Clonk

By: Guest Reviewer

On: June 23rd, 2008

[Guest review by MisterX]

Has Clonk really never been featured on TIGSource? It’s a German indie game series (with English language support) that’s probably a lot less known worldwide than it is here, in Germany. But I’m not exaggerating when I say that they’re some of the very best games I know – and I’m not only talking about indie games. It’s quite a long-running series, with the first Clonk being released in 1994. Nine titles onwards there is “Clonk Rage”, the latest game. Following its release, the largely identical predecessor, Clonk Endeavour, has been released for free, though its online component has been stripped from it.

So if it really is unknown around here, I’ll try to summarize the game a bit. Basically, Clonk is an extensive 2D action-adventure-strategy platformer. Usually you control a group of the Clonks, using them to build up a settlement. For the building process you need resources, which you can get by digging into the ground. There you can dig for coal, pump up oil, or blow up veins of ore and gold. While gold is the common currency in the game, you also need energy – coal is used to fire up furnaces, which melt ore to metal. And windmills are used to power elevators which will let you mine more professionally.

At least, that’s the most common scenario. Actually that’s just a tiny bit of what Clonk offers in terms of variety, but summing it all up is practically impossible. Other popular scenarios are the middle age, where huge castles are built and knights fight hand-to-hand or on horseback, and the Western, where small towns are built and cowboys shoot each other. There are also several flavors of foreign worlds, like the arctic, a deep jungle… you name it.

There’s an uncountable amount of more stuff due to Clonk’s modability. For at least 10 years now there’s been a huge community of people who have created all sorts of stuff. It ranges from level mods that use pre-made content, or scripted adventures (for example, there is a neat Diablo-esque level that includes questing and leveling up), to completely original scenarios, like a cool sci-fi pack that includes armored troops with machine guns, hoverbikes, and huge complexes full of alien scum. I hope that helps explain why it’s so hard to just define Clonk.

Technically, the series has come quite far. While it featured cute, but crude, hand-drawn 2D pixel art in the past, the game now features a 3D look that isn’t any less charming. Probably most interesting though is the destructibility of the terrain, which reminds of Cortex Command, and the “fluid” physics. The water in the game is pretty dynamic, making rain a lethal foe as it loves to flood your mine shafts. The only thing that hasn’t really changed is the quite archaic midi music. For me that’s simply added nostalgia, but it might be annoying for new players (F1 disables music!).

And to briefly cover one of Clonk’s most important aspects: there is multiplayer. All kinds of it. You can play in split-screen with up to 4 players sharing a keyboard, but you can also plug in as many gamepads as you’d like. There’s also internet-play, which works mighty fine without especially much lag. And how you play is entirely up to you: You may want to play a small “Melee”, which is a kind of deathmatch, or you may build up huge colonies with walls and other defenses to have really big battles. Or you can just play a level cooperatively to build up a huge colony with a friend… or twelve.

Ouf, that’s become quite a wall of text already and yet it’s lacking any kind of structure and completeness. And let me make this clear: Clonk is not an especially complex game that takes years to get into or anything. Over the years it has become very accessible, most notably offering various control schemes.

Like I said, Clonk Endeavour, the second-to-last game in the series, is freeware and very similiar to the most recent release. Clonk Rage, the latest title, is shareware and can be bought for roughly 23$ (or, more precisely, 15â‚¬).

Hit the jump for a trailer of Clonk Rage!

Posted in Highly Recommended, Multiplayer, Platformers, Strategy, Videos, Windows | Tags: RedWolfDesign

Oh god how did this get here i am not good with computer

Holy shit, Clonk.
I remember playing it quit a while ago, and thinking it was totally awesome.
But I never really got into it because one day the game suddenly decided to stop working.
I guess I’ll have to try it again now.
Lim-Dul

Ha, yes, good old Clonk. Used to play it quite a lot back in the day. I even check out the various updates from time to time so I was aware of Clonk: Endaevour.
Trotim

Clonk… well… I just… could never get into it. I don’t want to be a party pooper, though. It’s a great game… when you can get used to it.
basro

I never liked the toggle controls in the old versions of clonk.
The newest version has jump-n-run control scheme as an option, it makes it much more playable IMO.
haowan

Looks superb, downloadan now
John Roth

Arg, the wiki and dev sites are in German… if only I could read or speak that…
MisterX

Like I’ve written, it’s (unfortunately) very unpopular outside of Germany, hence the focus on german language. But you can still find some support in the english forums. Also, using the more basic functions of the editor mode should be fairly simple, anyway :)
LopinRD

now THIS IS A TRUE GEM

I LLOOOOOOVVVEEE this game, after Dwarf fortress this is my second most loved and amazing game ive ever played, just a few days ago i bought the rage version and played on lan with some friends, amazing, simply amazing, and fighting with magic and dragons, and surviving in the artic is SIMPLE AWSOME, 20 thumbs up
Nikica

Clonk is just great.
Tyheam

Ah, yeah the hours, no days I’ve spent playing this with my cousins… :D

It’s still the game we mostly sit down to for some quick splitscreen multiplayer. I still know that it was hard to get into (started with Clonk Planet). The hundreds of clonks that died because I digged straight down without being able to climb. :D Now the controls are like second nature to me though. I still prefer the classic controls even if I usually recommend the new jump’n’run controls to friends trying the game out.
HsK

I decided to give Clonk 4 while downloading Clonk Endeavor. Seems to be in German, fortunately I can read that.
Lazer

Oh tits Endeavor is freeware now?

I am all over that like hot poop on flies.
trav

I played a few of the clonk games. I found the idea terrific, however I found moving around within the game world a bit irritating, frequently getting myself or my ore truck stuck on tiny bits of rock or dirt, or down holes that I couldn’t get out of.

I tried a few of the extra theme scenarios as well, and while they were pretty cool looking, I had trouble figuring out my objectives and how all the crap in them operated. It looked like it was made for many more players than just 2.
MisterX

I haven’t checked Endeavour, but at least in Rage the language can be changed to English in the options.
Also you can always find out about the set of rules and objectives in each level through the ingame menu (by default it is on “Num 0”).

You should be able to finish most of the official “economy” levels, based around building up a settlement or something similiar, on your own or with only one other player, as usually having more players around merely accelerates everything, but doesn’t really open up new possibilities.

And yes, Clonk may generally take a while to get used to, but like I’ve written on the forums I think that’s mainly because of its simply being different, as it isn’t based on a concept already known from other games.
In my opinion that’s even one of the best aspects about it. I’m sure it can be incontestably said that Clonk is truly unique :)
Dominic White

Clonk really is fantastic. So versatile – there’s mods out there for almost every kind of play imaginable, and no shortage of stuff included in the base game.

Rage really is the most accessible iteration, though. The ‘run and jump’ control system is so much better than the old layout.

It’s a pity that 95% of the playerbase is German. Makes online play and browsing the user-made content library a bit of a pain.
TwiTerror

I just grabbed this for $15. That’s all I got charged, despite what the site says about conversion. :P
http://www.puppybuckets.blogspot.com/ Alehkhs

Since there is not an English version of the Clonk wiki, and I know that one would help newcomers (like myself), who’s up for collaborating on an English wiki (or some-such site)?

I would love to build a community of English players from TIGSource and fellow Indy-sites.

Anyone interested?
Nikica

You could also use Google Translate to translate the Clonk wiki.
SubActuality

I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this! I love it so far. Can anyone point me in the right direction for downloading addons or mods, particularly in English?
Krux

Yeaa!! i played the first conk, from a shareware disk of my cousin, even that game is still very cool, but it only can be played multiplayer on one keyboard.
http://www.g4g.it FireSword

I found Clonk endeavour more then 1 year ago.. but for some reason i didn’t add it… oh well.. you are always in time.. :P
MisterX

Alehkhs:
That’s a nice idea and of course I would totally support it :) Hopefully something can be done in that direction.

SubActuality:
The main resource for all kinds of Clonk content is CCAN .de, which unfortunately isn’t available in English, so you may want to use Google Translate for it as well. In order to be able to download from CCAN you need to register there first, for which you need a valid registration key. If you bought Clonk then that’s just the key you got, if you downloaded a freeware version I think the key file you got alongside should work as well.
I don’t know about any must-haves, as I’ve only recently started playing Clonk Rage again, but you should be able to find a lot of good and interesting things by just browsing the CCAN :) Just make sure they are for the right version, as seen in the “Engine” tab. CE = Clonk Endeavour, CR = Clonk Rage, and so on. I think Clonk is mostly downwards compatible, so you can likely use CE files in CR, but not the other way around.
AmnEn

The concept sounds interesting but what I really don’t like is that I have to constantly start over because they tend to get stuck so easily. Yeah its my fault that they do but still, that sucks.
John Roth

Yeah I actually really like it to. Sometimes it’s confusing and frustrating though. I’m having trouble beating the tutorial stage Underground. It took me awhile to figure out how to get the stupid elevator going. Then I threw a ton of coal into my factory and went to go digg out my friend, but couldn’t figure out how to dig the right side out first so I wouldn’t fall down so I could go dig the left side out. Eventually I got it figured out but then my factory ran out of power…. doh!
DarkJee

Holy S*** am I dreaming?? Clonk on TIGSource !? NIIIIIIIICE!!!!

This game is just the best game I have never played, precisely on multiplayer!!!!!!! Sure first start we play its kind of hard but when you get use of it its just too hot and fun!

I just wanted more players online and not only germans =P

Everyone buy it!!!
Moose

How do you get flint stones to explode to mine gold?
MisterX

Usual flints (the plain red ones) explode on contact, so they just need to be thrown at a gold vein. The T-flints on the other hand ignite on contact and only explode after a few seconds, but they also just need to be thrown.
Oftentimes it can be useful to hang on the ceiling of a mine shaft and just drop a flint onto the gold, that makes the aiming a little easier. And then there’s still the possibility to fire the flints using catapults. Or cannons, if you really want to exaggerate ;)

But maybe the thing you’ve thrown just didn’t explode at all. In that case it wasn’t a flint, anyway! :)
snapman

Can I play this 4-player split screen on the shareware version? What exactly are the limitations of the shareware vresion/advantages to the purchased version?
Krux

in the freeware version you have no Limitations, you can play as much as you want, the only limitation is, that it is not compatible to the fan Objects and Mods from ccan. Splitscreen is always possible.
Moose

How do you throw things? The mouse control seems to be really misleading..

Snapman, in the unregistered version you can’t play online, nor play any user content, nor create any content.
MisterX

If I recall correctly the shareware version is limited to only a few levels and you can’t play any custom levels in it. Splitscreen-multiplayer should work, though.

But like I’ve written the predecessor to Clonk Rage, Clonk Endeavour, is now freeware and largly identical to it. So as long as you don’t want to play online you could freely play Endeavour without any other restrictions and then eventually buy Rage :)
Xotes

Aha! I’ve had some good times with Clonk before, and it’s nice to see it get some recognition on TIGs.

I never was very good at it, though…
Krux

In Endeavour there is a tutorial, where you can learn all the movements like throwing grabbing etc, I don’t know where it is in Rage. I don’t like the mouse, you can do everything with the keyboard, but maybe it is because I am a Veteran ;).

Now after houres of Clonk, I remember, why i stopped playin it … hy right hand hurts.
http://www.puppybuckets.blogspot.com/ Alehkhs

Yea, MisterX (and anyone else), if you are interested in starting an community of English-speaking players from here at TIGSource and other sites, just let me know. We could collaborate and share tactics, tips, maybe put together a nice guide for new players, and even set up online games.

Just let me know on here if you are interested, and I’ll try to get a group together and we’ll see what we can do.
MisterX

Frankly, I don’t know if I’d be motivated enough to really do much, but I definitely like the idea. So, for now, count me in :)
http://www.puppybuckets.blogspot.com/ Alehkhs

Yea, I assume any community we got going would wane on and off as time went by.

Maybe set up a wiki? hmmm…. does anyone have experience creating wikis?
http://mizipzor.blinkenshell.org mizipzor

I found out about Clonk two days ago, instant love. Theres way to few coop games around.
TheSpaceMan

It’s the best thing since pre cut bread.

No but actualy it’s really fun and i want to play more more more multiplayer. Bought Clonk Rage imidatly after I’ve tried the free version.
DarkJee

Yeah you will have 20 times more fun with the bought version, you will be able to play every scenarios, multiplayer, you will be able to save your game, watch replays… still not enough people know this game =(

this is just the best game ever, you can do what you want! every scenario are possible!
Snow

I think it would be a good idea to set up an official English wiki for this series – which could serve as the central hub for English speaking and North American players.

I’ve heard of the Clonk series so long ago, but at the time, couldn’t get into it, because almost all of the documentation was in German… and I only know a very little bit of german. Not enough to have been able to play the games.

For a game and series that have been around for 14 years, Clonk is epic among indie titles. It definitely is high time that every gamer who is into the indie scene has the ability to check it out.
Woodwolf

I tried it once and I’m trying again. Both times I feel I’m missing something good because I just don’t get used to controls.

And just something I don’t understand: are you suposed to control a single Clonk all the time while the rest of them stand still? or is it possible to give them orders somehow so they do things by themselves?

The trailer seems to point to this second possibility, but no idea how you are supposed to do that with such a control scheme :(
MisterX

You can control several Clonks at once, though the ability is a bit limited. For example when you move a Clonk and switch to another one, the first one will go on moving. Also everything that a Clonk can do automatically, like building something or gathering wood, he will go on doing that even if you switch.
Depending on how accustomed you got to the controls you can switch back and forth between Clonks pretty quickly, thus making them do some stuff simultaneously. Using the mouse should also help if you really want to multitask, as you can give more precise orders using it.
Lastly, cooperating in multiplayer is, of course, the most efficient and fun way to have several Clonks work together :)
Dodo

You shouln’t use the mouse, it’s still buggy. Almost everything must be done with the trow, dig and menu buttons, once you get used to that, you’ll have a great time:D.
I always use the “back to base” command in the menu to speed up collecting items.
http://www.puppybuckets.blogspot.com/ Alehkhs

Alright, I took some (just a tiny bit) of initiative and set up a CLONK wiki on wetpaint (http://clonk.wetpaint.com/).

MisterX, if you would like admin privaleges, let me know.

If anyone has any questions or concerns, or you think you should be an admin, speak up.

Let’s set up a good English-speaking community for CLONK!
MisterX

Very nice :) Could you just open a thread on the forums? I guess that would make the communication easier :)
MisterX

Oh, another thing: Depending on how up-to-date the German clonk wiki ist, maybe it would be possible to simply inegrate the English one into it?
I guess I’ll try to get in touch with the German community, especially concerning the more elaborate contents about developing for Clonk.
http://www.puppybuckets.blogspot.com/ Alehkhs

yea definitely; if the German wiki will give us an English branch, it would be a lot easier.
http://www.puppybuckets.blogspot.com/ Alehkhs

alright, I made a forum post for further discussion: http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=2117.0
PeterW

There are already English parts in the German wiki, so I’m sure nobody will mind the slightest if you start putting pieces together. For specific requests you might want to ask Isilkor in #clonk (but keep in mind that we are in a different time zone here…).

And thank you all for the positive feedback :)
Mandrake42

This is pretty cool actually. Those were complaining about the controls should try this version as it seems entirely mouse driven and fairly intuitive. Plus there are a few Tutorials to get you started. There also so demos you can watch that you can learn game play techniques from.