Zax: Suck my Heavy Barrel

I have to say that Zax online is everything I imagined it to be. And as long as you can get a decent connection (ping <250ms) then you should have a riot with the multiplayer games.

Having just finished a gaming session with JoWood's Plex (thanks again) - if you are a modem user, then hosting the session will be advantageous. Your ping will effectively be zero. When another player (ctx?) was hosting the game, I was getting a ping of around 250+ and the game was bearable, but when an extra player joined my ping zipped up to 300+ and the game quickly became unplayable. Presumably because the server is communicating with more people and the connection degrades because of more traffic. Anyway, the key is keep the ping down and Zax will be a pleasure to play.

Although the game seems like a straight forward blaster (that some people would call mindless) - the multiplayer game has got some tactical play that is necessary to use to become a winner. Certain parts of the map can hide a player, ready for an ambush. The lightning weapon is very good for hunting out and locating hidden players (mainly due to is long range and large arc of electricity). Grenades and proximity mines are always handy for a retreat making the hunter think twice about following. And I had a glimpse of a weapon the "Heavy Barrel" that is devastating in its use. Even more powerful than rocket launcher. One shot, one kill. Switchable electricity pylons and floor traps can provide valuable protection and also act as enemy detectors (because you can hear them go off). I really enjoyed the session. With a bit better netcode (allowing a number of modem players connect without too much lag) and a map editor, Zax could well become a large online community.

It certainly has a step beyond Diablo in that you can pitch player vs player using weapons and strategy to battle online in a fragfest, gem collecting, flag capturing way. It's pure action and pure fun. Time for me to find that Heavy Barrel gun again and sit in wait for Plex to run by. If I don't kill myself with the damn thing first.