/r/Robocraft

7,362 Robocrafters strategically building for 2 years!

Imagine this: Imagine a world where your LEGO robots that you built as a kid came to life. Imagine lasers, explosions, teleportation and vanishing in the blink of an eye. This world, still in development, giving you the ability to command vehicles from small speeders, to large airships. Those ships, subsequently get destroyed by flak shells going off and tearing your armor to shreds, amirite gais?

Such is the world of Robocraft, a current actively developed game by FreeJam Software. /r/Robocraft is the community dedicated to discussing the game, strategies and robotic builds. There, you'll find tips and tricks on how to make your robot more viable, from tricking the game's engine, to strategic placement. Personally, I've been a big fan of the game. With over 165 hours logged, I consider myself a decent player, and active community member. (What? You actually play the game you write a feature about?) Sure do! I'm big into building "art-bots". Basically: giant pixel art, or robots based on other media.

When you enter /r/Robocraft, expect to see some interesting conversations; the community has been a bit conflicted regarding new changes that have been happening over the last few months, though relations have been improving all around. Also, as you enter, expect to know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about the game, and be prepared with questions. Either that, or just stare at all the cool robot pictures.

/u/Kaoelol, one of the moderators over at /r/Robocraft was kind enough to answer a couple of questions I posed to him regarding the sub.

Hey there! Tell me a little about yourself.

/u/Kaoelol Heya! I'm /u/Kaoelol, a moderator and primary caretaker of /r/Robocraft and /r/RobocraftCRF. I started playing Robocraft about 3 years ago and have amassed over 2500 hours between the Steam and standalone version. I also became an in-game moderator earlier in the year. I have hosted several Robocraft-related events over the years with the most recent one being and art-based competition which even featured FreeJam's art director as a judge.

What makes Robocraft special to you?

/u/Kaoelol Hmm, well I think what makes Robocraft really special to me is the brilliant community which features many artists and engineers at its core, myself included. What really inspired me to dive into the game all those years ago was getting into a game and seeing these amazing artistic creations that people had made. I wanted to amaze and inspire people just like they had inspired me- so I started creating art-bots and still do to this day.

Ever built any really cool art-bots?

/u/Kaoelol Oh have I! Though I haven't posted nearly anywhere near as all of them online, I have a number of my creations posted on Robocraft Garage, a website dedicated to saving and sharing your creations in Robocraft and also serves as a way of getting feedback from other users. I take a lot of my inspiration from nature, and also some of my favorite games. I currently have over 200 ideas listed and waiting to be built. I think I'm gonna need more garage slots.

How do you feel about the community's internal conflict over changes, like new folks versus veterans?

/u/Kaoelol I think that in any game, especially free to play titles, you will see internal conflict over changes, and 9 times out of 10 it's the players who are familiar with the game in a certain way that are opposed to the changes, while the newer players usually greet the updates with joy. Something to remember is that Robocraft is actually still in Alpha, meaning that big changes are bound to happen frequently. I know many people may find this to be a form of excuse or gimmick, but it's true. Robocraft isn't the game it once was, and it never will be - but I have faith that FreeJam will pull through in the end and create something spectacular out of the game that has so much potential.

Kao couldn't have said it better. As the game continues to grow, so will the community in response. Sure, not everyone likes everything, but that doesn't mean it's not a game we can't all enjoy. If you want to get a start in Robocraft, you've got a couple options: Head on over to the Robocraft website and download it there, or if you're a Steam user, pick it up for free on Steam! The community would be glad to have more players, I know I would.