Spider Tanks Overview: Gala Games Glory PVP Brawler

Have you ever wanted to rage war with a tank designed in the form of a T-Rex? While you melt your enemies with a deadly laser reminiscent of Godzilla’s Atomic Breath? If so, Spider Tanks may be the game for you.

Just don’t be disappointed when you get ripped apart by a Whale Shark Tank or slayed by Santa’s Slay tank. This was more or less my experience with the game’s current shape.

However, I showed these giant crypto whales whose boss with the default sniper weapon! While I hid behind my teammates’ dollar tanks.

The game has a ton of potential, and if GAMEDIA can get Spider Tanks oiled and polished by its release on October 31st, they could blast the game into the blockchain stratosphere. Spider Tanks is in Beta and, consequently, is somewhat limited regarding active lobbies and available NFTs.

Spider Tanks: Gala’s Glory

At this point, I’m a blockchain explorer. I’ve bounced along the blockchain in Bitcoin Bounce and sloughed through many mediocre mobile games. I battled my way through space in a Mecha Starfighter in Phantom Galaxies, challenged the gods of Eucos in Gods Unchained, and experienced countless others.

I’m no stranger to the Gala network, either. I absolutely fell in love with Superior and cannot wait for more content to be revealed. However, today I will focus on Gala Games glory: Spider Tanks.

Now I’m in two minds about the Gala network. On the one hand, I’m excited by some of their projects, while on the other hand, there are others I wouldn’t touch with a barge poll.

This is mainly due to the scope of the games, in contrast to the cost of NFTs within the network, and the quality of content that has been revealed so far.

Then there’s my love-hate relationship with Spider Tanks. Yep, it’s one of Gala’s greats, but it does have some issues such as the cost of current NFTs and balancing issues.

However, I do want to note that Spider Tanks is in Beta; therefore, many features are yet to be released. Such as the Battle Rating system that will ensure balanced matches. So, with that in mind, let’s mortar our way into this!

Bottom Line-Up Front

Spider Tanks

Psst Hey! If you’re in a hurry, here is all the key information you need on Spider Tanks!

Long story short, Spider Tanks is fun in its current Beta form. Well, not on the surface, at least. You’ll be doing yourself a favor by hosting your own matches to play with bots.

This will allow you to play around with the game’s myriad of abilities and weapons without being spawn killed by expensive tanks and superior weaponry.

I really want to love this game. However, I don’t have thousands of GALA or USD lying around to get my hands on a new war machine of a tank. There were moments when I enjoyed working with my teammates to take down a team of juggernaut tank investors, which felt fantastic!

My favorite aspect about the game is that there are a ton of abilities to scroll through and equip your tank with.

Moreover, tanks are incredibly creative, with only two key components: a tank’s weapon and body. GAMEDIA has done an excellent job designing interesting and whacky tanks and weapons.

  • You can access the Spider Tanks Beta for free on the Gala Games website. All you need is to set up an account on both Gala Games and the official Spider Tanks website, and away you go!
  • Gala Games does not require a Metamask Wallet, unlike other blockchain gaming networks.
  • Spider Tanks will launch on October 31st, 2022.

The average gamer may be unable to invest thousands of dollars into powerful tanks. However, GAMEDIA will introduce a Battle Rating (BR) into the game on release, ensuring matches will be balanced. 

Arcade Tank Warfare on Steroids

Spider Tanks is a PVP Brawler so you can expect fast-paced gameplay, and fast-paced is what you’ll get. Each match lasts only a couple of minutes.

In this little time window, I was subject to all-out war where I had to dodge barrages of Rocket Artilerry, burning projectiles from the Lava Launcher, and shots from my most feared weapon, the powerful Laser Blaster. I must praise Spider Tanks as there really are an abundant amount of weapons in the game.

Spider Tanks will take you to all kinds of places, from jungles, fortresses, saloon towns, and even the Arctic, all displayed from a top-down perspective.

The maps are great as there are lots of cover to hide behind, health packs to control, and lanes to crawl, drive and hover through to get a flank on the opponent.

As I said before, Spider Tanks is in Beta at the moment, meaning the build I’ve got my hands on is all but a tiny peek of its final form. Despite massive problems with finding matches.

I had a bit of fun messing around with the rotating default tanks. Although abysmally weak in contrast to the power of large sums of money, *cough, I mean NFT tanks. They were a great insight into the creativity behind the many kinds of tanks in the game, both aesthetically and mechanically.

Game Modes

Capture the Flag

There are three types of game modes in Spider Tanks: Team Deathmatch, Hold the Flag, and my favorite, Chicken Chaser. Although only limited to three game modes, each game mode brings something to the table to create a unique match.

Whether it’s the sheer number of weapon types, abilities, and tank combinations or the isometric map view, matches feel fun and full of energy!

Team Deathmatch

Team Deathmatch is your standard PVP game mode. Two teams must fight to the death by either using brute force or strategy. The team with the highest number of kills at the end of the match wins.

I normally prefer objective games over the standard shoot ’em up until the time runs out game modes. However, Spider Tanks’ sheer volume of combinations can lead to some tremendous strategic moments. For example, I ran my tank with a

For example, I equipped my tank with a repair gun that healed my teammates while dealing damage to my opponents. Moreover, turrets and shields can be deployed to support teammates. That said, team synergy has much more depth in the following two game modes.

HODL The Flag

HOL the Flag, I mean Hold the Flag (you can have that one for free, GAMEDIA) is a fantastic game mode where two teams must fight over control over a flag. The team that holds the flag for the most amount of time wins. I think this is a great game mode as it leads to some pretty intense moments.

I remember finally getting hold of the flag, and suddenly the cat and mouse dynamic came into play. I frantically scurried around, trying to avoid the enemy team’s monstrous tanks while my teammate desperately tried to keep me healed.

The game mode is entertaining as the dynamic quickly interchanges between attacking and defending. Moreover, the game modes objectives warrant considerable thought of team composition and the build of a tank.

For example, a team might benefit significantly from a fast-moving tank featuring the Flea or Blink body, allowing a team to stay mobile with the flag. In addition, a tank wielding a Repair Artilerry could zone out enemies and simultaneously heal the flag holder.

Chicken Chaser

Chicken Chaser

Chicken Chaser is by far my favorite game mode in Spider Tanks. It’s not only fun but challenging, but what is all the hype? I hear you ask.

Well, in Chicken Chaser, two teams go head to head in a battle of chicken collecting. Yes, you read that correctly! Chickens will spawn randomly around the map, and it’s both teams’ jobs to recover them and then rush them back to the drop-off point.

There are multiple drop-off zones to ensure no team hogs the zone. Tanks can pick up as many chickens as they want. However, be careful because if you are killed, all your chickens will be free for the taking.

Furthermore, dropping off your chickens takes a couple of seconds, and the more chickens you have, the longer this process will take. As a result, it’s very easy to get ambushed while dropping them off.

This may sound like a silly game mode. You would never see Captain Price or Master Cheif collecting chickens. However, there’s nothing serious about Spider Tanks as Santa’s Sled can be seen slipping around and Snoop Dogg’s lowrider. There is, in fact, a ton of fun and strategy to be had.

For one, I discovered that the Fire Artillery and Brambler were highly effective weapons in Chicken Chaser, thanks to them dealing damage followed by an AOE (area of effect) DOT (damage over time) effect that enabled me to zone out opponents from dropping off their chickens.

What I Like Spider Tanks Gameplay

Get caught out alone in Spider Tanks, and you’ll easily be picked off. The game modes offer only three vs. three matches, heightening the tension and need for teamwork.

Although three players don’t sound like a lot, there is more than enough on the screen. The effects of weapons and deployed equipment can make it challenging to stay focused.

Teams that synergize and best work together will likely win in Spider Tanks. This doesn’t mean that the team with the best healer wins. For example, a team may rush their opponent with fast-moving tanks equipped with Laser Blasters and completely decimate a team with little coordination.

Big Tank Energy

Spider Tanks Battle Arenas

In Spider Tanks firing weapons requires energy, whether it’s a Gatling Gun or Laser Blaster. However, energy works uniquely for the weapon-equipped weapon. For example, a Gatling Guns energy works just like ammunition. Once the energy is depleted, it will need to recharge or reload in this case.

On the other hand, the further the Turtle Shell is fired, the more energy is consumed. But what I really like about this system is that the player has a birds-ey view of all tank’s health and energy levels.

This allowed me to predict when tanks would fire at me; this was especially useful when fighting a tank with a powerful ranged attack, like the Rail Gun.

Moreover, it was incredibly useful when piloting nimble but weak tanks, as I could see when an opponent needed to recharge or reload. A couple of seconds granted by this allowed me to get the edge over many tanks while using the Twin Gun.

So Many Unique Weapons!

The graphics and animations are excellent, and the weapons feel very satisfying to shoot. Thanks to the fantastic weapon effects and sounds. Although a weak weapon in contrast to the Laser Blaster and other projectile weapons, I had a lot of fun using the T-Ray—the T-Rex tank’s signature weapon.

Alone I’d quickly get overrun due to the slow movement speed when the ray is activated. However, with the right positioning, the ray devastated and grouped up opponents.

All the weapons in Spider Tanks feel unique due to having different projectile speeds and shapes, and sizes. Some weapons are best used at a distance, such as an artillery and snipers. At the same time, others will require you to get personal with your opponent, such as the flamethrower.

Mastering your weapon of choice and skills is key to achieving victory. For example, the Turtle Shell weapon can be charged up to fire at long distances. Charging it to fire just past your target will deal extra damage when it boomerangs back to the player.

What I Don’t Like about Spider Tanks

So far, I’ve made it pretty clear that the game has a problem with overpowered and overpriced tanks. This is the main issue with the game in Beta. However, this will likely change when the game releases in October. Currently, matches are hosted by players, and there are no servers.

On a good day, I’d see three games active on the game browser, and the matches I joined were extremely one-sided as players with tanks worth thousands of dollars decimated the game.

Moreover, the limiting matches meant that the games I did find were very laggy. But that could just be my connection. I hear you shout well; players had connection issues almost every game.

Tweak and Tune Your Tank in The Garage

Tweak and Tune Your Tank in The Garage

The Garage is where you’ll create and outfit your tanks with skills and weapons and even apply upgrades. The Garage is great and simple to use; I’m a big fan of how easy it is to mix and match your tank.

This is due to the simple UI, and that tanks are made up of only two parts the body, which determines its speed and armor, and the second part, and most importantly, the weapon.

Tank bodies are just as numerous and distinct as weapons. The current state of the Spider Tanks Beta means that free-to-play players will be given three tank bodies and weapons to play around with. These parts rotate, giving players a look into what to expect in the full game.

Even with a limited number of available parts, I saw some absolutely whacky designs, such as a tank with scrawny chicken legs carrying a cannon. As you can imagine, there are some funny design combinations out there. This is likely due to there being many animal and creature-themed tanks.

There are a wide variety of abilities to equip your tank with. However, only two skills can be equipped at a time. These abilities can have support, offensive and defensive roles in battle. There really is a lot to choose from here. I recommend diving in and testing them all out to find your favorites.

I tend to run with a Repair Drone as my healing ability and a grenade as my offensive, allowing me to defend my tank when rushed by opponents. That said, there is a myriad of healing abilities that can even heal your teammates, so take some time.

Abilities can drastically impact matches, from speed boosts to rush your opponent to shields and reactive armor to defend from powerful projectiles. The most experienced Spider Tank players will be able to learn their opponent’s abilities and adapt accordingly.

The Marketplace: Spider Tanks NFTs

Now Spider Tanks wouldn’t be a blockchain game without NFTs, am I right, and NFTs are what it has. However, the Gala Games network games are pricey, to say the least. In fact, the cheapest weapon I could find costs over a hundred dollars.

At the same time, the most affordable tank I could find was the Alpha Executioner, a chicken-looking tank that costs roughly around five hundred dollars. Now I know what you think there are items in many blockchain games that cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

However, the Spider Tanks NFT library is relatively scarce at the moment. Yes, this change over time as more NFTs are listed. However, the current value of standard weapons makes Spider Tanks very inaccessible to the masses and average gamers.

I had the fortune of battling against some of these expensive tanks. The Whale Shark was a cool tank that fired a torpedo-looking missile that burrowed through the ground towards targets.

This common tank variant, the lowest rarity item one can acquire, costs around twenty-four thousand GALA; at present, thats just under a thousand dollars.

Needless to say, my team didn’t really stand a chance. However, I can’t necessarily say that the game is unbalanced in its beta form as there is no matchmaking system. However, the game is definitely pay-to-win in its current state. This will change on release when P2E is introduced.

Rant aside, I’m going to browse the Spider Tanks marketplace like I would a designer shop on Oxford Street in London, skeptical and astounded.

Currently, there are six different types of NFTs in Spider Tanks:

  • Maps – Players can buy maps as land in Spider Tanks to host matches and build facilities. These maps can be upgraded so players can use tanks with higher battle ratings on the map.
  • Props – These NFTs are purely cosmetic items that can be attached to your tank. Currently, only two props are available to purchase within the store Cat Ears and the Rubber Ducky prop.
  • Weapons – Each weapon has five types of rarity: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, and Legendary. The rarity affects the level of the weapon and, more closely, its stats and gets better rewards from matches.
  • Tanks – Owning a full tank NFT will save you a large sum of money. However, owning a tank NFT will allow you to upgrade it and rent it out to other players. The higher the level tank, the better the rewards.
  • Bodies – Just like weapons and tanks, there are five levels of the rarity of tank bodies. Tank bodies differ in speed, armor, and energy.
  • Global Skin – These NFTs are purely cosmetics and can be applied to any tank. They, too, have the five levels of rarity.

If you didn’t know by now, the rarity of an item not only affects its value on the market, but also impacts the rewards received from matches. Simply the rarer the NFT, the better the rewards.

Spider Tanks P2E

Spider Tanks P2E

Games such as The Sandbox and Gods Unchained have cheap and expensive NFTs. I think this dramatically benefits the ecosystem of a game, and hopefully, Spider Tanks will get some cheaper NFTs on its release. Now I’d like to state that I’m a gamer first in blockchain gaming.

I believe that if a game is fun to play, then it’s worth investing in. However, if it’s riddled with bugs and tedious to get through, I’ll steer clear of any NFTs. Spider Tanks is definitely a fun game, and this game has enormous potential as it opens up on its release.

While fun is subjective, I think this is a good indicator of whether a project will be successful or not. Of course, tokenomics play a huge role in the longevity of these types of games. But it’s the content that will really determine whether the game fizzles out or carries on to support a happy player base.

At the moment, Spider Tanks NFTs are fairly inaccessible to the general gamer. However, GAMEDIA has some P2E strategies to implement on its release, so let’s explore them!

I’ve been somewhat harsh on my experience with the beta. However, GAMEDIA’s P2E strategy will likely alleviate these problems. What I like about their strategy is that they plan to offer P2E to all kinds of players.

Whether you’re a big-time Node or Planet investor or just enjoy fighting tanks as a pilot, there are levels of investment for everyone.

  • Players that conduct matches that own NFTs, whether props, weapons, and whole tanks, will be awarded Victory Points. These points determine the number of SILK tokens rewarded to the player.
  • Owning maps, factories and planets will offer the most significant SILK rewards.

Ye Be Tank Pilots and Captains YARRR!

Generally, there will be two types of tank owners “Pilots” players who are happy to battle tanks whether they belong to them or not. Then there are “Captains,” these are players who own tank NFTs and either use them in battle or rent them to other players.

There’s a huge incentive to become a Captain in Spider Tanks, as new players are automatically given access to tanks owned by Captains when they start the game.

This can be very lucrative for Captains as they will earn SILK tokens (the utility token of Spider Tanks) rewards for each match played with their tank.

Moreover, the higher the level of the tank, the more rewards the owner will receive. So it’s going to be a good idea to upgrade your tanks with materials acquired by playing matches.

Barons, Fabricators, and Emperors

Barons, Fabricators, and Emperors

These forms of P2E are where players will earn the big bucks! At the moment, land in the form of maps is costly. To own a Death Canyon (Uncommon) map, you’ll be set back over three hundred thousand GALA, thats over fourteen thousand dollars at GALA’s current price!

However, with land, you’ll be able to host matches and pocket a nice profit. Remember, the higher level and rarity of an NFT, the better the rewards!

Owning land also gives you a few options. You could focus your efforts on upgrading your map to host tanks with a high BR on your map. Or you could build facilities on your land and become a Fabricator. 

Fabricators are players that build facilities on their land. These factories will produce items whose value is determined by a random luck drop.

However, the more you upgrade these factories, the better the rewards. Moreover, matches that take place on a map with a factory offer better rewards. Therefore, a Baron could maximise their rewards by upgrading both their map and factories.

Then there’s the kingpin! Emperors are Planetary Node holders. If you own a planet, you can expect massive rewards. A map, tank, and factory owners all work within an ecosystem.

You see, when a map is used for a match, it will use a planetary node to host it. Therefore all P2E features will link directly to a planetary Node. In short, this means huge rewards.

Free-To-Play SILK Rewards

What you didn’t think GAMEDIA would forget the all-important Free-To-Players? 

Yes, theres opportunities for everyone to get their grubby mittens on some SILK. In Spider Tanks, free-to-play players can still access Victory Points and SILK rewards; however, these rewards will be a fraction of NFT owners. Still, this will allow these players to slowly accumulate SILK until they are ready to purchase a tank. 

Thats right, in the future, you’ll be able to purchase tanks with SILK!

SILK: The Spider Tanks Token

SILK - The Spider Tanks Token

I’ve mentioned SILK quite a bit in the P2E section. However, you’re probably wondering what you can actually do with this creepy Crawley token. Well, it turns out a hell of a lot!

Here is the SILK’s utility in full:

  • Obtain Arachnium – Using SILK, you’ll be able to obtain Arachnium, a currency used in Spider Tanks for the following features.
  • Upgrade Components – Using Arachnium and SILK, you can upgrade your tank and tank’s components. In addition, you’ll be able to reroll your upgrades for a chance at landing a more robust component.
  • Energy Fix – SILK can be used to upgrade and replenish energy spent from participating in matches to alleviate diminishing Victory Points rewards.
  • Purchase Spider Tanks
  • Land upgrades – SILK and Arachnium will be essential to upgrade Spider Tanks’ landUpgrading Planetary Nodes will increase the chances of a match being hosted. Thus improving rewards.

FAQs

Question: Can You Play Spider Tanks on Mobile?

Answer: No, unfortunately, Spider Tanks can only be played on PC or MAC. GAMEDIA has yet to announce a mobile release date.

Question: What is a Gala Node?

Answer: Gala Nodes are used to power matches of all games within the Gala network. Players can purchase a Gala Node license to a specific game, much like Spider Tanks Planetary Nodes. By owning a Gala Node, you will gain rewards in the form of exclusive NFTs from the Gala Games network.

Question: Can you Stake GALA and SILK in Spider Tanks?

Answer: Right now, no. However, in the future, players will get access to SILK Power and Gala-Silk Power. Enabling them to stake SILK and GALA alongside SILK to get even more rewards.

End of the Tank Treads

Spider Tanks is one of Gala Games’ most promising titles. In my opinion, it’s a game that is unique enough and ambitious enough to work. In the blockchain space, many games compete to be the top TCG, racing simulator, and metaverse. However, how many tank brawlers have you seen out there…

Not many I’d wager, and for this reason, coupled with Spider Tanks’ fun gameplay, leads me to believe that GAMEDIA is on to a winner. That said, I have few gripes with the game.

The average price for Spider Tanks NFTs is shockingly expensive. In its current state, free-to-play players will never be able to get their hands on a tank without dropping some bucks into the game. 

Now I know you sacrifice many features and value by going down the free-to-play route. However, Spider Tanks is a game that could easily appeal to the masses and, someday mobile market.

Therefore making it accessible to the masses by introducing lower-quality NFTs would benefit the game significantly.

Overall I’m excited for the full release of the game. I’m interested in how the ecosystem fairs; I won’t be investing any money into this one.

But I’m optimistic that GAMEDIA will protect the extremely fun gameplay with the BR feature and introduce new NFTs, which are sure to drop.

 Looking for more interesting readings? Check out:

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top