I OU a Beatn
08-03-2012, 01:00 PM
Beta registration went live the other day. You can register by going to http://www.thewarz.com.
An FAQ on their forums does a good job of summarizing what it is(huge wall of text but very informative):
General Information
What is The War Z?
The War Z is an Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) featuring full support for FPS (First Person Shooter) and TPS (Third Person Shooter) perspectives in an epic-scale Sandbox world currently featuring a playing field of over 400 square kilometers of Colorado (More locations to come such as New York, Los Angeles and Paris) where as five years ago, a viral outbreak decimated over 95% of the human population. Most of civilization have been either destroyed or overgrown with vegetation while harboring countless amounts of the walking dead. In order to stay alive, you will need to scavenge the terrain for food, weapons, and other vital supplies as you either avoid or neutralize the lingering threat of zombies.
You mentioned MMORPG - Should I be worried?
Not at all! The War Z features no subscriptions and all future content that's being released will be for free while at the same time featuring AAA-quality graphics so flexible that even several years old laptops can handle the game with no issues making the game easily available to everyone for a one-time fee of 30$ USD with the possibility of free trial periods and demos to come. (more on that as we get closer to release)
How does your game handle character progression?
Our game will feature no classes, no levels and no unrealistic stats in effort to create the best unique survival experience possible in the post-apocalyptic nightmare while still always offering ways to improve your character, be it exercising to reach the next physical peak or practice yourself to be a better shot. One may compare this system to be similar to other MMO's but we have gone our way to ensure that none of it will have any impact on the game's realism nor give huge advantages over less experienced players.
Will I have to kill a certain number of wolves before I can get a better weapon?
Certainly not! You can dive right into the most dangerous parts of the game minutes after creating your character for phat lewt but beware, hordes of zombies, greedy bandits and other dangers awaits.
How is the economy handled? Are the developers keeping all the goodies for themselves?
The economy (Dollars) in The War Z is completely player-controlled with the option to invest in "Gold Coins" which one may purchase supplies for convenience such as the cure for the zombie infection and vanity items in one of the many player/npc driven settlements that has to be found across the wastes. However, you cannot buy anything for gold coins that would give a hard advantage over others in the game, Pay 2 Winners beware!
How much will this game cost?
We are currently aiming for it to cost 30.00$ with potential discounts for pre-purchase.
Technical Information
When is this game getting released?
We are currently aiming for a release this fall, 2012. This is subject to change however.
What are the required specifications?
As of right now, you require a minimum of 2048 MB of RAM (2GB) and a video-card that supports Shader Model 3.0
Can I play this game on a Mac?
Right now, the game does not support Mac machines. One can however, install windows on an Mac product and the game should work fine. Support for Mac may be added at a later date.
What is the earliest possible chance that I may sink my teeth into the game?
That would be the upcoming closed beta currently scheduled for late this summer. (Latest date would be September 21, 2012)
You may participate in it by pre-purchasing the game, signing up for it or participating in upcoming events which will be hosted on our official Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/warzmmo and at our Twitter https://twitter.com/The_War_Z
May I host my own server?
Yes and no. While we do not allow you to physically host an official server, fully supporting our game, we do give you the option to rent one of our servers to use at your own will. The pricing of this will vary but it is currently starting at around 15.00$ per 70 players server for 30 days. Discounts are given if if purchased with 60-90-120 days rent. The price will climb accordingly if you want the server to support more players.
We are currently evaluating smaller instances with 30 players for roughly 8.00$ - 10.00$ per month.
How many of my buddies can I squeeze in on my server?
The current limit we have put on servers are 250 players while the minimum remains around 30 to 70 players. We feel that this is an adequate amount of stress to put on both our in-game engine and networking capabilities per server unit.
Specific Questions
How many guns can I have on me, ready for action?
You currently have two "Hot spots". The first spot may hold an assault rifle, grenade launcher, sniper rifle, crossbow and other weapons considered to be "main" while the secondary slot may include handguns, (Uzi's?) revolvers and melee weapons. You may also have your inventory filled with other weapons, ready to replace your current hot spots with other arsenal.
I heard you're making this game in only a year, Isn't that a very short period of time for the scale you're building?
Normally MMORPG's can take over 5 years to create but not to worry! We have been preparing the creation of The War Z for years and we are using an pre-existing game-engine called Eclipse which is being modified to suit this game better and it has been previously tested by millions of players worldwide with satisfying results. The majority of work we had to execute includes characters, art, animations, territory and other "second-category" subjects which is not all that time-consuming compared to starting with an game engine from scratch.
Which came first, Day Z or The War Z?
The War Z has been in preparation for a very long time involving us at Hammerpoint tossing around ideas regarding the concept of an zombie MMORPG. But undoubtedly, the success of Day Z was an immense sign to us that an post-apocalyptic zombie MMORPG was the right way to go.
What happens if I get infected and don't get a cure? Do I get to play as a zombie?
No. Your character will simply die.
What happens if I die?
The War Z offers two separate "Difficulties" if you will. One is named Hardcore, where if your character dies, he/she dies forever.
The other is called Normal which only locks out your character and his/her gear if he/she manages to die for around 24-48 hours. You may continue your adventures through The War Z with other characters during this period. You may still continue playing with other characters either on the same account or a different one. (Max 5 Characters per account)
Will there be vehicles and can I put them in my backpack?
Yes and no. Currently, there is only confirmations of cars and that you cannot transfer vehicles between servers
Where are all the game-play / trailer videos?!
Patience. The game is currently in alpha which means any aspect could change at any time which makes game-play footage rather obsolete.
Does this game have VoIP?
Right now It's unclear and pointing towards a no but It's definitely a feature many users wants to see.
Can I run inside any building I want?
As of now, no. However, much points to that a majority of them can be explored and Hammerpoint have stated that this number will expand in time.
When can I pre-order?
When the construction of the website is complete.
Are zombies fast like in Day Z?
No, They are described as classical "Slow" zombies and they go from roaming to limping as they try to run.
How do zombies detect you?
According to an interview, they can both hear, smell and see you.
How is Day & Night handled in the game?
The day and night cycle is greatly increased in speed so players can experience both day and night without having to break their normal routines.
What modifications will there be for my gun?
Tons. There are accessories that change the weapon's hard stats (Such as recoil) like the Foregrip and things that are there just for convenience such as silencers for less noise and tactical flashlights. More information will be shared as we get closer to release.
I want to be a bad guy! What consequences will this have?
For starters, most players will shoot you on sight as you achieve the Bandit status and certain settlements will not let you in, some might even be hostile towards you which means a much tougher experience.
Can I run across the map non-stop like in Day Z?
No. There will be cooldown systems in place to prevent this. You can train yourself better physically and run longer but not to that extent.
What gun-controls can be expected from the game?
The closest comparison we have right now is a mix of War Inc and Battlefield 3.
Can I buy this game game on Steam?
We would very much like to see our product on Steam but there are no guarantees of that happening right now.
An FAQ on their forums does a good job of summarizing what it is(huge wall of text but very informative):
General Information
What is The War Z?
The War Z is an Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) featuring full support for FPS (First Person Shooter) and TPS (Third Person Shooter) perspectives in an epic-scale Sandbox world currently featuring a playing field of over 400 square kilometers of Colorado (More locations to come such as New York, Los Angeles and Paris) where as five years ago, a viral outbreak decimated over 95% of the human population. Most of civilization have been either destroyed or overgrown with vegetation while harboring countless amounts of the walking dead. In order to stay alive, you will need to scavenge the terrain for food, weapons, and other vital supplies as you either avoid or neutralize the lingering threat of zombies.
You mentioned MMORPG - Should I be worried?
Not at all! The War Z features no subscriptions and all future content that's being released will be for free while at the same time featuring AAA-quality graphics so flexible that even several years old laptops can handle the game with no issues making the game easily available to everyone for a one-time fee of 30$ USD with the possibility of free trial periods and demos to come. (more on that as we get closer to release)
How does your game handle character progression?
Our game will feature no classes, no levels and no unrealistic stats in effort to create the best unique survival experience possible in the post-apocalyptic nightmare while still always offering ways to improve your character, be it exercising to reach the next physical peak or practice yourself to be a better shot. One may compare this system to be similar to other MMO's but we have gone our way to ensure that none of it will have any impact on the game's realism nor give huge advantages over less experienced players.
Will I have to kill a certain number of wolves before I can get a better weapon?
Certainly not! You can dive right into the most dangerous parts of the game minutes after creating your character for phat lewt but beware, hordes of zombies, greedy bandits and other dangers awaits.
How is the economy handled? Are the developers keeping all the goodies for themselves?
The economy (Dollars) in The War Z is completely player-controlled with the option to invest in "Gold Coins" which one may purchase supplies for convenience such as the cure for the zombie infection and vanity items in one of the many player/npc driven settlements that has to be found across the wastes. However, you cannot buy anything for gold coins that would give a hard advantage over others in the game, Pay 2 Winners beware!
How much will this game cost?
We are currently aiming for it to cost 30.00$ with potential discounts for pre-purchase.
Technical Information
When is this game getting released?
We are currently aiming for a release this fall, 2012. This is subject to change however.
What are the required specifications?
As of right now, you require a minimum of 2048 MB of RAM (2GB) and a video-card that supports Shader Model 3.0
Can I play this game on a Mac?
Right now, the game does not support Mac machines. One can however, install windows on an Mac product and the game should work fine. Support for Mac may be added at a later date.
What is the earliest possible chance that I may sink my teeth into the game?
That would be the upcoming closed beta currently scheduled for late this summer. (Latest date would be September 21, 2012)
You may participate in it by pre-purchasing the game, signing up for it or participating in upcoming events which will be hosted on our official Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/warzmmo and at our Twitter https://twitter.com/The_War_Z
May I host my own server?
Yes and no. While we do not allow you to physically host an official server, fully supporting our game, we do give you the option to rent one of our servers to use at your own will. The pricing of this will vary but it is currently starting at around 15.00$ per 70 players server for 30 days. Discounts are given if if purchased with 60-90-120 days rent. The price will climb accordingly if you want the server to support more players.
We are currently evaluating smaller instances with 30 players for roughly 8.00$ - 10.00$ per month.
How many of my buddies can I squeeze in on my server?
The current limit we have put on servers are 250 players while the minimum remains around 30 to 70 players. We feel that this is an adequate amount of stress to put on both our in-game engine and networking capabilities per server unit.
Specific Questions
How many guns can I have on me, ready for action?
You currently have two "Hot spots". The first spot may hold an assault rifle, grenade launcher, sniper rifle, crossbow and other weapons considered to be "main" while the secondary slot may include handguns, (Uzi's?) revolvers and melee weapons. You may also have your inventory filled with other weapons, ready to replace your current hot spots with other arsenal.
I heard you're making this game in only a year, Isn't that a very short period of time for the scale you're building?
Normally MMORPG's can take over 5 years to create but not to worry! We have been preparing the creation of The War Z for years and we are using an pre-existing game-engine called Eclipse which is being modified to suit this game better and it has been previously tested by millions of players worldwide with satisfying results. The majority of work we had to execute includes characters, art, animations, territory and other "second-category" subjects which is not all that time-consuming compared to starting with an game engine from scratch.
Which came first, Day Z or The War Z?
The War Z has been in preparation for a very long time involving us at Hammerpoint tossing around ideas regarding the concept of an zombie MMORPG. But undoubtedly, the success of Day Z was an immense sign to us that an post-apocalyptic zombie MMORPG was the right way to go.
What happens if I get infected and don't get a cure? Do I get to play as a zombie?
No. Your character will simply die.
What happens if I die?
The War Z offers two separate "Difficulties" if you will. One is named Hardcore, where if your character dies, he/she dies forever.
The other is called Normal which only locks out your character and his/her gear if he/she manages to die for around 24-48 hours. You may continue your adventures through The War Z with other characters during this period. You may still continue playing with other characters either on the same account or a different one. (Max 5 Characters per account)
Will there be vehicles and can I put them in my backpack?
Yes and no. Currently, there is only confirmations of cars and that you cannot transfer vehicles between servers
Where are all the game-play / trailer videos?!
Patience. The game is currently in alpha which means any aspect could change at any time which makes game-play footage rather obsolete.
Does this game have VoIP?
Right now It's unclear and pointing towards a no but It's definitely a feature many users wants to see.
Can I run inside any building I want?
As of now, no. However, much points to that a majority of them can be explored and Hammerpoint have stated that this number will expand in time.
When can I pre-order?
When the construction of the website is complete.
Are zombies fast like in Day Z?
No, They are described as classical "Slow" zombies and they go from roaming to limping as they try to run.
How do zombies detect you?
According to an interview, they can both hear, smell and see you.
How is Day & Night handled in the game?
The day and night cycle is greatly increased in speed so players can experience both day and night without having to break their normal routines.
What modifications will there be for my gun?
Tons. There are accessories that change the weapon's hard stats (Such as recoil) like the Foregrip and things that are there just for convenience such as silencers for less noise and tactical flashlights. More information will be shared as we get closer to release.
I want to be a bad guy! What consequences will this have?
For starters, most players will shoot you on sight as you achieve the Bandit status and certain settlements will not let you in, some might even be hostile towards you which means a much tougher experience.
Can I run across the map non-stop like in Day Z?
No. There will be cooldown systems in place to prevent this. You can train yourself better physically and run longer but not to that extent.
What gun-controls can be expected from the game?
The closest comparison we have right now is a mix of War Inc and Battlefield 3.
Can I buy this game game on Steam?
We would very much like to see our product on Steam but there are no guarantees of that happening right now.