SAS: Zombie Assault 3

Game has been archived. All functions that required {server <-> client} communication has been reworked to use NKA Launcher statistics, coins or is completly inaccesible. Game development has been also shut down and last known and registered update was published on 30th May of 2019 on Google Play Store and contained note 'Bug fixes'. It was ver. 3.11 update. After that, we've never got any news about SAS:3

 SAS: Zombie Assault 3 , often referred to as  SAS 3  or  ZA3 , is the third full game developed and published by Ninja Kiwi released as part of the SAS series. It is a sequel to as somewhat an expansion of this game, and followed by SAS: Zombie Assault 3 Mobile.

The In-game server browser was shutdown around March of 2020 and multiplayer is inaccessible anymore. This may of been due to the game being unable to bring in enough revenue to sustain it's own servers. It was made clear that game servers will be shut down soon, since around late 2019, the server list was devoid of activity with maximum of 7-8 players online globally.

However, it seems that servers on Ninja Kiwi Archive version still works, because it's entirely possible to host room. Sadly - game community is basically dead, so there's no players that could join the hosted room. But it is actually possible to play multiplayer after server closing in 2020 because there's evidences of multiplayer match that have launched on 27th January of 2022 which may mean, that servers has been closed just for iOS and Android devices.

The game was first officially announced on July 11th, 2010. Several months later, signup for the 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.

The iPhone/iPad version's release was announced on December 20th, 2011.

On January 22nd, 2014, a sequel was said to be in "early development" on the Ninja Kiwi blogs: SAS: Zombie Assault 4.

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 shooting down the zombies and surviving the attack, 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, the 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 and also when Health Regen skill used. 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 to, but 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 its 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.

Pistols

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

Premium

 * Beretta 93R
 * Glock 20

SMGs

 * Skorpion
 * MP5
 * Vector
 * MP7
 * AUG PARA
 * ZCS Seizure

Premium

 * PP19 Bizon

Assault Rifles

 * AK-47
 * M16A4
 * FN FAL
 * SCAR-H
 * REC7
 * ARX160

Premium

 * M1 Garand
 * Beowulf
 * ZCS Wipeout

Shotguns

 * Stoeger
 * Winchester 9410
 * SPAS-12
 * M1014

Premium

 * AA12
 * SCMITR

Machine Guns

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

Premium

 * M2 Browning

Specials

 * 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 and also 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) to buy new and often devastating weapons.

In an 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.

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 modes, ten Elite Ranks (40 to 50) with new Elite skills, Nightmare mode for ranks 40+, new non-premium (M134 Minigun, Mark II, MAC 10, and ZCS Seizure) and premium guns (SCMITR Bio-shotgun and ZCS Wipeout), 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.

In a blog posted on November 25th, 2013, Ninja Kiwi stated that the PC version of Zombie Assault 3 will not receive any more updates.

Version differences
SAS 3 is the first of two games of the main SAS series to be featured on mobile platforms. The mobile version the is game is significantly different from the flash/web version, 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 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.