STACK December 2016 Issue No. 146

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For a game that brought in
the fifth most revenue out of
all PC games in 2015, you might
not hear much about World of
Tanks. While bus ads and blog
posts scream the flavour of the
month, this Russian phenomenon
quietly churns away, monetarily
putting them to shame. A
disproportionate chunk of its
playerbase is Australian tank
enthusiasts, prompting the recent
Asia/Pacific finals in Sydney
(despite no Aussie team
participating).
It all climaxed with a
showdown between an
inventive Japanese side and a
Chinese team which had barely
lost a round all competition.
Team Japan flipped through
NFL-style playbooks brimming
with Xs and Os, and quirky
strategies like perching tanks at
precarious angles on cliffsides to
avoid detection -- but China was
just too good, and cruised to a
comfortable win.
In Melbourne, more and
more booths at PAX Aus 2016
were using eSports as a way to
draw people in. Commentators’
exclamations over pieces of
fine gaming skill served as
aural beacons – the big screens
and bigger amplifiers
in a competition of
their own, hoping the
passers-by might pause
and inspect a keyboard
or headset good enough for the
pros.
The loudest of these was
easily the ESL arena, and the
tale on everyone’s tongue
was the Rocket League final.
Legacy eSports, one of the
few Australian outfits to
support Rocket League, lost
three straight rounds in a best
of seven. They were able to
pull it back for a 4-3 win, and as
someone who was on-site at all
times, I can confirm that was the
loudest a crowd had been the
entire weekend. Rocket League
doesn’t have the in-house eSports
support that other games enjoy,
but its spectator-friendly blend
of cars and football has grown it
through word of mouth to be one
of the most anticipated eSports at
big shows.
Each month, STACK takes a brief look at what’s
happening in eSports, both locally and overseas.
eSports Round-Up
Junglist
with
If you want to get the most out of your racing games,
there is only one option: you have to get a racing wheel.
With a copy of the sensational Forza Horizon 3 in hand you'll want to take the driving
experience a step further, and for that you're going to need a racing wheel. There are many
options currently available, depending on your budget. We recently tracked down the Logitech
G920 for the specific purpose of coupling it with FH3. It comes with the wheel, and three
stainless steel pedals for your accelerator, brake and clutch; if you want a gear shifter, you’ll have
to buy this separately.
The d-pad and controller buttons are now situated on the wheel, all within easy reach. A
durable, hand-stitched leather wheel featuring quality, adjustable forced feedback
feels exceptional in hand, bringing added realism to the racer you're
playing. And it’s a breeze to set-up (although we only road tested
it on the Xbox One). Plug in the power, hook up a USB to the
console and you’re off. The brake on the pedal set will take
a little getting used to; it’s a non-linear pedal designed to
simulate a progressive pressure-sensitive brake system
found on the sort of cars a journalist will never be able to
afford.
If you sport a racing cockpit at home, the G920 will
attach seamlessly, or if you’re using the IKEA option,
like we did, it will fit perfectly onto a table too. The build
quality is excellent for a mid-ranged wheel, and despite
not shipping with a gear shifter, this wheel gets a firm
thumbs up. See you on the road.
visit
70 DECEMBER 2016
GAMES
FEATURE
LOGITECHG920
World of Tanks
Rocket League