The world of active and populated FPS-Z games is sparse and barren by its nature. It’s a niche sub-genre that has struggled to find solid footing for over 20 years, and will likely never see the popularity it has strived for anytime soon. Games have come and gone with little to no attention from the gaming populace since the early 2000’s, from small community and hobby projects, to games developed by established agencies throwing (reportedly) hundreds of thousands of dollars at it each month. Those longing for a populated multiplayer FPS-Z with even just a few thousand players at a time have more or less accepted the fact that it simply isn’t going to happen unless one of the ‘big guys’ develop, publish, and market the absolute hell out of it. Until that happens, expectations are generally kept pretty low for such a game to suddenly appear and take off.
However…
For reasons that still can’t be fully explained, projects still pop up every once in a while hoping to capture the magic that makes FPS-Z games so damn fun. Obviously each person has their own unique take on what makes an FPS-Z game ‘fun’; some think the movement itself is what makes the genre so enjoyable, others like the team-based multiplayer aspect or large open play areas. There are of course other reasons someone might enjoy a game like Tribes, Midair, or Legions: Overdrive, especially when each game tries to do its own thing with the genre in an attempt to stand out from the others.
While Tribes 3: Rivals has been an unfortunate and somewhat-expected failure so far, it isn’t too uncommon to see such releases spark a bit of inspiration from others to take a stab at making their own FPS-Z game. The development of Tribes: Ascend back in 2012 for instance saw several community projects come to fruition, such as Project Freefall, Legacy, and Midair. That same spark has been reignited with the release of Tribes 3, because there are now at least 3 new community FPS-Z projects in development.
Project Broadside / Broadside
Any FPS-Z fan worth their salt should at least get somewhat interested in a game titled Broadside. Originally announced on the Tribes subreddit in mid-March 2024, Broadside is aiming to pay homage to the first Tribes game while also incorporating other elements from the franchise. And not just gameplay elements, but modding and customization as well.
[…] In the light of Tribes 3 and the rough stage the whole franchise is in, many of us are ticked, bothered, and even may like Tribes 3 and the way its going. Either way, If something doesn’t feel right and you cant change it… You can, however, Make your own.
reddit.com/r/tribes
So, thats what we’re doing. You guys have seen the project Midair which is a great project and I have the utmost respect for those guys, and they’re are doing great work (Check it out if you haven’t)
However, we are looking at something a bit different. We want to build a game, and we are going to shoot for it. That pays homage to the original Starsiege: Tribes, with elements from the rest of the franchise. (We intend to allow modding, customization, vehicles, etc)
UE 5.3, A Game in the vision of what Tribes SHOULD be, built by the community with the voice of the community in hand. and a focus on a strong balance of the original, with newer graphics, physics, and more.
Like all community projects, they’re always looking for others to join their endeavor, namely artists and 3d modelers. Those interested in helping out or just following the project’s progress should definitely head over to the Discord server.
Open FPS-Z
Open FPS-Z was announced roughly one month after Project Broadside by an early contributor that wasn’t all that happy with the game being closed-source. So, they made their own project titled Open FPS-Z which, as I’m sure you can guess, is fully open source. While Broadside is currently being developed using Unreal Engine 5, Open FPS-Z decided to go with Godot.
In the wake of Tribes: Rivals and the uncertainty surrounding the franchise, many of us have felt the urge to take matters into our own hands.
reddit.com/r/tribes
We’ve seen projects like Midair2, and while they’re perfectly laudable (we love you guys), we’re looking to blaze our own trail within the open source community so that anyone can use, modify, distribute, study, improve and contribute freely under the GPLv3 license. 🍻
Introducing our latest initiative: « open-fpsz » a truly open-source game developed with Godot, reverently nodding to the roots of Starsiege: Tribes while drawing inspiration from its rich legacy. Picture fast-paced skiing, thrilling jetpack moves and epic battles across vast landscapes.
And here’s the twist – this isn’t just about creating a game. It’s about fostering a community-driven journey that captures the essence of what Tribes stands for. We’re already diving into mapping, modding support, vehicles, and a whole lot more, all shaped by the insights of dedicated gamers.
Just like Broadside, Open FPS-Z is open to contributors. Simply download Godot, clone the Gitlab repository, and you’re then free to do as you wish with the game. Join the Discord to stay up to date or share your contributions.
Shazballz
Shazballz is perhaps the most interesting project of the 3 due to the developers behind it and just how little is known so far. While Broadside and Open FPS-Z are being created by fans of the genre, Shazballz is being developed by the guys who literally defined it. Mark Frohnmayer, lead programmer of Starsiege: Tribes and Tribes 2, is currently spearheading the project along with several other Tribes veterans including lead designer Scott Youngblood and concept artist Shawn Sharp.
Very little is know about the project, other than Frohnmayer hinting at the game being a combination of Tribes and Marble Blast / Marble It Up. Jetpacks and skiing (or a similar mechanic) have been confirmed, which should be enough to at least make for an interesting game. While the game has an impressive pedigree behind it, it’s still being touted as a community-driven project. There’s no publisher behind the game at the moment, and they’re accepting help from the community. If you’re interested, join the Discord and have at it.
