. What types of errors? Some will complain about an upside-down piece on the G3 (the cocking lever support) … others of an imperfect chronology on some animations (yes… your servant for example): but it’s just nitpicking. The database is simply exceptional. To avoid being deceived by these errors, how to proceed? As always: by cross-referencing the data! As already mentioned all the sources are potentially subject to error: even one of the most prominent specialists of the web let “typos” get through (and I am being nice…) in his most bombastic publications… Seriously, put the FAMAS bolt and LAI upside-down on a picture of a specialized book about French weapons… Really? But back to our topic: everyone makes mistakes! Therefore, we must seek to correct them… when it is possible. Because here too, it must be understood that if the digital format gives the layman the feeling that “everything is doable”, well it is not! Developers are sometimes prisoners of the engine they use (here Unity) or early development choices (but without which, nothing is created), or even of the community! On this last point, some weapons (especially the oldest models, including the AK-47 Type 2 which is the first long gun published) clearly deserve to be “refreshed”: but it involves a lot of work, to reset lots of scores, and especially the most advanced players in the game, who have sometimes spent hours perfecting their performances. If some weapons have benefited from this refresh (for example the UZI), it is necessary to be aware of the mass of work that this represents. So, you have to know how to be reasonable here and take advantage of the wonderful tool that is WoG, even if it remains perfectible! In any case, you will never be able to go without cross-checking the sources if you want to acquire a sharp and reliable knowledge, and this in any field. The advantage with WoG is that the source is very rich, overall, very relevant… in addition to being fun!
The tool is so powerful that we regularly use it in technical training courses for professionals as well as for our publications (Pics.24 to 28). As we presented him with the game, a trainer from a major gun brand, said to us – jokingly of course – “you want to put us out of work”? Behind every joke, there is some truth! Similarly, some YouTubers make significant use of it in their videos. And here too, with good reason: as long as the tacit rules of “Fair Use” (in its moral and not legal sense) are respected… that is, here, render unto Caesar, what belongs to Caesar’s! These images are those of WoG! People worked hard to produce them.
What future?
We mentioned earlier the existence of 10 “shooting ranges” in WoG. It was by wanting to deepen this experience – appreciated by number of players who found the concept not sufficiently developed in WoG – that emerged the idea of World of Shooting (Pics.33 to 41). It is therefore a question of offering a virtual shooting range, allowing the use of a wide range of weapons, all in a practical shooting environment and therefore dynamic. Here we find again the idea of international competition through charts and a progression system by XP.
The game is currently in “Closed Beta” (experimentation with a panel of selected players, to develop the game and correct its defects). We have the honor to participate in this adventure: if the prospect of shooting cardboard and gongs initially seemed less playful in a video game than that of knocking down zombies, demons and other soldiers of all kinds, one must reckon it does the trick. We want to progress, earn XP and credits, unlock equipment and “customize” those we own. Like WoG, the game is good, without a shadow of a doubt.
However, the team is not abandoning WoG: the development of new models continues in parallel. It is, by the way, interesting to note that the development of the two games goes hand in hand: WoG is a wonderful base for WoS.
In conclusion
It’s the summer holidays, it’s hot, you’re going to stay locked up (in a cool room?) … It’s a good time to get started on WoG! You will have fun and learn: what’s better? It’s even a safe bet that this game, like everything that solicits memory and reflexes, has very positive aspects for your brain… But we are out of our area of expertise! Finally, it is customary to give a rating when talking about video games: 19/20. We never reach perfection, but the finished product is exceptional for weapons lovers that we are… and absolutely free! Nevertheless, do not hesitate to pay a few coins if you like the content: it’s like for LAI Publications, there are people who work behind, and who deserve to be able to support their family with dignity.
Arnaud Lamothe
Thank you: the Noble Empire team, of course!
So, as promised, here are some links to test the thing without any constraint:
