Conquering the world with a single click.

QUEST LOG #32: OPENFRONT

This game is open source and still in alpha at the time of writing this - so everything could change…

---

There are a plethora of grand strategy games available for those who like to dabble such - most provided by Paradox Interactive (at least those with a big old map of earth) Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis, Victoria, etcetera. All of these are great in their own right, but for a quick burst of world domination, something a little more stripped back is in order, and perhaps something other than RISK. That’s where OpenFront comes in. This game is the very definition of stripped back, but without letting go of the fundamentals that make these kinds of games so enjoyable.

If you ever messed around with the Fox Rabbit Field Model at school, you might notice some similarities in presentation - that’s what it reminded me of anyway, at least on first impressions… although this game is far more interactive. Rather than seeing how long it takes for foxes or rabbits to die out, you’ll be killing millions of humans instead - but they’re land hogs, so I suppose it’s ok?

In OpenFront, you pick your starting area, and as the starting timer counts down, you (and the rest of the world) are unleashed. At first its a land grab, expand as fast and as far as possible until you’ve bloated enough to squash your borders up against your dozen or so neighbours. This is where things spice up a little, and the game comes alive. There are things to consider, but your main goal is to pray on those about you who are weak. Your strength is represented in the number that hangs over your territory, and this represents your fighting force. You can keep this maxed out, or reduce your forces in order to boost your population of workers. Doing so will increase your production of gold, but may weaken you on the battlefield. Gold is vital however, as it is used to build cities, ports, silos, battleships, bombs, and defensive structures. All of these can tip the balance in your favour, but the cost is high, and while building a city in the heart of your land, failing to secure your borders with a defensive post, or your waters with a battleship will leave you exposed to attack.

There is a ruementary trade and diplomacy system too, with trade via ports to your allies providing additional income, and defensive pacts allowing you to bolster your defences. Beware though, enemy ships will sink your trade boats, and even an ally can stab you in the back. If you click right though, and are careful with what battles you enter, you’ll slowly bolster both your gold reserves and your fighting force, and if you carefully expand, praying on the weak, utilising trade and alliances, you’ll soon prove to be the new pixilated superpower.

Aside from the basic gameplay, there are a variety of options available too, such as a selection of maps to choose from, bots, online multiplayer as well as single player, as well as several difficulty levels and gameplay adjustments to choose from, which allows for a huge amount of replayability, especially if you’re playing with people you know - I wasn’t, but I can imagine.

Browser games used to be a little bit of amusement to get through a particularly boring lunch break during school, but things have advanced considerably since those days. I’ve covered a few browser based games here before, such as Oskar Stålberg's demo of Townscaper, and OpenLara, Timur Gagiev’s version of Tomb Raider, both of which can be played in online. OpenFront joins the ranks, and is an especially fun way to spend half an hour or so.

---

Have you tried this one? What did you think? And how often did your empire collapse? Mine was toppled plenty of times, but I think I got the hang of it eventually - at least on the balanced setting.

And as always, thank you for reading. If you’d like to support the blog, you can do so by subscribing and sharing!