Totally Accurate Battle Simulator

Totally Accurate Battle Simulator (TABS) is a ragdoll physics battle simulation video game developed by Landfall Games. The game is a satire of the battle simulator genre, and was released in early access on Steam on 1 April 2019.[1] A spin-off, titled Totally Accurate Battlegrounds, which is a satire of the battle royale genre, was released on 5 June 2018.

Totally Accurate Battle Simulator
Developer(s)Landfall Games
Publisher(s)Landfall Games
EngineUnity
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, macOS, Xbox One
ReleaseTBA (in early access)
Genre(s)Strategy
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

Totally Accurate Battle Simulator is a ragdoll physics battle simulator. The core gameplay consists of composing armies out of units in different factions using using in-game money, while having to stay under the budget in campaign mode, and then watching those armies fight. In the "Campaign" game mode, the player has a limited budget, and must compose their army to defeat a predetermined enemy army. Meanwhile, in the "Sandbox" game mode, the player is in charge of designing both armies, and has an unlimited amount of money to spend on units.[2] The two opposing armies are placed on opposite sides of the map; after the player clicks "start", they rush forward and begin to attack each other. The player can then move the camera around the map to view the battle. [2][3][4] A May 2019 update also added the ability to "possess" units during an ongoing battle— controlling them manually from a first-person perspective. The usual win condition is when all of the opposing soldiers have been killed; however, a May 2020 update added new win conditions, such as surviving for a given amount of time, or the death of a specific enemy unit.

The game features ten different factions (Tribal, Farmers, Medieval, Ancient, Vikings, Dynasty, Renaissance, Pirates, Spooky, and Wild West), each with seven unique units. There is also a "Secret" faction, which consists entirely of hidden units that can be found throughout various maps.[5] Units are priced based on their health, the damage they deal, and unique abilities. All factions have units ranging from weak and cheap to strong and expensive, allowing for strategic composition of armies. Battles can take place on a variety of maps, which correspond to the factions: the Tribal and Ancient factions each have three corresponding maps, while the Farmers, Medieval, Vikings, and Spooky factions have two each, and the others have one each. There are also 22 "Simulation" maps, which feature structures such as fortresses or narrow bridges. Custom battle scenarios can be shared with others via the Steam workshop.

Development

The game was made during a week-long game jam in a Swedish castle.[6][3] Landfall Games released the download for people who signed up to their website[4][7] in July 2016. The game was released in open alpha in November 2016, while the closed alpha was released in December 2016. The full version of the game was released in early access on Steam on 1 April 2019 for Microsoft Windows and macOS.[1]

On 9 June 2019 at the E3 convention, Xbox announced via their Indie Developers program that TABS would be coming to Xbox One in the Xbox Game Pass.[8] On 1 April 2020, a free "Bugs" DLC was released, which adds several new commands that can be turned on or off from the menu, such as Halflings turning into blackholes or mammoths being able to be stacked up into a tower, as well as the player being able to fire various projectiles during battles.

Reception

The game has been referred to as a "vibrant and goofy take on chaotic combat",[9] and has "silly graphics and kind of wonky body physics" which is part of the "charming appeal of an otherwise realistic simulator".[10] The game has also been described as "brilliant in its simplicity" and "outstanding".[4]

gollark: Yes, I suppose month multiplexing *could* be done?
gollark: Not really. As I said, there are 12 months and unfathomably vast amounts of causes.
gollark: It also doesn't, in my opinion, encourage good problem solving methodology, due to verbosity and a poor type system.
gollark: Java is not a low-level language and does not reflect computer innards.
gollark: It just means polynomials, but stupider.

See also

References
  1. O'Connor, Alice (1 April 2019). "Totally Accurate Battle Simulator is now in early access, totally". RockPaperShotgun. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  2. Chaim, Gartenberg (4 December 2016). "Totally Accurate Battle Simulator brings the wacky joy of fighting action figures to life". The Verge. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  3. Swearingen, Jake (22 August 2016). "I Used This Amazing 3-D 'Battle Simulator' to Answer All of Life's Questions". New York Magazine. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  4. Ashley, Kendell (21 July 2016). "TOTALLY ACCURATE BATTLE SIMULATOR Is Indeed Totally Accurate and Totally Hilarious". Nerdist. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  5. Campbell, Colin (11 May 2019). "For parents, TABS is an outstanding game". Polygon. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
  6. "TABS Press Kit". Landfall. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  7. Avery, Thompson (16 July 2016). ""Totally Accurate Battle Simulator" Simulates Accurate Battles, Totally". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  8. Jones, Ali (9 June 2019). "Afterparty, Totally Accurate Battle Simulator, and more are heading to Xbox Game Pass on day one". PCGamesN. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  9. Valentin, Christian (22 July 2016). "Totally Accurate Battle Simulator will deliver the most (un)accurate warfare yet". Kill Screen. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  10. Whittaker, G. Clay (15 July 2016). "Take A Look At This Goofy-Looking Battle Simulator". Popular Science. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
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