Battle Racers Beta Gameplay and More

Battle Racers Beta Opens!

Ready to challenge your friends on the racetrack? On May 7th, Battle Racers Beta was opened to those who signed up and got accepted to test it out. Within the Beta, I was able to get a better look into how the game functioned and looked aesthetically. For those who do not know, Battle Racers is an arcade racing game by Altitude Games. The game will be launching within Decentraland's world and features an amazing car shaped building where players will be able to enter and play. Battle Racers will allow players to assemble their own cars and place them on the blockchain to create unique Non-Fungible Tokens. To learn more about Battle Racers NFT system check out this article.  

Beta Gameplay

Inside the Battle Racers building, players have access to two different race tracks to compete with other players or AI. Each corner has an easily accessible podium where players can choose from six different vehicles and equip them with gear. Each car can equip two different slots with the choices of missiles, shields, boosts, or traps. You are also able to customize those settings when standing by a race track for any last minute changes you may have. Races are comprised of four players and four laps per game.

Cars move by themselves, while the player controls when to use either of weapons you selected before the race began. Some may find that not controlling your car's movement defeats the purpose of racing games, but with an arcade theme, I think that it is a smart gameplay mechanic. The differences between each car's stats were not really noticeable during most races I played. However, only being a beta, those stat effects are most likely to be rebalanced before launch day.  

Strategy and creating a tactical loadout is needed in the game to win races. Cars have the stats of health, speed, power, steering, and weight. Health is how much damage a car can take before getting knocked out and respawning on the race track. Speed is the top speed the car can go on straights roads. Steering is the top speed the can goes on turns and power is the acceleration towards the cars top speed.

Using heavier and slower cars may call for choosing boosts as one of your weapon slots. Winning comes down to players knowing the limits of their cars and wisely utilizing their weapons as they have cooldowns between each use. One wrong move and you may end up in the last place with a desperate battle to catch up to the rest of the players.

I was hoping to get a look into customizing your own cars when the beta launched, but unfortunately, we do not have that choice yet. However, in the Beta, we get to try out six different cars with a variation of stats allowing players to test out different playing styles. Each car in the Beta has a unique look, bringing more anticipation of being able to assemble our own cars when the game fully launches. I personally found shields and traps to be a fun combo. Drop traps to slow down cars boosting behind you and activate your shield to protect yourself from missiles or traps blocking the road ahead. However, experimenting with all the cars and weapons is highly recommended to find your own personal gaming strategy.

Thoughts and Comments

Once Decentraland is live and players have mobility among the world, Battle Racers LAND parcel is one I look forward to visiting often. I enjoy the arcade-style gameplay that the game presents to the players. Along with being able to create your own unique NFTs and compete with them. I am also a fan of Battle Racers having unique Axie cars that can be acquired from purchasable crates but hope to see them practice interoperability in the future allowing for players to transfer and convert their own Axie’s into cars, even if there is a conversion fee. The blockchain gaming industry will only flourish more with developers allowing other NFTs to be converted.   

I hope to see Altitude games utilize smart contracts and other blockchain features to facilitate more gameplay interactions for players. I think an addition of an on-chain currency that is built as proof-of-play would be highly beneficial for the game. Keeping a non-purchasable currency in the game allows for the creation of aesthetic only customizations in the game. From colored smoke from car acceleration to confetti as your cars explosion effect. Possibilities are endless and will add incentive for players to stay invested. Players could passively earn it from racing, tournament events, and betting on races.

Battle Racers is looking to become a community ran and built game, with an on-chain currency, they can use it as a utility token for voting power on the future of the game. Being a proof-of-play token, it will leave the game at the hands of the true gaming community and not those with a financial interest. Utilizations of smart contracts can also allow for high-intensity races where players can bet their own on-chain cars. The more players can do with their NFTs the more progressive in decentralization Battle Racers will be.

Within the building itself, it would be amazing if Battle Racers added a trophy pedestal where the weekly or monthly top player’s car is featured to create competitiveness among the community to reach that honor. Only being a Beta test there is much to be added and changed. A few touch-ups on the players interface display when it comes to laps and informing the placement between the players while racing. Adding keys to use your abilities would be a nice touch as well.

Battle Racers Pre-sale

All things aside, the beta is wonderful and a great tease for what is to come from Altitude Games and Decentraland. The pre-sale will go live on May 15th and will feature sixty legendary car parts that will not be available again along with other unique parts. They will also feature 150 crates with limited Axie car parts for 0.1 Ether each.

Make sure to follow my social media and stay updated on Battle Racers and other amazing dapp projects. To be prepared for the pre-sale check out Battle Racers and have a MetaMask wallet on hand to make an account. Also check out their discord to stay updated, interact with the developers, and community  I look forward to seeing you on the racetrack once Battle Racers launches.

By Carlos, Decentralized Gaming

Disclaimer

This article is personal opinion and meant to inform players on an upcoming game. This is not financial or investment advice on purchasing anything on the game. NFTs work similar to cryptocurrencies and can be an investment risk so it is always encouraged to do your own research before purchasing anything in the blockchain space.