Pocket Tanks

Overview

Pocket Tanks is a 1 or 2 player computer game for Windows and Mac OS X, developed by Blitwise Productions. Adapted from Michael Welch's earlier Amiga game Scorched Tanks, this newer version features real world physics, over two hundred, and the ability to move the tank. It supports several expansion packs. At the moment, players can have up to 210 different weapons total.

Gameplay

First, the players are taken to the "weapon shop", where they take turns picking weapons. 20 weapons will be randomly chosen from all the installed weapons(including purchased weapons). Two tanks, one always a human and one can be played with AI or a friend, lob shots at each other at a turn basis. Each weapon can only be used once. Different weapons have extremely varying effects. These effects generally are:

• Damage

  

• Dirt creation
• Dirt removal
• Randomizing of the tank's angle and power
• Kick back
• Giving the dirt around the area special properties

By not having a health system as in other 2D strategy games, it gives the game more depth and balances the game further. It also ensures that all weapons the player has will be used as the game only ends when all the weapons have been used.

Expansions Packs Currently Available

• Magic Pack - 5 weapons (only for v1.2): Magic Beans, Grab Bag, Railgun, Sandstorm, Lemon.
• Acid Pack - 15 weapons (only for v1.2): Acid Bombs, Chroma Blaster, Cauldron, Zipper, Bubble Wrap, Chalk Dust, Mower, Trailblazer, Bulldozer, Lead Balloon, Dive Bomb, Toaster, Time Bomb, Burn Barrel, Char.
• Nano Pack - 5 weapons (only for v1.2): Nanobots, Phase Missile, Gyro Glue, Warp Gate, Tesla Coil.
• Fuzz Pack - 5 weapons: Fuzz Ball, Burning Rubber, Side Kick, Blockade, Stun Gun.
• Tornado Pack - 15 weapons: Tornado, Thor's Hammer, Stampede, Hot Coals, Fizz Bombs, Graviton, Shield, Firefly, Glue Storm, Glue Gun, Run 'n' Gun, Scorcher, Saucer Attack, Tractor Beam, Smoke Bomb.
• Snowball Pack - 5 weapons: Snowballs, Sledgehammer, Collide-o-scope, Neon Blast, Island.
• Gold Pack - 15 weapons: Golden Bullet, Melt down, Streamers, Mass Driver, Molten Plastic, Spinner, Flying Discs, Phaser, Shredder, Aqua Bomb, Tunnel, Lava, Bouncy Ball, Laser Strike, Whiplash.
• Gravity Pack - 5 weapons: Gravity Well, Hot Potato, Funnel, Crazy Wall, Burnt Popcorn.
• Fireworks Pack - 15 weapons: Fireworks, Super Nova, Great Wall, Snowblower, Lava Cannon, Solar Flare, 10 Shot, Stinger, Mega Reaction, Ant Farm, Sonic Blast, Rockslide, Lightning Rod, Star Dust, Water Balloons.
• Super Pack - 5 weapons: Fireball, Flea Circus, Super Star, Drillers, Gamma Blaster.
• Chaos Pack - 5 weapons: Chaos Grenade, Tar Ball, Lightning Strike, Acid Rain, Porcupine.
• Power Pack - 15 weapons: Power Grid, Shadow Blast, X-Ray Cannon, Bazooka, Lucky Shot, Shelter, Fire Ice, Anvil, Flare, Super Flare, Fracture, Claymore, Phantom, Earth Mover, Flak.
• Flamethrower Pack - 5 weapons: Flamethrower, Skimmer, Volcano, Pedestal, Fire Storm.
• Meteor Pack - 15 weapons: Meteor Shower, Roman Candle, Flying Digger, Comet, Sunburn, Riptide, Buzzsaw, Static Ball, Mystery Bombs, Flower Power, Turn and Burn, Dome Protect, Backfire, Old Faithful, Bouncy Bomb.
• Nuke Pack - 5 weapons: Nuke, Mega Nuke, Pillow Fight, Sink and Swim, Hot Foot
• Ambush Pack - 15 weapons: Ambush, Beehive, Blast Off, Fire in the Hole, Lob-o-Matic, Rainbow Dirt, Super Laser, Ground Shocker, Bouncy Wall, Lodestones, Particle Bomb, Magic Forest, Buckshot, Quad Missile, Carpet Bomb.

This totals 210 weapons, 30 from the demo version and the remainder in these packs

Collector's Edition

A Collector's Edition of Pocket Tanks was released on November 16, 2007. It contains the first 14 expansion packs and the Deluxe version of Pocket Tanks. The CD and case comes with special art, and it is cheaper to buy the expansion packs through the Collector's Edition, but other than that there are no differences between the Deluxe and Collector's Edition.

Possible online/LAN play

Network play has been made available with the latest (v1.3) release. Actual online play will be developed in the future, although it is possible to simulate this through Hamachi or other similar programs. A hidden IP-to-IP mode can also be enabled by editing a settings file. It is accessible by changing the text file called pt in the my games folder in my documents. This is only a basic online service, allowing only direct IP connections .