With Authority!
A digital collectible card game set in the world of professional wrestling.
WWF With Authority! is a professional wrestling digital collectible card game developed by Genetic Anomalies and published by THQ and Jakks Pacific. Released for Microsoft Windows on February 21, 2001, it was the first WWF game for home computers since 1992's WWF European Rampage Tour. The game was later renamed WWE With Authority! in May 2002 after the organization dropped the WWF trademark.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Genetic Anomalies
- Publisher
- THQ/Jakks Pacific
- Released
- February 21, 2001
- Genre
- Strategy
- Modes
- Single-player
- Platforms
- Windows
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
The single-player mode was designed as a tutorial. In the first edition, players faced the Mean Street Posse with narration from Kevin Kelly, while the second edition pitted them against Scotty 2 Hotty with Triple H as the narrator. After the second edition, three computer opponents were added in order of increasing difficulty: X-Pac, Triple H, and The Big Show. The game focused heavily on online multiplayer, which during its peak could host up to 1,000 players at once. It recorded wins, losses, draws, and how often a player disconnected mid-match, a system meant to stop people from quitting to avoid a loss. Players could buy virtual Pages and combine them into a Playbook, which defined the moves and abilities their Superstar could use. Most Pages cost Momentum to play. There are six Momentum types: Agility, Technical, Strength, Strike, Knowledge, and Attitude. The first five are only generated by Momentum pages in the Playbook. Attitude Momentum is flexible, gained or lost by playing Pages or using a wrestler's special ability. Superstars have Momentum limits that restrict which Pages they can equip. For instance, the first edition Triple H Superstar has an Agility Momentum limit of 1, meaning only one Agility Momentum can be used in his Playbook, blocking Pages that cost 2 or more Agility. Superstars also have special abilities that offer a bonus or penalty, generally boosting the effectiveness of their movesets or Special Pages.
Release
WWF With Authority! was first distributed as downloadable freeware and was available on CD in retail stores for US$5.00. The retail version included a redemption code for a William Regal starter playbook. Additional pre-constructed playbooks for superstars cost US$10.00, and booster packs with random individual pages cost US$3.00, with a certain number of rarer cards guaranteed in each booster. In January 2003, THQ ceased production, though the server remained online for several months. The freeware client can still be downloaded from some freeware distribution sites, but the game is no longer officially supported. In 2003, weeks before support ceased, THQ released a peer-to-peer version so existing players could continue using purchased pages by connecting through IP addresses. This community was named With Authority! Peer-2-Peer, using mIRC for a chat room and server with the original client. Guide sets containing every page released for the game were made available, allowing players to build practically any deck. The community shut down years later. Expansion sets included First Edition (196 cards, February 21, 2001), No Way Out (145 cards, December 12, 2001), WrestleMania X8 (25 cards, late March 2002), TLC (160 cards, May 16, 2002), Second Edition (250 cards, June 2002), and SummerSlam 2002 (25 cards, August 2002). The WrestleMania X8 mini-expansion was on sale for only a month or two and was developed during the event itself.
Reception
WWF With Authority! was one of the first online collectible card games, alongside Chron X, also from Genetic Anomalies. While later online collectible card games such as Magic: The Gathering Online saw success, Genetic Anomalies did not survive to see the genre flourish. The game received mixed reception, with a Metacritic score of 53 out of 100. A physical WWF collectible card game called Raw Deal, released around the same time, was considered a better alternative to the online version.
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