In the survival MMO H1Z1, this week’s focus in the dev blog was on the vehicles in the game. In addition to the already known Jeep, a pickup truck and bicycles are expected to follow. The system has also been refined over the past weeks.
Currently only Jeep; pickup truck and bicycles are expected to follow
For a long time, players only saw the same old Jeep, which occasionally ran out of fuel, ran over zombies, and would explode. But that won’t be all. In the dev blog, the folks at SOE let “Vehicle Game Designer” Kris Roberts explain his plans this time. He is currently working on the design of a pickup truck. How the truck is being developed, he explains with some technical details and images in a blog post. After the pickup, he will probably tackle something completely different, namely bicycles.
The means of transportation are supposed to feel truly different in H1Z1. The pickup is therefore not just a remodelling of the Jeep but a unique vehicle with its own driving characteristics.
Central locking, but no car keys in H1Z1 yet
Some of the features that went live last week have already been seen in the 80-minute live stream, where the more complex vehicle mechanics were already on display.
The driver now has control over whether the doors of his vehicle are locked or open. However, this only applies as long as he is inside. Once the driver exits, the vehicle reverts to being public property. However, they plan to change this in the future. Then keys will be introduced in the game, allowing a survivor to own his truck.
Jeep on its roof = explosion
At the moment, it’s a bit unrealistic that a Jeep explodes immediately when it lands on its roof. This is necessary, according to Roberts, to “recycle” the car and reintegrate it into the system. Otherwise, there would eventually be no cars left, as the limited vehicles would all be stuck on their roofs somewhere in the ditches.
However, according to Roberts, players could also imagine being able to flip a helpless vehicle back over to get it running again. Later, the cars will not be so easily flammable, akin to Hollywood portrayals.
While players used to worry only about their vehicle running out of gas, in H1Z1, you now need four components to make a car drivable: in addition to gasoline, a spark plug, a battery, and an engine are necessary. All four components wear out, need maintenance or replacement, and gasoline needs to be refueled.
At the moment, cars are still an effective method for killing zombies. The “Zeds” spectacularly bounce off the front bumper and tumble over, thanks to the H1Z1 ragdoll mechanics, like ski racers after a nasty miscalculation. However, zombie roadkills will not remain feasible for much longer; in the future, zombies will be able to damage the vehicle. Anyone who has ever experienced a wildlife accident with a deer or wild boar will understand that this is realistic.
