SAS: Zombie Assault 3

SAS: Zombie Assault 3, often referred to as SAS 3 or ZA 3, is the third full game developed and published by Ninja Kiwi and released as part of the SAS series. It is a sequel to.

The game was first announced on January 23, 2011. A few months later a signup for a closed beta went live on March 21, 2011 with the beta beginning a few days later on March 24, 2011. The game entered its open beta on June 6, 2011.

Plot
While the SAS: Zombie Assault series does not have a traditional plot or storyline, mission descriptions of the game's maps give an idea of the game's overlying plot.

The game begins with members of the elite Special Air Service (SAS) being sent into a rural area after reports of zombie attacks. The mission is to investigate these incidents as well as get rid of any evidence, but while staging an operation in a farmhouse, the SAS become under attack by a horde. After surviving the attacks on the farmhouse, the members of the S.A.S. have a new goal: investigate and eliminate the source of this new strain of zombies.

Gameplay
SAS 3 introduces a new style of gameplay not seen in previous games of the series. In gameplay focused around surviving while in a single structure, with weapons being bought from a pause menu using in-game currency. In SAS 2, gameplay was built around the idea of traversing a series of rooms while spending in-game currency to access new areas and find new weapons to purchase.

In SAS 3, players can choose from 1 of 5 maps (20 maps in the mobile version) and have to survive for a number of rounds dependent upon the players' rank. After the number of rounds are completed and all zombies are eliminated, players are given a certain amount of experience which allows them to level up and are returned to a menu. From this screen players can purchase new weapons dependent upon their rank and can select a new map to play through. In the mobile version, players can also buy from a large variety of armor with in-game currency, a first for the series.

After each round on a map, a certain portion of lost health is automatically returned to the player. If a player dies in single-player, or if all players die in multi-player, the amount of experience received is reduced dramatically, usually up to 80% or more. Upon completion of a map, players earn an amount of experience which generally scales up according to the player's current rank.

Rank & Skills
SAS 3 differs from its predecessors in its expanded rank and skills system. In SAS: Zombie Assault 2 ranks only served as levels from which players could receive beneficial skills. In SAS 3, rank not only determines the skills a player has access too, it also determines the weapons as well as the difficulty of the game since enemy health scales up according to the player's rank.

SAS 3 also has a significantly higher number of ranks available. SAS 2 and it's expansion only had 8 ranks available to the player, while in the first year of SAS 3's release, a total of 40 ranks were available. As of February 26, 2012 the game now has 50 ranks available.

Weapons
So far, SAS 3 has the largest number of available premium and non-premium weapons of any game in the SAS series.

Standard

 * Glock 17
 * Raging Bull .44
 * Ruger P97
 * Desert Eagle
 * IMI SP-21 Bark
 * Nitro Express .600
 * MAC-10

Premium

 * Beretta 93R
 * G20 (PC-version only)

Standard

 * Skorpion
 * MP5
 * Vector
 * MP7
 * AUG PARA
 * Minebea M-9 (android confirmed)
 * Seizure

Premium

 * PP19 Bizon
 * FN P90 (android confirmed)

Standard

 * M1 Garand
 * AK-47
 * M16A4
 * FAL
 * SCAR-H
 * REC7
 * ARX160

Premium

 * M1 Garand (PC-version)
 * Beowulf
 * Wipeout

Standard

 * Stoeger
 * Winchester 9410
 * SPAS-12
 * Saiga .410K
 * M1014
 * Striker

Premium

 * AA12
 * SCMITR

Standard

 * Bren
 * RPD
 * M249 SAW
 * MG4
 * M240 MAG
 * M134 Minigun

Premium

 * M2 Browning

Standard

 * MGL140
 * Mark II

Premium

 * RPG7
 * M2A1 Flamethrower
 * M41-A Grendel
 * JKH 0.887 CAW

Sentry guns

 * GECAL 50
 * ADWS

Power-ups

 * Grenade
 * Cryo Grenade
 * Holy Hand Grenade

Modes
Traditionally, the SAS series has only offered single-player support. SAS 3 is the first game in the series to offer online multi-player with up to four players at once.

Single-player
Single-player in SAS 3 is centered around a player being able to strategize and complete rounds on his/her own, usually through evasion. Upon completion of a round, a percentage of lost health is restored to the player When Using Health Regen Skill. If a player dies before completion of all rounds, the game immediately ends, and the player receives a small portion of the experience they would have earned had they completed it.

In higher ranks, single-player can become increasingly difficult and often frustrating without the use of premium weapons. Many players often switch to multi-player or spend NK Coins (acquired through real currency or by completing surveys) to buy new and often devastating weapons.

Due to a recent update, the player now has access to an AI companion in single player mode. The companion has access to all levels and weapons available to the player, provided the player is willing to buy them. The companion can be activated or deactivated on the main menu. (This update is available exclusively on the Android and iOS.)

Multi-player
SAS 3 is the first game in the series to offer online multi-player support, with up to 4 players able to play at once in either public lobbies or private matches. Multiplayer offers 3 game modes immediately which include Onslaught mode, Purge mode, and Apocalypse mode.

Onslaught mode is the same as it is in single-player, while Purge mode gives players the objective to destroy zombie nests. Lastly, Apocalypse mode is an 'unbeatable mode' that ends when all players have died.

On iOS and Android, players (at Rank 3 or higher) are given a Buddy (NPC Companion), although you are not allowed to use them on certain Daily Missions (however, they can gain XP (the same as the XP you've earned) when you finish the mission, even if they have not participated in the Daily Missions. This happens when you activate your buddy and finish a daily mission. It is unknown if this intentional or not). They are fully customizable along with upgrades and ranking. They also auto re-fill their ammo by spending your cash (except pistol weapons that have unlimited ammo). With them added, there's a total squad of 8 (4 players, 4 buddies). Buddies can be disabled if you don't want one, and it is recommended to rank train your Buddy (especially if their rank is low) on Single Player.

Squad Coloring: Buddies are colored Pink while your Buddy is colored Tan. Your soldier is colored Blue while other players are colored Green.

Updates
10/15/2012: The game was transferred from the MochiGames system to the NK Login System. This makes all premium's prices from MochiCoins to NK Coins, and added achievements that reward Awesome Points. This update also included the "Camera Lock" feature.

03/01/2012: Update for iPhone, private matches and daily missions added

02/27/2012: Fixed no cash for nightmare bug, buffed CAW at close range, removed nightmare from Single Player

02/26/2012: Selectable purge/onslaught/apocalypse modes, ten Elite Ranks, Nightmare mode for ranks 40+, new guns, new skills, six cryo grenades to start the game, smaller muzzle flashes.

02/22/2012: Cryo grenades added.

02/20/2012: Update for iPhone.

02/10/2012: Rank 40's now get zero XP.

12/21/2011: Beowulf buff (one extra pierce).

12/19/2011: Released SAS for iPhone, iPod, and iPad.

11/02/2011: Increased RPG price to 1,400 mochi coins.

10/26/2011: Added the ability to purchase grenades and sentry guns during the game.

09/29/2011: Added purge mode and a Flamethrower/RPG buff.

08/31/2011: Allowed 2 & 3 player private matches.

08/29/2011: Saving becomes more reliable.

08/11/2011: Added private matches.

08/10/2011: Improved Flamethrower lag.

08/08/2011: Improved Flamethrower hit detection and damage.

08/03/2011: Added the Flamethrower.

07/07/2011: Added gibs.

06/27/2011: Fixed sentry gun glitch and added singleplayer pause.

06/17/2011: Added more rounds per match, images of dead Devastators and blood splatter from Mamushka stay on the map. CAW available for purchase.

06/10/2011: Added How to Play menu.

06/07/2011: Open beta released.

05/31/2011: Fixed crazy menus, improved never-ending round bug, and changed some Zombies' health (Fixed Karnivale Glitch).

05/27/2011: Changed zombie spawning.

05/25/2011: More low level zombies per match.

05/20/2011: Improved equip menu, fixed premium guns, improved minimap rendering, added cash bonus powerup crate and removed ammo powerup crate, added purchasable cash and rank, and buffed SPAS-12/changed description.

05/13/2011: Changed ammo prices.

05/12/2011: Smaller maps are easier, singleplayer campaign working better.

05/04/2011: Updated map images so the edges fade to black.

04/28/2011: Fixed LMG menus, added three new maps (Farmhouse, Airbase, Karnivale).

04/21/2011: Made everything work properly when players leave mid-game.

04/18/2011: Fixed another devastator bug, fixed zombie death delay, changed lobby system.

04/07/2011: Fixed one of many devastator bugs.

04/06/2011: Reduced shadow zombie problem, rank now shows in lobby, fixed shooting audio cutout.

04/04/2011: Added coming soon to Flamethrower and CAW, made some zombies tougher.

04/01/2011: New explosions, improved map graphics contrast, reduced unnecessary zombie barricade attacks.

03/31/2011: Improved Never Ending round bug, made devastator xp sharing more fair.

03/29/2011: Fixed broken Single Player, fixed incorrect rank unlocks.

03/28/2011: Made getting into a game easier.

03/27/2011: Fixed multiplayer lobbies.

Version differences
SAS 3 is the first and currently only game of the SAS series to be featured on mobile platforms. The mobile version of the game is significantly different, with new regions containing new maps added, a new zombie type, new weapons, fewer waves in single-player mode (which can be played without an internet connection) and alternate versions of zombies, all weapons being fully automatic (likely to make gameplay easier), upgradable armor for the player, and the ability to upgrade weapons. Nightmare mode also does not exist in the mobile version, so the player can rank up normally, gaining normal XP. Also, the mobile version has the ability to change your (and your buddy's) name in-game at any time as many times as you want, while the flash version does not, as it uses the player's account username.