Tag: H1Z1

Daybreak Reneges On Free To Play, Splits H1Z1 In Half


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Free to play your way is going away as Daybreak Game Company announced today that the zombie game will be split into two separate titles, with both requiring a down payment in order to get into. Since its announcement, Daybreak has billed the title as early access with an eventual launch into free to play, as shown by the following description on the game’s Steam page.

“Initially available as a Steam Early Access title with optional in-game RMT marketplace purchases, H1Z1 will later launch as a Free to Play. Your Way™ title with optional in-game RMT marketplace purchases.”

According to a blog post on the official website, the decision comes down to both games getting to the point where they would require their own dedicated development teams in order to progress efficiently. The two versions effectively split the battle royale and survival modes into their own separate clients with separate teams and separate characters. H1Z1: King of the Hill will launch on PC, Xbox One, and Playstation 4 later this summer with a console version of H1Z1: Just Survive coming down the road.

The more we developed this game with you, our community, the more we realized that in order to fully support both aspects of H1Z1, and their respective players, we needed to make them their own stand-alone games supported by their own dedicated development teams.

Anyone who has already purchased H1Z1, or purchases it before February 17th, will be granted both copies. For everyone else, the game will cost $19.99 each.

(Source: H1Z1)

John Smedley Talks The Future Of H1Z1


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Daybreak’s John Smedley took to Reddit today to discuss the future of H1Z1, and while the title might have you concerned (given where this has lead in the past), it doesn’t include shutting the game down. The list of upcoming features includes the obvious, fixing bugs and improving AI while also adding in new content. Professions, set to make their way in later this month, will afford players more options to grow their characters.

Our goal remains to have a massive world. We’re doing that with Forgelight 2, which has been in development for quite a while now. We’ll be able to show stuff to you soon, but needless to say we’re super excited by what we’re seeing. It’s truly going to give us the 16,000 square kilometer world we’ve been waiting for. We want the world of H1Z1 to truly be a world. One where you can build your own cities and settlements, or take over one if you can hold it.

Developments also include adding new members to the staff, as well as continuing the fight against cheaters. Smedley claims a 100% detection against most major cheats, adding that auto-banning will speed up the process of ridding these players from the servers. You can read the whole piece at the link below.

(Source: Reddit)

Hacking Down 90% In H1Z1, Says Smedley


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Daybreak Game Company has quite a history of cracking down hard on cheaters, and in a recent Reddit post John Smedley has claimed that hacking in H1Z1 is down 90% compared to last month.

The honest reality is that we’ve knocked hacking down to about 10% of what it was a month ago. We’re still working on no-clip cheaters. We’ve got a good system to track them, but we’re working on actually preventing it. Not a simple problem. Aimbotters are tough, but we’ve made great progress against them too.

Daybreak Game Company has been ruthless in its hunt of cheaters in both Planetside 2 and H1Z1, both in the effectiveness of its anti-cheat (see previous link) and the company’s habit of publicly shaming cheaters via Twitter.

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(Source: Reddit)

H1Z1 To Introduce Test Servers/Auto-Bans This Week


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H1Z1’s next update is scheduled for April 16th, adding improved grouping/friend systems, ironing out more bugs, and introducing throwable weapons. Players will be happy to know that it also introduces a test server so updates can be previewed and (hopefully) tested before they go live.

Bringing up a test server that launches from steam for players to see the latest patch before it comes out

Also going live with Thursday’s update is an improved version of H1Z1’s anti-cheat technology, as well as improvements to the automatic ban system to deal with cheaters in a more efficient manner.

Next week’s update on the 23rd introduces the Steam marketplace where players will be able to trade and sell items for real money, screen effects, zombie virus, and more.

(Source: H1Z1)

H1Z1 “The Tears Of A Hacker” Video


The folks at H1Z1 have put together a video narrating the multitude of emails to customer support from players banned for cheating. While some try to plead, others feign ignorance or resort to a slurry of obscenities.

Either way, the end result is rather entertaining.

H1Z1 Wipes Servers For Update


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H1Z1 is back up from this morning’s content patch, and while the update introduces numerous mechanical changes to the game it also comes with a full wipe for all servers. The update includes bug fixes, alterations to recipes, and other convenience updates to make life a little better in the zombie apocalypse.

Players will be happy to see that numerous items have had their weights severely reduced, meaning you won’t have your sacks filled by single cans of fruit or sticks. Other items like metal sheets, meats, and ammo have had their encumbrance increased, so make sure you take a look at what you’re picking up.

(Source: Reddit)

H1Z1 To Cheaters: Thanks For The Donations


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Sony Online Entertainment has an excellent track record on fighting cheaters, to the point where in Planetside 2 many developers have thrown in the towel and given up. H1Z1, currently in early access, is looking to be no different.

SOE senior game designer Jimmy Whisenhunt has posted to his Twitter account regarding a recent wave of bans, thanking the cheaters for their generous donations.

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You can follow Whisenhunt on Twitter for further ban announcements.

(Source: Twitter)

Diaries From H1Z1: The Apocalypse Cometh


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Generations from now, humanity’s survivors will look back and wonder how did we fail? What caused the virus that wiped out 90% of the world’s population? Was it a plague, disease, or wrath of god? No. The fall of society came when Taylor Swift announced that she was retiring from music and would only release further albums in the form of Kidz Bop covers. The fabric of reality tore, civilizations fell, and Nancy Grace’s show was cancelled. I suppose the news isn’t all bad.

I wake up in the middle of nowhere, nothing on my person but a flashlight and the clothes on my back. I don’t know how I got here. I head up to the house down the road to find some food or a weapon to defend myself with. Maybe I can salvage some AA batteries to get my Gameboy working again. All I need is a trustworthy person and I can trade my Kadabra so he’ll evolve into an Alakazam.

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It starts raining, heavily. The house turns out empty, but the rain muffles the sound of my feet as I pass by a large congregation of Taylor Swift fans. I can hear them moaning, “whyyyy.” They cannot be saved, they are driven by an insatiable hunger for human flesh.

Further down the road I come across a small block of houses. In the first building I enter, I find a machete. The tool not the film. Otherwise this area is pretty much devoid of stuff. Either it was ransacked by other survivors or the townspeople were incredibly poor. They must have spent all of their money on the numerous sedans lining the street.

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I realize that I’m becoming very thirsty. It doesn’t occur to me to look upward with my mouth open, given the rain is now in a full-fledged downpour. I could also suck on the sleeve of my shirt for nourishment, but I haven’t bathed in two weeks and the water is being repelled by the accumulated oils. I need to find something to eat.

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Sjoberg’s Mandarin Oranges, my old nemesis. Sjoberg prided himself on being the first food manufacturer with “on-can DLC.” I don’t even know what that means, but there wasn’t much sympathy when old Sjoberg died at a Two Live Crew concert from a bad batch of hollandaise sauce.

In the next house over I find an AR15 on the toilet in the bathroom.

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Finally, the house of a sane person. I always kept a loaded pistol sitting on the commode in case someone broke in while I was dropping an orphan off in the woods. The gun doesn’t have any bullets.

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It’s about time for me to sign off for now. I’m hungry, thirsty, and loaded to the teeth with useless weaponry. Hopefully next time around I’ll be able to eat my shirt.

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John Smedley Defends H1Z1 Airdrops


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Airdrops are sort of like H1Z1’s answer to MMO lockboxes in that they can be purchased for real money and contain random loot, except they are public and dangerous. Calling in an airdrop attracts both players and zombies alike, both groups seeking to feast upon what they might find.

John Smedley took to Reddit to defend the airdrop mechanic, noting:

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..

SOE is planning on updating airdrops to make them drop slower, with a wider drop radius, lowering the chances of weapon drops, and increasing the number of people in a server required to call in. For those who still think it’s pay to win, Smedley has a response:

So if you think it’s P2W don’t buy it. Don’t play it.

H1Z1 is currently availabe for purchase on Steam Early Access.

(Source: Reddit)

H1Z1 My Evil Ways E3 Trailer


Sony Online Entertainment has released the latest trailer for H1Z1, titled ‘My Evil Ways.’ The animations look a little chunky and are more than likely unfinished. The video explains that H1Z1 will be released in early access on Steam, as well as being released on PS4. Sony’s E3 press conference later today will offer more gameplay.

(Source: SOE Press Release)