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H1Z1 bests login issues, justifies and tweaks 'pay-to-win' airdrops [Update: Refunds being granted]
Zombie sandbox MMO H1Z1 launched into early access on Steam yesterday evening only to be plagued with login server issues that caused even us to cancel our planned stream. In other words, it was an MMO launch. Overnight, SOE's John Smedley told Reddit that those problems have been mopped up that that SOE is currently working on G29 and G99 errors, server framerates, disappearing chats, crash bugs, and a "runaway memory situation." Reddit and Steam's user review section have exploded not over the predictable early access technical issues but over cash-shop airdrops, which some players say constitute pay-to-win in violation of SOE's stated philosophy. Smed denied obfuscating the presence of airdrops, saying SOE has "been straight about it" and justifying the mechanic: 1) You cannot call in airdrops until the servers are 1/4 full. 2) You can't call in airdrops without generating a ton of zombie heat. 3) the airdrops are random in what they deliver. 4) you are not guaranteed to get a single thing out of the airdrop you called in. You could die trying and you're out the money. 5) We fly the plane in very slowly and loudly.. we also stream green smoke from it you can see from very far away. But he does note that SOE will be "making some big changes" to airdrops, including widening the radius, reducing the chance they'll drop guns, slowing the airdrop planes even more, and increasing the number of players who can call them at any given time. "If you think it's P2W don't buy it. Don't play it," Smed posted. "But I have to say wait until you've personally tried them before making the call."
H1Z1 is now available, here's a trailer
Zombie survival sandbox H1Z1 is now available to play. Or test. Or whatever it is ya'll are doing inside these half-finished games that are killing it on Steam. What can you expect for your $19.99 or $39.99? Well, lots of bugs, placeholder artwork, and low-quality character models, according to a recent dev post. You also get to shoot your fellow zombie fans in the face, though, and purportedly influence development of the game going forward. SOE has released a new trailer to mark today's launch. You can view it after the break!
The War Z dev: 'We were arrogantly deaf to problems'
They may not be slavering corpses, but the developers of The War Z share one thing in common with the undead denizens of their game: Persistence. Despite seemingly endless controversy, the open-world zombie survival game has reportedly passed 2.8 million sales. From the beginning, players accused The War Z (aka Infestation: Survivor Stories) of liberally borrowing ideas from Bohemia Interactive's cult-hit DayZ, including its setting and basic "survive against endless hordes of corpses" gameplay. Then The War Z reached Steam and was immediately hit by allegations that the developers knowingly listed features on the digital storefront that had not yet been added to the game. Valve eventually stepped in and pulled The War Z from Steam.
Leaderboard: Are you playing H1Z1 this week?
SOE's zombie-flavored sandbox comes to Steam early access tomorrow, and despite the under construction warnings of CEO John Smedley, I'm betting that lots of people are going to buy it. The question, though, is whether or not you have bought it. How about it, Massively readers? Are you playing H1Z1 this week? Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
H1Z1 boasts 150-200 early access servers, including 'carebear' servers [Updated]
In preparation for the early access launch of zombiebox H1Z1, SOE's John Smedley has been busy on social media. Over the weekend, he asked Redditors for suggestions for 50 zombie-themed server names. Last night on Twitter, he indicated that the game will have far more servers come Thursday: looking like we'll have 150-200 H1Z1 servers on 1/15. [9:19 PM - 12 Jan 2015] we'll be announcing the distribution of them (i.e. rulesets, etc) in the next day or two. I think people will be happy. [9:19 PM - 12 Jan 2015] even the disgusting PVE carebear servers will be ready day 1. I'm not happy about that but people tell me I need to get over it. [9:20 PM - 12 Jan 2015] Don't worry, PvE players who've been buying SOE MMOs for 16 years. We're pretty sure he was kidding. H1Z1 early access launches January 15th. Smed has previously warned players that they should "NOT BUY EARLY ACCESS" if they are hoping for a completely finished game, but given the number of servers, we expect no one is listening to that advice.
DayZ fan film lacks zombies, still feels like DayZ
DayZ creator Dean Hall tweeted his appreciation for a new fan film based on his popular zombie-flavored open world title earlier today. And why not? The flick is a believably bleak meditation on the game's dog-eat-dog post-apocalypse, even though it doesn't feature a single zombie. Click past the cut to give it a look!
Zombie Army Trilogy announced for PC, PS4, Xbox One
British developer Rebellion revealed a revamped third-person shooter bundle for PC, PS4 and Xbox One today, Zombie Army Trilogy. As the studio hinted in February 2014, the collection features both Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army and its sequel, stand-alone expansions of the developer's tactical shooter, Sniper Elite V2. The package also includes "the never-seen-before third installment in the series and a brand new horde mode." Both Nazi Zombie Army and the second expansion launched in 2013 for PC. Zombie Army Trilogy will include 15 missions that span three campaigns and five horde maps with up to four-player cooperative multiplayer options. The trilogy is available for pre-order on Steam for $45, and Rebellion is "offering an exclusive loyalty discount to owners of the first two Nazi Zombie Army games via Steam before launch," though it did not specify how sizable the discount will be. According to the bundle's Steam page, the trilogy is expected to launch on March 6, though Rebellion only noted that the game will launch in "early 2015." Head past the break to see Zombie Army Trilogy's first gruesome trailer. [Image: Rebellion]
Malkovich, Paxton star in Advanced Warfare Exo Zombies
When Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is overrun with zombies, who do you want standing at your side? If you answered "anyone who survived The Walking Dead's zombie apocalypse," "that girl with the gun-leg from Planet Terror," "the general keeping humanity from extinction in Warm Bodies" and "someone with expertise in exoskeletal power armor, like the Master Sergeant from Edge of Tomorrow," we have two things to say to you: One, wow that's a specific list. Like ... really, absurdly specific. And two, congratulations! You'll get all four when the Exo Zombies mode comes to Call of Duty. According to a new teaser (which you can view above), the Exo Zombies mode will feature the talents of Jon Bernthal (Shane, The Walking Dead), Rose McGowan (Cherry Darling, Planet Terror), John Malkovich (Grigio, Warm Bodies) and Bill Paxton (Master Sergeant Farell, Edge of Tomorrow; also Private Hudson, Aliens). Unfortunately, there's still very little of the mode to be seen in action, so chew on what morsels of gameplay video you can before the zombies chew on Xbox-owning brains in January, and other platform owners at a later date. [Image: Activision]
Zombie sandbox MMO Immune enters early access on Steam
If you can't wait for H1Z1 and want to slay some zombies this Christmas, perhaps isometric post-apoc sandbox Immune will suffice. Billed by developer Vidiludi Games & Entertainment as an MMORPG, Immune launches into early access today and is pushing for Steam greenlighting. "Immune is a humorous early access sandbox survival MMORPG with PVP and PVE, in which you scavenge, hunt, and even grow your own food to survive. Inspired by classics such as DayZ, Rust, and Stalker, Immune takes place in a post-apocalyptic world following an outbreak of a devastating pandemic leaving only a handful of survivors. But beware of the gasmask wearing NPCs doing everything in their power to avoid the infection by shooting everyone sick or immune in the face!" The game is currently $10 US on the developer's website, half off as a holiday promotion.
H1Z1 brings the zombie apocalypse to Early Access in January
Publisher Sony Online Entertainment has announced that its upcoming, open-world zombie apocalypse MMO H1Z1 will debut on Steam's Early Access service on January 15. Normally this is where we'd warn you that Early Access games are, by definition, not complete and anyone purchasing access to an Early Access release should be aware that they're likely to encounter technical problems. However, SOE president John Smedley already did that, yesterday on Reddit. "What you'll be playing January 15th is a really fun game, but it's early," Smedley wrote. "It's everything Early Access should be - a fun and compelling game that isn't finished. Our goal is to have you help us finish it and have it be a game we can build a large community in over time." If you're wondering how H1Z1 will stack up against the reigning king of the online zombie apocalypse subgenre DayZ, Smedley addresses that, too. "Is H1Z1 going to be better than DayZ [at launch]? No it won't," he admits. "We'll get asked that question a lot and I wanted to be up front about it. We're not as feature rich and they have a lot of really cool stuff we just don't have yet. That being said, we're also a different game. We're an MMO and our goals are to create a large scale world that gives you the incredible feeling of being a survivor in a zombie apocalypse." When it arrives on Early Access, H1Z1 will feature a $20 price tag. [Image: SOE]
H1Z1 early access available January 15
SOE's H1Z1 zombie sandbox is coming to Steam early access on January 15th. CEO John Smedley posted the news to Reddit a few moments ago, and he was quite specific about who should purchase the title in its current form. "Is it going to be a finished game? Absolutely not. If that's what you're expecting, DO NOT BUY EARLY ACCESS," he wrote. "The goal here is to let you in early and help us mold it into a game you want to be a part of for quite a long time." Smedley went on to mention the entry-level price point ($19.99) and he also addressed comparisons between H1Z1 and Day Z. "Is H1Z1 going to be better than Day Z day one? No it won't. We'll get asked that question a lot and I wanted to be up front about it," Smedley explained. "We're not as feature-rich and they have a lot of really cool stuff we just don't have yet. That being said, we're also a different game. We're an MMO and our goals are to create a large scale world that gives you the incredible feeling of being a survivor in a zombie apocalypse."
H1Z1 talks about the details of animations in new video
You probably don't spend a whole lot of time thinking about the animations of your favorite game, but they're still important. H1Z1's latest dev spotlight video highlights senior artist Dave Carter, the man behind motion captures and animations in the game, and he talks at length about what is in the game and how much influence animation has upon elements in the game. For example, adding zombies who can climb over vehicles and through windows is a balance issue, but it's also an animation issue; the developers can't add one without the other. Carter also discusses the existing animations in the game and some of the flow between them in the video. Although the animations aren't completely finished, the motion capture sessions have taken place and the team is fairly far along in bringing the game into motion. Check out the full video just past the break.
Dead Island 2 beta exclusive to PlayStation 4 for 30 days
Tucked inside an unassuming FAQ is news that Yager's first-person open-world zombie apocalypse fantasy Dead Island 2 will enter beta testing on the PlayStation 4 prior to the Xbox One and PC. This timed exclusivity was discovered by players who pre-ordered the recent Escape Dead Island spin-off from GameStop and received a bonus code for an eventual Dead Island 2 beta test. When attempting to redeem the code, players found an official notice that reads, "Those who have selected PS4 as their platform of choice for the Dead Island 2 beta will receive access 30 days before Xbox One and PC users." Unfortunately, there's no word on when the beta might start and publisher Deep Silver has yet to reveal any additional methods to enter the test. We expect more information soon, as Dead Island 2 is slated to debut in early 2015. [Image: Deep Silver]
Exo Zombies will debut with Havoc DLC in January
The previously-announced return of zombies in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will rush Xbox One players that purchase the Havoc DLC pack in January 2015 (and other platforms at a later date), developer Sledgehammer Games has revealed. Exo Zombies' chapters will be overrun with an "entirely new breed" of zombies, the first glimpse of which is shown in the above trailer, a clip that was previously viewable by conquering the Riot stage of Advanced Warfare's Exo Survival mode. Though we don't have an exact launch date for the Havoc DLC just yet, remember that Xbox One players will get the first shot at Havoc, Exo Zombies and the rest of Advanced Warfare's DLC due to Xbox's timed exclusivity deal with Activision. [Image: Activision]
H1Z1 dev vid talks cities, barricades, and more
SOE has published another H1Z1 dev spotlight vid. Environment artist Ruby Opfer is your host, and she spends the clip's three-minute running time expounding on various fan-submitted questions. Want to know about the zombie gankbox's underwater exploration potential? What about cities and the ability for players to take them over? How about structural barricades and whether or not you can line your bunker with crafted wooden spikes? All these questions and a few more are touched on just past the break.
Zombies are in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare DLC
As a leak suggested earlier this week, zombies will gather once more to crowd around soldiers in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, according to a press release from GameStop. The mode will be "part of" Advanced Warfare's season pass, a $49.99 purchase that includes four packs of multiplayer maps as well as the bonus Atlas Gorge map. For those who purchase the Day Zero Edition of Advanced Warfare, double XP will be granted for the entirety of Monday, November 3, the game's launch day for those who pre-order. Early buyers will also get the "Advanced Arsenal bullet brass exoskeleton and EM1 Quantum directed energy weapon, plus the AK-12G Assault Rifle and Crossbow-B2 custom weapons." If you were planning on upgrading to a PS4 for Advanced Warfare's release, GameStop is offering $125 in store credit from today until November 9 in exchange of a PS3 (20 GB or higher) or an Xbox 360 (250 GB or higher) traded toward the purchase of a PS4. If you purchase a PS4 along with a matching copy of Advanced Warfare, GameStop will also throw in a year of PlayStation Plus for free. If an Xbox One is more your speed, you might to consider the recently-announced holiday bundles. GameStop's press release does not give a sense of when season pass holders can expect to fend off the undead. Advanced Warfare's leading piece of DLC, the Havok map pack, is due to reach Xbox One first in January, with arrivals on other platforms following. Update: An Activision representative has clarified that the zombies mode is part of the downloadable content map packs and does not require the purchase of the full season pass. The map packs containing zombies will be available a la carte. [Image: Activision]
H1Z1's audio is a key part of its immersion
When done right, you hardly ever consciously acknowledge a game's sound, but when it's missing or done poorly, it can jar a player out of desired immersion. In a dev diary posted today, H1Z1 Technical Architect Greg Spence talks about the sound of the game and demonstrates a few tests. "So much goes into making these sounds seem realistic beyond just choosing an audio file to play," Spence explains. "Taking into account your surroundings, whether you are inside or outside, what type of ground you are on, time of day, and even weather can play a big part in the final thing you hear." Spence discusses sound effects, environment sounds, and, of course, music. You can check out the audio test videos after the break!
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare kisses goats, leaks zombies
Not even a sloppy, overly-moist kiss from a goat can distract Call of Duty fans from gunning down zombies, as the two most recent pieces of footage from Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare handily demonstrate. Below the break you'll find the latest, official trailer for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. It's a live-action affair and the aforementioned amorous goat basically steals the entire thing, but otherwise it's got all the explosions, gunplay and overtly macho posturing we've come to expect from the near-future military shooter. More intriguing however, is a 52-second clip that recently appeared on the Internet that seemingly depicts previously unknown zombies in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Though the footage is not an official release, it does appear to be legit. Zombies are a Call of Duty tradition at this point, and when asked about the leak, Sledgehammer Games head Glen Schofield made no effort to deny its authenticity. "[N]othing I can do about [the leak] now," Schofield tweeted. "But yeah it sucks. Imagine you're playing and this comes up - you'd be psyched up, right?" Our attempts to pry further information from Activision were met with no response. Whether you're psyched or not, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare brings zombies, goats and Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey to retail on November 3. [Image: Activision]
H1Z1's senior designer on item degradation, crafting, and more
SOE has released a new H1Z1 dev spotlight video. The dev in question is one Paul Carrico, senior game designer on the open world survival sandbox. Carrico spends the vid's four-minute running time fielding fan-generated questions, one of which pertains to crafting. "Crafting can get really deep," he says, before giving an example of makeshift weapon fabrication. Carrico also mentions ammo variation, though he says that flaming, exploding, and poison-tipped arrows will have to wait until after H1Z1's early access goes live. Finally, Carrico talks about item degradation, which will affect everything from weapons to structures to tools. Click past the cut to watch the full clip.
PlanetSide 2: Tramell Isaac out, Bill Yeatts in
PlanetSide 2 is losing one of the most public faces of its team but will be replacing him with another well-known figure from SOE. Senior Art Director Tramell Isaac announced today that he will be leaving SOE for a new opportunity. "I've had a blast working with you guys all these many months. I will certainly miss you all," he wrote. However, Isaac said that he's leaving his position in good hands, as former H1Z1 Art Director Bill Yeatts will be stepping into the role: "Bill was on the PS2 team from start to ship so he is very well versed in what is and is not PlanetSide 2. He is running the show now and he may contradict some of the 'rules' I set in the past, but that is now his prerogative." Isaac is moving over to Boss Key Productions to become that studio's art director.
