As some of you may or may not have noticed, (probably haven't) I've been trying to get TLers attention on FRAY. This is the first blog entry about this indie game which is soon to rule eSports. (Well maybe not but that's what I'm hoping for)



I - Intro

Describing FRAY is easy : It's a Turn Based Strategy game. Relying heavily on tactical positioning and cautious movements, it takes place in a dystopian cyber-punk future. You fight with your 4 member squad in a virtual representation of places of the lore i.e. Paris. I mean Killing people on the Champs Elysées. Ain't that awesome ?

II - Gameplay

So FRAY is a TBS. Is it like Frozen Synapse you may ask ? Well if FRAY is inspired by Xcom, it's not quite the same as FS. First of all, FRAY is multiplayer only. And FRAY has a timer system which, unlike FS, will put some faster paced gameplay into it. You got 30 rounds to kill 7 members of your enemy's squad.

You lead a 4 men squad. You can pick your own squad within 6 classes : Medic, Tank, Sniper, Assault, Support and Shadow. The game also has an xp system which allows you to get new equipment and stuff for the classes you use the most so you can get more out of these units.

So let me explain how the game goes : Every unit has a limited amount of actions points. Every action takes some actions points. Actions is stuff like firing, moving, healing, switching stances, weapons, using bonus, using equipment... And to decide what you'll do with these points, you have a grand total of 90 seconds.

Using all of these the right way is how you'll eventually manage to win. If FRAY is not taxing your multitasking as much as SC2 is, it'll stretch your decision making for sure. (unless you play noobs)

III - Eye Candy

Now that you all love the gameplay depth and stuff, time for some screenshots and artworks.
More in the spoiler.



+ Show Spoiler +

IV - Battle report

OK so this is a small battle report. (Oh really ?)

Map is Friedland Avenue : Big open map with a big ass main street and some small paths on the left side. This map is pretty straightforward positioning. There are very few sightblockers and it's fairly hard to surprise your opponent by making flanking moves.

I'm using my usual Sniper/Support/Tank/Assault team : Can take heavy damage. Can dish out some nice damage aswell. Also, great map control.
He has a Sniper/Medic/Assault/Shadow team : OK map control. Healing. Heavier damage than my team, but squishier.

I start at the bottom of the street my opponent starts at the top. I got double scan. I use one to spot his team immediately. His shadow disappears instantly. I know he's probably going to use it as a spotter for his sniper. First round is basically moving one towards each other, aswell as second round.

Third round, I use my second scanner sweep on my own team. I position my tank in the front, put down a Sentry B-Ball (auto turret) and get my assault to move forward a little. Good call. His shadow was right underneath my team. Gets spotted by the scanner sweep. Instant kill. I'm up 1-0.

I run up the street in the next round, knowing that his Shadow is still respawning. His units are all here. My sniper and support are attacking the medic as my assault is teleporting behind the sniper. Works almost perfectly. I get the medic and the sniper, but his assault is now rampaging my sniper and support. Hopefully, I have my tank around, which allows him to absorb damage with his aura. My sniper survives, and the auto turret gets some heavy damage on his Assault.

Next turn is full of win. I know I'm losing my sniper no matter what. I use it to cast a scanner sweep on my assault, which allows me to see the enemy shadow which had respawned. My assault gets some heavy damage down. As my sniper goes down my support puts down a respawn beacon and my tank and auto turret shoot his Assault down. I'm now up 4-1. His shadow goes down in the next round due to tank and assault damage. I try to back up with my Assault but his sniper gets it before I can do so.

As my Sniper respawns in the 10th round, i scan his units : His shadow is not up yet, time to take some of his firing power down. All my units focus the sniper. When it goes down, I know I've won. He does too. Last round is just a stupid focus on his squishiest unit left : the medic. I have all four units up. Assault with teleport and Sniper is enough to take it out.

GG

IV - Conclusion

I'll keep on posting battle reports here. Aswell as updates on the development. Also there is a big ass test on Saturday with the whole development team. If you're interested in the game, come around for a talk.

http://www.fray-game.com

It is available on Desura for 20 bucks. It's awesome, go get it ! You'll even get a second key for your friend.

Cheers