OpenClonk

OpenClonk is a free and open-source 2D action game in which the player controls clonks, small but witty and nimble humanoid beings. It is mainly about mining, settling and fast-paced melees and features tactical gameplay elements. The game has been compared and described as mixture of Worms, The Settlers, Lemmings and Minecraft.[3][4][5] The game can be played both single-player and multiplayer and is cross-platform, playable on Microsoft Windows, Linux, and OS X.

OpenClonk
Developer(s)OpenClonk Developers
Initial release1.0 / 3 December 2010 (2010-12-03)
Stable release
8.1 / 17 March 2018 (2018-03-17)
Repositoryhttps://git.openclonk.org/openclonk.git
Written inC++
PlatformMicrosoft Windows, Linux, OS X
TypeSingle-player, Multiplayer Action
LicenseISC[1][2] (source code)
CC BY-SA, CC BY, CC0 (game assets)
Websitehttps://www.openclonk.org/

The OpenClonk project is continuation of the Clonk game series, and is under active development with new features. OpenClonk denotes not just the game, but also the 2D game engine it is based on, which allows the creation of mods using a specially designed scripting language. The source code is available under the ISC license[1][2] and game content is licensed under CC BY-SA, CC BY and CC0.

Gameplay

The gameplay features elements of action as well as tactical games. The player controls clonks, small but witty and nimble humanoid beings using the keyboard and mouse. Clonks are the main characters in the game and can perform various tasks ranging from shoveling through earth, throwing dynamite to mine gold, use a hammer to construct a building to flying around with airships, riding on rockets and wielding swords. The OpenClonk game world consists of a dynamical and destructible pixel landscape and out of objects living and interacting with that landscape. The landscape is constructed out of different materials like earth, tunnel, sky, coal, ore, gold and water. Players can destroy these materials by digging or explosions for solid materials and by using gravity or pumps for liquids. The various in-game objects and tools available to the clonk allow for a dynamical gameplay.

Gameplay is focused around two elements: In settlement rounds the players need to cooperate and build up large settlements to perform certain tasks like mining gold or constructing a legendary statue, and in melee rounds players battle each other in small arenas. Other types of gameplay include parkour rounds where players have to pass checkpoints in challenging landscapes as fast as possible.

Settlement
Artwork of settlement in OpenClonk

Settlement rounds can be played cooperative, where two or more players work towards a mutual goal. In these type of rounds players have to build up settlements using the resources in the landscape, ranging from wood and metal to fire stones. These settlements and their production lines allow the player to construct advanced items and vehicles like grapple bows or airships. With the more advanced items players can fulfill complex tasks and finally the goal of the round. Typical challenges in settlement rounds are provided by inhospitable landscapes, natural disasters like meteors and volcanoes and transporting large objects. Among goals for settlement scenarios one finds:

  • Wealth: gain a certain amount of gold (called clunkers in Clonk).
  • Expansion: expand your settlement to some area of the landscape.
  • Mining: mine a certain amount of valuables like gold or gems.
  • Construct Statue: gather statue parts and construct a statue.

Melee
Artwork of melee in OpenClonk

Melee rounds may have different goals, however, they all share the fact that opponents must be eliminated. In OpenClonk melee rounds are usually rather short with a typical length between 5 and 30 minutes. The players control a single clonk and have to attack enemies using the various weapons available in the game, like swords, bows, dynamite, grenade launchers, muskets and catapults. Among the different types of melees are:

  • Last Man Standing: players have a certain amount of relaunches and need to survive as long as possible.
  • Deathmatch: players have to achieve a certain amount of kills.
  • Capture the Flag: Capture enemy flags and bring them to your base to gain points.
  • King of the Hill: Try to defend a certain region as long as possible to stay king.

Development

OpenClonk development began with the release of the source of Clonk Rage in February 2009[6] and a later release under the ISC license in May 2009.[1][2] The website www.openclonk.org was founded at the same time, acting as a portal for both development and for players. The source code and game content were hosted first using a Mercurial repository, but nowadays using a Git repository.

The game engine is programmed in C++ and is cross-platform. The game is released for and runs on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X, it also may be compiled for FreeBSD. Game content is created using the game's own scripting language C4Script,[7] and is developed simultaneously with the game engine. Since the game content and engine are completely separate, mods and completely new game content can be created based on the OpenClonk engine.

Development of OpenClonk is completely open and contributions from the community are often accepted as patches.

Releases

OpenClonk is being released on a regular basis with roughly a major release every year. Major releases are published when the engine or the game content has received large modifications or important features have been added. Minor releases are done for bug fixes and small updates to the game content. The current stable version is OpenClonk 4.1 released on 16 February 2014.[8]

  • OpenClonk 1.0 (3 December 2010)[9]
    • OpenClonk 1.1 (28 December 2010)[10]
    • OpenClonk 1.2 (12 February 2011)[11]
  • OpenClonk 2.0 (1 October 2011)[12]
    • OpenClonk 2.1 (10 October 2011)[13]
    • OpenClonk 2.2 (10 February 2012)[14]
  • OpenClonk 3.0 (14 October 2012)[15]
    • OpenClonk 3.1 (15 October 2012)[16]
    • OpenClonk 3.2 (18 November 2012)[17]
    • OpenClonk 3.3 (10 March 2013)[18]
  • OpenClonk 4.0 (26 January 2014)[19]
    • OpenClonk 4.1 (16 February 2014)[8]
  • OpenClonk 5.0 (5 October 2014)
  • OpenClonk 6.0 (15 March 2015)
    • OpenClonk 6.1 (12 June 2015)
  • OpenClonk 7.0 (16 January 2016)[20]
  • OpenClonk 8.0 (4 February 2018)[21]
    • OpenClonk 8.1 (17 March 2018)[22]

Reception

In a popularity competition organized by the Linux Game Awards OpenClonk received a third place in the Project of the Month: March 2014.[23] Linux Format named OpenClonk in September 2015 a "HotPick".[24] Furthermore, OpenClonk had on Desura in June 2015 a 8.8/10 user rating.[25] German computer magazine c't has added OpenClonk to a DVD shipped with their magazine in April 2011.[26]

See also
  • Clonk
  • List of open source games

References
  1. "Clonk Rage Source ISC". clonk.de. 23 May 2009.
  2. OpenClonk git repository: COPYING
  3. 5 open source remakes of classic PC games you won't want to miss by Mike Williams on betanews.com "2. OpenClonk is a free, open-source multiplayer version of RedWolf Design’s "Clonk". [...] (think Minecraft, Terraria, Worms or Settlers), it’s great fun if you’re a fan of those games, and OpenClonk’s powerful customization tools means it’s easy to extend the program with new maps and scenarios." (May 2015)
  4. САЙТ GAMELAND ONLINE (www.gameland.ru) Журналы : CD №17 (98) "This game has no plot! [...] It would be appropriate in this respect to compare with "Tetris", "Lemmings" and other "plotless" masterpieces. But the game has a name - "Clonk"." (archived)
  5. Matthes Bender packt aus (echt jetzt!) on rebell.at by Sigfried Arnold (in German, February 26, 2007)
  6. "Clonk Rage Source Released". clonk.de. 22 February 2009.
  7. "C4Script Documentation". openclonk.org. 28 June 2014.
  8. "OpenClonk 4.1 Release". openclonk.org. 16 February 2014.
  9. "OpenClonk 1.0 Release". openclonk.org. 3 December 2010.
  10. "OpenClonk 1.1 Release". openclonk.org. 28 December 2010.
  11. "OpenClonk 1.2 Release". openclonk.org. 12 February 2011.
  12. "OpenClonk 2.0 Release". openclonk.org. 1 October 2011.
  13. "OpenClonk 2.1 Release". openclonk.org. 10 October 2011.
  14. "OpenClonk 2.2 Release". openclonk.org. 10 February 2012.
  15. "OpenClonk 3.0 Release". openclonk.org. 14 October 2012.
  16. "OpenClonk 3.1 Release". openclonk.org. 15 October 2012.
  17. "OpenClonk 3.2 Release". openclonk.org. 18 November 2012.
  18. "OpenClonk 3.3 Release". openclonk.org. 10 March 2013.
  19. "OpenClonk 4.0 Release". openclonk.org. 26 January 2014.
  20. "OpenClonk 7 released". openclonk.org. 15 January 2016.
  21. "OpenClonk 8 released". openclonk.org. 4 February 2018.
  22. "OpenClonk 8.1 released". openclonk.org. 17 March 2018.
  23. "Project of the Month: March 2014". Linux Game Awards. 26 February 2014.
  24. Linux Format 202 September 2015
  25. "OpenClonk on Desura". Desura. 9 May 2015. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015.
  26. "OpenClonk on c't DVD" (PDF). heise.de. 29 June 2014.
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