Now that model rocketry has been banished from the American landscape in the name of Homeland Security, need something to take its place as a cheap incubator for young, budding engineers and scientists? Go out and buy the just-released computer game Robot Arena: Design And Destroy, a sequel to the original Robot Arena. It’s a simulation/arcade game based on robotic combat like you see on television. People make robots out of scrap metal and other junk and then try to destroy other people’s robots. Powered by the Hardcore physics engine by Havok, bots can now bounce, flip and twirl. Fragmentation of components will leave hunks of metal lying across the arena floor. The simulated game arena has ramps, platforms, hellraisers, sawblades, and other hazards, all supporting four bots simultaneously. There’s new graphics technology for lightmaps, environment mapping, realtime deformable meshes, and so on and so forth. But not all the action is in the Arena.
In the Bot Lab, players are able to create just about any robot design imaginable using basic components–motors, pistons, framework, etc.
Multiplayer will be using GameSpy for finding games online without knowing IP addresses. Initial reviews have been quite favorable; the game is rated E for Everyone.