Unfortunately, the lack of a playerbase large enough to support this model led to a simplified version remaining in place. The actions of the player gangs and the victories and defeats of the computer-controlled pirate and trader gangs directly impacts the quality of Loot recovered after battles but has little effect on the gameworld itself, or economy. Game client The main turn based tactical gameplay which is the core of the game is done through a freely downloadable game client. In Darkwind, turn-based gameplay racing becomes purely about the tactics of entering and exiting corners, passing opponents, and generally breaking down the nuances of driving that normally become automated in a traditional driving game. As real-world professional racing has much more to do with tactics than reactions (for example F1 or NASCAR races), the turn-based nature of Darkwind allows players to race more professionally by letting them battle it out tactically rather just waiting to see who is first to make a mistake. Darkwind's turn-based system also allows for highly detailed rules and strategy, as players have more time to assign orders to characters and vehicles. There are two phases when the turn ends. One is the Orders phase, in which players will see their vehicles move accordingly. This is affected by many factors, including the vehicle's position, damage to tires, previous velocity, whether it is under fire etc. The second is the firing phase, whereby vehicles open fire on their targets, depending on the orders given. The extent of damage is revealed through text messages, similar to old-school RPGs such as Fallout. Vehicular customization As of October 2007, Darkwind had 50+ unique vehicle chassis including subcompacts, sedans, muscle cars, SUVs and larger vans and trucks. 14 different engines and 50+ weapons ranging from rams and flamethrowers for close combat to rocket launchers and mortars for long-range mayhem. Each of the chassis and weapons offers different advantages which allows players to create a range of unique and interesting vehicle designs. The weapons have detailed statistics underlying them: recoil, close range and ranged accuracy, damage factors, psychological 'fear factors', ammunition, and so on. Future updates Between 2015 and 2019, no additional content was added. However, in 2020, the game received several significant updates (including UI changes). Feedback was also requested by Psychic Studios to make the game more newbie-friendly. Subscription Darkwind is free to download and play with some restrictions. Non-premium