PS Vita Augmented Reality game Table Top Tanks, which we developed at Devil’s Details in Sheffield, UK. When we were asked if we’d like to develop Table Top Tanks by our friends at SCEE we couldn’t believe our luck: Who doesn’t like blowing stuff up with Tanks? And we got to play with and help develop PlayStation’s AR technology too. So, we said “Yes please!” and got down to work.
So, what’s in Table Top Tanks? Firstly, there are the tanks: They’re quite quick, nimble and fun to drive and you can choose from 10 different colors. Their main cannon is pretty powerful and you can upgrade its shell type by running over pickups; my favorite is the bouncing missile – they’re great fun to spray into the edge of the arena and watch them cause carnage and confusion as they bounce around. To get you started playing the game we’ve included a single player campaign, which will teach you how to play and challenge your tank skills.
But the real fun comes making your own maps using the simple editor. You pick a map size – small, medium or large – and then place virtual shapes around real world objects, so PS Vita can “see” the objects. You can also fill the shapes with water, smoke or fire and so that when they’re shot by a missile they’ll leak water, spill smoke or be set on fire.
Once you’ve crafted your level it’s time to play from a choice of capture the flag, last man standing or two vs. two game modes.
Table Top Tanks allows you to play with and against AI tanks (and you can choose how smart they are) but it’s much more fun to play against up to three friends over Ad Hoc. Share your newly created battlefield with your friends and duke it out from different angles. It’s really great fun, and because the levels are quick and easy to make go ahead and experiment by creating new maps.
With a little effort you can also move Table Top Tanks from the table top. If you print some new markers out but scale them up (we printed them so they filled A4 sheets, just make sure you keep the aspect ratio the same), you can upscale the awesome by playing Table Top Tanks on the floor rather than on a desktop. The Tanks become model car size and you can set up obstacles using the editor and get the whole house involved, blasting the dog or setting fire to the coffee table. We played quite a lot of large marker Table Top Tanks when we were developing the game and it’s serious fun; get some friends together and give it a go.
Finally, if you fancy a little extra twist on the tanks, we’ve got a tank pack DLC in the works which features our take on “toy” tanks. They’ve got a really distinct, bouncy shape and you also get a themed fighter jet too. They’re a firm favorite with us and we’re sure you’ll enjoy playing with them.
We look forward to hearing everyone’s feedback!
I am going to destroy the guy I work with!!!
can we get a video?
also what about ps plus for vita
I want that laser game that I saw before the vita launched. All we got is stinky diving.
I have a good feeling that we will hear PS Plus news on Vita at E3 this year.
Hey Steve how about a gameplay video?
and where is ps plus support on the vita?
sounds cool. wil there be trophies?
Sounds awesome. Can you give us any info on price when it will be available?
Thanks Steve.
Looks like it will be a lot of fun (just watched the video).
Any pricing on this as yet ?
You PS3 gamers think you have it good when, this year, Sony’s announced The Last of Us, LittleBigPlanet Karting, Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale, and God of War Ascension? That’s nothing! For Vita, so far this year (about six months in), they’ve announced Table Top Tanks! Not only that, but they’ve also shown more of a puzzle game they unveiled last year! TAKE THAT!
Looks great! I’m a sucker for tank games, partially because of the controls.
One question about the AR cards, though: do they need to be used in the game? Reason I ask is because some of the other AR games available for the Vita require them. While I see how they do add to the AR feature, I’d like them to be an option as I don’t always want to carry around some playing cards.
This game is on my list! And May 22nd – already some other great games coming at this time.
nicee im sure E3 will shut a lot of whining mouths about Vita not having games….LOL
i hope they announce hardcore ps vita titles at E3
remanutd5 are you copying me or something >:P
Looks fun. Wil this be free like the other AR games?
@8
Did you not see/hear the video? Yes, there will be trophy support!
My guess is it won’t be free with the trophies, various modes, and additional content planned for the future. This looks like it would be worth charging for, though, as the free AR games are more like demos than full featured games.
it should be free cause all AR based games so far are free but for the DLC you will have to pay (duh)
Will it be free like all other AR games? If not, how much will it cost? Will it be available on the EU store the same day? Thanks.
this looks awesome!!!!……………………….but how much???????
Just saw the post on the EU blog and Steve commented on the price as being €1.99.
So most likely around $3.00 US/Canadian.
Speaking of a release date of 5/22, what about Pure Chess? Will it be released on this day, as shown on ign.com? I’d like to see both Table Top Tanks and Pure Chess released next week!
hey everyone, the video is on youtube. just saw, thanks for an ar game with trophies!
thanks DZORMAGEN
I seem to recall a video/tech demo of a very similar nature a few years ago (with little tanks) right here on the PSBlog. I remember thinking/hoping at the time, that the technology would evolve, and perhaps one day I would get to play something similar. Well, it looks as though that time has come, and the finished product looks like a lot of fun; can’t wait to check it out.
Mcbutt78
vp-psn legionairee group
This is shaping up very nice..
This game does look quite interesting and it will be nice to have another AR game. However, I hope it’s cheap or free like Motorstorm with paid DLC. Around $2.99 as rumored above would be an instant purchase.
One of my very first gaming experiences was Combat for the Atari 2600. This reminds me of a much better looking version of that (the tank part at least), so my interest is peaked. I also loved the Return Fire series, so if some of that spirit makes it into TTT, I’ll be a happy Vita gamer.
Yes! Time to invade the sofa in which my pomerainian (sp) lies… surrender now, BEAST!
Awesome !! I am hoping Playstation will continue to take the Play Create Share concept in many directions with the VITA…. great to see it AR looking forward to more.
yes another vita title bring it.
I like the setup of this game & seems very interesting, I’ll have to check this out hopefully there will be a demo.
This actually looks kinda fun. Other than trying out the “tech demo” AR games we got for free, I haven’t really touched them, as Fireworks was the only one that really held my attention. But with this being a more fully-featured title, it looks to be more game than demo, so I’m looking forward to checking it out.
My only request/feedback is, please don’t include ad-hoc trophies, if at all possible. There’s one of those god-forsaken things in Dynasty Warriors NEXT which is keeping a lot of people from platting it. While I doubt this will have a platinum trophy, I’d hate to be kept from getting 100% trophy completion on it because I don’t know anyone with a Vita.
Great timing, something to shut up a few whiners for a couple of days.
@ TMAZT3R. You have to understand that whiners NEVER stop. Sony can bring out as many games for the VITA or a million apps and it STILL will never be enough. Complainers are satisfied once they get what they requested. Whiners even if they get something they will will come back with ‘Is that all?’ or ‘I don’t want that’ or ‘Why don’t you bring this’ or search for something else to complain about once one thing is dealt with. Look at vanwinkle further up. He is a prime example of a whiner.We are getting Table Top Tanks, Resistance Burning Skies, Gravity Daze, Sound Shapes and Smart AS not to mention all the PSP games and minis we just got and who knows what else at E3 and it still will never be enough for a whiner. And to make it worse they claim that their annoying, childish whining shows that they care or will help us get what we want.
IGN is reporting a price of $1.99 and it is coming out next Tuesday.
I don’t see Vita making it to plus this year. Stuff won’t be going on sale on it, until next year and then we might start getting some things. Look at all those Plus users. Once too many people have plus, then will be a Playstation Plus Premier
Cosmis_chaos, I don’t claim that my complaints will help get what I want. I just want them to be heard. I get disappointed when Sony announces four AAA titles for their six-year-old platform between January and now, and have announced no AAA titles for their new handheld that is doing poorly in sales. I love the Vita, despite what you may think. I play it almost every day and it’s the best handheld device I’ve ever owned. Yes, we are getting games. Table Top Tanks is a budget AR game worth no more than three dollars. Resistance is a game I will be getting, but will most likely get mediocre reviews as they assigned a developer with a poor track record to develop it, Gravity Daze looks fantastic and will be a day one purchase from me, but was first shown off at the announcement of the Vita (NGP at the time) itself! Sound Shapes and Smart AS look like nice PSN titles. The closest we get to a AAA title is Gravity Daze, and it was announced a year and a half ago. I’m satisfied with my Vita, but they have no reason to change how they’re operation now if they never hear anything but “awesome job!”
And do you think my complaint about the four AAA titles announced for PS3 this year and none for Vita was unwarranted? You seemed to think of it as “whining” so I’m interested in hearing why you seem to think that it was a ridiculous thing to say.
@ vanwinkle. The VITA just came out a short while ago with more then twenty titles. You act as if they gave you nothing at all from the start. Did you expect them to give you so many titles at launch and then give you twenty more in such a short time? Do you think they make these things by magic or something? So yes I consider your comments whining. They give you games just like they promised they would but because they are not coming fast enough in your mind you cry on and on about it. 3DS owners don’t even get games this fast and they stared out with one of the crappiest launch titles in the history of gaming. Your annoying ‘concern’ is reminiscent of the time when people cried ‘The PS3 has no games’ no matter how many games they made or how fast or slow they came out.
This is same ‘PS3 is dead, time to move on to the PS4’ rubbish we had to listen to for months and years and now we have more game then we can play on it. Ironic how you mention how many AAA titles they made for the PS3 this year alone when people were once crying about the system having no games and now we have a ton of them to playhe fact that you don’t like what is being released is not anyone’s problem but your own. You haven’t even played Table Top Tanks or Resistance Burning Skies and you are already trying to put them before you even play them So your premature negativity is both annoying and pointless as is your so called ‘concern’.
Is it free
@42 dont kill the guy LOl.. I havent seen you on here in long cosmo how have you been.
mcbuttz78
vp-psn legionarre group
This is already available (for free) on the Japanese PS store and it’s actually a lot of fun – more so than any of the other AR games out there, with the possible exception of the footie one (Table Soccer seems a bit rubbish at first, but is hugely entertaining with a friend, once you get the hang of ‘bending it like Beckham’!)
DLC was mentioned, so is the core game going to be free, with downloadables for sale?
Vanwinkle is on the money.
There are virtually no third party announcements for the vita from NA developers which leaves only sony to pick up the slack. And what do we get, announcements of a brain training game they showed last E3 and is still months away from release and looks lame as hell. And now an AR game that people will play for 15 minutes before moving on.
The vita continues to set new sales records in japan and not in a good way. They’ve dipped way below 10k a week. Announcing Soul Sacrifice did absolutely nothing in Japan. A dismal marketing failure.
Sony needs to make deals with third parties and fund vita versions of psn games. Its not going to happen on its own. Someone tweeted Dylan Cuthbert over at Pixeljunk what the odds were of the vita getting pixeljunk games like eden, shooter and sidescroller on the vita. “Unfortunately its not likely” was his response.
Oh, and btw, sony, where’s my PJM deluxe for my vita? Schmucks!
@vanwinkle
I think announcing four AAA (by your own admission) titles BEFORE E3 actually suggests that Sony will have some pretty major announcements during their press conference.
Sure, the Vita has done pretty poorly and has been ill-served when it comes to software so far, but remember that Sony’s new CEO (a certain Mister Kazuo Hirai) has already stated that Sony, as a company, is going to consolidate and concentrate on it’s most profitable avenues – digital imaging and games.
I believe you might be pleasantly surprised, post-E3. If Sony has the luxury of spending the first half of 2012 announcing four (FOUR!!!) top titles for PS3, then there’s a very good chance they have some real shockers in store for the LA Convention Center next month!
Testing, testing, testing.
Wow, your comment is awaiting moderation. Why? Am I using bad language? Tell you what, boyz, why don’t you tell me what I’m supposed to post. Should I be telling you what a great job you’re doing addressing issues, like finding out what went down with PJM deluxe and why it doesn’t work on my vita as advertised. Instead I have to tweet pixeljunk and even they don’t know what’s going on your end.
So, you tell me what I should be posting and to who to get my queries answered.
add avatars on the ps vita’s psn. (tried and tried again to add this to ps blog share but for some reason one of my ideas are never excepted. I have even seen other people down the line post the same Idea I thought of but was not accepted but there’s got accepted.)