Rules of Survival
Rules of Survival (RoS) is a free-to-play,[1] multiplayer online battle royale game developed and published by NetEase Games, first released via beta access in November 2017. By October 2018, the game had reached 230 million players worldwide.[2]
Rules of Survival | |
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Developer(s) | NetEase Games |
Publisher(s) | NetEase Games |
Engine | Unity |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Android, iOS |
Release |
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Genre(s) | Battle royale |
Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
As of May 30, 2018, the game was released on Steam. Unlike the free non-Steam version, however, the game was released with a price tag, offering "special gifts" with the purchase.[3] The game was later taken down from Steam by June 13, 2018,[4] and reinstated by June 28, 2018.[5]
Gameplay
Rules of Survival follows the standard form of the battle royale genre, where players fight to be the last person (or team) alive. Players can choose to enter the match in different modes: Solo, Duo, Squad (four players), or a Fireteam (five players). In either case, the last person or team left alive wins the match. There are two playable maps in the game: Ghillie Island (120 players, 4.8km×4.8km) and Fearless Fiord (300 players, 8km×8km). There are also different game modes such as the Gold Mode, in which the player can earn gold, or the Diamond Mode in which players may earn diamonds throughout the match. The introduction of the Fearless Fiord game map introduces a new type of match, the Blitzkrieg, in which players will land only on a certain part of the map equipped with a pistol, a backpack and basic armor. Blitzkrieg is meant to make players clash head-on.
The round starts with all players contained in one location on an island. When the countdown finishes, players will parachute from a plane onto an island, with procedurally distributed items such as weapons, armors and medical kits available to be looted, and vehicles to be ridden. Players can also loot killed players for their gear. In third-person mode, players can switch between third-person and first-person perspective. The game also offers first-person mode which forces players into first-person perspective. As the game time progresses, the game's safe zone will gradually reduce in size, where players caught outside the zone will take damage. This increases the chance of encounter, and thus confrontation between players. Random supply drops will also occur during match, providing random items which may otherwise not be able to be found during normal gameplay.
At the completion of each round, players will receive in-game currencies based on survival length, number of players killed by the player and the players level. The currencies can then be used to purchase supply box containing cosmetic items for character or weapon customization.
Controversy
Prior to the release of their mobile versions, PUBG Corporation initiated a legal action in the Northern District Court of California against NetEase Games in January 2018, claiming that their mobile games Rules of Survival and Knives Out infringe PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' copyrights. PUBG Corporation's lawsuit asserts that Rules of Survival is "a copyrightable audio-visual work, individually and/or in combination with other elements of Battlegrounds", and identified several elements that appear similar in both games. While many of these elements are common features of a battle royale game, PUBG Corporation claims that there are specific elements from Battlegrounds that copied, such as references to chicken for winning a game or using cookware as weapons. PUBG Corporation also accused NetEase for "cloning" Battlegrounds "at or below cost for the purpose of gaining market share before PUBG releases Battlegrounds for mobile devices."[6] PUBG Corporation seeks both monetary damages and requiring NetEase from further distribution of the games. NetEase, in responding to PUBG Corporation's request to Apple to remove the games, denied that their games violated Battlegrounds' copyrights.[7][8]
References
- "Rules of Survival Game Review". MMOs.com. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
- "Rules of Survival: First 120-Player Battle Royale Game on Mobile". rulesofsurvivalgame.com. NetEase. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- "Rules Of Survival :: Rules of Survival Now Available on Steam!". May 30, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
- "Rules Of Survival :: Regarding the Removal of Rules of Survival from the Steam Store". June 13, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
- "Rules Of Survival :: Rules of Survival is Now Back on Steam Store!". June 27, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
- Marasigan, Marc (April 14, 2018). "Gaming Lawyer Analyzes PUBG Corp's Copyright Lawsuit Versus NetEase". MMOs.com. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
- Mackovech, Sam (April 5, 2018). "PUBG creators finally decide a copycat game has gone too far, file suit". Ars Technica. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
- Hester, Blake (April 5, 2018). "PUBG Corp. Sues Mobile Dev For Copyright Infringement". Glixel. Retrieved April 5, 2018.