Stick Arena
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Stick Arena | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | XGen Studios, Inc. |
| Publisher(s) | XGen Studios, Inc. |
| Designer(s) | Skye J.W. Boyes |
| Engine | Flash |
| Latest version | 1.313 |
| Release date(s) | November 5, 2005 |
| Genre(s) | Fighting |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen (13+) |
| Platform(s) | Flash |
| Media | 3098 KB browser-based |
| System requirements | Macromedia Flash Player (version 8 recommended), A web browser (Internet Explorer recommended) |
| Input | Keyboard, mouse |
Stick Arena is a free online multiplayer browser-based game, programmed in Macromedia Flash by XGenStudios, released in 2005. The primary purpose of the game is to get a high cumulative number of "kills", avoid "deaths", and appear on the high score leaderboard.
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[edit] Gameplay
Stick Arena is a Counter-Strike styled game based on a bird's eye view perspective. The purpose of Stick Arena is to kill the opposing stick figures while avoiding being killed. Players may chat with other players in the lobby or look for arenas in which to play. Maps allow for a maximum of four players per match and vary greatly in size. Players may also create arenas for other players to join and private arenas only for players who know the names of the arenas.
[edit] Kills and Deaths
The arena is a map with walls, rooms, obstacles and weapons that spawn at fixed places. The size of the map varies from small for pure melee combat to large for a strategic game. Players walk around the maps, picking up weapons along the way and using them to kill opponents. Players start the game with 60 health. As players take damage from opponents' weapons, their health decreases. When one player kills another, the killer is awarded one kill, while the victim receives one death to his score.
Each round is five minutes long. The player with the most kills at the end of the round is the winner. Deaths are used as a tiebreaker if multiple players have the same number of kills. If one player has more deaths than another, but the same amount of kills, he will achieve the level under that player. If one player has more kills and less deaths, another player with more deaths may still achieve the place above that player if he exceeds the amount of kills of the original player.
[edit] Weapons
The seven available weapons are the katana, bat, sledgehammer, AK-47, shotgun, Glock, and fists. A knife was previously available through exploitations in the game code by hackers, which remains a major problem in Stick Arena.
Each weapon has its advantages and disadvantages, and all can be used quite effectively by experienced players. Weapons are divided into two categories: melee and range. Melee weapons, such as the katana, are used directly on opponents, while range weapons, such as the AK-47, are used from a distance. Each weapon has a Damage Index, or set number of hits that will kill an opponent. For example, the bat has a Damage Index of 1/4, meaning that four hits with a bat will kill an opponent. Weapons also have a set damage to health they will cause when hitting an opponent. Melee weapons have a range value that indicates the area they affect. The lower the number, the larger the area.
| Stick Arena Weapon Damage and Range and Speed | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Type | Damage Index | Damage to Health | Speed in seconds | Range | Span in degrees | |
| Katana | Melee | 1/8 | 8/60 | .43 | 45 | 270 | |
| Bat | Melee | 1/4 | 19/60 | .55 | 30 | 270 | |
| Sledgehammer | Melee | One-hit kill | 60/60 | 2.13 | 25 | 35-180 | |
| AK-47 | Range | 1/6 | 11/60 | .66 | 0 | 25 | |
| Shotgun | Range | 1/3 | 20/60 | 1.33 | 0.03 | 75 | |
| Glock | Range | 1/5 | 13/60 | 0.64 | 0 | 25 | |
| Fists | Melee | 1/12 | 5/60 | .6 | 75 | 180 | |
- The Katana is a melee weapon and the fastest weapon. It is largely effective against the slower guns, such as the AK-47 and the shotgun. A player wielding a katana moves faster than when unarmed. A common stratagy with the katana is to run toward an opponent, and then run around him while attacking. A good tactic is to run in a zigzag instead of a straight line in order to dodge your opponent's attacks.
- The Bat is a melee weapon. It is more powerful but slower than the katana. Unfortunately, some players' inexperience with this weapon causes them to label it as a "mediocre weapon with no real advantage"; some even deem it "useless". However, the strength of the bat is that it causes more damage than the katana. A player using a bat will routinely defeat a player using a katana in individual combat. Note, however, that the Katana does have a longer range and the wielder is faster than the bat holder; a common strategy among experts is to keep just enough out of the bat's range and take advantage of the Katana's speed and range. Since only four hits with the bat will cause the death of the opposing stick figure, a player with enough skill and practice with the bat can repeatedly overcome a player with a sledgehammer or even a shotgun. The bat is very popular and commonly used in maps that allow only melee weapons. The bat's damage level is only a little less than that of the shotgun.
- The Sledgehammer, also known as a "sledge" to many Stick Arena players, is a melee weapon. One hit will kill opponents. It is the slowest weapon, but it is still very useful against opponents using other weapons. There are many camping spots where players can use the hammer's power to their advantage while disregarding its lack of mobility. Caused by a glitch/lag, the player can roll the hammer around for about another half second as soon as it hits the ground. This allows the player to kill a second player or "make up" a miss. Another strategy is to walk up and down narrow corridors with the sledge and kill the in-coming player by surprise.
- The AK-47 has the fastest rate of fire amongst guns. Although the wielder's movement is slightly faster than when wiedling the shotgun, the AK-47 packs little punch. Its use is widespread among those who choose to fight in a large open area, although it can still be effectively used in narrow hallways and corridors.
- The Shotgun is the most powerful but the slowest gun. A common tactic when using the shotgun is to utilize impenetrable objects: hide behind a wall, jump out suddenly and shoot, go behind the wall again, and continue the process. A unique characteristic of the shotgun is its ability to cause damage at a wider area than those of other guns.
- The Glock is a pistol with long range, fast attack, and high mobility. For many of the higher ranked players, this is their weapon of choice; it only takes 5 shots to kill, and it does not decrease your walking speed. One defect of the glock, however, is that it leaves bullet trails while shooting, allowing the experienced opponents to locate the player's position without actually seeing him. It is one of the best weapons, but many lower ranked players do not like it since it is also one of the hardest gun to master. With good accuracy and dodging skills, the glock can be highly effective and deadly.
- Fists are what players start out with when spawning after being killed. Fists are weak and have a short range, although some players have become adept at fistfighting with practice. Fists are by far the most difficult weapon to master. It is best used on low-health opponents.
[edit] Spammers and Hackers
Spammers and hackers have been a problem in Stick Arena. One of the most popular hacks is to use an edited version of the game, commonly known as "hackpack". Other hacks may include using programs such as Cheat Engine, Speed Gear, WPE Pro, and SA Trainer. Although Speed Gear and Cheat Engine are mostly used by beginner cheaters to speedhack (move faster than normal), they are not as widely used in the hacking community; they have a tendency to slow the cheater's internet connection down, causing the player to lose connection. Cheat Engine is also used for infinite health. WPE Pro is used to filter or forge packets (pieces of information sent from a game to the server or vice versa detailing what's going on), and is often used for weapon hacks (it can also be used to block attacks, but it's less efficient than Cheat Engine in that respect because the filter will only work on one person if more than one is attacking the hacker at the same time).
Hackers are usually obvious and easy to point out (although some of the more clever hackers can make inconspicuous modifications such as half damage, while others can randomly shrug off attacks, both of which are hard to detect). A common hack is to increase one's speed exponentially and fire extremely fast at the same time. There are several other types, including using infinite health, teleporting, spawning with a weapon, using one type of attack from the wrong weapon, and having anyone close getting automatically hit by a sword (although there are versions of this with guns, they're more complex since guns have a smaller angle of effect).
A player may report hackers by pressing and holding the key for the Leaderboard (shift, B, or 1 in numpad), and click on the paper icon by the boot icon to describe the type of the hacks they used. Abusing this feature will result in a ban.
