Also the first multiplayer online game where players could make totem poles.
CyberStrike was a multiplayer online game featuring 3D polygonal mech battles, released in 1993 by Simutronics Corporation, also the developers of the GemStone series and DragonRealms. Primitive and untextured by today's standards, it was quite groundbreaking in its day — being the only multiplayer 3D online game at the time of release. In fact, this distinction led Computer Gaming World to create an appropriate new awards category, which it won in 1994. Originally exclusive to the online service GEnie, eventually it was made available on AOL and Prodigy, and then moved to the WWW.A sequel, CyberStrike 2, was developed by Sony's 989 Studios and released in 1998 with considerably revamped gameplay, textured graphics, and a number of other improvements. It's still running to this day, the official site is here
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Tropes for the first game include:
- The Battle Didn't Count:
- A quirk in how kills are credited does not count grenades as belonging to anyone, therefore if you kill someone by simply lobbing grenades at them, it counts as a suicide. This was a griefing tactic known as "blind nading", and would be disregarded in tournaments. The player would have to land a shot before lobbing their grenades to get credit.
- A loophole in tournaments related to the above involved players pinging their enemies, then rocketing and launching their grenades simultaneously. This would allow players to safely kill their enemies while their suicide didn't penalize their team, though eventually the rules were revamped.
- Competitive Multiplayer: This is the Ur-Example, although the only objective was to score the most kills.
- First-Person Shooter: While technically qualifying, it doesn't invoke the images that most would expect.
- Jet Pack: The mechs have a limited ability to fly, but they require a consumable power-up to do so. Interestingly, the vertical speed boost stacked, which allowed two or three well timed rockets to launch you across the map.
- Kill Steal: Kill credit was determined by who shot last, and there were no assists, so this was a common concern.
- Mecha: Red or blue, a mecha is you.
- Player Headquarters: Two opposing corners of the map were the teams' bases, and the only location where items could be acquired.
- Player Versus Player: The original game is this. Absolutely nothing in the environment could kill players in the first game.
- Walking Tank: Players are more or less this, along with the ability to jump and use special abilities.
Tropes for the second game include:
- Long-Runners: If you include the open beta, CyberStrike 2 has run for 20 years as of June 2017, and is still going.
