Silver Knight Introduction:
Silver Knights is a homemade 3D mech action/fighting Dojin soft game created by Haruo Teshima. It enjoys popularity in Japan and Hong Kong, with a modest following in the United States. The game's development initially paused at milestone version 0.05D but resumed with new pre-alpha builds in January 2007. The most recent stable iteration of the game boasts an impressive roster of over 10 distinct mechs. However, recent versions have shifted focus to featuring only the mech currently under development, a departure from the past comprehensive updates. The latest release is labeled as version 0.13K.
In its early iterations, the game featured only a limited selection of rudimentary mechs, plagued by numerous bugs and instability issues. Notable mechs like Philotes, Cerberus, Tartaros, and Icarus were intended to be central to the game's undeveloped Story mode. However, Teshima opted to prioritize the addition of new mechs and bug fixes, leading to the game's gradual evolution into a more realistic graphical style.
Gameplay:
In late 2004, after a period of infrequent updates, Haruo Teshima announced a temporary hiatus in development. Although there was a brief resumption in 2007, Teshima once again declared a year-long hiatus to focus on a new project named Gunners. This endeavor, however, was short-lived, and in 2008, production on Silver Knights resumed briefly before another halt. In 2009, development recommenced, with a focus on introducing new mechas and redesigning existing ones. The most recent version available at the time of this writing is 0.13K.
The gameplay of Silver Knights bears a resemblance to the Virtual-On arcade game, adopting a team deathmatch style of shooter/fighter gameplay. Players engage in battles against other mechs within a three-dimensional environment. The game accommodates up to six players simultaneously, including both computer-controlled and player-controlled characters. The controls primarily utilize the keyboard, except during "Simple Wars," where both the keyboard and mouse are required.
Final Words:
Silver Knights has cultivated a dedicated online following and utilizes DirectPlay as its network method. Fan-based websites have emerged to support a thriving player community. Network play often necessitates additional technical setup, with developer-provided support pages primarily available in Japanese, making router configuration challenging for non-Japanese speakers. Many users opt for Hamachi, a freeware VPN client, to connect directly with other players. However, it's worth noting that players not using Hamachi cannot connect to Hamachi-enabled hosts, and vice versa. In recent times, players have been turning to Comodo Easy VPN as an alternative to Hamachi, as it offers an unlimited network size compared to the former.
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