Test Your Might #1: Roaring Synapses #1 - Introductions and Incompetences

by Rathe on Sunday 27 February 2011

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The Game:
Frozen Synapse - "Bite-size, critically-acclaimed hardcore strategy with a striking sci-fi aesthetic" in the creators words; "one of the most incredibly tactical, yet beautifully simplistic battle of wits" in ours.


The Goal:
To ascend the game's global rankings leaderboard (top 10 for Indiana, top 100 for Rathe) and maybe even have some fun in the process.




The (hopefully) Glorious:

Sometimes you need to just sit back and accept your imperfections; today is not that day. Today I begin my rise to Frozen Synapse fame/infamy; to one day reside in the global rankings Valhalla — that is the top ten, with legends like “TheBeefiest”, YouGo”, “Bin” and, er, “COBHC M1N1M3”… “Indycisive” does have a certain ring to it.


My qualifications for tactically clicking on mans are minimal (the closest I’ve ever been to urban combat is flushing out spiders, and let me tell you that was life or death), however I currently float at a respectable 122 in the world rankings with a 26/5 score and have spent the past few hours researching CQB —Close Quarter Battle— techniques so I’m feeling suitably sangfroid.


One man, many mans*, one vision… huzzah!
Tactical Plan
Serious Business



Frozen Synapse went largely ignored on my desktop for several weeks until Indiana and I fired up a round a few weeks ago for the hell of it, and I found myself re-immersed in one of the most incredibly tactical, yet beautifully simplistic battle of wits I’ve ever seen a PC offer. It went hand-in-hand with my Advance Wars obsession, but I have been slacking lately. Consequently, I’m not going to pretend I’ve been putting in the effort to be good at Frozen Synapse, or really strategy in general. Until I painted it on my wall, it used to take me two or three tries to put my socks on before my shoes. I record three hours of footage so I don’t miss a 30-minute programme (or would, if I watched TV).


Although planning isn’t my strong suit this makes the undertaking all the greater. Indy, rankwise, already has a sizeable foot in the door in terms of being able to break into the top 10. I, on the other hand, am going to have to settle for something more realistic. The top 100 doesn’t sound quite so impressive next to it, but at least this is viable…anything else would likely cut into time I spend eating, sleeping, or having to take a sabbatical. Still, I'm willing to give this a good go. I look forward to getting my dignity and my little virtual blue mans' collective heads kicked in for little more than to watch numbers go up gradually over time. Nothing wrong with that. Ask a stock broker.


Some might say...



*Our blanket term for the men you control in FS.

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