GarageGames and BraveTree Productions will soon release ThinkTanks, a fun 3D tank combat game. It’s being simultaneously developed for Mac, Linux and Windows, but it’ll be Mac-first, according to GarageGames’ Jay Moore.
ThinkTanks is meant to evoke the simple, fast-paced pleasure of games like Atari’s classic Combat. This is no 2D title, though — it’s a 3D game built using GarageGames’ Torque Game Engine. The game features both single and multiplayer modes as players assume the role of disembodied brains who control different styles of tanks, each with different handling characteristics and armor capabilities. Players roll across different levels, each reflecting a different gameplay style. Multiplayer support includes the ability for users to host their own online server, with or without AI-controlled bots.
Originally used to develop Sierra’s Tribes 2, the Torque Game Engine is available for relatively inexpensive licensing from GarageGames. Already the software has been used to produce a Mac game — Marble Blast, which was showed off at Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco and released earlier this year. It’s also been used to create another new action game called Orbz, which is presently in late development for the Macintosh and should be released soon.
ThinkTanks is in the latter stages of development now and should be released for the Macintosh at the end of April, according to a recent posting on the GarageGames Web site.