Spy Battle: Free Online Game by Snakehead Games

Towards the end of 2008 Snakehead Games introduced a free online game called "Spy Battle" and so far it is a big hit with online gamers. At the present time it has over 8000 registered players.

The game is set in the future world in 2165. The basic storyline is that a group of robots known a "Regenobots" have taken over and will bring back to life any human being that it finds. This, of course, has caused the world to be heavily overpopulated. In order to survive this new world, humans must "raid, steal and spy on each other."

In the game you are one of these spies. You will see names like James Bond, The Saint and other familiar spies but there are lots of other fun and creative names you could use. Keep in mind that the game is very PG-13 so pick a name that is appropriate for teenagers. Happily the game is constantly moderated to keep it in that realm. Parents need not worry about their children playing this game as foul or suggestive language will get the offending player frozen and possibly banned from the game. In three months of play I have seen few problems of this type.

The game is a text based game with "no moving parts" and nothing to load. People who are already familiar with "Star Pirates", another of Snakehead Game's free offerings, will be able to jump right into the familiar format.

The general idea of the game is to level up your character by earning experience points and by improving your stats by doing "research". At first look the game appears to be complicated but there is a lot of information and plenty of people to help out. Recently, the games developers have started a greeters program in which players, familiar with the game, greet new players and offer them help and advice on how to get the most out of the game. You may even be greeted by Zen Master (that's me, by the way). I have changed my game name several times so some people may know me as Agent Flint or Exorcist.

Some players like Deacon and James Bond have been playing since the beginning and are always helpful to new players ... they also happen to play a lot and you are almost always likely to find them online. The moderators are also good sources of information.

Cardinal, Dr. Horrible, Deacon and Leon are all moderators (current to this writing) and will be listed in red in the shoutbox. Remember, even though they are moderators they are also players and will be glad to send you to the hospital ... so be respectful.

Speaking of game colors the admins are in blue: AdminArrBilly, admin256, anminice and players with upgraded "Special Agent" accounts (the ones who have paid $4.50 in real money for 30 days) will be in yellow. Everyone else ends up a pale gray.

A note about "Special Agent" accounts. Even though the game is free the "Special Agent" is a good thing to be as it makes the game much faster for the player and you receive points which are useful for a variety of things. CAUTION - If you are not a Special Agent any game-money (not real money) you receive when you sell items or points goes right into your characters pocket and can be stolen by any other player in the game. That means if you put something in the item market and you are offline at the time the money will be available for "pickpocketing" until you come back on line and bank it. Remember though, it is just game money not real life money.

Deacon, level 50 (the highest level so far, at least at the time of this writing), started playing "Spy Battle" only a couple of hours after it was introduced online. He is not one of the typical players of "Spy Battle". He is 52 years old, married and has two grown adult children. He teaches Computer Skills and Language Arts to 7th & 8th grade students at a public middle school. He is also a writer and game aid designer for a role playing game company. "Sometimes, it's kinda cool knowing that I'm kicking the butts of lots of younger players around here," he says with his usual smile ... :D.

As for the game Deacon adds "...I really like it. It's very gratifying to be part of a community game like this and be in a position where others have respect and even admiration for my accomplishments. I try not to let it go to my head. SB is a great game in its own right; it's much better than SP in that the online attack aspect is an accepted part of the game here. In SP it's almost taboo now. Besides that, it's a great community of players and we have a lot of fun together."

Deacon offers some tips for the game and some do's and don'ts:

"The most important thing to keep in mind for a new player is that you're not going to zoom to the top over night. Whether you play for free or if you invest real money in the game, it takes time to build your character. Of course, it does go faster if you're willing to invest a bit. I highly recommend at least acquiring Secret Agent status as soon as you can. There are even people in the game who will pay the real cash fee for you if you pay them "in-game" cash."

Do . . .

. . . read the FAQ and the Forum areas under Game Play that deal with new players.

. . . pay attention when someone gives you advice or a warning about your behavior or play.

. . . have fun. It's a game, after all.

Don't . . .

. . . be rude and discourteous to other players, even if some of them are idiots and treat you badly. Report the behavior to a moderator.

James Bond, level 45 (at the time of this writing) has also been playing since day one. Like many players in the game is also plays other online games like Snakehead Game's free online game Baneworld plays. He enjoys playing Spy Battle "Because it's fun and I can do it on the side while working."

James Bond is a constant presence in the game and will be glad to help you out and get you going. He will also be glad to put you in the HP and take your money (game money, that is) but don't take it personally. "It's a PvP game. Nobody here is out "to get you", you'll be fragging and getting fragged most of the time." he writes.

Here are some James Bond do's and don'ts:

"Do's: Change your standard filter settings to online and a 10$ cash minimum (you get an XP bonus for online hits and XP+money is always great), be polite and respectful towards others in chat and enjoy a target rich environment.

Don'ts: Thou shall not be a spambot or a troll."

As James Bond points out the game is a "work in progress". The administrators of the game listen to the players and try to use suggestions to make the game more interesting. Battles have been shortened and incentives to level and to have more active play have been introduced.

So if your ready to play an exciting and ever growing online game then try it out. Go to spybattle.com to signup for a free account. Don't forget to tell them Zen Master sent you