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Forumwarz
Forumwarz is a multiplayer browser-based role-playing game that is a parody of Internet culture designed by Crotch Zombie Productions, a Toronto-based company run by Robin Ward, Mike Drach, and Jason Kogan. Written in the Ruby on Rails web application framework using the Haml markup language, the game launched on February 7, 2008. In the first month since the game launched, around 30,000 users signed up.
Forumwarz is notable for its humorous and sometimes ribald writing and references to Internet memes. Described as an "internet meta-game", it has been featured in both Wired News and DigitalJournal.com, and was described by Gawker.com as "stupid, insulting, and really damn clever". To ensure new players are aware of the potentially — and deliberately — offensive content of the game, players must confirm that they are "not offended easily" before they can begin playing. In August 2008, a second episode of the game was in preparation prior to release; it was released in Beta to a small number of players in mid-September. Crotch Zombie released Episode 2 on October 15, 2008. Prior to its release they provided sneak peeks and spoilers of Episode 2 content, while also reaching out to users to provide in-game content. Closed beta began on September 15, inviting contributors of Episode 2 to help test out the content. On January 20, 2010, Forumwarz released its third episode. As of January, 2017 the game had over 250,000 accounts.
Unlike many traditional role-playing games (RPGs), Forumwarz takes place on a fake, parodic version of the Internet. The primary battlegrounds are in the form of virtual internet forums, as opposed to the fantasy settings found in traditional RPGs. Parody themes include furries, script kiddies, Boing Boing, Apple Computer, ricers, 4chan, Ron Paul, Fark, gamers, Bill O'Reilly, Otaku, Cory Doctorow, and the Church of Scientology.
The player begins as a bored Internet user, searching on a parodied search engine (a thinly veiled analogue of Google). Soon their search query is interrupted by an instant message from "Shallow Esophagus", a mysterious non-player character who introduces them to the concept of "pwnage".
The player soon begins "pwning", or attacking, forums through various trolling methods. Following the first mission, one of four character classes can be chosen — "Emo Kid", "Troll", "Camwhore", or "Hacker". The player may also choose to stay as a "Re-Re", and later select the "Permanoob" class. The archetypes were chosen as the most "narcissistic and crude web forum stereotypes". As forums become increasingly difficult to pwn, characters earn experience points in the form of "cred", thus improving their statistics.
Forumwarz takes place on a parodic version of the Internet, and the interface reflects this with an Instant Messaging client, online shopping for virtual items and services, and Internet forum battlegrounds. The Instant Messaging Client is called sTalk, a pun on "stalk", and a parody of Google's IM client gTalk.
The combat system is turn-based, and the player is given a set number of forum visits per day that they use to improve their character and proceed through the storyline. The player may attack virtual forums, each based on a different theme, with various attacks suited to their character class. Attacks consist of posting varying obnoxious comments and trolling, via an array of attacks specific to the user class including "self-mutilation" (Emo Kids), "threaten to contact authorities" (Camwhores), "ASCII art attacks" (Trolls), "font changing" (Hacker) and Tech support (Permanoob).
While attacking, the virtual inhabitants of the forum will respond and retaliate, causing the player damage. The hit points used in most RPGs are replaced with "ego" in Forumwarz: if a player's ego is reduced to zero, the player is defeated. Players can restore their ego using the game's version of health boosts: anti-depressants. For each thread in a forum that is successfully "pwned," or derailed through persistent attacking, the player gains "Cred" and will be sent gifts from random Internet users as a reward the following day.
Hub AI
Forumwarz AI simulator
(@Forumwarz_simulator)
Forumwarz
Forumwarz is a multiplayer browser-based role-playing game that is a parody of Internet culture designed by Crotch Zombie Productions, a Toronto-based company run by Robin Ward, Mike Drach, and Jason Kogan. Written in the Ruby on Rails web application framework using the Haml markup language, the game launched on February 7, 2008. In the first month since the game launched, around 30,000 users signed up.
Forumwarz is notable for its humorous and sometimes ribald writing and references to Internet memes. Described as an "internet meta-game", it has been featured in both Wired News and DigitalJournal.com, and was described by Gawker.com as "stupid, insulting, and really damn clever". To ensure new players are aware of the potentially — and deliberately — offensive content of the game, players must confirm that they are "not offended easily" before they can begin playing. In August 2008, a second episode of the game was in preparation prior to release; it was released in Beta to a small number of players in mid-September. Crotch Zombie released Episode 2 on October 15, 2008. Prior to its release they provided sneak peeks and spoilers of Episode 2 content, while also reaching out to users to provide in-game content. Closed beta began on September 15, inviting contributors of Episode 2 to help test out the content. On January 20, 2010, Forumwarz released its third episode. As of January, 2017 the game had over 250,000 accounts.
Unlike many traditional role-playing games (RPGs), Forumwarz takes place on a fake, parodic version of the Internet. The primary battlegrounds are in the form of virtual internet forums, as opposed to the fantasy settings found in traditional RPGs. Parody themes include furries, script kiddies, Boing Boing, Apple Computer, ricers, 4chan, Ron Paul, Fark, gamers, Bill O'Reilly, Otaku, Cory Doctorow, and the Church of Scientology.
The player begins as a bored Internet user, searching on a parodied search engine (a thinly veiled analogue of Google). Soon their search query is interrupted by an instant message from "Shallow Esophagus", a mysterious non-player character who introduces them to the concept of "pwnage".
The player soon begins "pwning", or attacking, forums through various trolling methods. Following the first mission, one of four character classes can be chosen — "Emo Kid", "Troll", "Camwhore", or "Hacker". The player may also choose to stay as a "Re-Re", and later select the "Permanoob" class. The archetypes were chosen as the most "narcissistic and crude web forum stereotypes". As forums become increasingly difficult to pwn, characters earn experience points in the form of "cred", thus improving their statistics.
Forumwarz takes place on a parodic version of the Internet, and the interface reflects this with an Instant Messaging client, online shopping for virtual items and services, and Internet forum battlegrounds. The Instant Messaging Client is called sTalk, a pun on "stalk", and a parody of Google's IM client gTalk.
The combat system is turn-based, and the player is given a set number of forum visits per day that they use to improve their character and proceed through the storyline. The player may attack virtual forums, each based on a different theme, with various attacks suited to their character class. Attacks consist of posting varying obnoxious comments and trolling, via an array of attacks specific to the user class including "self-mutilation" (Emo Kids), "threaten to contact authorities" (Camwhores), "ASCII art attacks" (Trolls), "font changing" (Hacker) and Tech support (Permanoob).
While attacking, the virtual inhabitants of the forum will respond and retaliate, causing the player damage. The hit points used in most RPGs are replaced with "ego" in Forumwarz: if a player's ego is reduced to zero, the player is defeated. Players can restore their ego using the game's version of health boosts: anti-depressants. For each thread in a forum that is successfully "pwned," or derailed through persistent attacking, the player gains "Cred" and will be sent gifts from random Internet users as a reward the following day.