MetaTanks is a side-scroller 2D shooter developed by AndrewIGD. It is one of the games that were never released to the public. Your objective is to remain the last tank alive.
Upon launching the game, after pressing "Play", players have to join by pressing a certain key on the keyboard, or A on the controller. Players have to build the tank from the bottom to the top. Starting with propulsion, body and then weapon.
There are 4 types of propulsion:
Average-speed, average-health propulsion.
Average-low speed, average-high health propulsion.
Low-speed, high-health propulsion.
High-speed, low-health propulsion.
There are 3 types of bodies:
Average-health, average-weight body.
High-health, big-weight body. Commonly used with heavy wheels and machinegun.
Low-health, small-weight body. Commonly used with airbag.
There are 5 types of weapons:
Machineguns are low-damage weapons that reload very fast. They can be spammed, making it pretty hard for another machinegun user to make a positive trade against you.
The cannon is a mid-damage weapon, reloading with an average speed. Can be used to counter machineguns.
Mortars are the only weapon in the game that require actual skill. The mortar can be adjusted by pressing the 'Z' and 'C' keys on the keyboard, or using the bumpers on the controller. Shooting will fire a boulder that deals big damage to the enemy hit. The skill factor in the mortar is represented by calculating the angle you need to shoot at to hit the enemy, because the boulder is the only projectile in the game that is affected by gravity.
Rockets are high-damage weapons. They come two in one pair, but they reload slowly. Can be used to counter the machinegun.
Flamethrowers throw 3 flames at different angles. This can be used to hit enemies that are below or above you. When an enemy is hit with a flame, they get burned, getting damage every second for 3 seconds.
One of the key mechanics of the game is the ability to transform. A player may transform in either on one of the next forms:
The base form in which everybody spawns in. High speed, but can only move using it's wheels.
The next form is the robot. The robot can double jump, and can also duck. The robot has slightly reduced defense, making it more vulnerable than the tank.
The most commonly used form in the game, the plane. Using this form, you are able to fly, but at the cost of half of your defense, making you easy to kill. Must jump in robot form in order to transform.
Following the common trend with IGD's games, the machinegun is the spammable weapon available in this game. The most commonly used tactic is to use tiger and heavy wheels and stay in tank form, while spamming bullets. This meme may be used when talking about meta or strategy in a game.
Example usage:
The word "meta" from "MetaTanks" is a synonim for transforming.
The game's concept is inspired by Warzone 2100, which featured customizable units. Combined with the idea of transforming tanks, MetaTanks was born.
The game was originally intended to have a story, but it was later scrapped.
The game once had a concept such as "generation" weapons, meaning gen 2 weapons were stronger than gen 1 weapons. It would've been used in Metatank's story mode, but it was also scrapped.